ToThe Hegeler-Carus Mansion towers over the rest of the small town of La Salle, Illinois. Designed by W. W. Boyington, the architect behind Chicago’s iconic Water Tower, the mansion was originally the home of German industralist Edward C. Hegeler, who made his fortune as founder and partner of the Matthiessen and Hegeler Zinc Company.
Built in the Second Empire style, the house’s original interiors, including elaborate parquet floors, were designed by August Fiedler. The house was built with many advanced conveniences like early sprinkler systems (thanks Chicago Fire of 1871) and an enormous clothes dryer you’ve ever seen! Naturally, a large number of items in the house are made out of zinc. The basement is home to what might be the oldest surviving private gymnasium in the US and a unique example of an extant German-style Turnverein (turnhall) gymnasium.
In addition to his industrial interests, Hegeler was an intellectual man who founded the Open Court Publishing Company in 1887 to publish works on philosophy, religion, and science. Its influential academic journal, The Monist, is still published to this day. Open Court’s original managing editor was one Paul Carus, who married Hegeler’s engineer daughter Mary. Mary went on to have seven children; after they were born, she became Chief Executive and President of the zinc company and was the company’s guiding hand through the Depression, while her husband managed and grew Open Court, the offices of which were quartered in the basement of the mansion.
The Hegeler-Carus family occupied the mansion until 2004. In 1973 Marianne Carus, the German-born wife of one of Mary and Paul’s grandsons, was the founder of the notable children’s literary magazine Cricket.
Today the historic family home is a museum showcase for many of its original features and interior design elements. Many of its 50 rooms have been re-set to appear as it did when the Hegeler family first moved in. Tours are offered to the public Thursday through Saturday.