The American industrialist and Gilded Age tycoon George Fabyan (1867-1936) was a man of exotic tastes and esoteric interests with the available resources — the heir to his father’s textile fortune — to acquire pretty much anything he desired at the turn of the 20th century.
In 1905 Fabyan and his wife Nelle purchased an approximately 10-acre tract of land on the western edge of the Fox River in Geneva they called “Riverbank.” Eventually the sprawling estate expanded to more than 300 acres, a physical laboratory of sorts on which they constructed a breakthrough research facility, zoo, windmill, sculptures, birdhouse, cave and Japanese garden.
The Fabyans also inherited a farmhouse originally built in the mid-1800s that came to be known as “the Villa.” In 1907 Fabyan commissioned architect Frank Lloyd Wright to remake the space for their personal residence. Working in the prairie school vein and utilizing many of his signature themes, Wright transformed the farmhouse into a marvel of elegance and simplicity.
The immaculate and inventive design is immediately evident from the back end with its terraced porch, square promenade with two horizontal slits for windows and topped off by the eaves.
The angles and geometric arrangement beautifully mesh together, particularly in the south wing that Wright added. From another angle, three large windows are positioned directly above a park bench in another stunning example of pictorial framing.
Wright’s remodeled design served as the primary living space for the couple. The Kane County Forest Preserve acquired most of the estate following the death of Nelle Fabyan in 1939, and converted the space into a historical museum in 1940.
The Fabyan Villa Museum has operated since 1995 under the auspices of the Preservation Partners of the Fox Valley. The museum is open to the public from May 1 to Oct. 15 on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons, with some selected Thursdays customized for children.
The museum was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. Guided 45-minute tours of the first and second floors are available for $3. Specialists help explain Wright’s design and provide historical context.
The museum holds a wealth of private memorabilia, original furnishings and personal artifacts that reflect the couple’s voracious collecting habits and idiosyncratic tastes, particular their flair for Asian art, including a marble statue acquired at the 1893 World’s Fair.
Perhaps the most interesting feature is the wealth of photographs and personal documents that paint an even richer cultural portrait of George Fabyan through his interests in cryptography, acoustics, international stagecraft, military strategy and his now-discredited attempt to prove that Sir Francis Bacon was the actual author of much of the work attributed to William Shakespeare.
For more information, go to kaneforest.com/historicsites/fabyanVilla.aspx.
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance writer.
Fabyan Villa Museum
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What’s in a name? George and Nelle Fabyan dubbed the converted farmhouse their “villa.”
Building age: Built in 1907
Original use: Private home from 1905-1939
Current use: History museum
Did you know? George Fabyan purchased the windmill in Elmhurst and spent $75,000 to dismantle it and reassemble it at the Villa.