Friday, August 9, 2013

Field Trip: Cuneo

14th century suit of armor
13th century Italian table in the atrium














I took a vacation day yesterday (Thursday, August 8) to join friends from the Zion Womans Club on a field trip to the Cuneo Mansion in Libertyville.  (See this post for my memories from a childhood trip to the property.)

 Our private tour was led by an excellent docent.  The mansion was built by Samuel Insull, who brought electricity to Lake County (and a lot of other places). It is in the style of an Italian villa, with a light-filled three-story atrium.  Insull's landholdings, continguous to the mansion, were over 4000 acres. He went bust in the Depression (see here -- an excellent example of why we should diversify our holdings). John Cuneo, Sr., bought the property.  From all accounts, the Cuneos were an unconflicted, *very* rich family. (Mr. Cuneo was a printer whose clients included, among others, Sears Roebuck and Hearst Magazines.)  The Cuneos lived/farmed/enjoyed the propertyuntil 1991, when the family foundation opened it to the public.  The foundation gave it to Loyola University in 2010--a gift valued at $50 million.

The special exhibit this summer featured the Cuneo ladies' clothing by Chicago designer Martha Weathered.  Timeless and classic!










Powder room -- with real gold in the wallpaper


Cuneo-printed books in the library (3000 vols.)

1 comment:

  1. That looks like an interesting place to visit. I love classic homes with a bit of history. Thanks for sharing with the rest of us. Have a super day!

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