$690K Midcentury Gem From Stevenson Designer, Wright Apprentice

LAKE BLUFF, IL — Sitting amid the ravines on a 0.6-acre lot just north of Lake Forest High School, this midcentury modern Lake Bluff design was created in 1964 by the esteemed architect Dennis Blair, who began his career as an apprentice for Frank Lloyd Wright. Blair helped build the model for the Guggenheim Museum in 1944-45 before designing dozens of North Shore homes, as well as Adlai Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire.

The 2,268-square-foot, seven-bedroom stucco structure features floor-to-ceiling windows, distinctive vaulted beamed ceilings, a large central family room, multiple wooden decks with privacy provided by surrounding foliage, an open kitchen and a wood-burning fireplace.

It has three bedrooms and two bathrooms and a partially finished basement. The home also includes a hot tub, sunroom, detached two-car garage and a storage shed, according to its listing.

Architect Blair was a practical designer who was keenly aware of harsh Chicago area winters, according to the architecture nonprofit Chicago Bauhaus and Beyond. He always located the kitchen at the front of the house in view of the driveway to allow for residents to always be able to know who is approaching up the front walk while in the kitchen. His work features a wide variation of rooflines, from flat to steep to free-form.

Public records indicate the home was last purchased by a pair of educators, the late founder of the McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership at National Lewis University and her husband, a professor emeritus at the school and former president of the International Council on Education for Teaching.

The property was listed Oct. 21 for $689,000. According to the Lake County Assessor's Office, its fair market value is nearly $755,000 and its most recent annual property tax bill was just over $15,500.

• 336 Crescent Drive, Lake Bluff
• Price: $689,000
• Square Feet: 2,268
• Bedrooms: 3
• Bathrooms: 2
• Built: 1964
• Listed: Oct. 21

This listing originally appeared on realtor.com. For more information and photos, click here.###a>