The Charles N. Ramsey and Harry E. Weese House is a historic residence in

Kenilworth Kenilworth ( ) is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Warwick (district), Warwick District in Warwickshire, England, south-west of Coventry, north of Warwick and north-west of London. It lies on Finham Brook, a ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. Considered an excellent local example of an

American Foursquare The American Foursquare or American Four Square is an American house style popular from the mid-1890s to the late 1930s. A reaction to the ornate and mass-produced elements of the Victorian architecture, Victorian and other Revival styles popul ...

design, it is also the childhood home of

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Harry M. Weese.

History

Charles Nance and Katherine A. Ramsey purchased the

property in January 1909. It is believed that the house already stood, recently constructed, at this point. Charles was a Sales Manager with the Industry of Window/Glass in nearby Evanston. In 1912, the Ramsays sold the house; however, it appears that they continued to live there for at least two more years. In 1919, the property was sold to Harry Ernest and Marjorie (Mohr) Weese.Illinois Historic Preservation Agency
/ref> Harry E. Weese had been born in Bull Creek,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

in 1876. In the 1890s, he found work with the United States Railway Mail Service, operating routes between

Toledo Toledo most commonly refers to: * Toledo, Spain, a city in Spain * Province of Toledo, Spain * Toledo, Ohio, a city in the United States Toledo may also refer to: Places Belize * Toledo District * Toledo Settlement Bolivia * Toledo, Orur ...

and St. Louis. Weese moved to the Chicago North Shore area in 1902 when he enrolled at

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

. He joined N. W. Harris & Co., later known as the Harris Trust & Savings Bank, as a General Bookkeeper and Auditor in 1903. He worked at Harris until his retirement in 1942, holding the rank of Treasurer since 1927. Harry Weese was elected Village Clerk of Kenilworth in 1922, serving until he was elected as village Treasurer in 1925. He held this latter position until his 1942 relocation to Barrington. Weese greatly struggled through the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

; he himself became depressed because of all of the workers he was forced to lay off. Weese married Marjorie Moore in September 1914. They rented apartments in Evanston until they purchased this house. Both Harry and Marjorie were involved with the activities and operations of the Kenilworth Club. Harry Weese died in 1956 in

Fort Lauderdale A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

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. The couple's eldest son, Harry Mohr Weese, was born in 1915 while they lived in Evanston. Weese was enrolled in the

progressive Progressive may refer to: Politics * Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform ** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context * Progressive realism, an American foreign policy par ...

Joseph Sears School in 1919. By age ten, Weese had determined that he wanted to be an artist or architect. Weese moved out in 1933 when he enrolled at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

to pursue a Bachelor in Architecture. Weese's father provided him with his first commission, for a lake cottage on a family property. Weese would go on to become one of the most prominent architects of the modern movement. On April 1, 2009, the house was recognized by the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

with a listing on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

References

{{reflist Houses completed in 1908 Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Cook County, Illinois 1908 establishments in Illinois Kenilworth, Illinois