The Hegeler Carus Mansion: A Hidden Gem in Illinois 

How rare in the US for a house like this to remain in the family for so long and without massive changes to the building. I’m happy it’s been saved!

I wish you would show a map with a visual location of these homes.

The pivot doors were cool. Never saw those before.

Imagine immigrating and then casually buying an old factory. Can barely buy half and half for my coffee these days.

I'm so happy when a beautiful home like this is saved.

Its great that a family member lived in the place long enough so it was preserved instead of being sold to developers! I bet it was more stately and had appropriate furniture when it was first built! I would like to see it now and how much has been restored!

I got goosebumps the first time I walked into this house. The fact that the house has never been restored is incredible. The restores that have worked on the house were thrilled with that fact( no need to investigate colors.) I loved the walnut and birdseye maple trim in the house. This is the only house I have been in with birdseye maple. Which you can see at 2: 40 . The trim was never varnished but was treated every spring with mineral oil if I remember right so the wood never darkened. The windows on the main floor double as doors for the Piazza. The hose was continually heated over the years from steam of the factory next door. On my first tour, the son was still living on the third floor. The publishing company still exists the logo for it being the mansion. It is well worth the trip to visit

Thank god it was saved.

We love a happy ending when the house isn't torn down.

The intricate parquet floors are superb. I also like the double sweeping outside stairs. Every inch of this home has detail, but somehow doesn't seem gaudy or busy. Thank you for finding this home!

This is a great house, literally frozen in time, I have enjoyed my visits there. The elaborate decoration in the house is amazing, and really needs to be seen in person to appreciate the rich colors. Nice video!

My heart is filled with joy. You continuously showing all these old black and white photos from yesterday left me thinking all the way through this video, that this house has definitely perished and I was so so mortified. Your series is very hard to take because the houses are so beautiful and so many of them do not stand for test of time. So, for this one, despite all the evidence I was being shown towards it probably not existing anymore. For it to actually still be existing has filled my heart with absolute joy and I have a massive smile on my face. Thank you so much for sharing.

This is a cool place to visit. My family and I visited twice while Alvin was alive. He lived on the third floor of the mansion while visitors got to see the other floors. The mansion has come a long way with renovation. If you can see it, it’s quite amazing. They even have the original newspaper that says, “Titanic Sinks!” The gymnasium is a bit creepy though; everything is original. 😊

That Eastlake detailing is just incredibly beautiful. It’s so rare now. Thanks Ken!

I used to live in the town where this mansion is, and it is an incredible place to see.

Having gone down a RU-vid "rabbit hole", I looked this house up and it has all of its original adornments - paint color, wallpaper, etc. The main floor, (really the 2nd) is a very dark green, with it's original stenciled freeze running along walls and up the stairs. The available photos, being open for tours, show that it's in very sore need of help. While all there, it needs a LOT of conservation and restoration. But it is very cool to see every detail , though very much showing it's age-this IS the 1870s!, still in it's original location. The main outdoor staircase has ropes blocking anyone from climbing it because it would be dangerous to climb. It would be awesome to see it restored.

Edward & Camilla Hegeler's son , Julius Hegeler , left LaSalle , Il. & moved to Danville, Il. to start zinc factory . His son , Julius W. Hegeler ll ( co-founder of Peterson-Puritan ) , who was born in Danvile, passed away in 2019 . He is remembered as a humble & an extremely charitable man who was passionate about his community which greatly benefited from his philanthropy thruout his life & will continue to do so for decades to come . The Hegeler Mansion on Vermilion St. ( also being Illinois Rt. 1 ) is beautiful & would be an interesting topic for This House . I live in Danville & drive by the famed Hegeler Mansion almost daily & have been in it many times . Well worth seeing !

I was holding my breath thru the whole video, hoping you weren`t going to say," The house was demolished.........". I was so glad to hear it`s being preserved. Thank you for a great video!

This entire house is stunning, I especially like the library!!! 👍👍🏣

Nice, I can see wallpapers falling apart, spackle on walls, and more. I wish they could show us currently restoration today.

Living in the area I've been able to tour the house several times. We were able to go up into the Coppola and see all the attic spaces very cool they saved everything you can think of and the fact that the house isn't fully restored is what makes it more interesting because you get to see the true craftsmanship under the layers also the staff is very attached to this home and they have a lot of insights into the history of the house definitely worth the time if your ever in the area

It's interesting to see that the 'main floor' is not the ground floor, especially for a house in Illinois. I've only seen this in pre-1850 houses in the South, where the ground floor was originally stables to protect the horses from theft, and to avoid the living spaces being damaged if a nearby river flooded. Maybe there is more to this, if anyone knows. Regional differences in 19th Century homes are so fascinating, as well as for town homes versus country homes. And don't forget those crazy window taxes! Nope, these are doors, Mr. Tax Collector, lol. Great to hear this place will be restored, though it sounds like a daunting task. I have to say this house wins the prize for gorgeous decorative floors! Thanks for sharing this one. :)

It is a gem! I do hope it's restored to it's pristine shape so that a family can live happily in it. Hope the restorers of the building can keep development from encroaching on the property. An old house looks best with lawns around it and an old-fashioned tree-lined street in front of it. It would be like Heaven if we all could return to the old fashioned architecture for houses and public buildings and quiet, friendly towns.

