Historic Camerata Concert Home Sites
  
 

The concerts of the Camerata Singers of Lake have been presented in some of the most beautiful homes of the Lake Forest area. Many of these homes are also historic (more than 50 years old) and their stories play a integral part in evolution of this great North Shore area.

This page will provide some details regarding these historic homes, as well as additional photos, if available. The information on the homes and the photos are all gathered from publicly available records including real estate listings, the extensive files of the Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Historical Society and several wonderful books about North Shore estates. All of these books are highly recommended - "Classic Country Estates of Lake Forest" by Kim Coventry, Daniel Meyer and Arthur H. Miller; "David Adler - Architect" by Martha Thorne; and "North Shore Chicago: Houses of the Lakefront Suburbs, 1890-1940" by Stuart Cohen and Susan Benjamin. The names of the current home owners have been withheld. Camerata has also performed in nearly a dozen homes that do not yet qualify as being "historic" (over 50 years old). The properties listed below are arranged in order of construction date.

  
 
(Click on photos below to get a larger image)
  
 
737 North Sheridan Road, Lake Forest
  
 
This home was built in 1887 for Edward Chapin and was named "Shadow Lawn". It contains 11,500 square feet of living space with a huge 48' x 23' living room. Camerata performed a concert in this home in 1985 entitled "Myths, Fables and Legends" featuring Harry Porterfield as our guest narrator. The hosts for our concert were Raymond and Barbara Buck.
    
 
360 North Mayflower Road, Lake Forest
  
   
Holabird & Roche constructed this home in 1893 for Carter Harrison Fitz-Hugh. Over the years, we have had two concerts in this home, with different hosts for each - first, Ken and Joan Thompson in 1987 and then Jim and Rebecca Baclawski in 1995. The home has 11,700 square feet of living area with a 40' x 22' living room.
  
 
123 Stonegate Road, Lake Forest
  
 
Arthur Heun built this magnificent home in 1896 for Francis Cooley Farwell. It was named "Edgewood" and it is situated high on a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan. Heun built a companion home, "Ardleigh", for Charles V. Farwell, Jr. at 121 Stonegate Road. Charles and Francis were brothers.
    
 
The two homes face each other and share the same access road. Camerata performed a concert in this home in 1988 entitled "Merrie Old England". The home has over 7,000 square feet of living space and the living room measures 38' x 22'.
  
 
600 East Westminster, Lake Forest
  
   
This home was built by Charles Sumner Frost in 1897 for Marvin Hughitt, President of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad. It was named "Westover". David Adler was a major factor in some of the renovations to the home. It has over 10,000 square feet of living space and the living room measures 42' x 20'. Camerata performed one of its
 
 
first concerts (1983) in this home when it was owned by James and Lynn Dean.
  
 
1000 East Illinois Road, Lake Forest
  
 
This home was built in 1903 by Edwin Hill Clark for Walter R. Kirk. It was named "Vallambrosa". Situated on nearly 4 acres of ravine property, it contains 5,400 square feet of living space with a 29' x 22' living room. Camerata performed a concert in this home in 1999 while it was owned by David and Teresa Crouse.
    
 
1007 Hawthorne Place, Lake Bluff
  
   
This home was built in 1907 for Louis Ellsworth Laflin. He was joined by Robert Kohn in the design of the home. It was named "Ellslloyd". The estate originally contained exquisite Rose Standish Nichols designed formal gardens, but they have been the victim of mid-20th century developers. The house contains 13,500
  
 
square feet of living space with a living room measuring 35' x 23'. Camerata recently performed here, presenting their version of "My Secret Garden" - a Broadway production written by Lucy Simon.
  
 
1500 West Kennedy Road, Lake Forest
  
 
This magnificent estate was built in 1908 by Arthur Heun for John Ogden Armour. The home was named "Mellody Farms" and included extensive property. The facility eventually became Lake Forest Academy
    
 
and during the past ten years, additional development has taken place on the property. The home is very large, and the living room is 40' x 25'. Camerata performed its only concert here in 1985 in a creative presentation which included jazz and dance.
  
