Tour John Hughes' Lake Forest Home

By Cristel Mohrman

Tours of famed Hollywood screenwriter, director and producer John Hughes’ Lake Forest home are featured as part of the annual Winter Wonderwalk & Holiday Boutique benefit for Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart on Dec. 10-11. 

Participants will have the rare opportunity to go inside this spectacular English Tudor-style home, which is being decorated inside and out by award-winning landscape architect Craig Bergmann. All of the holiday trimmings will be available for purchase.

Originally built for Arthur Farwell Tuttle in 1929, this Edwin Hill Clark-designed home has been meticulously maintained, renovated and expanded since then. The 1992 two-story addition replicates the architectural detail of the original home, which sits on a 2.1-acre estate. Its features include: six bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, a library, garden room, media room, six fireplaces, a 50-foot long swimming pool and four bluestone terraces.

Hughes, best-known for films such as “National Lampoon’s Vacation,” “Home Alone,” “The Breakfast Club” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” died suddenly at age 59 following a heart attack while taking a walk in New York City during a visit there to see relatives in 2009. A private funeral service and burial took place in Lake Forest.

Tours of the Hughes home and three other architecturally significant Lake Forest homes will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 11. The other homes, also uniquely decorated for the holidays, are:

• An historic coach house designed by David Adler in 1920. Originally built with apartments for the chauffer and gardener on the estate of a prominent New England descendent who settled in Lake Forest in the late 1800s, it was converted to a single-family residence in 1948 with Adler’s approval. A recent renovation allowed modern conveniences while preserving its early 20th Century architecture.
• A house built more than 50 years ago on the site of what was once the home of one of Lake Forest’s first residents. The current house greets guests with a two-story entrance hall featuring a circular staircase to an upstairs balcony. Stunning fireplaces and floor-to-ceiling windows allow for light and warmth. The meticulously crafted interior also includes rare tulipwood paneling.
• A charming country home that provides a private retreat in a scenic wooded setting featuring mature oak trees and beautifully landscaped grounds. Built in 1932, it’s been lovingly restored preserving the idyllic elements of its original era. The interior features finely detailed molding, marble fireplaces, paneled bookcase walls and rooms offering picturesque views of the outdoors.

In addition to the Housewalk Tours, there’s also a Holiday Boutique on Dec. 10 from 1 to 5 p.m. and a Sip & Shop from 6 to 8 p.m. at Woodlands Academy, 760 E. Westleigh Road, Lake Forest. Nearly 50 vendors will be selling a variety of distinctive items. The boutique also will be open on Dec. 11 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Advanced tickets for Winter Wonderwalk may be purchased online at www.woodlandsacademy.org. “Early Bird” tickets (prior to Nov. 27) cost $55. General admission tickets purchased at the door are $65. Boutique-only tickets are $10 online or $15 at the door. Winter Wonderwalk tickets may be picked up at Woodlands Academy from 1 to 8 p.m. on Dec. 10 and beginning at 9 a.m. on Dec. 11.

Winter Wonderwalk is one of the major fundraising events hosted by the Woodlands Academy Mothers Club. Proceeds will benefit the school’s financial- aid program, which provides assistance to nearly one-third of Woodlands’ students.

For Winter Wonderwalk & Holiday Boutique information, visit the Woodlands Academy Web site or contact Tami Rocha at trocha@woodlandsacademy.org.

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