WTL-6-12-2014 by Shaw Media

WTL-6-12-2014

Suburban Life • mysuburbanlife.com • Thursday, June 12, 2014 • CD

| NEWS

Photo provided

Children occupy the steps of the house at 708 S. Wheaton Ave. in the early 20th century. The home is for sale for the first time in 40 years.

Historic Wheaton house for sale By NATHAN LURZ

WTL

nlurz@shawmedia.com

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WHEATON – Potential Wheaton homeowners seeking a unique residence with a historic twist may be in luck. The house at 708 S. Wheaton Ave., built by the grandson of city founder Jesse Wheaton in 1904 is on the market for the first time in 40 years. “It’s not a cookie cutter – it’s got a lot of history and only ever had four owners,” Coldwell Banker Realtor Linda Reilly said. “We are really looking for a family who will appreciate it for what it is.” The house, which has five bedrooms and two full baths, has been listed for $450,000 since May 12, Reilly said. Along with modern conveniences and appliances, it has a butler pantry, box-beam ceilings and a barn, which nearby Whittier Elementary School students believe to be haunted. It was designed by architect Jarvis Hunt, who also created a Pompeiian villa for the Columbian Exposition of 1892, Reilly said. The home is full of historic charm, said owner Ewa Bacon. When she and her husband, John, bought the house in 1975 for $51,000, it was in a state of neglect, she said, but it is now a treasured part of their family. “I think our children are far more broken up about the

Estate sale There will be an estate sale at the home June 26 to 28.

Know more For information on the house or to schedule a private showing, visitshawurl.com/17s3 or call Linda Reilly at 630-2692473. house leaving the family,” she said. “It was the center of our family life. Even if it’s gone, there’s not a Christmas picture, birthday picture or even our daughter’s wedding that didn’t have it as the backdrop.” Bacon, a history professor at Lewis University, said when they bought the house, the country was just starting to preserve its domestic architecture. As they looked it over, they found children’s names with the surname “Wheaton” scrawled on one of the window wells. Bacon investigated, and discovered the Wheaton family likely sold the home during the Great Depression. Since she and her husband have owned it, several people have come to visit the house, including Lowrie Wheaton, who grew up there.

See HOUSE, page 15