Do You Want To Buy A World's Fair House In Wilmette?

WILMETTE, IL — A Wilmette home visited by millions before it was mysteriously shipped to the North Shore has, so far, been preserved by a father and son duo of homebuilders seeking approval to build two new structures on the site. The house at the corner of Chestnut Avenue and 21st Street has been identified as the Stran-Steel House, which was built for the Chicago World's Fair in 1933 and originally assembled on Northerly Island.

The house would be a candidate for local landmark status and a place on the National Register of Historic Places, according to village documents, but no such status currently exists.

As a result, the developers could legally have demolished the home immediately after buying it. Instead, they have said they will dismantle the house "in hopes that a party interested in reassembling the home on a different property" can be found, village staff wrote.

MJK Homes bought the lot at 2105 Chestnut Ave. for $915,000 last December on the belief that it was a vacant piece of land with an obsolete house on it, Crain's Chicago Business reported.

On Feb. 6, the Wilmette Plan Commission recommended approving the builders' request to divide the 100-by-177 lot into a two in order to build two new single-family homes, Wilmette Life reported. The chair of the commission said the developers should be lauded for not demolishing the historic house.

Max Kruszewski, whose family company owns the property, has said there have been interest from possible buyers of the property. Ideally, someone nearby could move the house in one piece. Otherwise, it would have to be taken apart. Designed with an interlocking steel frame and attached panels, the home would be easier than most to reassemble.

Moving the house to a new site would cost a minimum of $100,000. Costs would increase significantly the farther it would have to move. Dismantling the house would cost about $50,000, but MJK has suggested it would give the pieces away for free, Crain's reported.

It is not clear how much the contemplated new construction homes would be listed for – nor if there is any amount of money that the developers would accept in order to move the home to a portion of the subdivided lot.

The plan commission recommendation to approve the subdivision will go to the full village board in March. At least one resident formally complained of the increased strain on the sewer system from adding the house and requested a strict flood mitigation plan be implemented, according to city documents.

» Read more from Crain's Chicago Business, Wilmette Life

Read more about the home from a brochure by Good Housekeeping, which partnered with Stran Steel on its construction: