When Gigi and Taze Rowe bought their Italianate Home at 333 Linden in Oak Park in 2016, one of the draws was the beautiful yard. Over their years in the home, they discovered some local lore about their lot and optimized the yard to create a home and business that connected them to the community in more ways than one.
Oak Park River Forest Historical Society board member Frank FioRito researched the house and told Gigi Rowe that it appears their lot was once the site of a thriving garden and greenhouse. FioRito discovered an article from the Oak Park Vindicator published on June 12, 1896, covering the gardens and greenhouses of Nathan Freer at the corner of Superior and Linden Avenues in Oak Park.
An attorney and philanthropist, whose father L.C. Paine Freer was deemed a “Chicago pioneer,” Nathan Freer was born in 1845 and grew up in the family homestead at the corner of Clark and Monroe in Chicago. As an adult, Freer lived with his sister, Mrs. C.A. Sharpe, who had a house on the 300 north block of Euclid in Oak Park.
When he died in January 1901, Freer’s obituary declared him a “Martyr to Blooms” and stated that his cause of death was consumption contracted years earlier in one of his Oak Park hot houses.
A fellow flower lover, Gigi’s business plan was seeded in 2020, during the pandemic. When collecting donations for Beyond Hunger at local grocery stores, she also picked up rescue flowers which she gave away to friends and neighbors.
Noticing that the flowers made people happy, she combined her love of plants with her commitment to local not-for-profits and began a party planning and flower arrangement business, Pickle Hill Parties.
Over the past five years, her business has grown and she hosts flower arranging parties, makes floral arrangements for delivery and has a thriving garden in the back yard of her house. Rowe donates to a local not-for-profit organization with every arrangement she sells.
Time for a change
As corporate nomads, the Rowes have moved many times throughout their marriage, and with their son off at college, the couple are returning to their east coast roots. They’ve listed the house for sale with Bethanny Alexander of Baird & Warner for $1.295 million.
Built in 1872, the home was originally located at 333 N. Euclid and was moved to its current location in approximately 1897. Over the years, subsequent owners added onto the house though it retains much of its historic charm.
A designer at heart, Gigi transformed much of the house, including renovating the kitchen and family room, the primary suite bathroom and another second-floor bathroom.
Alexander says of the home, “I think they’ve done some beautiful restoration work on the house. What they really excelled at is keeping the historic feel of the house. By incorporating some contemporary elements that are still very classic, it makes the house sing. The vintage and historic and the new and modern blend seamlessly.”
A former butler’s pantry at the back of the house is now a pantry and mudroom combination, sporting a fresh green paint hue and graphic wallpaper. A moody wet bar in the family room includes cabinets with custom, patterned glass inserts, and the under-the-stairs powder room is a vibrant shade of red. Alexander notes that these small touches add a bit of fun to the historic home.
The first floor of the home includes two gas fireplaces — one in the formal living room and one in the family room. A side porch lined with three walls of windows makes a great spot for entertaining and offers access to the side yard.
In the yard, beyond Gigi’s Garden, a patio and pergola strung with festive lights invite lingering outside. In the rear of the house, Gigi’s greenhouse offers a place for the next owner to hone their own green thumb. A custom chicken coop comes with the house: chickens available upon request.
Upstairs, the second floor boasts five bedrooms, with a primary suite that includes a walk-in closet and a separate room for an office. In the basement, a rec room is joined by an unusual addition: a walk-in cooler for Gigi’s flower business that could be adapted to wine storage.
Alexander notes that the entire house is a testament to honoring the history of the house while also bringing in new conveniences in just the right dose. “They had the vision to realize this house is going to be special, and it really is.”
