Vacuum Magnate's Glencoe Estate Listed For $15.9 Million

GLENCOE, IL — A Glencoe mansion built more than 90 years ago for vacuum cleaner magnate H. Earl Hoover has been listed publicly for the first time. At 12.22 acres, the property is the largest piece of privately held residential properties in Cook County, according to its listing. The Hoover family estate at 1801 Green Bay Road was listed for sale Tuesday with an asking price of $15.9 million.

The home was purchased in 1926 by Hoover, a nephew of the founder of the Ohio-based vacuum company. He joined the company seventeen years after its founding and developed many "suction sweeper" patents and became chairman of the company before retiring in 1974. He died in 1985 at the age of 94, according to an obituary.

Hoover was survived by his third wife Miriam, who was 20 years his junior. According to property's listing agent, she kept the "pristine estate" as her primary residence until she died in March at the age of 104.

Miriam first arrived at the home as the family's housekeeper in the mid-1930s before marrying Hoover in 1951, according to the Chicago Tribune. At the time, the property included 14 acres and two fish ponds, along with a dozen live-in servants.

The main house is a 10,000-square-foot Tudor-style mansion located at the end of a private road behind brick iron gates. The property also includes a coach house, greenhouse and stable house, which offer an additional 3000 square feet of space.

All the structures on the property were built around the same time for Hoover, but no records remain of the architects involved, agent Hadley Rue said.

"One of the reasons why they loved this property so much is the serenity and the beauty of what this property has to offer," Rue said. "They were very private people and a lot of people weren't fully aware of this property." He said every room in the home offers "remarkable, private views."

One of the centerpieces of the main house is a second floor great hall, featuring 12-foot windows and two-story cathedral ceilings. The Hoover family referred to it as "the studio," Rue said.

Another highlight is the sunroom, with floor-to-ceiling glass windows overlooking the southern lawn and one of the gardens.

The slate roofing has copper gutters, hardwood floors with walnut imported from England. The home has been updated and well-cared for through the years, Rue said.

The main house includes a large unfinished basement and a finished attic with pull-down stairs, while the property includes a total of eight garage spaces.

"It's whimsical. It's magical." Rue said. "It's just stunning."

The Green Bay Road property is the most expensive listing in the Chicago suburbs and second only to the a preposterously-priced Lincoln Park home asking for $50 million. The most expensive home sold in Glencoe history was a $19.5 million lakefront property on Glade Road purchased in 2014 by Groupon founder Eric Lefkofsky.

• Address: 1801 Green Bay Rd, Glencoe, Illinois
• Price: $15.9 million
• Square Feet: 10,000
• Bedrooms: 7
• Bathrooms: 8 full, 1 half
• Built: 1925
• Listed: Aug. 21

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