I'm not a fan of Italianate architecture, but I really like the parquet floors and the huge chandeliers!

I am a total nerd of historical architectures.owning couple of historical houses in Baltimore,but looking at this house I am mysmarized.the wood work is amazing,trim,molding,wall paper,pocket doors,staircase,I have to see this house.thank you for your vodeo

I could imagine shooting a haunted house movie in this mansion it's beautiful

102 yrs and never moved….talk about commitment

Would have loved to see colored photos of the interior since it's still standing. You wouldn't happen to know which construction company built this home, do you? William Boyington, such a talented architect with absolutely no information on any formal education or training...must have been a prodigy to build things with super precision, right?

The parquet floors are amazing.

Would have been nice to see more rooms and the layout of mansion and grounds also old photos

Stunning mansion! The family must really have loved it to continue living there so long. My favorite room is the library. In addition to the ornate woodwork, I particularly love the unique designs of the parquet floors. Happy this gem was saved!

Excellent video. Again, another house that I was unaware of so thanks for posting. One very interesting thing about touring homes like this one is that if you are able to return over the years and see the restoration progress, it's quite amazing.

Looks like the Adams Family house!

Good morning from Cairns Queensland AUST. Thank you for the content Ken 🙏 have a beautiful day

It means so much to me that you use the proper terms and names for the architectural details. It makes these so much more educational.

Loved this one, I'm a sucker for 2nd Empire houses! I also love that the same family owned it all that time! My current home is from the same era, and I imagine that DOZENS of families lived here! Could I imagine living in the same house for 102 years? YES! Moving SUCKS! It's my LEAST favorite "life chore".

Beautiful pictures, Ken! That was amazing!

Looks like the real life Adam's family house

One of my imaginary, eccentric billionaire things will be: Build an old fashioned subdivision with period-accurate EVERYTHING, from the 1910's. How fun, huh? Grid pattern streets. The 4 corners of every block zoned for commercial, small shops, markets etc. Dumbwaiters.... wooooo!!!

During the 70's wasn't Paul Carus living in a room on the second floor/right wing ? I do believe it was him. You may be correct though. Back then, never heard of Alwin. Whoever it was, left the door open and once, while walking past the house, not knowing anyone lived there, I tried the door, just for the heck of it. Everyone I knew in town presumed no one lived there. Besides one light in one room, there was never any movement..(no vehicles either) Usually high grass. The stairs going up from the entry were fabulous and so BIG. I remember the furniture was all BIG ..😁😘 Then I heard a TV on and my young foolish self proceeded to see where it was coming from. Behind a BIG door that I bravely knocked on, stood a stately, white haired gentleman, whom if you were there, thought he had just seen his long lost granddaughter ❤ which I am not 🙂 I want to see the restoration before I croak.

Fast forward to 2023, and their Great, Great, Great grandkids pawned of the lavish estate for a mere $1,600… then smoked crack with the proceeds until their untimely deaths…

Amazing. Beautiful house. Would be fun to see it. I live in Joliet Illinois and in my neighborhood there are many beautiful homes. The one I live in is over 100 years old, but has been changed in to a 4 unit apartment building. And a lot has been removed. But many still remain. Including a wood floor made from many different woods, not as beautiful as this house but beautiful just the same. Glad the house has been saved. And left in original condition.

Your channel reminds me of that old show "America's Castles". I used to love watching it when I was little. Keep up the good work!

That staircase & mill work is beautiful & stood the test of time!

Amazing second empire mansion♥️

Did the Adams family live there?

I like Mary's room with the natural light. I like the grand staircase

This family was wise enough to fund their own home into a museum. I love the twin staircases at the front of the house. The torits on the front of the house are very Aunt Anne, and would be a nice place to have an office. It's nice to see a nice house of this age not falling apart from neglect. Thank you for sharing. 😮😮❤😮😮❤😮😮❤😮😮❤😮😮❤😮😮❤😮😮❤😮😮❤😮😮❤😮😮❤😮😮❤😮😮❤😮😮❤😮😮❤😮😮❤😮😮❤😮😮❤😮😮❤😮😮❤

It's so beautiful!! That entry is very graceful. So glad it was saved.

Looks like where the Addams family would live

Was/Is lead paint an issue in restorations of this era?

