The home as it appeared when the first owner moved into the home in January 1892. The home sits on a half-acre lot three blocks from the beach on Lake Michigan. CNS added nothing to this side of the home and the wrap around porch is fully restored.

No stone was left unturned during an 18-month restoration and remodel. Many of the windows are new but custom-matched. Much of the trim work was stripped and refinished. Valuable original fixtures were restored by Al Bar of Wilmette, Ill.

Many board feet of trim was custom milled to replace original details.

After the remodel, the home encompasses 11,000 sq. ft. of living space. The overriding theme was to allow the Victorian-era details to shine through. Tile floors in each of the bathrooms were hand laid by an artist.

ENILWORTH, Ill. — Established as an enclave for Chicago’s elite in 1889, the town where this 11,000 sq.-ft. home sits was a forerunner in the world of suburban development. Kenilworth was one of the country’s first master-planned communities, built on land purchased and sold by one man, Joseph Sears.

Sears designed the town to be a utopian village-of-the-future and no expense was spared to make that plan a reality. Acres of land were set aside not only for numerous churches and a town school but also for its own water filtration plant on the shores of Lake Michigan — a huge capital expenditure for what was and is a tiny population living in only one sq. mile.

But beyond pricey community amenities, the core of Sears’ vision for Kenilworth was to build grand, one-of-a-kind homes to the highest construction standards. Today, block-after-block of most of the original Victorian homes stand proudly, and all remain luxury properties. Very few of the original homes look any worse for the wear. But until its remodel and rebirth, this home (which is officially listed as a Centennial Home by the village), had been an exception to that rule. The 9th home built in Kenilworth and completed in 1892, this grand old colossus would have surely been torn down by a custom home builder had it not been purchased by a remodeler-developer first.

At the end of 2004, when it came on the market, many of its floors had long since sagged. Banks of enormous, old, double-hung windows were in disrepair. All but three windows lacked the original hanging storm windows. The basement was prone to flooding. All of its major systems were outdated. And, on top of all this, the configuration of its rooms was not at all in keeping with the lives led by well-heeled 21st century families.

The home’s original first floor consisted of huge formal rooms with 11-ft. ceilings. A large foyer led to a parlor, a library, a living room, a wrap around side porch and a formal dining room. By comparison to the rest of the first floor, the existing kitchen was not designed for living. It was a place where live-in help prepared meals. It was small and provided very little family space. On the second floor, there were plenty of bedrooms. All were large and airy, but 19th century designers left a lot to be desired with their stingy closets and bathrooms. In particular, the master bedroom and bathroom were small and not up to current standards. The home was in need of a total-gut remodel.