Pleasant Home facts for kids
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John Farson House
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historic view of front elevation of "Pleasant Home", which was built for John Farson.
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| Location | 217 Home Avenue, Oak Park, Cook County, Illinois |
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| Area | 4.7 acres (1.9 ha) |
| Built | 1897 |
| Architect | George W. Maher |
| Architectural style | Prairie style |
| NRHP reference No. | 72000454 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | June 19, 1972 |
| Designated NHL | June 19, 1996 |
Pleasant Home, also known as the John Farson House, is a special historic house. You can find it in Oak Park, Illinois, a town near Chicago. This big house was built in 1897. It was designed by a famous architect named George Washington Maher.
The house is a great example of the "Prairie style" of architecture. In 1972, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. This means it's an important historical site. Later, in 1996, it became a National Historic Landmark. This is an even higher honor, showing how important it is to American history.
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History of Pleasant Home
Pleasant Home gets its name from where it is located. It sits at the corner of Pleasant Street and Home Avenue in Oak Park. The famous architect George W. Maher designed and built the house in 1897.
The house was built for a man named John Farson. He lived there from 1897 until 1910. After him, Herbert S. Mills bought the house in 1910. He lived there until he passed away in 1929. His children owned the house until 1939. Then, they sold it to the Park District of Oak Park.
The Mills Violano-Virtuoso
Herbert S. Mills owned a company called The Mills Novelty Company. This company made a special musical machine. It was called the Mills Violano-Virtuoso. This machine could play both a violin and a piano by itself!
In 2009, a fully fixed-up Mills Violano was put back in Pleasant Home. You can still see it there today.
Changes to the Property
The Pleasant Home used to be on a very large piece of land. This land was later turned into a park called Mills Park. There was also a greenhouse and a coach house on the property. The coach house was where horse carriages and horses were kept. Later, it was used for cars.
Sadly, the coach house and greenhouse were torn down. They had become too old and damaged because they weren't taken care of.
Restoring the House
Work began to fix up the house in 1966. The first big project was to replace all the electrical wiring. This cost about US$26,000.
In 1970, more repairs were done, costing over $40,000. Workers fixed the outside parts of the roof and the wood surfaces. They also repainted the house. All the repairs were done to match the original design of the building.
Why Pleasant Home is Important
Pleasant Home is a very important example of the early Prairie style of architecture. The house was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on June 19, 1972. This means it's recognized as a significant historical place.
It's also part of a larger historic area called the Ridgeland-Oak Park Historic District. This district was added to the National Register in 1983. On June 19, 1996, Pleasant Home was named a U.S. National Historic Landmark. This is one of the highest honors for a historic site in the United States.
Just two days before that, the village of Oak Park also declared the John Farson House an Oak Park Landmark. The Farson House is one of the very first Prairie style buildings ever made. Many people think it's the best example of architect George Maher's work that still exists.
For many years, the Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest was located on the second floor of Pleasant Home. However, in 2017, the society moved to a new location. They are now at the Landmark Firehouse in Oak Park.
See also
