824 Prospect

824 Prospect was originally built around 1898 for Henry Swanson, a “grinder” or cutlery salesman and his wife Anna. The Swansons were longtime Winnetka residents and lived in this house for four decades.

Unfortunately, we don’t know who the architect of this beautiful house was. It is likely, though, that the architect was influenced by the Classical Revival structures featured at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, which sparked national enthusiasm for the style.

This particular house has been altered over time, but several unique features remain or have been restored. The front door, for example, is topped by a broken pediment and the porch is supported by classical-style round Ionic columns. The ornate trim below the three rooflines are original to the house and add a unique touch to its many noteworthy features.

Many of these features were restored in the 1970s when the house was purchased by a designer with a passion for the house’s original style and history.

There is one interesting element of this house that remains a mystery. Several historic images show that the porch was once enclosed behind a curved wall of windows. Unfortunately, these photos are undated, so we aren’t sure how the porch looked in its original state. Since at least the 1960s, the house has been wrapped by an open porch, which has been beautifully preserved for decades.

Thanks to over a century of care by its many owners, 824 Prospect has been identified as potentially eligible for the National Register of Historic Places and is included on the Illinois Historic Structures Survey as an architecturally distinctive property.