Architect’s former home becomes 79th historic landmark in Highland Park

With its sweeping prairie-style landscape, a 1936 French eclectic home designed by William Betts — and once home to landscape architect Marshall Johnson — is now officially a Highland Park landmark.

The Highland Park City Council on April 27 designated 273 Sheridan Road a local landmark, adopting the Historical Preservation Commission recommendation.

Joel Fontane, the city’s director of community development, said 273 Sheridan is now the 79th historic landmark in Highland Park and 135th regulated structure.

The home’s owners, Kimberly and Barry Schliesmann, voluntarily nominated their home for the landmark designation. They said in a letter to the preservation commission that they plan to conduct restoration work but “very much want to preserve this home.”

“The home reflects craftsmanship, material richness and compositional balance of Highland Park’s historic homes,” the letter says. “Marshall Johnson conceived of architecture, landscaping and setting as a unified composition and added many details to the home that reflect this belief and are also deeply unique.”

The prestigious previous owner, Johnson, the protege of Jens Jenson and designer of the property’s landscaping, is known for designing the city’s rose garden, part of Gardener’s Memorial at Laurel Park adjacent to City Hall. Other notable works of his include Rosewood Park, Chicago’s Columbus Park and the Ford Pavilion at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair.

The property, according to city documents, is a 1936 French eclectic style home with a prairie style landscape, mimicking old world French architecture and a historic revival style. The style reportedly is similar to Tudor architecture, which was popular between 1920s to 1940s in Highland Park.

The French style inspiration was brought back to the U.S. after World War I.

According to a description of the property, the home features steeply pitched roofs with hipped dormers, a dominant cross gable, prominent chimneys and masonry walls. The landscape includes stone outcroppings.

The Historic Preservation Commission on March 12 first reviewed the property, finding that it achieved six landmark criteria and possessed sufficient integrity.

A month later, the commission made a final recommendation to designate the property a local landmark.

Councilmember Yumi Ross shows support for the designation.

“What a beautiful home,” Ross said. “The photographs look absolutely lovely, and I am grateful to the owners for landmarking it.”

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