'Triangle of Treasures' House Tour Puts History on Display

What do the power of crayons, a transparent Plexiglass piano and a 130-year-old German kitchen sink have in common?  You could spot all of them on  the 15th Homes of Highland Park tour, organized by the Highland Park Historical Society and held Oct. 17.

The tour went through seven historic buildings in the neighborhood just east of downtown.  Docents were present to explain the history of the building, its past owners and where it fit into the history of Highland Park.  At most homes the owners were also floating around, conversing with an endless stream of guests and sharing their own personal histories.

One tour favorite was the Jerome Factor house on Vine St., a geographical outlier from the rest of the tour, and an outlier in pretty much every other way as well.

Jerome was the son of Jake the Barber, an infamous Chicago gangster, which is no surprise considering the house's Scarface aesthetic. Gigantic and sprawling, the house twists and pirouettes through as many grandiose rooms as it does styles of décor, ranging from '60s modern to renaissance inspired grottos to space age closets and back again.

Why have a see-through piano instead of a solid one?  Why have a twenty-five-foot-long purple couch that curves across the room like a giant caterpillar?  Why upholster a kitchen pantry in black velvet?

Why not?

The oldest house still standing in Highland Park originally held golf carts for the Oakmore Country club.  That wasn't its original purpose, but one thing the tour demonstrated is that adaptability is key to survival in the long term.

Built in 1847, The Francis Stupey log cabin sits just north of City Hall. When the Stupey farm was purchased by the country club, they decided to store carts there rather than tear it down.  Then, in 1968, the house was relocated to its current location.  When asked how they managed to move the house's mammoth stone chimney, docent Steve Freedman explained that they did it with crayons.

"They wrote a number, or maybe it was a letter, on each stone, and then they took a photograph.  They'd remove the stones and find another layer and do the same thing until each stone was numbered and photographed."

The movers then had a comprehensive guide that allowed them to put it all back together in its new home.  Luckily for them, Freedman pointed out, when you're working with stones and concrete you can fudge things a little.

There were dozens of other significant homes not included this year. For information on the other homes on the tour not mentioned, or to see what other events are upcoming, visit the Highland Park Historical Society.