Glanworth Gardens – Historical Beauty Restored and Revisited

 by Pamela S. Meyers

Wadsworth Hall in 1906 when it was built.

I was raised in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, a small town in southeastern Wisconsin that sits next to beautiful spring-fed Geneva Lake. Back in October of 1871, the Great Chicago Fire displaced a lot of people—rich and poor alike. Many of the rich moved their families to the virgin shores of Geneva Lake and built large mansions for their families to live in while the city was being rebuilt. It didn’t take long for other wealthy bankers and industrialists to hear about the pristine lake and its shoreline that could be had for a “song.” 

Today, many of those 19th Century homes have either burned down or been torn down to be replaced by something more modern. Those that remain and are restored to their original design offer a peek into the lifestyles of the rich and famous of another era. 

Back in 2015, I wrote a blog post here about Wadsworth Hall (now named Glanworth Gardens), a beautiful mansion that closely resembles Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. Recently, the home's most recent owner, Richard Driehaus, founder, and chairman of Driehaus Capital Management, passed away, and I thought this beautiful estate deserved to be revisited 

  Glanworth Gardens Today

Resource: At The Lake Magazine

 At The Lake Magazine's editor, Anne Morrisey, penned a feature article on Glanworth Gardens in its May 2018, issue and much of what I share here has been gleaned from her detailed report. 

The estate was commissioned and built in 1906, by Norman Wait Harris, founder of what is now known as BMO Harris Bank. Thirteen years later, after the passing of both Mr. and Mrs. Harris, their daughter, Pearl, sold the property to Walden W. Shaw, co-founder of Chicago’s Yellow Cab Company. 

View of Glanworth from a boat

(Note the people walking the lakeshore path, which

is open access to the public all around the lake.)

Photo by Pamela Meyers

Shaw changed the name of the estate to The Stenning after his grandfather’s
home in Great Britain. He eventually relocated to California and his daughter, Bessie, and her husband, Daniel Peterkin, Jr. an executive at Morton Salt, moved into the estate. After Bessie passed away, Daniel remarried and eventually willed the estate to his second wife, Dorothy. By then, costs to keep up the large home were overwhelming and not always attended to as they should be. The exterior of the home has remained the same all these years, but the interior suffered from the effects of wear and tear. 

Looking at the side portico with the lake in the background

Source: At The Lake Magazine

When Dorothy died in 1997, the property was put on the market and Mr. Driehaus, appreciating the mansion's “good bones,” purchased it. Acquiring the home satisfied his desire for a summer home for his family. He spent two years bringing the interior back to its former glory, often flying up to Lake Geneva from Chicago on a helicopter to inspect the ongoing work and make decisions. 

Interior Photos

Resource At The Lake Magazine

After the work was complete, he hosted a New Year’s Eve party to celebrate-- the first of many parties he would have there. In recent years, on his July 27th birthday, he would host a large themed party, complete with a celebrity performer. The evening always included a firework display that the public could also enjoy, from boats, piers, and land. 

Entrance to the Estate from Snake Road

Photo Resource: LizzyFay.com

Driehaus passed away on March 9, 2021, and on July 24, 2021, his family held a party in his memory that included the firework display he so enjoyed. Many boats gathered in the waters around the estate, while others watched from piers and the shoreline. It’s unknown if the firework display will continue in the coming years, but whether it does or not, Mr. Driehaus has left his mark, not only by restoring his beautiful home but also by his many philanthropic donations to the city, including a fountain that now sits in front of the Riviera boat landing and ballroom. 

Resources: 

At the Lake Magazine; July 2018, Morrisey and reprinted in the Summer 2021   edition. 

Newport of the West, 1976, Wadsworth Hall, p. 54-56, Ann Wolfmeyer & Mary   Burns Gage

Entrance to Estate Photo: How to Plan a Perfect Lake Geneva Getaway,   www.lizzyfay.com

Pamela S. Meyers lives in northern Illinois with her two rescue cats, but her heart will always remain in her hometown of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, where she can often be found nosing around for new story ideas. She writes historical romances set right there and you can read about them at www.pamelasmeyers.com.

A Step Back to a Time of Elegance.

By Pamela S. Meyers

Driehaus Mansion -- Formerly Wadsworth Hall

I’ve written before about the historical significance of my hometown of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin and the surrounding area. Beginning with the Chicago Fire in October 1871, many of Chicago’s wealthy came north to beautiful Geneva Lake to build summer homes that rivaled that in Newport, RI, the east coast retreat of the New York wealthy. For this reason, the area gained the nickname, Newport of the West.  

Monticello--Thomas Jefferson's home.

As the years passed on, more wealthy came and built beautiful extravagant homes, some of which have become teardowns, being replaced by more modern mansions. Others are in disrepair. Some have been purchased by people who appreciate the history behind these homes and have endeavored to restore rather than replace. One that has recently gone under extensive renovation to bring it back to it’s glory is a mansion that began it’s life as Wadsworth Hall. Built in 1906, the structure is a magnificent example of stately and classical Georgian architecture. It’s often compared to Thomas Jefferson’s home, Monticello

Built by Norman Wait Harris, organizer of the banking house that later became Harris Bank, he named the home for his wife who had been a Wadsworth and was a cousin of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

The following pictures are taken after the recent restoration.

As you can imagine, the interior of the home was especially regal, including a 12-foot wide staircase in the 50-foot wide central hall. 

The staircase led to a landing about 20-square feet wide with windows that looked out on the lush landscape designed by the Olmstead Brothers, who had designed Central Park in New York City. 

The restored dining room back to it's original design. I can't imagine all the elegant dinner parties that must have taken place in this room.

The wood-paneled library 

.

The property was eventually sold by Mr. Harris to a Mr. Shaw, and then eventually became the property of Daniel Peterkin the president of the Morton Salt Company. Over the years, the property had been maintained, but often tweaked according to the fashion of the current time.

Many of the large estates on Geneva Lake have been subdivided, and to prevent this from happening to this estate, the Peterkin family worked with the Lake Geneva Conservatory to place deed restrictions on the property that would prevent it from being subdivided.

The most recent owner of this magnificent home is investment manager, Richard Driehaus. A number of years were spent renovating the interior back to its original state, and now that the restoration has been completed, Mr. Driehaus often opens the property to charity organizations for fundraisers and events. He also hosts a large Fourth of July party every year, complete with a huge fireworks display that is enjoyed by many locals, in addition to his invited guests.

The home is by far one of the most elegant homes on the lake, classy, even at the street entrance to the estate (shown here) to it’s view from the lake.

The home is easily seen from the lake or from the shore path, which is open to the public. You can see in the picture people walking across the mansion's front yard on the public shore path. It’s well worth making a point to see this historical estate up close and personal.

A native of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, author Pamela S. Meyers lives in suburban Chicago with her two rescue cats. She’s an hour's drive away from her Wisconsin hometown, which she visits often to dig into its historical legacy. Her novels include Thyme for Love, and Love Will Find a Way, contemporary romantic mysteries and her 1933 historical romance, Love Finds You in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. When she isn’t at her laptop writing her latest novel, she can often be found nosing around Wisconsin and other Midwestern spots for new story ideas.