1661 W Everett Road | Lake Forest

1661 W EVERETT ROAD

LAKE FOREST, ILLINOIS

A Lake Forest Hidden Gem! This remarkable
French Norman-Style Country Estate with Coach
House is situated on 4 beautifully landscaped
and private acres that were once part of the
original Albert Lasker Estate and his legendary
Mill Road Farm Golf Course.

A distinctive Bluestone foyer welcomes you into
this remarkably expanded 4 bedroom Estate
Home. The home features a 2.5 car attached
garage, a main floor master suite elegantly
appointed by a gas burning fireplace topped with
a marble mantle, and an attached wood paneled
office or study. A beautifully designed and large
addition to the home added a vaulted and
beamed ceiling kitchen, built for large gatherings
and entertaining, connected to a new family
room and hallway gallery.

Upstairs you'll find 2 large bedrooms connected to
a Jack & Jill bathroom, an incredible family or play
room with a wood burning fireplace and an
enormous guest or in-law suite, complete with
private bathroom, sitting area and walk-in closet.

The partially finished walkout basement features
a professional sound/media room, recreation or
exercise room, additional laundry room and full
bath room. The home has a total of 4 full and
2 half bathrooms.

The Coach House sits above an extra deep 4 car
garage and includes a vaulted family room and
open kitchen, large bedroom and full bathroom.

This very private wooded retreat is enhanced by a
wonderful outdoor and elevated paver brick
patio, perfect for entertaining or watching tennis
played on the court located on the lower terrace.



































Property History

Lake Forest golfers and history buffs alike find fascination in a local vanished golf course considered one of
the county’s best in its day. This home sits on the practice green of that golf course.

In 1926 Albert Lasker transformed the landscape of west Lake Forest. His estate, Mill Road Farm, stretched
over 480 acres between Everett and Old Mill roads, and featured a 55-room mansion, 26 outbuildings, a staff
of 150, and a private 18-hole golf course. Mill Road Farm’s architecture, roads and golf greens later shaped
the neighborhood constructed after the estate was subdivided. The beautifully manicured fairways of Mill
Road Farm Golf Course, built in the 1920s, were replaced by subdivisions after World War II.

The course was the remarkable brainchild of Albert Lasker, head of Lord & Thomas, a now-defunct Chicago
ad agency that was among the largest in the U.S. Lasker rubbed elbows with celebrities, helped launch
commercial radio and bought a stake in the Chicago Cubs, according to the Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Historical
Society.

Despite his success, Lasker, who was Jewish, couldn't wrangle an invitation to the exclusive Lake Forest golf
clubs where he longed to play. In 1921 he bought 480 acres of farmland north of Half Day Road on the
western fringes of the town and set up an even more exclusive club -- in his own backyard.

"He wasn't invited to play at some of the other courses, so he built his own," said Laurie Stein, curator of the
historical society.

From 1927 to 1942, the 7,000-yard Mill Road Farm golf club stymied even legendary pros. With its own
clubhouse, caddy shack, resident pro and groundskeepers, it also may have been the best-kept secret in golf
with only a handful in Lasker's inner circle ever getting to play there. The estate was designed by renowned
architect David Adler and built between 1925 and 1928 for about $3.5 million. It featured a 50-room, 25,000-
square foot French provincial mansion and 26 outbuildings. Those included a horse barn, cocktail house and
an air-conditioned theater. Lasker's favorite amenity may have been a converted farmhouse that served as
woodsy clubhouse and caddy shack overlooking the first tee.

The William Flynn-designed course was built at a cost of about $1 million and was immaculately maintained.
A who's who of golf made the rounds with Lasker, including Gene Sarazen, Johnny Farrell and Bobby Jones,
who reportedly called the course one of the three best in the country.

"It really was what we would think of today as a U.S. Open layout because it was very long and all the greens
were heavily bunkered," said Daniel Wexler, a golf historian and author of the book "The Missing Links:
America's Greatest Lost Golf Courses & Holes," which includes a chapter on Mill Road Farm. "On paper, this
is certainly comparable in difficulty to most of the courses that you see major events played on today." So
challenging was the course that Lasker offered $500 to any pro who could break par, a feat not
accomplished until 1934, when Tommy Armour collected the prize after shooting a 69.

The course's run ended just a few years later. Lasker's wife of 33 years, Flora, died in 1936, and Lasker retired
from the advertising business, devoting himself to public affairs and philanthropy. In 1940, he donated the
estate to the University of Chicago.

In June 1940 his course hosted its only tournament, the Western Junior Championship. Two years later, it
closed to make way for growing community development.















MAIN LEVEL

UPPER LEVEL
LOWER LEVEL



1661 W Everett Road | Lake Forest

UNIQUE AND SPECIAL FEATURES

■ Classic French Norm-Style County ■ Basement totals 2,455 sq. ft. with
Estate Home with Coach House 1,027 sq. ft. finished, 1,428 sq. ft.
unfinished
■ Original home was built in 1953, situated
on the practice green of the legendary Mill ■ Brick Paver Patio overlooking terraced
Road Farm Golf Course: home additions property with tennis or game court
completed in 1966 and 1989
■ Professionally designed and installed
■ Situated on 4.19 private acres, with multimedia room
1 acre sub-dividable lot
■ Coach House features 960 sq. ft. of
■ Main house features 4 bedrooms, 4 full living space: vaulted ceiling family
& 2 half bathrooms, 2.5 car garage room, kitchen and bedroom with full
bathroom.
■ Main House totals 5,520 sq. ft. on
main floor plus second floor ■ Coach House is built above extra deep
4 car garage.

MICHAEL D SMITH

708.227.4669 Cell
[email protected]

778 N. Western Avenue © 2020 BHH Affiliates, LLC. An independently owned and operated franchisee of BHH
Lake Forest, IL 60045 Affiliates, LLC. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices
symbol are registered service marks of Columbia Insurance Company, a Berkshire Hathaway
847.234.2500 affiliate. Equal Housing Opportunity. Information not verified or guaranteed. If your home is
currently listed with a Broker, this is not intended as a solicitation
BHHSCHICAGO.COM