Lake County Historic Homes

Architecture and old world elegance are waiting for you...

Adlai E. Stevenson Historical Home was home to Adlai E. Stevenson II, the Governor of Illinois from 1949 to 1953, and was deeply involved with other historical figures. Be sure to visit the study where Stevenson spent the majority of his time at his desk in this room, writing speeches and books, and meeting with dignitaries such as Eleanor Roosevelt, a close friend and frequent guest at the home, and John F. Kennedy.

The grand 32-room Venetian-style mansion known as Loyola at Cuneo Mansion and Gardens stands as a living museum of old-world elegance in a new world setting. Oil paintings from the Italian Renaissance decorate the walls in the great hall, a suit of armor sits next to an ornately decorated dining room that boasts golden candelabras that once belonged to Napoleon, and be inspired by the golden grand piano surrounded by a glass room that overlooks sprawling gardens.

Take a tour of The Sanfilippo Estate that sits on 57 acres of land and features one of the world's finest collections of restored, automatic musical instruments and other turn-of-the-century antiques. Feel the impressive sound that 80 ranks of pipe make in the most versatile orchestral theatre pipe organ ever built and be amazed by the grandiose beauty of the French inspired Eden Palais carousel, originally built in 1890.

With all of Lake County’s rich past, it’s no wonder that there are so many historical locations to explore. The newly restored Shiloh House is an elegant 25-room mansion that was built in 1901 by Zion's founder, the Rev. John Alexander Dowie, serves as a reminder of the Victorian era’s splendor. The Lehmann Mansion was constructed in 1912 as a summer home for Edward J. Lehmann and his family, and has been extensively and beautifully restored to the grandeur of its elegant past. The Ansel B. Cook Historical House, built in 1878, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is home of the Libertyville/Mundelein Historical society where you can learn all about the history of the area and what life in the 1800s was like!

Return to Lake County Arts and Entertainment Guide