283 Gatesby Rd
Riverside, IL 60546, USA

Babson Stable & Service Building, 283 Gatesby Lane, Riverside, Cook County, IL

The U-shaped complex of three buildings was designed in 1915 by the firm of Purcell and Elmslie for Henry B. Babson`s estate in suburban Riverside. The buildings were intended to complement the large Babson house to the south (now destroyed) which had been designed in 1907 by Louis H. Sullivan, while Elmslie was still in his employ. Originally, servants` quarters, a garage, stables, greenhouse, and storage space were contained within these low, red-brown brick buildings. The entire complex is sheltered by broadly over-hanging gable roofs, while terraces and gardens extend from the wings into a central court, and out to the surrounding prairie landscape. There are many noteworthy decorative details, such as the leaded glass designs, the ornamental wooden spires (now removed), the lattice-work of the terraces, and the free-standing trellis constructions in the gable of the garage.