It is not easy to say goodbye to a magnificent home that holds so much of your family history.

However, the time has come for one Glencoe family to do so. And they do it with the knowledge that they loved it well. They are leaving the house in pristine condition after adding a laundry list of upgrades and extensive home improvements.

As a young family living nearby, they admired the property and placed a letter in the mailbox expressing interest, should the current owner ever decide to sell. We have all heard these stories— and this time, it worked.

They opened that mailbox more than twenty-four years ago.

Built in 1914, the house is considered the “Carson” home of the department store Carson Pirie Scott & Co. Samuel Carson began work at the age of 14 as a stock boy in the dry goods store. He spent the whole 47 years of his business life there, eventually becoming a director. During his tenure, he enjoyed life in Glencoe on Washington Avenue.

This extraordinary Georgian sits on over half an acre of lush landscape. It has been meticulously updated, yet retains beautiful architectural details. From the moment you enter, the home exudes warmth; it is the perfect combination of old and new.

From 1997 to 1998, the family gutted the house while maintaining the original structure. Another refresh occurred about three years ago. “We really wanted an old house and we put the time and effort into bringing it back to its original splendor,” the homeowner notes. “We had it designated as a historic landmark.”

During one of the original renovations, the homeowners took such meticulous care to match the existing tile that they researched it at the library—back in pre-Google days. “It’s a very historic tile and I wanted the new tile to be true to the time period of the house.”

There are many things the homeowners will miss. Top of the list, “I’ll miss the yard,” the homeowner says. “It is a double lot with a pond and a waterfall. We used to live in that yard. We loved the sound of the waterfall. And when the kids were little, we had koi in the pond.”

Second on the list? The expansive, gorgeous kitchen with top-of-the-line appliances. But when the family first moved in, “the kitchen was three rooms. We made it into one large room with a small sitting area where I just lived with my kids, especially when they were little. We had a loveseat and a wingback chair where we spent all of our time reading books. And before bedtime, we were always there. I will really miss that too,” she reminisces.

In addition to the many upgrades, the house is located in a prime, walk to everything location. It is one of a kind, the type of property that sells before it even goes on the market, which is exactly what happened.

After the family completed the last round of renovations, the homeowner explains, “I wanted to put the house on the market, but my baby just went to college.” Due to COVID-19, they had to bring their daughter and all of her belongings back home in the spring and they didn’t want to rush her out as she was about to leave for the fall semester. “However, I did want to get pictures of the house in the summer.” Once the photos were taken, the family agreed to try it on the private market. It went on Friday, and by Sunday a contract was signed.

“Time marches on,” the homeowner says. “This house deserves little kids now.”

Recently, the homeowner decided to pop in one last time, “just to see how things looked. And I thought I’d be really upset. But with everything gone, it just didn’t seem like our house anymore. And then I thought, you know what? It isn’t. It was only a vessel, and I still have the things I love best—my family, and I’m still with them,” the homeowner concludes.

A house well lived in, indeed. And time for a new family to make their own beautiful memories.

Susan Maman Glencoe’s #1 broker handled the sale of this property. Maman is with @properties, 30 Green Bay Road, in Winnetka and @properties, 356 Park Avenue, in Glencoe. For more information, call 847-881-0200, 847-878-5235 or visit atproperties.com/agents/2682/susan-j-maman.