Patten House

The Chicago architectural firm of Julius Wegman & Son designed the house for Charles Patten, Palatine banker. A French architect did the actual designs that resulted in the chateau influence of its towers, cupola, and ornate grillwork. It has a great round porch and a carriage portico. Inside are large windows, curved walls holding china cabinets, and display niches. There are 15 major rooms and five fireplaces. An oak staircase leads to the 2nd floor with five bedrooms. A smaller stairway leads to the billiards room on the 3rd floor. That large room was used for dances and parties. The house took a year to build. Patten believed in spending his money within the community. The house was built by Palatine craftsmen using wood from area groves and metal supplied by local blacksmiths. The one exception was that the colored marble tiles in the fireplaces were installed by Italian craftsmen because there was no one locally who was able to do the job. There was a large barn for a horse and buggy on the property and a windmill to provide the power to pump rainwater into the cistern. — Connie Rawa