15 Old Green Bay

Like many houses on the Village’s northern border, 15 Old Green Bay has a Winnetka address but is technically in Glencoe. This Georgian Revival house was built in 1909 for John Rogerson Montgomery II, an attorney who came from a long line of attorneys. At one point, the Montgomery’s had the longest family streak of attorneys in the United States.

He was quite accomplished, serving as president of the Illinois Bar Association and a founding member of Montgomery, Hart, Pritchard & Herriott law firm. He died in the home in 1937.

While John Montgomery purchased the property at 15 Old Green Bay Road in 1902, construction didn’t start until 1909.

He hired architect Howard Van Doren Shaw, one of Chicagoland’s most famous architects of the twentieth century, to design the house. In 1894, Shaw established his practice and 3 years later, designed an Arts & Crafts-style house called “Ragdale” for himself and his family in Lake Forest. Ragdale is now considered one of the best examples of Arts and Crafts architecture and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. He became well-known for designing country houses in Chicagoland, and influenced many of the next generation of Chicago architects.

This Georgian Revival house is one of Shaw’s many designs listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is also a designated Local Landmark in Glencoe.