888 Tower

The house at 888 Tower is notable for its association with two of Winnetka’s most accomplished residents.

The original owner was John Nash Ott Sr., a lawyer for First National Bank in Chicago. While quite successful in his own right, Ott is best-known as the father of John Nash Ott, Jr., who was born in this house at 888 Tower in 1909.

John Nash Ott Jr. was an accomplished photographer, inventor, cinematographer, and television host. Growing up in Winnetka, he was intrigued by time-lapse photography and botany from a young age. Although he initially followed in his father’s footsteps by taking a job at the First National Bank of Chicago, finance was only ever a day job. He spent his free time on time-lapse photography and in 1927, created his first film featuring apple blossoms blooming overnight. The majority of Ott’s later films featured species of flowers, vegetables, and fruits in various stages of growth.

As an adult, Ott Jr. lived at 40 Woodley, where he built a large greenhouse for plants to film. In the 1950s, Ott went to work for Disney, producing several educational films using his groundbreaking work with time-lapse photography. Later in life, he created a company named Ottlite Technology, which invented the a light bulb that emits full-spectrum light. You can still purchase the OttLite light bulb today.

While we don’t know for sure, the architect of this Tudor Revival house is possibly William Otis, a well-known local architect who designed several of Winnetka’s most historic structures. He became one of Winnetka’s busiest architects, designing a number of exceptional houses and public buildings, including Christ Church, Horace Mann School, the Lloyd Memorial Library, and Greeley School.

In some ways, it would be surprising if Otis designed this house. The style, for example, differs from most of the Winnetka homes he designed for his clients. However, there are several images of it in his 1909 personal scrapbook. Every other property featured in the scrapbook was designed by Otis, so it would be unusual for him to include a property in his personal scrapbook that he didn’t design.

Despite uncertainty about the architect, this house has been identified as a potential candidate for the National Register of Historic Places.