90-Day Demolition Reprieve For 1925 Prairie-Style Winnetka Home

WINNETKA, IL — A developer who applied to demolish a Prairie Style home designed in 1925 by architect John Van Bergen agreed to place the house back on the market before seeking to raze it to the ground.

Jon Kogan, of Northbrook-based Highgate Builders, signed an application in September for the demolition of the home at 1015 Starr Road and closed on the $1.35 million purchase of the property in December.

At last week's meeting of the Winnetka Landmark Preservation Commission, Kogan offered to put the house back up for sale for 90 days before continuing to pursue its demolition, telling Crain's Chicago Business that if a new buyer does not emerge before the end of that period, "we'll have to do the other thing — demo."

According to a historical and architectural impact study prepared for the commission by architectural historian Jean Guarino, the house "has local and statewide architectural significance as an exemplary design by architect John Van Bergen, an important 20th century architect in Illinois who began his career as a draftsman for Frank Lloyd Wright and specialized in residential work."

After leaving Wright's office, Van Bergen worked out of Oak Park from 1911 to 1917, Highland Park from 1920 to 1951, and Hawthorn Hills from 1951 to 1955, before moving to Southern California. He designed more than 30 buildings in Highland Park, including Braeside School, but only two in Winnetka, the study found.

In addition to including several architectural hallmarks of the Prairie Style, the house also has historic significance because of its first owner — Eugene Rummler.

Rummler served as the village president from 1915 to 1917, presided over Winnetka's adoption of the non-partisan caucus system for electing village leaders, and served as the chairman of the Chicago Association of Commerce, according to the study. Earlier in his career, Rummler was involved in the construction of the first seven submarines built in the United States and reportedly designed and built the country's first postage meter exchange.

Prior to its sale in December, the house last changed hands in 2004, when Benjamin Chou purchased it for $1.5 million from the family of former owner Lenore Shapiro, who died in 2001.

Just over six weeks after Kogan's firm closed on its purchase of the property, Highgate listed it for sale again for $1.65 million — adding an extra $300,000 to the price tag as part of his offer to find a buyer interested in keeping it intact.

The estimated market value of the property is less than $1.22 million, according to the Cook County Assessor's Office. Its annual property tax bill is about $30,000.

According to the listing, the house is being sold as is, but Kogan's firm has offered to be involved in its remodeling.

"Work with the team of Award Winning builder and Award Winning architect to remodel this beautiful property," it said. "The builder is open to work with your client's ideas. The additional remodeling cost will be based on the architectural plans developed by the buyer."

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• Address: 1015 Starr Road, Winnetka, Illinois
• Built: 1924
• Lot Size: 0.43 acres
• Square Feet: 4,011
• Bedrooms: 4
• Bathrooms: 3 full, 1 half
• Last Sold: $1.35 million in December 2020
• Listed: $1.65 million on Feb. 5

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