Ambrose Cramer Cabin

Future Location: TBD

The Des Plaines River area was first used as a retreat in the 1920s, including by Edward Ryerson, president of the Ryerson Steel Company. In 1938, Ryerson purchased a large adjacent property over fears that it would be sold and redeveloped. Ryerson constructed a dairy farm on the property and hired architect Ambrose Cramer to design a country house on the site.

In addition to Ryerson’s 1920s log cabin, several prominent businessmen friends constructed log structures near the banks of the river. Ambrose Cramer designed and built a cabin in 1940 for use while the country house was constructed. This was one of several cabins relocated elsewhere on the site in the 1970s when the land became part of the Lake County Forest Preserve site.

When the National Register of Historic Places-listed Cramer cabin and one adjacent structure were required to be removed as part of the construction of a new education center, they were made available for relocation. The cabin was carefully documented, labeled, and deconstructed so that it may be reconstructed in the near future. Stay tuned for updates as this cabin finds a new life at another location!