 
1345 North Lake Road, Lake Forest
  
   
Howard Van Doren Shaw built this estate in 1908 for Donald R. McLennan. It is named "Sturnoway". It stands high above Lake Michigan and sits on a street lined with magnificent estates. The house has 11,000 square feet of living space and a living which measures 33' x 20'. Camerata
 
 
performed a concert in this in 1995 entitled "Music of the British Isles" where our multi-arts entertainment was a bagpiper. At that time, the home was owned by Ralph Falk.
  
 
885 East Woodbine Lane, Lake Forest
  
   
This home was originally a carriage house for the "Pinewold" estate located at 950 East Westminster. The estate was built in 1908 for Bernard Eckhardt. The carriage house has been completed renovated and converted into a beautiful home. The renovation was carefully crafted to include
 
 
many of the unique characteristics that were present in the original carriage house. Camerata performed a concert here in June of 2007 entitled "'Til the Fat Lady Sings" and will perform "Camerata Songbook" in the home in June of 2008.
  
 
855 Rosemary Lane, Lake Forest
  
 
This splendid home was built in 1909 for Finley Barrell. It contains 9700 square feet of living space and the living room measures 39' x 17'. The architect for this home was Howard Van Doren Shaw. It was the site of a recent Designer Showcase and has marvelous appointments throughout the house. This home was the site of a concert featuring Cole Porter music.
    
 
128 Moffett Road, Lake Bluff
  
   
This home was built in 1911 for Harry B. Clow. It was designed by Stanley Marshall and was named "Lansdowne". It was the site of "Portraits of the Nativity" and created one of our largest home audiences. The contains 12,200 square feet of living space with living room measuring 28' x 26'. The living room, however, could be extended
 
 
into an adjacent library allowing for additional unobstructed seating. The estate current contains 21 acres of lake front property.
  
 
340 North Ahwahnee Road, Lake Forest
  
 
This home was built for William Caldwell Niblack, a Chicago attorney and bank, in 1912 by Chatton and Hammond. It was named "Eighty Elms", presumably for the number of elm trees on the property. A major addition, including the current living room, was added to the house in 1928
    
 
under the direction of Stanley Anderson. The home has been listed as 360 North Ahwahnee for many years, but a recent major renovation relocated the entrance drive and resulted in the change of address to 340 Ahwahnee Road. The home contains nearly 10,000 square feet of living space and the living room measures 40' x 20'. Camerata has performed two concerts at this location - one in 1996 when the home was owned by John Looby, and one in 2001 when the home was owned by Scott and Kathy Brandwein.
  
 
1350 North Milwaukee Road, Libertyville
  
   
This majestic estate was built in 1914 by Marshall and Fox for Samuel Insull, the founder of Commonwealth Edison. It was named "Hawthorn Farms". The property was sold to the Cuneo family in 1937 and they lived in it until 1990 when Mrs. Cuneo died. Since that time it has been operated as a museum. Camerata has been
 
 
fortunate enough to have four separate concerts at Cuneo. Guests to the concerts have been able to tour the museum during the reception hour which occurs between the two performances. The concerts performed by Camerata at Cuneo give a good look into the varied repertoire associated with the Camerata program. Our first concert at Cuneo was in 1994 with a concert entitled "My Grandfather's Clock" - a concert that presented
 
 
music composed near the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. The next, in 1996, was "By George, It's Gershwin" - which featured the vocal music of George Gershwin including a number of selections from "Porgy & Bess". The third, in 1998, was "Viva Italia" which presented
   
 
opera arias and choruses from Italy and southern Europe. The latest, in 2004, was "The Romantic Age" which featured choral music of Europe. The great room (shown here) is about 1600 square feet with a 40-foot ceiling which can be opened by a movable partition.
  
