Local architect left his fingerprints throughout his homes to augment his enchanting style
Every detail mattered to R. Harold Zook.
The Hinsdale-based architect, whose early 20th-century interpretations of the traditional English cottage became iconic features of the local landscape, was as involved with the interior finishings as with the outward elevations.
Mimi Collins is appreciative of that Zook quality as she rehabs his century-old gem at 4 E. Fifth St.
"I love all his hand-forged hardware. The light fixtures and curtain rods, all the hand-hammered work," she said, "I think he took great pride in the making his homes special and unique."
This is the second restoration/renewal project of a Zook home in town for Collins, a resident herself. The storybook features like wavy shingle roofs, wooden shutters with cutout designs and window boxes give Zook homes a distinctive curb appeal. Oh, and his signature spider web woven into the structure in a window or elsewhere.
Collins particularly cherishes Zook's unique incorporation of stone.
"My favorite things are his masonry and brickwork, just the use of flagstone and brick and the intricate patterns," Collins said, noting the chevron arrangement Zook often employed.
Roscoe Harold Zook seemed destined to leave his creative mark on the world. Born in 1889, Zook spend his youth in Fort Wayne, Ind., the sixth child of a master carpenter for the Pennsylvania Railroad and the nephew of an architect. After earning a degree in architecture from the Armour Institute of Technology (now IIT), Zook opened an office in Chicago's Loop and was a protégé of Howard Van Doren Shaw, a leader in the American Craftsman movement.
Zook designed homes throughout the suburbs as well as notable public buildings, including Maine East High School in 1927, Park Ridge's Pickwick Theater in 1928 and St. Charles' Municipal Building in 1939. But his home base was Hinsdale, constructing a home and studio in 1924 at 327 S. Oak St., where he would spend the rest of his life.
He was twice married and had a son, who became an architect in California. In archived documents at the Hinsdale Historical Society, Zook's acquaintances describe him as an "affable but no-nonsense" man, fond of wearing a plaid tam o'shanter, hosting parties and exercising his sense of humor.
Finding remarks from Zook is a challenge, but an article he wrote on the virtues of his home entitled "Low and Snug" reveal his proclivity for coziness.
"One of the attractions of the house is the wide window openings in the dining room, which extend from the floor to the ceiling and face to the south, affording a splendid view over the paved terrace to the small garden," Zook related.
He also describes the "well-lighted" living room with exposed roof rafters.
"This increases the apparent size of the room and carries out the English feeling so pleasingly embodied in the exterior design," Zook explained.
Clarendon Hills architect Michael Abraham, who is working with Collins on her project, said he is fascinated by how well the elements fit together.
"All the cabinets, all the millwork, the lintels and everything - you could tell it was all done by the carpenter on the job," he said, contrasting the way custom items have to be ordered today.
Abraham said he heard Zook also was something of a scavenger.
"He reclaimed materials from old buildings that were being torn down, just put stuff in his car and then put it into his homes," he said, citing old stone copings visible in Zook's former home.
That home and studio, incidentally, now sit at Katherine Legge Park, relocated from Oak Street in 2005 by the historical society to avoid demolition.
Collins said Zook's romantic touches are enchanting, like elevating the Fifth Street fireplace with herringbone brick on the inside.
"He was almost like an interior designer as well," she said. "He was very involved. The light fixtures and the door handles and the peepholes are all hand forged. His homes exude a warmth."
Abraham said Zook never gained much notoriety beyond suburban Chicago. He designed some 34 homes and commercial buildings within Hinsdale and as a charter member of village's plan commission helped cultivate the Georgian design so prominent here, from the Memorial Building to the downtown business district.
"He's definitely a local architect," Collins said.
She said she is not a preservation purist and will alter room layouts or remove elements like aging paneling for better functionality.
"I feel bad because it's pretty, but it's too warped to try to keep," she said.
Other features like those wavy roofs are hard to repair but have priceless charm. Of course, the Cotswolds-esque cottage is not universally embraced.
"At the end of the day it's not everyone's style or taste," she said. "They are a lot of work to do them."
Apart from their whimsical touches, Zook's homes boast a durability that also contribute to their enduring appeal, Abraham said.
"I think they were pretty well built. It's not easy to make a determination that one needs to come down," he said.
Zook passed away April 17, 1949, a month short of his 60th birthday. But 75 years later his legacy lives on, for which Zook himself seemed to have a prescient understanding when appraising his own residence.
"This is type of home which will mellow with the years."