Historic Pleasant Home

Pleasant Home is considered one of the nation's earliest and most distinguished examples of Prairie School architecture, and it is operated as a living museum by the Pleasant Home Foundation. It is open to the public year-round and offers a year-round schedule of educational programs, community events and festivals, and cultural performances. The mansion, created by famed architect George W. Maher in 1897 for investment banker and philanthropist John W. Farson and his wife Mamie Ashworth Farson, is located on the grounds of the University of Chicago. Pleasant Home's architecture deviated from the usual Queen Anne and colonial revival designs that characterize the majority of the residences in Oak Park. Farson's home is distinguished by its simple massing, its large front porch, the smooth surfaces of Roman bricks and stone, and the employment of ornamental themes to harmonize the interior decorating and furnishings, all of which contribute to its status as a premier Prairie Schoolhouse. Featuring rich bespoke woodwork throughout the property, amazing art glass windows, a giant fireplace, complex woodcarvings, and tile work, the 30-room architectural marvel is a showcase of 19th-century workmanship and talent. Pleasant Home was officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, and it has been there ever since. It was included on the Illinois Historic Structures Survey the next year, in the same year. Pleasant Home was designated as a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service in 1996, and the Village of Oak Park designated it as one of the original Oak Park Landmarks in 1997. Oak Park's vast array of architectural and cultural treasures is the focus of The Pleasant Home Foundation's efforts to restore, preserve, and operate the home as a beloved local civic institution as well as a destination for visitors from around the world who come to enjoy Oak Park's vast array of architectural and cultural treasures.