architecture

Going into this post, I went back-and-forth about what to write about: should I do something about Marlon Brando, who lived in Libertyville from 1937-1941? No, I thought, I should hold off on that until Oscar season. What about something about the Masonic Lodge? Well, their 150th anniversary is coming up, but I think I’ll…

In the nineteenth century a well-known Chicago architect was commissioned to design buildings in Libertyville, most likely through his association with Ansel B. Cook. Mr. Cook of course, was a town dignitary and the benefactor of the Cook Memorial Library and Cook Park.  In the 1850s he was a successful stone mason and building contractor. …

The story of the Public Service Building in Libertyville is very much connected with Samuel Insull, founder of the Public Service Company of Northern Illinois, Commonwealth Edison, and owner of numerous banks. In 1907 Insull bought a large acreage south of Libertyville and built and lived in the house now known as the Cuneo mansion. Insull…