 
55 Mayflower Road, Lake Forest
  
 
This home was built in 1916 for Clyde Mitchell Carr. It was named "Wyldwood" and the architect was Harrie T. Lindeberg. We have had several concerts at this home while owned by the present owners. It is situated on 9 acres of property and looks out upon Lake Michigan. The home contains 13,300 square feet of living space with a 36' x 23' living room.
    
 
275 Sussex Lane, Lake Forest
  
   
David Adler built this home in 1916 for Joseph M. Cudahy. It was named "Innisfail". Cudahy later had Adler built him an even larger home, Innisfail II, at 830 North Green Bay Road. The home contains over 10,000 square feet of living space and the living room measures 40' x 22'. This home was the site of the very first
  
 
Camerata concert (November 16th, 1990) while the group consisted only of eight female singers. Male singers were added for the second concert and have been a permanent fixture since. When this concert was performed, the home was owned by Roy and Marion Burlew.
  
 
136 Green Bay Road, Lake Bluff
  
 
Now the home of the Harrison Conference Center, this home was built in 1916 by Howard Van Doren Shaw for Chicago industrialist, William Kelley. It was named "Stonebridge". Camerata presented a benefit concert - "Best of Camerata" at this estate in 1986, but it was performed in the "chapel" to accomodate a larger crowd. The "chapel" and a fairly large dormitory space were added to the main house while the property was owned by the Servite order Catholic Church and used as a monastery.
   
 
The living room, measuring 40' x 22', is certainly large enough for a normal Camerata concert.
  
 
965 East Deerpath Road, Lake Forest
  
   
This home was built in 1923 by Delano and Aldrich for Charles Benjamin Farwell. Named "Fairlawn II", it replaced the original "Fairlawn" which was built in 1870 on the same site and burned to the ground in 1920. Now situated on 3 acres, it contains 12,700 square feet of living space, and contains a 43' x 25' living room with an 18' ceiling. Camerata performed a concert in
 
 
this home in 1988 while it was owned by Morando and Sondra Berrettini.
  
 
810 Ridge Road, Lake Forest
  
 
This country manor home was built in 1924 by Howard Van Doren Shaw for Robert Patterson Lamont. It was named "West View Farm". We have had a number of concerts at this wonderful estate containing more than 7,000 square feet of living space
    
 
with a living room measuring 39' x 19'. The home has been fully restored to its original elegance.
  
 
111 West Westminster Avenue, Lake Forest
  
   
This elegant home was built in 1925 by Philip Lippicott Goodwin for Noble Brandon Judah. We had two concerts in this home it the mid-1980's while it was still owned by John and Gigi Brooke. This estate has 12,300 square feet of living space with a living room measuring 45' x 20'.
  
 
1352 Estate Lane, Lake Forest
  
 
This magnificent home was built in 1926 for Albert David Lasker, an advertising executive. The estate was named "Mill Road Farm" and originally contained nearly a square mile. The manor home and nearly 40 outbuildings were designed by David Adler. The original estate also contained its own 18-hole golf course. In the 1940's the estate was donated to the University of
   
 
Chicago and they eventually sold it to a developer who divided the estate into many parcels. The manor home still exists and contains 22,500 square feet of living space with a large (36' x 24') living room. Camerata performed many concerts here while the home was owned by Donald and Bonita (Bonnie) West.
  
 
1780 Shoreacres Road, Lake Bluff
  
   
This home was built for Frederick Hampden Winston in 1927, and is generally known as "Winston House". The architect is unknown. It contains about 6,000 square feet of living space and a living room measuring 36' x 20'. The home has a
  
 
panoramic view of the Shore Acres Golf Course. Camerata performed a concert, "Spain + Africa = Cuba" - a concert which looked at the two distinct origins of Cuba musical culture and then demonstrated the result of combining these two influences to get Cuban music. Our hosts for this concert were David and Deborah Wiechers.
  
 
880 North Green Bay Road, Lake Forest
  
 
This 1929 home was built by Edwin Hill Clark for General Charles Christian Haffner, Jr. The home has about 10,000 square feet of living space and a living room measuring 36' x 20'. Camerata performed a concert at this home in 1982 while it was owned by Roland and Gerry Ford.
    
