644 Oak

644 Oak Street was designed and built by architect William A. Otis in 1894. Otis was born in New York in 1855. As a member of one of the most storied families in American history, one could say that William Otis was destined for success. He was, for example a direct descendent of Samuel Otis, the first Secretary of the US Senate who famously held the bible as George Washington was sworn in as the first President of the United States. He was also a relative of Elisha Otis, the famed inventor of the safety elevator and founder of the Otis Elevator Company.

After graduating from the University of Michigan, Otis trained in architecture in Paris before moving to the Chicago area. Once re-established stateside, Otis made a name for himself both as an architect and as a lecturer on architectural history at the Art Institute of Chicago. He was as successful in his personal life as he was in his career. He married Elizabeth Shackford, daughter of former Winnetka village president and 594 Elm resident Samuel Shackford, in 1888, and they settled in Winnetka to raise their family.

Otis built the house at 644 Oak for his family in 1894. It’s a unique house that faces the Village Green and was unlike many of the houses he had previously designed for his clients. The house draws from a number of styles, including medieval, Victorian Gothic, and Shingle styles and is the perfect example of Otis’s ability to create unique structures of both beauty and substance. He became one of Winnetka’s busiest architects, designing a number of exceptional houses and public buildings, including Christ Church, the Horace Mann School, the Lloyd Memorial Library, and the Greeley School.

The Otis’ legacy in Winnetka lived on through Sam, a lifelong resident who, for a time, lived in his grandparent’s house at 594 Elm. Sam followed in his father’s footsteps and became an architect. He went on to design the Cenotaph on the Village Green.

The house at 644 Oak remains a glowing example of the creativity and style that William Otis brought to Winnetka and is a wonderful memorial to his talent as an architect. While this house currently has no historic status, it has been identified as potentially eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.