Seven Houses on Lake Shore Drive District

Seven Houses on Lake Shore Drive District
Address: 1250-60 and 1516-30 N. Lake Shore Dr.
Year Built: 1889-1917
Architect: Various
Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: June 28, 1989

The FOUR grand mansions on the 1200-block [1250, 1254, 1258 and 1260 N Lake Shore Drive] ... together with ... the THREE in the 1500-block [1516, 1524 and 1530 N Lake Shore Drive] ... are the SEVEN houses that form the "Seven Houses on Lake Shore Drive District", designated a Chicago landmark in 1989 ..These mansions are rare survivors of what Lake Shore Drive looked like when it developed as a prestigious residential street in the late-19th century. The architects of these buildings include the prestigious firms of: Holabird & Roche, Benjamin Marshall, McKim, Mead & White and Howard Van Doren Shaw ...

REF: Chicago Landmarks: Seven Houses on Lake Shore Drive District ..

House of Carl C Heisen ...
Architect: Frank B Abbott
Completed: 1890
Address: 1250 N Lake Shore Drive..

House of Mason Bryman Starring..
Architect: Lars Gustav Hallberg
Completed: 1889
Address: 1254 N Lake Shore Drive..

House of Arthur T Aldis..
Architect: Holabird & Roche
Completed: 1895
Style: Venetian Gothic Pullazzo
Address: 1258 N Lake Shore Drive ...

1260 N Lakeshore Drive..
Architect: Holabird & Roche
Completed: 1911..
Style: Georgian architecture

House of Bernard Albert Eckhart ...
It now serves as the Consulate-General of the Republic of Poland in Chicago ..
Architect: Benjamin H Marshall
Completed: 1916
Address: 1530 N Lake Shore Drive..

The residence at 1530 Lake Shore Drive was built in 1916 for Bernard Albert Eckhart, a prominent businessman, philanthropist, and politician. The architect was Benjamin H. Marshall . A 4-story rear addition was inserted between the historic residence and the rear coach house and incorporates a contemporary, simplified version of the historic building design. The Seven Houses on Lake Shore Drive District was designated a Chicago Landmark on June 28, 1989.
The architect Benjamin H Marshall is renowned for the designs of the Blackstone Hotel, the South Shore Country Club, and the Drake Hotel ..

Originally house of Eleanor Robinson Countiss ..
It now serves as the Museum of Surgical Sciences ...
Architect: Howard Van Doren Shaw
Completed: 1917
Address: 1516 and 1524 N Lake Shore Drive ...
The historic lakeside mansion that is now the Museum was constructed in 1917, under the careful direction of Eleanor Robinson Countiss to house her family. The elegant structure was designed to follow the historic lines of Le Petit Trianon, a French chateau on the grounds of Versailles completed in 1770 for Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. The noted Chicago architect Howard Van Doren Shaw was hired to design the Countiss mansion with modifications including a fourth floor added to the original design, adding a door on the side street, and opening up the northernmost bay for a carriage drive. The Countiss family was the sole owner of the building until 1950, when it was acquired by Dr. Max Thorek and the International College of Surgeons. After several years of renovating the building and forming the Museum collection, the Museum opened its doors to the public for the first time in 1954 under the direction of Dr. Max Thorek. One of the few remaining lakefront mansions, and the only one open to the public.
The Seven Houses on Lake Shore Drive District was designated a Chicago Landmark on June 28, 1989. it is also listed in the National Register and the Illinois Register of Historic Places.
REF: Historic Homes: International Museum of Surgical Sciences ...

# For more on historic Gold Coast District.. click here ..