House walk spotlights homes of early River Forest tycoons

The Oak Park River Forest Historical Society is hosting its annual spring house walk on Sunday, May 3. The five houses featured are all in the northeast corner of River Forest — the first time this neighborhood has been featured in 22 years. 

Rachel Berlinski, operations manager of the Oak Park River Forest Museum, which houses the historical society, notes that the plan for this year’s walk began when Genevieve Jones, a board member, offered to share her house. 

Four other homes in the neighborhood quickly fell into place. Only after the line-up was planned did the walk organizers discover that all five original homeowners had been business tycoons.

Berlinski says, “All of the first owners made a name for themselves in business and then built their dream homes. Our theme of American Dream Home ties into that and into the fact that it’s America’s 250th anniversary this year, and that ties into the American Dream.”

Berlinski credits Jones with sharing her house on the walk. “Gen is an incredible board member, and she’s really such a steward of [her house.] She’s so open to sharing its legacy.”

Jones says she and her husband already had experience with restoring a large historical home when they moved to River Forest from New York state. “We love old houses,” she says, and then adds, “But it’s a lot of work.”

They purchased the William Sloan House about 10 years ago and were thrilled to find that while they wanted to make updates to the kitchen and other necessities, previous owners had been careful preservationists of the home.

Jones says, “The house came with a white manila envelope full of items, and every owner just adds to it for the next.”

Included in that envelope were photos of the home’s original interiors, as well as photos of the yard, which once spanned two lots and included elaborate landscaping and tennis courts. Today, the framed photos line the walls of the entry, where guests can compare the décor today to the décor from 1926, when the house was completed. Some items – like the foyer light fixture — are exactly the same.

Sloan, the home’s first owner, founded the Sloan Valve Company in 1906 in Chicago, ushering in the modern plumbing era with his invention of the revolutionary manual Royal® Flushometer. The Royal Flushometer was the first of its kind, designed to replace tank and chain fixtures. Unlike its predecessors, it requires less water and energy — a reliable flush unaffected by gravity.

Sloan’s proclivity for plumbing was exhibited in the home’s 12 bathrooms. Each bathroom still has its original toilet, as well as the original tile. Each bathroom’s tile is a different color, except for the basement bathroom which has tile in all 11 colors.

Previous owners took loving care of the Georgian Revival style home. The home has had some famous visitors, including two visits by Barack Obama — the first as a senator and the second time, when he filmed a campaign commercial in the living room in 2007.

The Jones family lived through an extensive kitchen renovation. Jones says the renovation was guided by asking themselves, “If William Sloan was here today, what would he have done?”

So, they modernized all of the features for plumbing, refrigeration and cooking, but kept to the spirit of the original house with details like cabinetry and tile. In a niche by the rear door, Jones preserved the original keys for each room of the home, each labeled with the name of the room’s occupant. She remarks, “I wanted to acknowledge who was here before us.”

Other homes on this year’s walk include a 1919 Dutch Colonial Revival designed by Henry Fiddelke for a family whose business produced propeller bolts and grenades for both World Wars, as well as a more lighthearted product: roller skates.

Another home was built between 1937 and 1938. Although the builder and architect are unknown, and the first owner’s identity was disguised by a land trust, Historical Society researchers say he was in the business of organized crime.

The newest house on the walk was built in 1958 in the modern contemporary style. The home’s original owner was the founder of the Radio Flyer wagon company. 

Berlinski says prior to the walk, two of the owners had already been into the historical society to research their homes and says that the organization is well-equipped to help new and old homeowners learn about their homes and who used to live there. 

“The houses on our walk this year are pretty extraordinary,” she says. But she emphasizes that the historical society has plenty of information for “normal” houses too. “There’s so much information to share,” she says.

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