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| Armour and Company, 1918 |
Ogden Armour's wealth came from his role as the head of the multi-million dollar meatpacking business Armour and Company, which he took over in 1901 on the death of its founder, his father, Philip D. Armour. He inherited a fortune but also took the company to new financial heights by investing in railroads, elevators, refrigerators, and street railways. He became the second wealthiest American, after Rockefeller. The bubble burst in the early 1920s, however, and after losing more than $150 million in an economic downturn, Armour suddenly died in 1927.
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| 295 Vine Avenue Lake Forest,IL |
Debts forced his widow to sell "Melody Farm" the following year to a consortium of rich Chicago men who bought it with the intention of turning it in to a country club. She moved to a modest nine-room house on 20 acres of land that she had retained from the sale.
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| View from the front lawn. |
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| Closeup-Exterior front |
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| View from the garden side. |
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| Closeup-Exterior garden side |
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| Stair Hall |
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| Closeup - Stair Hall |
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| Living Room |
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| Closeup - Living Room |
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| Dining Room |
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| Closeup - Dining Room |
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| Garden Pavilion |
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| Closeup - Garden Pavilion |
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| View from outside the gate |
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| Closeup - View from outside the gate |
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| Current View |
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| View from inside the gate |
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| Closeup - View from inside the gate |
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| Decoration Over Door |
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| Closeup - Decoration Over Door |
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| Detail of Decoration Over Door |
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| Closeup - Detail of Decoration Over Door |
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| Coach House |
The converted Coach House is currently listed for $2.295 million(down from $2.8 two years ago).
Mrs. Armour died on February 6, 1953 at the age of 83. She had been ill for a some time and died at her home. She is buried at Graceland Cemetery, Chicago.
Wow, the modest home is a stunner!
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