Recent News

Sitting on the shoreline of Crystal Lake is a 100+ year old historical beauty built by the Leonard family and currently owned by Catherine Forster-Sullivan and Kevin Sullivan.

This home was one of the first properties on the lake and sported a lovely porch that ran the length of the house and had plenty of room for the large Leonard family.  In 1909 Mr. Leonard purchased another home and he converted the old home into the hotel that was to become a part of the Crystal Lake resort history noted for good fish and game dinners and a place “where noise and drunkenness were not tolerated”.  At one time, it was even leased out to the famous Paulist Choir of Chicago.  In 1918, after a fire at the “new” Leonard, an ad appeared in which Mr. Leonard stated he was retiring from the hotel business and would either sell or rent out the “old” Leonard and recommend it to all his former “new” Leonard customers.  Mr. Robert Burr took over the operation of the renamed Hotel Oakwood until 1922 when it was purchased by Thomas Sexton of Chicago and converted to a private residence.   Successive owners, the Wells and the Catholic Church, took proud care of the residence.

The Sullivan’s moved into the home in September of 1995 and began renovations to bring light and restore the original character to the inside.  This phase, which lasted six months, included opening up the first floor with French doors, a master suite and studio, a guest room and an office on the third floor.  The kitchen had been recently remodeled by the previous owners, but did receive a fresh coat of paint on the cabinets and walls.  Additionally the ceilings on the first floor were returned to their original height and the 100 year old floors were restored.  The gazebo and deck were added sometime after that.  The latest project began over 15 years ago with the vision to build an addition, mud room and update the landscaping.  The homeowners worked diligently with their architect, Dan Repholz of Crystal Lake, so that the new addition would maintain the proud history of the home.  As Scholl Construction Company, a locally based company, began work, every room on the street side was impacted by construction of the new entry way, mud room, two bathrooms and laundry area.  Also, the home was insulated, roofed and re-sided.  The exterior work included a new lakeside window, shelf, pergola, and street side brick pathway and plantings by Countryside of Crystal Lake.    

Mr. and Mrs. Forster-Sullivan have followed a step by step journey of love and dedication to honor the intrinsic value of “her”, the old Leonard House, and in the process supported local businesses and protected Crystal Lake’s proud heritage.

The above article focused on our role in the remodeling, but there is so much more to this project; a historical perspective of our community, a history of proud ownership, and the commitment and dedication of the present owners to restore the home to the original Leonard home character.  All of us at Scholl Construction feel privileged to have played a part in the preservation of this Crystal Lake icon.