Ernest Hemingway would have turned 116 on July 21 if he were alive today. While he might or might not have been famously dismissive of Oak Park’s broad lawns and narrow minds (probably apocryphal), the famous author’s hometown now celebrates his roots in the village. Meanwhile, the owners of Hemingway’s Boyhood Home continue their quest to honor his legacy while making a home for their family.
A piece of history
Mary Jane and Kurt Neumann purchased the Hemingway Boyhood Home at 600 N. Kenilworth Ave. in June 2012, from the Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park, which had owned it since 2001. Originally, the foundation planned to renovate the home and turn it into a cultural center and scholars’ retreat. When that plan proved financially untenable, the foundation listed the home for sale for $525,000.
The house was designed in 1906 by architect Henry Fiddelke for Dr. Clarence and Grace Hemingway, Ernest’s parents, who had been living a few blocks away at 339 N. Oak Park Ave. with Grace’s parents.Â
According to Bill McDonald, who researched the home for this year’s Wright Plus housewalk, Grace, to no one’s surprise (except, perhaps, the architect), had considerable influence over the home’s plans.
“Grace read a lot about architecture and thought her parents’ Queen Anne house was too fussy. She termed this her ‘modern dream house.’ It is essentially an American foursquare with Prairie influences.”
After the Hemingway family sold the home in 1935, it was turned into a three flat in the 1940s (after owner Eileen Burns’ husband and son died in separate auto accidents) and was quite altered from its original state when the Neumanns purchased the home for their family.
The Neumanns were living around the corner from the house when it was listed for sale and despite not being in the market for a new home, they couldn’t resist coming over for a walk-through. It was love at first sight.
Kurt noted that he has always been a Hemingway fan, and while that connection drew them in, more practical considerations clinched the sale.Â
“The original design worked well for us,” he said. “It was designed to accommodate Clarence’s medical practice with a separate waiting room and office. At the time, Mary Jane had her acupuncturist’s office outside the home. That aspect of converting the home back to a single-family residence and creating a home office for her really appealed to us.”
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A long-term restoration
The Neumanns purchased the home with an eye toward converting it back to a single-family abode, so they had a long list of renovation projects. Mary Jane said the list has evolved over the past three years.
“When we first bought the house, we had some target projects based on necessity, but that list has changed over time. We have repaired the stucco, repainted the exterior, redone the floors and painted and re-plastered walls to get the home back to an acceptable level for living.”
Kurt agreed that the restoration of the historic structure has morphed to suit the needs of their family.Â
“We knew we weren’t going to move in and do everything at once,” he noted. “Priorities have changed substantially over time. Other things we have identified have moved up the list. Basketball hoops take priority over bathrooms.”
A partition wall had been constructed in the living room enclosing the original stair rail. While they could not salvage the original rail, the Neumanns removed the wall and replicated the stair rail using the second story stair rail as a template. The Neumanns are also updating electrical and plumbing work where they can, and planning for larger projects in the future.
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Looking ahead
One dream project the Neumanns would love to tackle is rebuilding the large music room that was originally on the north side of the home. They believe it was removed sometime in the 1940s due to structural issues. At 30 x 30 feet, the two-story studio was home to Grace Hemingway’s music lessons for years. The Neumanns dream of re-creating that space in the future but note that a few practical renovations may take precedence.
According to Mary Jane, “the bathrooms need to be done, and I’m looking forward to having a dishwasher in the kitchen. It’s a 1906 kitchen. It’s beautiful with its original cabinets and sink. We plan to reuse the cabinet doors and the sink but make the kitchen a bit more useful for us. It is a decent-sized kitchen, especially for that time. The counters are standard height for today. Supposedly, Grace was a very tall woman and wanted tall counters.”
Other plans in the works include a master bathroom addition, but the Neumanns want to keep the home within its original footprint and will preserve items like the original sink and bathtub on the third floor used by the young Ernest.
Community connection
Kurt pointed out that the scope of the project and the ramifications of buying a home with a connection to such a famous figure have been rewarding.Â
“We’ve had so much fun with it,” he said. “Even though it’s a huge project, we’ve loved it. It’s afforded us a lot of opportunity to meet people we never would’ve met.”
Mary Jane, who admits that, initially, Kurt was more interested in the writer than she was, now serves on the board of the Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park and plans to make the house available for an important event a year from now.Â
“The Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park is hosting the International Society of Ernest Hemingway Conference in July 2016,” she said. “It’s a big deal for the foundation and will bring over 500 visitors for a week of events. We’re hosting the opening event at our house.”