EVERY GOOD LOVE story has an element of destiny, that invisible force that drives us down a path we often don’t understand until we’re at the final destination.

For Lake Forest design executive Jennifer McGregor, that’s the only way to describe the tale of how she found herself buying and restoring a historic horse barn on Old Mill Road—a rare David Adler gem that was once part of a sprawling 480-acre estate built in 1926.

The timing of how and when the property came into her life could not have been more inconvenient.

“My former home, less than a mile from the new one, had been privately listed but was taken off when family circumstances changed and we felt it best to stay put,” says McGregor, explaining that her mother had become terminally ill. “An unsolicited offer was received by our realtor nine months later and it couldn’t have been more poorly timed as I was living out of state caring for my mom, plus I literally had just completed refinancing weeks prior!”

This turn of events set the wheels in motion for what she now sees as a journey of discovery, and healing.

A sale was negotiated with flex time for McGregor; her partner, Nandan; and her three children, Graham, Chase, and Harper to find a new place to live. Given her mother’s health and her busy schedule as Chief Revenue Officer for SpaceIntel, a zero-maintenance condo or townhome was looking very attractive. Then, during the home search, something completely different caught her eye.

She texted her realtor, Maureen O’Grady Tuohy, the address for a David Adler property on Old Mill Road— a 1947 residence built in what was originally the stable of the famed Albert Lasker Estate.

“We toured it that next morning and my world turned upside down,” explains McGregor, an interior architect and licensed designer who was more than familiar with the Adler pedigree. “I had driven by it hundreds of times but never paid much attention.”

Something was different this time. Something was drawing her in.

“In our conversations that followed after our first viewing, I remember asking, ‘am I crazy?’” says McGregor, explaining that in the months that followed, even before closing, she felt so connected to the property that she started to maintain the lawn care. “As a veteran of the architecture and design industry and lifelong resident of Lake Forest, I really was the perfect buyer—willing to accept the quirkiness and imperfections and provide the right amount of direction and insight to bring it back.”

Most buyers would have walked away. McGregor not only embraced the challenge, but she took it on as a labor of love.

“I really felt a calling to bring it back to life, to restore it and give it purpose,” she says. “Along the way I realized it did the same for me.”

As she contemplated the initial purchase and renovation, she connected with local like-minded creatives and Adler owners for insight and support, including Anne Marie Klarcheck Farino; Frank Ponterio; Adrian and Nancy Smith; and designer friend Lori Lennon.

“Together with the team from Craig Bergmann Landscaping, we were off and running with a vision both inside and out,” says McGregor, explaining that she immediately became more of a steward to the home than an owner. “It just took the right mindset to see past what was currently there and be able to visualize a more cohesive fresh aesthetic.”

Reimagining the home’s future meant stepping back into the home’s past. Adler pedigree or not, this was no ordinary stable. The former horse barn was once part of a lavish 1926 estate built for Albert Lasker, a high-profile advertising executive known to socialize with celebrities. His Old Mill Road Estate included a 55-room French Provincial mansion designed by Adler, a private 18-hole golf course, a cocktail house, an air-conditioned theater, and 20 more buildings.

“The stable was converted into a single-family home in 1947,” she explains. “My neighbor Neelie Fritz and I have ‘sister houses’ in that they both were joined with a common horse arena and water trough between them back in the day. Portions of the original structure were removed when the residences were created, literally mirror images of each other.”

The bones from that 1947 rebuild were solid, with stucco walls, high ceilings, rich millwork, and built-in bookcases. McGregor and her team made updates and upgrades throughout, including expanding the bathroom footprints and adding much-needed attic access. However, she says it is the outdoor space and landscaping that’s the star of the renovation.

“We started with cleaning up the dead trees that contributed to the blanketing layers of pine needles covering all of property,” says McGregor, adding that the rest took off from there to include a front elevation makeover, an expanded outdoor patio, white cross rail fencing, and a bluestone courtyard surrounding the original horse trough (now an English garden, courtesy of Bergmann’s crew). “I certainly had a vision board and knew what I wanted, but their team truly brought it to reality.”

What’s perhaps just as incredible is the fact that while McGregor was working diligently on plans to resurrect a nearly century-old piece of Lake Forest history, she was simultaneously driving back and forth to be by her mother’s side on her final days.

“While my siblings and I cared for our mom and in her last few months, the house was under contract and I was remotely managing all of this from 300 miles away,” she says. “My mom and I were very close and I had come to terms with the fact that she would never be able to see our new home or be there with us. She kept the glossy house brochure next to her at the kitchen table or next to her chair in the living room and studied it page by page, sharing with friends when they would come visit her. She was so proud to show it and walk them through ‘Jenn’s new house’.”

What would this new creation look like, when all was said and done?

McGregor defines her personal style as “on trend, but classic and edgy.” An avid collector and self-proclaimed family historian, she has filled her home with iconic Knoll furniture balanced with cherished family heirlooms.

“I curated collections of vintage glass or silver or white ceramic and displayed them separately and monochromatically,” she says, adding: “The powder room gallery was a dynamic way to capture vintage family photos all in gold frames and group them together with images or sketches or menus from travel. It is a collection that keeps expanding and certainly gives our guests a lot to discover and laugh about, including the ‘ring for champagne’ bell.”

Not surprisingly, many of the spaces also have equestrian touches—some more obvious than others (including some original living room lamps she loved so much she negotiated them into the contract when she purchased the house).

McGregor’s beloved mother passed away on July 24, four days before she closed on both properties.

“This home is an extension of all that grounds me, a beautiful place for reflection and celebration. As I have reflected this past year, I know the timing of all of this was never a coincidence,” says McGregor. “It provided a fresh start and new beginning for my own personal journey of ‘what’s next.’ It also has enabled me to pour myself into a project that has given so much back in the process. Some may call that a distraction, but I embrace it as therapy.”

Now that the home is complete, the family is adjusting to a new normal—creating new memories and opening a new chapter.

“My partner discovered his love for cooking over quarantine so it’s the perfect hobby for us,” she says. “I create the environment and he serves the most amazing food. We don’t play golf or go on hikes but we travel and throw some kick ass parties! Our extensive record collection also contributes to the authentic layers of our home but played on a modern turntable and out of classic speakers. It all feels right.”

O’Grady-Tuohy, the Berkshire Hathaway realtor who played a supporting role in this story, says the match was meant to be.

“David Adler’s work is glorified by her love of the historical genius. She has put her heart into the renovations and it’s so lovely to see how she has brought it to this ultimate state,” says Tuohy. “Her long roots in the area assisted in her appreciation for the Lasker Estate. As a realtor, it is a pleasure to witness the magic touch she provided to this masterpiece gem!”

McGregor says it all begins and ends with legacy. The legacy of David Adler but also the legacy of her childhood family, the family she has created, and the woman who she says will be with her forever.

“Mom may have never been able to visit or help me unpack my kitchen or switch out light fixtures or transplant hostas or prune the rhododendrons, but she is definitely here,” McGregor adds. “She is everywhere.”