Modernist Oval Home Surrounding Pool With Retractable Roof Sells

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — Ever wanted to hop out of bed, step onto heated floors and jump into a skylit pool in the dead of winter for a morning swim? The new owners of a unique mid-century modernist gem just sold in Highland Park will be able to do exactly that. Designed by the prolific firm of Keck & Keck, the centerpiece of the five-bedroom home's layout is a pool beneath a fully retractable roof. More than two years after returning the market, the 5,100-square-foot circular solar ranch home sold Monday for $1.18 million.

From above, it appears as if an oval-shaped spacecraft landed in a wooded 1.72-acre lot off Ridge Road. Built in 1962, the home was one of the last custom houses designed by the firm, according to its listing, which described it as "surrounded by nature and thoughtfully designed." The interior of the enclosed oval features heated floors for use throughout the year, while floor-to-ceiling windows help add to the feeling of being outside while inside the home. The 10-room home includes a sauna, bar, wine room and three fireplaces – two indoor and one on its outdoor patio. There's also a three-car detached garage.

Architects George and William Keck ran a Chicago-based firm that operated between 1935 and 1979, building hundreds of affordable, elegant modernist homes, which were pioneering in their use of passive solar design, steel and glass. Their firm rose to prominence during the House of Tomorrow exhibit at the Century of Progress Exposition. Following the fair, wealthy suburban clients flocked to the firm, and the North Shore became home to more Keck & Keck houses than any other area.

Through the use of radiant heating and windows facing south with protectiveoverhangs, the solar houses first showcased by the brothers in their hometown of Watertown, Wisconsin, and Glenview in 1940 were able to maintain interior temperatures above 70 degrees despite outdoor temperatures below freezing. The groundbreaking designs could save up to 20 percent on energy costs.

"Intelligent people liked the house very much. People who wanted French provincial didn't," William Keck said in 1987, according to his obituary, which noted the unique Partridge Lane home with its pool and "skydome."

Unsurprisingly for a house constructed around a 10½-foot-deep pool, the west Highland Park home was first built for a family of avid swimmers, Crain's Chicago Business reported. The home was sold by a doctor who moved his practice to Wilmette but decided to remain a Chicago resident. The new owners, the house's fifth in its 56-year history, do not plan to demolish the house, the agent for the both the buyers and sellers told Crain's. The buyers have not yet been identified in public records.

The home was last purchased in July 2014 for $65,000 more than Monday's closing price. Since then, it has undergone renovations to restore the original interior design and remove additional walls added in "1990s mishaps," the listing agent told Crain's when it first hit the market.

Other renowned Keck & Keck properties on the North Shore have fallen to the wrecking ball. For instance, the lakefront Blair House was demolished despite local landmark status and a campaign to preserve it. It has since been marketed as a 26.65 acres of vacant land, deemed to be "worth more without the house than with it," its owner said in 2015.

The International-style Keck & Keck house at Crabtree Farm in Lake Bluff was asking for $10 million before being razed in 2016. Since the demolition, the property's asking price has dropped from $9 million to $5 million – approaching its $4.2 million assessed value.

The Partridge Lane property's Nov. 19 sales price was nearly identical to its 2018 estimated market value of $1,186,653. Its latest annual property tax bill was more than $29,000, according to Lake County Assessor's Office.

• Built: 1962 by Keck & Keck
• Square Feet: 5,100
• Lot: 1.72 acres
• Bedrooms: 5
• Bathrooms: 5
• Last Sold: $1.245 million in July 2014
• First Listed: $1.7 million in October 2016
• Just Sold: $1.18 million on Nov. 19

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• The 'House Of The Day After Tomorrow' In Lake Forest
• Modernist Keck & Keck Home Drops $25,000 In Price
• Blair House Property Listed In Lake Bluff