If you are familiar with the literary work of F. Scott Fitzgerald, you must know the image that the work of the American author conjures up. Fitzgerald’s notable work, The Great Gatsby, is a good representation of the 1920s Jazz Age romp through the French Riviera, Long Island’s Gold Coast, or Roaring ’20s Manhattan. Most of Fitzgerald’s work is inspired by his experiences and one of the author’s muses was Lake Forest, Illinois. According to Town & Country, Kingdom Come Farm, the sprawling mansion built in 1906 by Howard Van Doren Shaw served as the heart of the Fitzgerald’s life. After years of being forgotten, the mansion has been resurrected in its old world charm.
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The property originally belonged to stockbroker Charles Garfield King, whose daughter Ginevra King had a brief affair with Fitzgerald, according to Towns & Country. Today the property is owned by Jeanette Hodgkinson and her husband Danny. The living room of the house has a Greek pattern etched into the cornice that leads to the elliptical bay in the center of the room. The grand staircase that leads up from the hall has a breathtaking vintage look.
Towns & Country reports that the Hodgkinsons are choosing restoration over renovation to preserve this essence of the house. The report added that during the restoration, walls covered with lead-based paint were encapsulated to make them safe to touch. The onyx fireplace in the master bedroom required work, as the expert described it as “a very high number” due to its rare green color. Towns & Country reports that with the help of a historian, the Hodgkinsons saved the house and even helped it achieve its landmark status.
It was reported that the Hodgkinsons Kingdom Come Farm and 1.4 acres, including an English garden, bought in 2018 for less than $700,000 (Rs 5,23,22,970), a significantly lower price than years earlier when the house and five acres of land were quoted for over $6 million (Rs 44,84,82,600).
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