The Bennett House
Route 3, Stop 3
Description by Conor Libit
Name: Stone Hill, Home for Mr. and Mrs. John L. Bennett
Address: 655 Plum Tree Road, Barrington Hills
4 Bedrooms, 3.5 Bathrooms
Architect: George Fred Keck (Keck & Keck)
Built: 1941 with a later addition
Designed and built just before the United States became involved in WWII Stone Hill was designed to make use of new technology and age old principles. Architect George Keck employed ancient solar gain principles by placing the house on top of a rocky moraine and orienting the centerline of the house on the East/West axis with a substantial overhang on the south facing wall of windows. No sun enters the windows during the warmest summer months keeping the house naturally cool. The winter sun’s azimuth falls enough that the light reaches all the way through to the northernmost walls of the house. The dark floors and stone walls absorb the warmth of the daytime winter sun and radiates the heat back during the night. Underfloor radiant heating is also used on the coldest winter days. The north side of the house, including the pool, is built into the hill insulating it and forcing the viewer to the south facing expanses of glass. Inside the home there are few right angles.The angles and irregular shapes provide the bedrooms special interest and distinction.
The entryway and foyer featuring the oversized door was originally designed as a music area and to amplify the piano and either instruments. Straight ahead are the large living and dining rooms. The living room features 15’ high ceilings with clerestory windows and a 2-story fieldstone fireplace. To the east are the kitchen and breakfast nook, morning’s light fills these areas. At some point the kitchen was enlarged and the primary suite was moved to the west side of the house with the other bedrooms. This addition kept in close accord to the original design and materials with a heated slate floor in the bathroom, large south facing windows and no right angles. To the west is the hallway with built-in storage leading to two bedrooms and a study. The stairs lead to the second floor with the final bedroom and bathroom. During the day the sun sweeps around the southern exposure lighting the large shared patio before its afternoon and evening rays warm the first and second floor bedrooms. This house was featured in the March 1944 issue of Architectural Record as well as the November 1944 issue of House and Garden.
Can't Miss:
Stone used for the interior and exterior walls were taken directly from the site.
Large south facing windows with smaller north facing windows.
There are a herd of alpacas at this house, which guests can visit in the barn. Be sure to check them out on your tour!
Keck & Keck Bios
By Barbara L. Benson
George Fred Keck 1895-1980
William Keck 1908-1995
Born in Watertown, Wisconsin, the elder, known as Fred studied engineering and architecture at state schools in Wisconsin and Illinois. Settled in Chicago in 1921 Fred worked as a draftsman at several offices before striking out on his own. Keck’s modernist footing broadened by his contact with the Chicago Workshops, a group of artists modeled upon the Austrian Werkbund and founded by former members. This contact ultimately led to his role in the New Bauhaus which had broad impact on design in Chicago.
In 1937, an industrial arts school broke away from the Art Institute of Chicago, with the goal of training designers in Bauhaus methods. With help from Keck, this group became a foremost group of design teachers and lecturers in the Modernist era. Keck himself served as architecture department head and part-time teacher at the New Bauhaus for five years and continued with his practice.
At the Century of Progress World’s Fair in 1933, popular exhibits were America’s First Glass House, The House of Tomorrow, (1933),and the Crystal House (1934). These concept houses, with their new methods of construction, fostered y the New Bauhaus. The Fair exposed hundreds of thousands of people to a new way of living in these glass and steel houses.
After the Fair, the Kecks were hired by wealthy clients from the North Shore suburbs to design houses for them. They started a tradition that continued for the remainder of the Kecks career. When their firm was dissolved in 1979 the lists of their output were staggering: 807 projects were listed including houses, apartment buildings, remodels and additions.
The Kecks created hundreds of elegant, livable houses in the Chicago area and beyond that were affordable and came in on budget. A Keck house is still is still a selling point for knowledgeable realtors!