Former Stables Now A Mansion With Treehouse, Lake Michigan Views

LAKE FOREST, IL — A century-old home about 100 yards from Lake Michigan returned to the market in Lake Forest last week. Currently a rental property, its owners are asking for $1.5 million, about 25 percent more than they paid for it four years ago.

The seven-bedroom Cape Cod-style home offers views of the lake, hardwood and marble flooring throughout, a pair of wood-burning fireplaces, an attached garage with room for four cars and a family room with a vaulted ceiling and exposed beams. It has about 4,300 square feet of aboveground living space and an unfinished basement, according to its listing.

Outside, the wooded 1.55-acre property includes a basketball hoop and bocce ball court, as well as a spectacular treehouse.

The home "needs work, but the bones are here," according to its listing. It was not clear how much or what work was needed, but the listing suggested a new owner could renovate the home or knock it down and build a new house on the site.

The property is located along Mayflower Road between Frank Lloyd Wright's Charles Glore House and the lakefront property that set a record for the most expensive home in Lake Forest history when it was purchased last year for $12 million by the late local philanthropist Nancy Hughes.

Listing realtor Maureen O'Grady-Tuohy said the home was originally a greenhouse and garage for the lakefront home to its east. That house, 261 N. Mayflower Road, was built in 1890 and last sold for just shy of $2 million to Desmond and Jeanne LaPlace in 1988, according to property records.

Property records show the newly listed home at 269 N. Mayflower Road home was purchased for $1.2 million in November 2015 by Susan and Robert "Ted" Moorman. Ted Moorman is a retired pilot who serves as member of the District 115 school board and now operates Moorman Investment Properties LLC, according to online biographies. He has not responded to inquiries about the property.

According to the Lake County Assessor's Office, the property's estimated market value for taxing purposes is about $1.27 million. Its annual property tax bill last year for the property was more than $22,000.

The house has been leased at $4,000 per month before being listed for sale Wednesday, according to its listing. An open house has been scheduled from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Oct. 20.

• Address: 259 N. Mayflower Road, Lake Forest
• Built: 1920
• Lot Size: 1.55 acres
• Square Feet: 4,373
• Bedrooms: 6
• Bathrooms: 6 full, 1 half baths
• Last Sold: $1.2 million in November 2015
• Current Price: $1,499,900 on Oct. 9

Listing information originally appeared on realtor.com. For more information and photos, click here.