Must Love Country Estates: 1934 Suffield House Near Chicago Is a $6.9M Stunner

An opulent, 15,000-square-foot mansion in Lake Forest, IL, needs a new owner—one with $6,990,000 to spend.

Built in 1934 and known as Suffield House, the home is the work of renowned architect David Adler. He designed country homes, mostly in the Chicago area. This project was a collaboration with his sister, designer Frances Adler Elkins. 

“She custom designed some of the furniture and went to Europe to shop for some of the lighting,” explains listing agent Jennifer Ames, of Engel & Voelkers Chicago.

This seven-bedroom, 11-bath property has had three owners, with the sellers having kept it for the last 50 years.

A main house, pool house, and carriage house comprise the 5.4-acre spread.

The property was first listed in October 2022 for more than $10 million. In effort to entice a buyer, the sellers have since lowered their ask several times.

High-end home

Nine fireplaces flaunt original hardware and tools, and the light fixtures are all original. Five of the seven bedrooms are on the second floor and feature en suite baths. This level also has a two-bedroom, two-bath apartment that was once occupied by staff.

A gift-wrapping room, gym, and another two-bedroom apartment round out the top floor, while a wine room is situated on the home’s lowest floor.

“Architectural elements of the house are much older than the home itself,” Ames says. “In the library, the floor is from the deck of a schooner ship. In the dining room, the paneling is by a world-renowned English woodcarver born in 1648.”

Flooring throughout the main level is Versailles-patterned hardwood. There is also custom millwork, ornate plaster moldings, oil paintings, and exotic marble throughout.

Original details

“When the house was built, there was a tent city in the backyard—with European craftsmen living on the property,” Ames says.”

She adds that all of Adler’s original details have been conserved.

“The only thing that’s really changed was the kitchen countertops and a pool house added 30 years or so ago,” she notes.

When the home was built, an elevator and central air conditioning were added, both features ahead of their time.

Equally well known were the first owners—”one of the fancy families in Chicago,” Ames says. “They were very wealthy. Mrs. J. Ogden Lolita Armour was widowed, and commissioned the construction for this house for her and her daughter.”

Among the possible modifications a buyer might want to make is converting the former staff quarters into a playroom or office.

The home would be ideal for someone who wants a sizable property in an area that isn’t terribly remote.

“It’s unusual to have such a large estate in the heart of downtown Lake Forest,” Ames says.

A pool, four-car garage, and a putting green modeled after the 12th hole at Augusta National Golf Course in Augusta, GA, are also part of the primo package.

Ames insists there is a particular sort of buyer who is likeliest to be drawn to this listing.

“There’s people who want shiny, modern, and new, and that’s not this buyer,” she says. “This is a buyer who appreciates and wants to continue to celebrate the legacy of classical architecture. You couldn’t reproduce it today. It would be tens of millions of dollars.”

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