Experience Lake Geneva…as it was

The Lake Geneva area has served as a resort community since just after the Civil War when many wealthy Chicagoans relocated to the area while their homes and places of business were being rebuilt as a result of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Many chose to stay in the area full-time, while others built mansions and vacation homes for summer use.

Black Point was built in 1888 as a family summer home for Conrad Seipp. A German immigrant, Conrad lived the American Dream, ultimately becoming the largest and most innovative brewer in Chicago. Building Black Point Estate as a family retreat, Conrad was able to enjoy the house and gardens for only two seasons before his death.

What began in 1887 as a $20,000, 13-bedroom, one-bathroom, 20-room Queen Anne style Victorian “cottage” has been owned and enjoyed by the Seipp Family for the last 120 years. Black Point Estate remains one of the finest examples of Queen Ann architecture and is considered to have one of the most intact collections of Victorian furnishings in the Midwest. The property covers nearly eight acres and 620 feet of undisturbed Geneva Lake shoreline.

Learn how a German immigrant grew to become of Chicago’s elite beer barons and how his family spent their summers at Black Point. Experience Lake Geneva…as it was.