Tour Barrington's 'White House' This Weekend

Barrington's "White House" will be open for public viewing from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16 and from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 17. Architects will be present Sunday from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. to speak about the restoration project.

Built for banker John Robertson and his wife Julia in 1898 by Fred Lines, the home was considered to be the grandest in Barrington and was the site of many social gatherings.

Throughout the years, the White House served as a makeshift hospital during the influenza outbreak of 1918, was a rest home and housed Barrington Realty.

The village purchased the three-story structure from Barrington Realty in 2007 as part of its downtown revitalization efforts. The village always hoped to find a reuse for the building that would also preserve its history.

Last year, a volunteer committee began working with a firm that specializes in historic structures, Johnson Lasky Architects (JLA). JLA, along with Pepper Construction, have been assessing how to best restore and renovate the building and bring it into compliance with current codes and accessibility needs. Harold Rider, an area resident with expertise in historic real estate and special events, has also been an invaluable resource. 

The vision of the village is to renovate the property into an elegant and highly functional cultural and community center, physically accessible to all visitors.

Floor plans 

The first floor will retain its original configuration of rooms, with a full catering kitchen. The second floor will be primarily rental office spaces for nonprofit organizations, as well as a bride’s room. The third floor will be completely remodeled. The remodel will expand the ballroom, originally occupying the front of the house to the entire length of the house and will be able to accommodate seated parties of 150.

The goal of the committee is to have the project completed for the village's sesquicentennial in 2015.

Read more about the project in Quintessential Barrington.

Information provided by the Village of Barrington and Beth Raseman, volunteer coordinator for Barrington’s White House campaign.