My favorite room would be the tower that you told us nothing about.

no i cant imagine living in the same house for 100 years, MOST people dont live that long SMH WHY are you images in B&W when there are plenty of color pix? i can see if it were demolished but its open for tours and restored????

Such a cool house!!! Mary’s room was my favorite with those bay windows❤Thank you for this video~we’re definitely heading down there to check it out❣️

👍 I like the shabbiness, and the floors must have been fun to lay.

Wish this would have been filmed in color!

Beautiful. Houses lìke this need to be preserved

What a gorgeous house. My favourite room was the front room, first floor, viewing the bay window through the mirror reflection.

It looks just like the Addams Family house.

It must be real cheap being in Chicago.

Finally some great INTERIOR photos, bravo!

That house is incredible! Happy it has survived intact to this day.

Beautiful. I always like the basement and service areas - they just give it a human face

Floors are beautiful. Any chance of color pictures of the floors?

SR...this is what I prayed you would do...brilliant and so touching! I adore our ancestors craftsmanship and traditions! GBYCS TY!

GOD BLESS US ALL. MAMMALS/ HUMANS

I found the basement rooms fascinating

My favorite rooms are those that functioned to keep the mansion running properly. Everything else is just beautiful.❤ Amazing like the Guilded Age!❤

Ha! Funny when things just pop-up into yr video feed. I shot all the black and white images used in this video as part of an Historic American Buildings Survey project I submitted in 2007. All 100+ images of this shoot are part of the Library of Congress collection free for use, like in this video! Happy to see someone making use of my work.

Just BEAUTIFUL ❤

🌿🇺🇲🌿 Usually- they end up being gutted or burning to the ground. A fantastic outcome. 🌿🇺🇲🌿

Just shows up, and BUYS A FACTORY?!?! Betting he wasn't broke to start with

Hey everyone, he mentions a key detail here at 4:50 that i feel urged to point out. Dude started a publishing company. All of these 1% that were broken up by antitrust suits-ALL of them went into publishing, journalism, politics or film. Their kids carried on the legacies. And now, the world we live in is a product of this. Food for thought.

There is an amazing pre Civil War mansion off the highway going through Divernon, Illinois. I stopped there and explored it about 30 years ago while passing through. It had some connection with Lincoln as I recall but I don’t remember the details. I’ve tried to find it online but was not successful. Does this ring a bell with anyone?

Whatta cool property 😮 awesome spot 😎🤟 wondering if it's #haunted 🤔

Boo. Lol. You can't tell me it's gone through resteration work and then not show it! Now I'm hella curious. :-) 2nd video?

Most of the houses you feature are beautiful old mansions. The kind of homes I dream about but will never be able to afford. I just have one complaint...You don't show enough of the upper levels. This particular mansion looks to be 4 stories high but you only went to the second floor and only showed 2 rooms. What about the rest of the second floor? You stated this place had 57 rooms spread out over 7 levels. How many rooms on the 2nd floor? What about the 3rd floor or the tower rooms? Why do you not show more of the interior?

Missed a HUGE opportunity to show the house as it looks now. You could’ve shown the before and after pictures as you went along.

Amazing home. Always get the best. And you don’t have to be rich. Just know what you like.

What a fabulous house.. it's wonderful someone in the family saw its value as an historic relic of bygone times.. again, thank you so very much for sharing with us. I am sure much research goes into these presentations.... thank you

IVE BEEN THERE

It's all pretty amazing. Kinda nice to see before someone else comes in and changes everything they're always different after that

I love these videos, but I still can't get over just how much money is spent on decor. I guess I'm just a simple person at heart...

Don’t understand why the location of this mansion was never mentioned…it’s in La Salle, Illinois.

You didnt show all the rooms, so I couldnt pick a favorite, 😊

Would have made a much better to do a real-time video since the Hegeler Carus Mansion is "open as a house museum." :>/

Very similar to David Davis mansion in Bloomington only much bigger.

I was awaiting for the comment, that the house was demolished. Thank God, it wasn't - whew !

Love the house but always fascinated by the design of the towers. Wished to have seen top floor room.

I was there last Sunday for a tour. Very enjoyable. The outside porches are now torn off because they had rotted.

Enquiring minds want to know what is contained in all of the closed boxes, baskets and crates!

So this is just a sideshow of b&w photos. Where's the walk through in full color?

It seems like age is taking its toll…hopefully they have a plan to keep up with maintenance. Great house.

If I ever somehow end up with lots of money, I want something just like this.

The phrase heard in all of your episodes…….. “and he set out to build his dream house …….. “

I say burn it down. Money made on the bones of miners and starving widows and orphans.

Color photos would help make this presentation more interesting.

Beautiful home. Would love to visit it if I ever get back East.

West union WV had a house at 105 railroad St that was there before WV was a state but is no longer there

A beautiful small Tartarian home. Nice!