A Brief Look Back in History

What better place to learn and explore the arts than a place which personified the unrelenting energy, driven ambition, quest for perfection and demonstrated legacy of sharing and caring left to us by Charles Dole?

It is his legacy which you now have the opportunity to not only share in, but build upon as a foundation for this and future generations.

Photo of Charles Dole, Northeastern view of his mansion.

The 1860s - the Beginning During Times of Uncertainty
This place gives us a glimpse in time when the world's cultural center was in Europe. America's fate was at best, unsure. The Civil War ravaged on, yet Charles Dole and his brother James were at the peak of their business success, as grain merchants with their company, Armor, Dole & Co.

You will discover several visual references to wheat and grain within the mansion itself, from wood carvings on the doors to etched glass and an intricate plaster mold in its grand staircase. Interestingly, the wheat chaff is the symbol of prosperity.

This was a time when President Linoln's emancipation proclamation helped lead our country toward the abolishment of slavery. In 1865, the Civil War ended, and Lincoln's vision of Reconstruction would be fulfilled without him, as that was the year an assassin's bullet ended his life. In bold contrast, on a local level, 1865 was also the year Charles was to build his summer home on over 1,000 acres of wilderness, overlooking a serene lake of crystal-clear water.

The great Chicago Fire of 1872 took with it Charles and James Dole's two main grain elevators, together valued at over $1.4 million dollars - considered a fortune today, let alone in 1872.

Nearing the Turn of the Century
By the late 1800s, America was experiencing its cultural and social rise to glory, and Chicago was put squarely on the map at the time of the 1893 Colombian Exposition.

The Court of Honor and Grand Basin at Chicago's
Columbian Exposition of 1893.

Chicago's rise from the ashes was done in the most grand style, showcasing architecture, cultural art and technology. Over 200 million people attended the World's Fair. Chief Architect Daniel Burnham's legacy was assured (see photo from national archives), while rival architect Louis Sullivan garnered his own share of the spotlight as well.

Chicago's phoenix was complete. Soon, brother James would be at the center of a rather controversial and radical upstart organization - he was the first President, and founding member of Chicago's now famous Art Institute. It's little-known story of its origin is that which movies are made (more to come on this, as we continue our research).

As a family at the center of Chicago politics, business and culture, the Doles were pioneers in their day, undoubtedly leaving an interesting trail of history, and with it, a Legacy to be shared.

View from the northwest, circa 1870. Note the horse and buggy to the right. Not a tree in sight - the land was nearly clear-cut to supply the wood for the mansion and other structures on the 1,000 acre grounds.

Civil war poster

President Lincoln

After the Great Chicago Fire of 1872.

More to come on the history of the property in "Roaring 20's," as the original Crystal Lake Country Club, its conversion into a Catholic High School, a Christian mission center, the start-up of the "Grand-daddy" of all festivals, the Lakeside Festival, and the remarkable success of a community effort to purchase the property for over $1.5 million!