Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Charles H. Patten House-SOLD!

Charles H. Patten House
photo by G. LeTourneau

The most quintessentially Victorian house in my neighborhood just sold after being on the market for several years. We are all so happy! We thought it's fate would be grim, as other large Victorian homes on large lots have been sold to developers who tear them down to build condos. When the last owner died in 2004, the family held an estate sale on the property. I got to see inside the house, and purchased a few mementos (see below). The Patten House is only one block from our house, so one of these days, I can hopefully meet our new neighbors.

The house was built in 1898 for Charles H. Patten, a banker and former mayor of Palatine. Its design is Chateauesque/Queen Anne. The house remained in the Patten family until now. It became listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006. The first floor consists of a sitting room, parlor, library, dining room, kitchen and small bathroom. The second floor contains 5 bedrooms and one bath. The third floor has a billiard room, maid's quarters with a makeshift bathroom, and a sewing room.

The village originally thought it might purchase the house and use it for public functions. The citizens voted overwhelmingly on a 2007 referendum that would allow the village to spend $1.75 million to purchase the house. But our wishes were ignored as some council members decided against the purchase. We were outraged as the house sat there over the last few years, with various realtor signs up on the front lawn. The Patten House image, which was even on our village seal, was promptly removed.

The new owners are a young family with five children, who plan on raising them here. What a thrill to know that the Patten House will survive and be loved for another generation!

Below are the original floor plans of the house.

Patten House-basementPatten House-First FloorPatten House-Second FloorPatten House-Third Floor

Here are some of the items I purchased at the estate sale at the Patten House. The Record Book was originally filled with names of Chicago companies, addresses, contact names and dates. I believe it may have been somebody's record of job-hunting because of the dates listed with each company. These entries date from after 1932.

Patten House-Record Book

The second batch of entries are a record of the books that were in the library of the house. These records are from sometime after 1947 (going by the dates of some of the books). The person who wrote these entries started to cross out the previous job-hunting entries, but stopped doing so after the first couple pages.

Patten House-Record Book detail 2

Patten House-Record Book detail 1

I also got a copy of "Rubaiyat" by Omar Khayyam and "Ninety-Three" by Victor Hugo. The Hugo novel is listed in the Record book, but Rubaiyat is not. Both books belonged to Jessie M. Lord from Dixon, Illinois. I have not been able to find out who she was.

Patten House-Ninety Three

Patten House-Rubaiyat

Patten House- inside cover of Rubaiyat

Finally, I got this cup and saucer set. It's unmarked and I don't know whether it's old.

Patten House cup & saucer


To learn more and see more of the Patten House, visit these links:

Trib Local article
nice Flickr Set by ChicagoGeek of the Patten House

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16 Comments:

Blogger The Rustic Victorian said...

What a wonderful house, I am so glad it will come alive again. How nice to have been inside it, and to have some of its treasures.
I hope you are enjoying the fall.
oxo
Marcie

October 20, 2010 at 8:14 AM  
Blogger Katie@LeBeauPaonVictorien said...

What a fabulous house!!! I would buy it in a second.. I'm so glad that it was purchased by a family who will live in it and love it!
I love old record books; it looks like someone used the one to make a record of all the books in the library? They must have been book collectors!

October 20, 2010 at 12:02 PM  
Blogger Pam of Eastlake Victorian said...

Marcie-

Thank you, I am enjoying the fall! Yes, it was a thrill a few years back to be able to wander through that house and purchase a few things. :-)

-Pam

October 20, 2010 at 6:45 PM  
Blogger Pam of Eastlake Victorian said...

Hi Katie-

If I could have afforded it, I would have bought it, too! It does need some work inside, but I guess the structure is still good. I think they were book collectors, but most of the books were probably snatched up by dealers before I got in there.

-Pam

October 20, 2010 at 6:47 PM  
Blogger La Petite Gallery said...

You always have the most interesting subjects. Loved this post. yvonne

October 21, 2010 at 7:48 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey, Pam. I purchased some very fancy Victorian ladies undergarments. Lace and embroided with the letter "P" and some aesthetic brown transferware. You can photograph it if you like. Kate

October 21, 2010 at 3:51 PM  
Blogger Pam of Eastlake Victorian said...

Thanks, Yvonne!

-Pam

October 21, 2010 at 4:08 PM  
Blogger Pam of Eastlake Victorian said...

Hi Kate,

That would be a great post! Where did you get them? Are the items for sale, or are they for you?

-Pam

October 21, 2010 at 4:10 PM  
Blogger Anyes K. Busby - Studio Vignette Fine Art said...

Hi Pam,
Very interesting. Old homes take longer to sell, but if they fall into the right hands, it's wonderful. The buyers usually have the best interest of the house in mind. It's a loving and nurturing relationship. These people are very lucky to have you nearby.
Anyès
XX

October 23, 2010 at 3:24 PM  
Blogger Pam of Eastlake Victorian said...

Hi Anyes-

I really do think this family loves older homes, seeing that they sold a Victorian home to buy this one. I hope they really enjoy living there and being in our community!

-Pam

October 25, 2010 at 4:21 PM  
Blogger Sea Witch said...

So happy that this magnificent house will have life inside it once again. What a shame one council member refused to make it a town function. Well, it seems that new hearts will again beat inside it. How wonderful that you have memories from it. Let us know how the home likes its new family. Sea Witch

October 26, 2010 at 6:15 AM  
Blogger victorian parlor II said...

I am so glad that the house has been purhased and not torn down! What a magnificient place! I enjoyed reading the history and seeing all of the treasures you got from the estate sale:).

Blessings,

Kim

October 26, 2010 at 8:14 PM  
Blogger Pam of Eastlake Victorian said...

Sea Witch-

In the end, I'm glad a family bought the house rather than the village buying it. I'm sure it will be kept in better shape this way!

-Pam

October 26, 2010 at 8:42 PM  
Blogger Pam of Eastlake Victorian said...

Hi Kim-

It's been sad all these years walking past the house, not knowing its fate. This weekend, I saw children playing in the yard and Halloween decorations on the porch! I'm sure every community with older homes has similar stories. :-)

-Pam

October 26, 2010 at 8:46 PM  
Blogger Debbie-Dabble Blog and A Debbie-Dabble Christmas said...

What a wonderfully fantastic house!! If only I had a fortune to buy a home like that!!

Hugs,
Debbie

October 30, 2010 at 3:18 PM  
Blogger Pam of Eastlake Victorian said...

Hi Debbie-

I've thought the same thing all these years. Wouldn't it be great to be able to afford such a grand house! :-)

-Pam

October 30, 2010 at 4:31 PM  

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