Hohf, Dr. Robert, House

About this property

The Dr. Robert Hohf House is an International Style residence near Kenilworth, Illinois, United States. Built in 1957, it was designed by George Fred Keck and William Keck, Architects, in collaboration with Evanston Hospital surgeon Dr. Robert Hohf. It is considered a particularly fine example of post-World War II architecture around Kenilworth. The 1950s were a period of great growth for the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. The North Shore was the most popular destination for businessmen and other rich professionals. Dr. Robert Hohf purchased the lot at the intersection of Sheridan Road and Woodstock in 1956 from a Mr. Livingston. Hohf graduated from Northwestern University Medical School in 1948. He joined the staff of Evanston Hospital in 1952, where he eventually rose to become the head of vascular surgery. Following his retirement, Evanston Hospital dedicated their Blood Flow Laboratory in his name. Hohf was also a branch president of the American Medical Association and was president of the Chicago and Midwest Surgical Societies. Later in his life he served on the Board of Trustees for Yankton College in his birth town of Yankton, South Dakota. Hohf had an interest in architecture; he previously helped to design several facilities at the hospital including operating rooms, a medical building, and designs for pacemakers. The Hohf House would be the first International Style building in the area; other house designs in the area were designed from various revival styles. Keck & Keck were commissioned to build the house in collaboration with Hohf. Hohf designed the basic house plan where living areas surrounded a central atrium. Keck & Keck suggested floor to ceiling windows facing the atrium, but Hohf rejected the idea. Wallace, Atkinson & Fitzgerald, frequent collaborators of the Kecks, were tasked with landscape architecture and the Wieboldt Construction Company oversaw construction. The Kecks received a Certificate of Merit in Residential Design by the Chicago Chapter of the American Institute of Architects for their work on the Hohf House, citing its "simple open plan and the well-zoned arrangement of rooms about the interior court." On December 12, 2008, the house was recognized by the National Park Service with a listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The Dr. Robert Hohf House is set back approximately 100 feet (30 m) from the east side of Sheridan Road. The house was placed behind the garage to increase privacy. The two-car garage is square and clad in gunmetal grey brick. The driveway is U-shaped and is accessed from the south side. The black front door is flanked with Italian bronze-toned glossy mosaic tiles in grey mortar. The entrance, 38 feet (12 m) in width, is recessed. Windows and the fascia are trimmed with white aluminum. The north and south wings extend 68 feet (21 m) and are faced with gunmetal grey brick. Each of these wings has three large window panes with louvered side panels.

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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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