Architectural duo Thomas Tallmadge and Vernon Watson met in Chicago when both worked for Daniel Burnham. Tallmadge hailed from Evanston and Watson, who was born in Chicago, lived in Oak Park. Both studied architecture at the Armour Institute of Technology, now the Illinois Institute of Technology. They left Burnham’s practice in 1905 and founded their own Chicago-based firm. Over their decades working together, they collaborated on over 250 designs.
Watson designed his own home in 1904 at 643 Fair Oaks in Oak Park. In 1920, Charles Walther purchased the lot at 601 Fair Oaks and hired Tallmadge and Watson to design his home. The Colonial Revival home they designed was finished in 1922.
The house recently hit the market for $1,349,500. David Gullo, who is listing it for the estate of the former owners, says he was unable to uncover too much about Walther when he visited the OPRF Historical Society to find out more about the house.
“I like to imagine that when Walther bought the land, Vernon Watson, who lived four doors north at the time, paid him a visit,” said Gullo.
Walther was president of Reliance State Bank. Gullo says the original blueprints for the house highlight the home’s unique design. “It’s unusual for Tallmadge and Watson to design a brick, center hall Colonial, but there’s one in River Forest and one in Highland Park. It’s not a one-off design for them,” said Gullo.
One selling point for the house, which is in the Frank Lloyd Wright Prairie School of Architecture Historic District is its orientation on the 95 x 172-foot lot. The house faces south, so all of the rooms except one bedroom have southern exposure, filling the home with light.
Many original details remain, like the signature Tallmadge and Watson arch leading to the grand main staircase. Picture rail molding, historic windows and original terrazzo floors in the sunroom and breakfast room all remain.
Gullo points to the blueprints to show an upgrade that Tallmadge and Watson must have made a convincing case for. The original plans show doors leading from the dining room to a patio on the west side of the house. The last page of the blueprints includes a rendering of a hexagonal breakfast room in place of that patio.
The Walthers must have opted for the upgraded breakfast room when the home was built as it, and not the patio, is a key part of the first floor that dates to the original construction.
“It’s really spectacular,” Gullo says. “It’s one of the neatest rooms I’ve ever seen in one of my listings.”
The home was most recently owned by the Petani family, who lived in the home for roughly 50 years while Dr. Miro Petani operated a local pediatrics practice and his wife Angelina ran the front office.
Gullo, who grew up in Oak Park and knew the family well, says they were careful caretakers of the 4,000 square foot home. Nevertheless, he said, “People will look at this as an opportunity to add some updates in areas, like the bathrooms, which are original. There’s an opportunity here for people to put their stamp on the house.”
Working with clients who he’s known a long time is the bread and butter of Gullo’s real estate business in the village. Gullo who has been practicing for 30 years notes that it’s not uncommon now to see families staying in their homes long-term.
When people pass away and he works with their children to sell a home, he says local businesses like Mix it Up, which helps with estate sales, are key to getting the home ready for the next owners.
Gullo points out that some attributes of the home really make it unique. The primary suite has an east-facing deck that looks out over Fair Oaks and Iowa. “It’s so cool,” said Gullo. “You can see a Frank Lloyd Wright house and this beautiful, tree-lined street view.”
While the architectural history of the home makes it a valuable historic home, Gullo says the next owners will appreciate the home’s livability. “This property is not a museum,” he said and adds, “It’s a very nice house, with a nice design and good scale. It has a nice flow to it.”
After 30 days on the market, the house is currently under contract.
