Mildred + Abel Fagen House

Lake Forest, Illinois

The Mildred and Abel Fagen House is a historic house located in Lake Forest. The house was built in 1948 for Mildred Fagen, a patron and leader in the local arts community, and her husband Abel, a textile broker. Prominent Modern Movement architects Keck & Keck designed the house, which was heavily influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonian work. The one-story house is a pioneering early example of passive solar design with a flat roof with overhanging eaves, giving it a horizontal emphasis that reflects the area's flat landscape.

The Fagens sold the house to illustrator Franklin McMahon and his family, and the large property was subdivided into a housing development. The house was subsequently sold and became deteriorated, resulting in a threatened demolition and a concerted preservation effort.

We acquired the house in 2019 and over the next three years performed an extensive restoration, which included complete replacement of the mechanical systems, replacement of the massive flat roof, and an opening of the service wing floorplan. Vintage Henry Dreyfuss-designed Crane bathroom fixtures were found and replacement Vitrolite glass for the bathroom walls. The dramatically projecting triangular eves were dismantled and reconstructed, curving stone patios were removed and reset, and dark-stained cedar siding was stripped inch by inch and re-stained.

The house was designated as a Lake Forest Landmark and added to the National Register of Historic Places. Following the completion of the major projects, the house was sold, and the current owners designed and installed a contemporary kitchen and cork flooring throughout the interior as was original specified in the original design.