TALE OF A LAKEFRONT MANOR

When New York newspaper publisher Horace Greeley urged ambitious young men to “Go West” in 1865, they didn’t have to travel all the way to California to make their fortunes. Massachusetts-born Marshall Field and Virginian Cyrus McCormick had already set up shop in Chicago and many more followed before the turn of the century, including meatpacker Gustavus Swift and railroad magnate Charles Yerkes. Clayton Mark was just a teenager when his family relocated to Evanston from Pennsylvania in 1872, but like the movers and shakers before him, he went on to establish himself on the Chicago scene as the founder of the Mark Manufacturing Company, a leading producer of steel pipe. And like so many of his peers, Mark built himself a stately home on the North Shore—999 Lake Road in Lake Forest.

Designed by Howard Van Doren Shaw, the architect of choice for well-off Chicagoans seeking a substantial place in the “country,” the 1914 Clayton Mark house was erected on land purchased from grain elevator titan, Ebenezer Buckingham, whose daughter, art collector and philanthropist Kate Buckingham, gifted Buckingham Fountain to the city of Chicago as a memorial to her brother, Clarence. Set on a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan with more than 400 feet of lake frontage, the house—as architect and author Stuart Cohen remarks in Inventing the New American House: Howard Van Doren Shaw, Architect—is “part Italian palazzo and part Prairie School.”

Mark’s previous home on Deerpath Road had burned to the ground in 1912 and he was determined that his new residence would be as fireproof as possible. Built of brick and stone, it incorporated two fire hoses stored in special closets that were connected to a water supply in the attic. The ground floor of the house was anchored by an 84-foot-long gallery, which opened to handsome and generously proportioned public spaces, including a dining room, billiard room, library, and living room. Clayton and Anna Mark had nine children, and while most were grown by the time the couple moved in, there was always a place for them in the ten-bedroom residence. Built at a time when large homes were fully staffed, the house included five bedrooms for servants. The head gardener had his own cottage on the 26-acre property, which also sported a greenhouse, stables, a garage, and two playhouses.

A civic leader whose commitments included serving as president of both the Chicago Board of Education and Lake Forest College, Mark relaxed in the city at the Union League Club and in Lake Forest at the Onwentsia Club. When his wife passed away in 1915, he commissioned Shaw to design a family mausoleum in Lake Forest Cemetery. The house on Lake Road remained in the family until 1942 when it was sold to the Henry P. Ishams. The new owners, finding it a tad too big for their needs, removed an entire wing.

The home’s current owners, Ron and Karena Garriques, acquired the Mark property in 2007 and committed themselves to a meticulous restoration of the now 110-year-old structure. They removed dropped ceilings and carpeting, refurbished millwork, sourced period-appropriate furnishings and art, and had the dining room sconces replicated by the Czech company that created the original fixtures.

In addition to making many updates— such as the state-of-the-art kitchen—the couple also deepened the basement to accommodate a basketball court/hockey rink and added an Olympic-size pool. Times have certainly changed since the Mark children would eagerly meet their father at the train station with a horse and carriage. But as 999 Lake Road awaits its next family, it stands as more than just a property; it is a living legacy, a testament to the enduring spirit of excellence and sophistication. With its rich history and unparalleled beauty, this lakefront manor offers a rare opportunity to embrace a lifestyle steeped in luxury and heritage.

999 Lake Road is on the market offered at $12.9 million. Please contact Patrick Milhaupt, Global Real Estate Advisor, Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty, 847-849-0828, [email protected] or Amy Davidson, Global Real Estate Advisor, Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty, 847-997-0634, [email protected].