See inside one of Evanston's most historic estates, now listed for $2.85 million

EVANSTON, Ill. — If you placed the terms “cupola” and “English rose garden” into the keywords menu on a search of homes for sale, you probably wouldn’t find too many listings, at least not in the Chicagoland area.

But you would find at least one right now.

It’s an estate you might be more likely to find in Old England, but it’s currently for sale in Chicago’s north suburbs. The property at 1233 Crain Street in Evanston, listed for sale since October, features both a cupola and an English rose garden.

The current listing price? $2.85 million.

There’s obviously a reason for that hefty price tag.

For one, the home is located in Evanston’s Ridge Historic District. And according to its Zillow listing, it’s the largest private residential property in Evanston. The main home is just under 8,000 square feet and includes nine bedrooms, five full bathrooms and two half-bathrooms.

The 1.04-acre property actually totals three parcels, including the main house, a detached three-car garage and a coach house of approximately 800 square feet.

But more than the size of the main home or the lot it sits on, it’s the history and English-style features that make 1233 Crain Street in Evanston a property not often seen on the market.

“It’s the most unique property I’ve dealt with so far,” says listing agent Nicholas Frankel of Christie’s International Real Estate.

History

The main home was originally designed by famous Evanston architect Ernest Mayo and built in 1909.

Ten years later, an addition was made using a literal “pick-up-and-place” procedure. A home was taken from down the street on Asbury Avenue, basically placed on a fork lift, then moved down the block. That added a family room, where the fireplace is now, and a library to the west wing of the original home.

That’s still part of the house today.

“They glommed it onto the house, and they did it really seamlessly,” Frankel said of that first addition. “So when you’re in the house and you’re doing a walkthrough, it doesn’t feel like it was a separate house.

“And the exterior, you’d never know.”

Another addition came in 1977 on the north wing, a first-floor expansion that added a green room, living room, dining room and breakfast nook.

That came when the property was purchased by a notable Evanston family, which has continued to own it until now.

GALLERY ABOVE: Interior of 1233 Crain Street in Evanston (Positive Image Photography)

Wing/Montgomery family

The property was purchased in 1977 by Jack Wing, a major financial figure in Chicago history.

According to his obituary, Wing — who died in 2011 — achieved a prolific career as a financial analyst and trial attorney, providing leadership to the financial services industry in Chicago and nationally for many years.

Among his many career highlights, Wing joined The Chicago Corporation in 1981 and became its CEO, developing it into a major full-service regional investment and brokerage firm. After The Chicago Corporation merged with ABN-AMRO, another significant Chicago financial institution, in 1997, Wing became chairman and CEO of ABN-AMRO Incorporated.

After several years in that role, Wing moved into a career that included law, teaching and corporate and civic leadership.

Meanwhile, Wing married Joan Montgomery, who brought to the family three children from a previous marriage.

Jack and Joan Wing were married for 47 years, and it was Joan who really put the English-style touch on their Evanston home.

Rose garden, cupola

The English rose garden, Frankel says, is the legacy of Joan Wing.

She planned the entire layout and planted all the flowers, and she loved sharing the garden with others.

“It was like her pride and joy,” Frankel said. “Everything they did was very public and shared with the people of Evanston, because Joan was so involved with the city.”

Joan had so many people visit her rose garden, Frankel says, that it caught the attention of people connected with one of the world’s most renowned museums.

That’s how Joan Wing’s English rose garden got featured in Smithsonian Magazine, the official journal published by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.

“She had a lot of different connections, so she had a lot of people coming through the house and coming to see the garden, for garden parties or for plays that they put on,” Frankel said. “That got the attention of people that had connections. Eventually, the Smithsonian caught word of her rose garden and featured it.”

GALLERY ABOVE: Exterior grounds of 1233 Crain Street in Evanston (Positive Image Photography)

The main home was remodeled again 1991. The Wings also closed off the home’s solarium, turning it into a place one can retreat to admire the outdoor landscape during colder months, too.

“It still provides a lot of light and opportunity to look out over the grounds,” Frankel said of the enclosed solarium.

There’s also the historic cupola, also designed by Mayo, that Joan Wing had salvaged from the old Evanston Town Hall when it was torn down. She had it taken to her backyard.

“They brought it over before (the town hall) was torn down, and they planted it in the backyard,” Frankel said. “It just looks really nice there.”

With the English rose garden and the cupola as its main features, the Joan Wing-inspired yard includes seating areas, tranquil ponds a trellised garden.

Other amenities in the house and on the property include a wood-paneled library, a butler’s pantry that adjoins the kitchen, a large dressing room with a Juliet balcony overlooking the downstairs living room and an in-ground pool.

The third floor of the main home, originally designed as a ballroom, now includes four bedrooms, one with a walk-in closet, along with a half-bathroom and a family room.

Additionally, the Ken Hasslet-designed coach house was renovated in 2001 and can serve as a guest residence or rental home.

For sale

After Jack and Joan Wing passed away, the property stayed in the family. Their son, Willy Montgomery, is the executor of the estate.

Frankel says the property has drawn plenty of interest, but it will take a certain type of buyer to snap it up.

“We’re still working to find an ideal buyer,” Frankel says. “We’ve got to find somebody who’s got sort of a passion for historical places.

“… It would weigh less heavy on the sellers’ heart if they knew it was going to a family. … They’d like to preserve it if they can. Obviously, they can’t control that.”

There would be limits, however, to what any buy could do to the outside of the main home, because Frankel says it falls under the auspices of Evanston’s Ridge Historic District.

“Modifications can be made, but they have to be submitted and approved by the Ridge Historic District,” Frankel said. “So there are some limitations as to what a buyer could do.

“They can do whatever they want to the interior of the house, but any exterior modifications have to conform to the standards of the Ridge Preservation Society.”

It’s a property, Frankel says, that isn’t for just any buyer.

“It’s going to be somebody special,” he said.

GALLERY ABOVE: 1233 Crain Street in Evanston (PHOTOS: Positive Image Photography)

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