Suffield House: The Neo-Georgian Home of Mrs. J. Ogden Armour

Making It Home Timeline
Suffield House: The Neo-Georgian Home of Mrs. J. Ogden Armour

Suffield House c. 2010. Photograph courtesy of House Histree.

Lola Hughes “Lolita” Sheldon Armour (1869-1953) c. 1915. Photograph courtesy of Find a Grave.

Lola Hughes “Lolita” Sheldon Armour (1869-1953) c. 1915. Photograph courtesy of Find a Grave.

The Stair Hall, c. 1970. Photographed by Ezra Stoller. Photograph courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago, Ryerson and Burnham Archives.

The Stair Hall, c. 1970. Photographed by Ezra Stoller. Photograph courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago, Ryerson and Burnham Archives.

The Living Room, c. 1970. Photographed by Ezra Stoller. Photograph courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago, Ryerson and Burnham Archives.

The Living Room, c. 1970. Photographed by Ezra Stoller. Photograph courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago, Ryerson and Burnham Archives.

The Dining Room, c. 1970. Photographed by Ezra Stoller. Photograph courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago, Ryerson and Burnham Archives.

The Dining Room, c. 1970. Photographed by Ezra Stoller. Photograph courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago, Ryerson and Burnham Archives.

Garden house off the living room garden. Photographed by Ezra Stoller. Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago, Ryerson and Burnham Archives.

Garden house off the living room garden. Photographed by Ezra Stoller. Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago, Ryerson and Burnham Archives.

Formerly on the Suffield House site, the estate of Charles Edward Pope (demolished).

Formerly on the Suffield House site, the estate of Charles Edward Pope (demolished).

Gatehouse at 252 North Western Avenue. Plate 143 from David Adler by Richard Pratt, M. Evans and Co., 1970.

Gatehouse at 252 North Western Avenue. Plate 143 from David Adler by Richard Pratt, M. Evans and Co., 1970.

Address: 255 North Green Bay RoadYear built: 1934Architect: David AdlerOriginal owner: Mrs. J. Ogden Armour (Lola Hughes Sheldon Armour - "Lolita")Lolita S. Armour’s grand Neo-Georgian mansionwith its steeply pitched roof and pink-hued brick sits prominently on Green BayRoad. Named Suffield House after her childhoodhome in Connecticut, Mrs. Armour had worked closely with David Adler and hissister, interior designer Francis Elkins to create a uniquely personalestate to house her vast collection of antiques. J. Ogden Armour’s widow was a famous hostess and chatelaineof several notable estates including Mellody Farm, now the campus for Lake ForestAcademy. Following the family's 1920s bankruptcy and the death of her husband in 1927, some overlooked shares of stock in Lolita Armour's name pulled the Armours out of near financial ruin in the early 1930s. She was a generous philanthropist, a foundingmember of the Lake Forest Garden Club and patron of the arts. Her important collection of historic shoes,including those once worn by Queen Anne of England (1655-1714), was gifted tothe Art Institute of Chicago.The Adler-Elkins collaboration in this residence resulted in 12 sumptuouslyappointed rooms combining differing styles. On the first floor, a columned gallery with French parquet floors connectsthe public rooms. The Queen Anne-style paneleddining room features a carved mantlepiece by Grinling Gibbons (1648-1721). Francis Elkins mixed in Deco-inspired designand Lolita's dressing room boasts 15th century Chinese oil paintingsEighteen acres of formal gardens once surrounded Suffield House. Twodelightful garden houses still flank each side of the house. The original garage and gatehouse accessedoff of Western Avenue have been converted to private residences. In 1960, the south and west sides of the propertywere subdivided into 14 lots, reducing the current estate to six acres. Hollywood came calling in1983 when Suffield House was featured as the family estate of Skip BurroughsIV, played by Rob Lowe in the movie Class.Suffield House was built on the site of a few demolished Green Bay Road estates: Charles Edward Pope, Arthur Dean Bevan, and Charles Edward Brown. In the 1960s the south and west sides of the Armour property were subdivided into fourteen lots, including 195-203 N. Green Bay and 207 and 209 N. Green Bay. Garages and gatehouse are extant at 252 and 250 North Western Avenue.
"Lolita Armour was very involved in the design of thehouse. Despite (Adler’s) elusiveness,his client said the period of construction was such fun that when it was allfinished, beautiful as it was, she felt let down. 'I love the house,' shesaid. 'I just miss the excitement of seeingit go up.'" -David Adler, The Architectand His Work, p. 26, by Richard Pratt, 1970.