Trying to restore the R. Harold Zook house to its 1920s splendor has become a labor of love for Ann Schmid, A Burr Ridge resident and student of the architect whose house now sits in KLM Park just west of the Katherine Legge Memorial Lodge.
Zook, famous for his unique architectural motifs, also designed and built the KLM Lodge.
The Zook house was moved to its current location in 2005 after a developer purchased the land on which it stood at 327 S. Oak St. in Hinsdale.
When the developer’s plans to raze the home and build a new house on the site were revealed, the Hinsdale Historical Society bought the home and had it moved to the park in hopes of restoring it as a functional structure.
“It took three days to move to its current location,” said Halbrook Schmid, whose master’s degree thesis on Zook — “Roscoe Harold Zook, A Biography and Catalogue” — contains an extensive catalog of Zook buildings.
“Why my love of Zook architecture? Because all his homes are not the same, they are all unique,” said Schmid, a former Hinsdale resident who graduated from Hinsdale Central High School.
“Also, the relocation of his house caught my attention at the same time I was preparing to do my thesis,” Schmid said.
The society plans to complete the restoration in about a year.
Notable
n Works with Charles Pipal, AIA as a tour manager and architectural assistant
n Is leading a $1 million fund raising effort to endow the Zook house
n Holds a bachelor’s degree in Religion and Middle Eastern Studies from St. Olaf College
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“Not much is known about Zook other than his architectural design — he was very private. Hopefully this project will create a new awareness, a new buzz and energy, about the man,” Schmid said.
Philosophy
“Do something you are passionate about, something you really care about.”
Favorites
FOOD Baked Brie and cheesy garlic pizza bread
SEASON Fall
MUSIC/BAND Pink Martini, Van Morrison, Jimmy Buffett
ARCHITECTURAL STYLE Tudor
Hinsdale, IL —