 
1051 Meadow Lane, Lake Forest
  
   
This country estate was built in 1929 by Harrie T. Lindeberg for Robert Gardner. It has had a number of owners over the years, but in 1989, our hosts were Greg and Molly South for our "Camerata on Stage" concert. The home has 12,300 square feet of living space with the living room measuring 38' x 18'.
  
 
1300 North Green Bay Road, Lake Forest
  
 
Puckey & Jenkins constructed this home in 1929 for Stuart John Templeton. It was named "Windswept". It contains about 6,000 square feet of living space, but the living room measures only 30' x 17'. There was a sitting area adjacent to living room, and that allowed some overflow, but this
    
 
concert space is "tight" by Camerata standards. Camerata performed in this home in 1985.
  
 
1 Moffett Road, Lake Bluff
  
   
This home was built in 1930 by Frederick Adams Delano for Conway Olmstead. Camerata staged "Camerata World Tour" featuring music form all over the world. The
  
 
home has 11,800 square feet of living space with the living room measuring 35' x 20'
  
 
900 Armour Drive, Lake Bluff
  
 
Harrie T. Lindeberg built this home in 1932 for Philip D. Armour. It was named "Tangley Oaks". Originally located on about 250 acres, the area has been developed and the manor house now sits on 7 acres. The living room measures 40' x 22'. Camerata performed a concert in this home in 1997 entitled "Where In the World is Camerata?"
   
 
featuring songs from 17 different countries and sung in 17 different languages. The home currently serves as the headquarters for Paterno Imports.
  
 
830 North Green Bay Road, Lake Forest
  
   
This estate was built in 1932 for Joseph M. Cudahy. It was named "Innisfail II" and the architect was David Adler. We have had a number of concerts at this home while owned by the present owners. The main house contains 14,800 square feet of living space with a 36' x 22' living room.
  
 
20 South Mayflower Road, Lake Forest
  
 
This home was built in 1937 for Leslie Wheeler. It was designed by David Adler. It was the site of one of the first Camerata concerts while the home was owned by Karl and Billie Bays. The home contains 14,200 square feet of living space with a 36' x 21' living room.
    
 
499 Old Mill Road, Lake Forest
  
 
Information is still being collected regarding the origin of this home, but is was constructed in 1935. It contains about 6,000 square feet of living space with the living room measuring 35' x 22'. Camerata performed a concert in this home in 1993 with a concert entitled "Musical Bouquet". In addition to the scrumptuous reception, the concert guests were treated to a lovely garden tour.
  
 
999 Walden Lane, Lake Forest
  
 
Architect Winston Elting built this unusual home as his own residence in 1943. The living room measures 31' x 18' and is not large enough for a normal Camerata concert, but it served well for the benefit concert presented there in 2005. The home is art deco with wonderful floor to ceiling windows throughout much of the house, all overlooking beautiful gardens and trees. Camerata presented its "Charismatic Camerata" benefit at this location as part of the benefit. The concert was followed by a wonderful meal for all of the concert guests and singers in a local restaurant.
  
 
170 Mayflower Road, Lake Forest
  
   
This home was built in 1954 for Charles F. Glore. It is the only home in Lake Forest designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. We thought that the prairie-style architecture was an ideal concert site for our "Maestros of the Prairie" concert featuring contemporary Illinois composers. Many of the composers were in attendance at the
  
 
concert. The home contains 4,200 square feet of living space. Larry and Victoria Smith were our gracious hosts for this 1991 concert, with Victoria providing a number of anecdotes about Frank Lloyd Wright during the concert break. One described Mr. Glore, who was hosting his first party in the home, calling Frank Lloyd Wright in Arizona, complaining that the roof was leaking and water was dripping through onto a guest seated in a chair in the living room. Frank Lloyd Wright reportedly responded - "Just move the chair".