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Most pop-up operators talk about one day getting bricks and mortar of their own. Not Ruba Hassan, who’s perfectly content running Yamma in the kitchen of Pint, a Wicker Park pub with a British phone box out front and a deep-seated spirit of Chicago grunge inside. “I like that it’s in the pub — just like in England, where they have Indian food in pubs,” she says. “I’d like to stay here as long as I can.”

Hassan serves the Palestinian cooking of her Chicago family’s heritage, which is familiar from other Levantine cultures but specific in its seasoning and presentation. A lamb meshwi wrap ($17) holds fall-apart chunks of braised meat with khyar bi laban (cucumber yogurt), sharp turnip pickles, tahini, and veg in a thin shrak flatbread. I’m also smitten with the green, crunchy lentil fritters. You can order these fritters and their accompaniments in a bowl ($13) bedded with maftoul (pearl couscous). I don’t imagine there’s a better vegetarian meal at that price in Wicker Park.

The small plates are intended as bar munchies, so order a pint and some fried shish bites ($10) — chicken nuggets in a feathery chickpea batter — along with a bowlful of fried chickpeas ($5). Pub grub just got a lot more interesting.

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The magic potion at the heart of Donizetti’s “The Elixir of Love” is fake: cheap wine peddled by a dubious “doctor.” This miraculous brew, he says, can solve the knottiest romantic problem after a sip or two.

There is nothing faintly phony, however, about Lyric Opera of Chicago’s new production of the tenderly comic love story unveiled Sunday afternoon at the Lyric Opera House. Set in an Italian beach hotel in the 1950s, the production is heart-wrenching and high-spirited, an expert blend of gentle slapstick and sincere emotion.

Director Daniel Slater, designer Robert Innes Hopkins and conductor Enrique Mazzola clearly have a united, nuanced vision of this updating of the story of Nemorino, a poor waiter, pining after Adina, the town beauty. “Elixir of Love” had its premiere in 1832, but Lyric’s version, first seen at England’s Opera North, dispenses with both happy peasants and aristocratic period flourishes.

In this production Adina (Ailyn Perez) owns the chic, beachside Hotel Adina. A striped canvas roof shelters the large patio set with airy, white metal chairs and tables. Tourists in 1950s fashion — the women in mid-calf Chanel suits, full-skirted sun dresses and kitten-heeled shoes, the men in Panama hats and comfortable suits — lounge at the tables, smoking, drinking and reading newspapers. Nemorino’s rival for Adina, the handsome naval captain Belcore (Joshua Hopkins), blows into port on a zippy silver moped. The quack doctor, Dulcamara (Kyle Ketelsen), descends from the sky in a hot air balloon.

Kyle Ketelsen as the carnation-wearing Dulcamara (from left), Ailyn Perez as Adina and Joshua Hopkins as Belcore are shown in a scene from “The Elixir of Love” at Lyric Opera of Chicago.Cory Weaver

Mazzola, Lyric’s newly arrived music director, has focused on bel canto opera and early Verdi in recent years. He opened Lyric’s season Sept. 17 with a chillingly dark but never muddy reading of Verdi’s “Macbeth.” His “Elixir” offers a deft balance between bel canto’s crisp, high-flying, ornamented melodies and heftier early Verdi. At the end of Act I, Nemorino (Charles Castronovo) begs Adina not to marry Belcore. A lone, plaintive wind note punctuates his ardent, long-lined song. Those rounded, sporadic toots were faintly comic, but they fit seamlessly into the orchestral texture, never disrupting the overall mood. Likewise with the whirling flute phrases that often accent Adina’s arias. Satiny and rich rather than hectic and brittle, they portrayed her as a thoughtful, freedom-loving young woman rather than a heartless flirt.

Lyric’s cast is stellar. Castronovo is one of the world’s finest tenors, and he brought the full power of his warm, virile voice to the role. The opera’s most famous aria, “Una furtiva lagrima (A single secret tear),” is a showcase for tenors, and Castronovo’s performance took us into the deepest recesses of its slow, uncluttered melodies. Aided by an empathic orchestra, his simple, lyrical phrases had room to breathe. Encouraged by Adina’s hidden tear, Nemorino begins to believe she might actually care for him. Savoring the silences between phrases, sending Donizetti’s heartfelt melodies to Lyric’s rafters, Castronovo revealed the full force of Nemorino’s hopeful yearning.

And, like the rest of his cast, he is a skillful actor. Thoroughly soused after chugging the full bottle of elixir, he was no longer the impoverished, timid, love-sick waiter. Donning sunglasses, tying his necktie around his head, for one brief, hilarious moment Nemorino was an Italian Elvis, one with absolutely no plans to leave the building.

Ailyn Perez was Castronovo’s equal in every way. Her powerful, agile soprano is bright and clear, but with a burnished sheen. She navigated Donizetti’s wide leaps and plunges with aplomb and flung his virtuoso flights into the air like so much golden confetti. Perky but business-like in a pink silk shantung pantsuit, her Adina was a young woman savoring her ability to flit among boyfriends. But we never doubted her warm heart.

With his rich baritone, Hopkins’s Belcore was much more than a self-important lothario. Yes, he looked hot in his navy whites, and he loved the sound of his own resonant voice. But skillfully skirting slapstick, his naval captain was delightfully believable: your average, good-looking bro’ too clueless to recognize that his usual magic isn’t working. Ketelsen’s Dulcamara, on the other hand, noticed everything. Tailoring his quack remedies to the crowd — Wrinkle cream for middle-aged ladies? Old codgers craving cough syrup? — he hawked his wares in a booming, fast-paced bass-baritone. Agile and light-footed, he was as cheerful and wily as a vaudeville barker. As tourists and townspeople, hotel staff and visiting sailors, the crisp, energetic Lyric chorus added to the fun.

For an audience battered by months of COVID-19, Lyric’s “Elixir” is a genuine tonic for the spirit.

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At least nine people were killed, and a Chicago police officer and a paramedic were among 58 others wounded in weekend shootings in Chicago.

Nearly half the shootings occurred in just four police districts that have seen more gun violence than this time last year: Grand Crossing and Deering on the South Side, and Harrison and Ogden on the West Side.

In Harrison alone, at least 21 people were shot over the weekend, including two mass attacks in East Garfield Park and Humboldt Park that wounded 10 people. The two neighborhoods are among the deadliest in the city this year, according to Sun-Times data.

Officer shot

The 30-year-old officer was on patrol late Friday when she heard gunfire and rushed to the 1900 block of East 72nd Place, where she saw someone lying in the street, police said.

The officer was getting out of her squad car when more shots were fired, striking her in the legs, police said. She got back in her squad car, and another officer took her to University of Chicago Medical Center. She’s since been released.

Aaron Jenkins, 26, was charged with shooting the officer. He was expected to appear in court Monday on attempted murder charges.

The officer was responding to a shooting that had left an 18-year-old man dead and a 15-year-old boy wounded. About 11 p.m., a man and a woman were returning to their home in the block with a pizza when they were confronted on their back steps by the two teenagers, Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan said.

The older man exchanged gunfire with the two, Deenihan said. The 18-year-old was shot multiple times and pronounced dead at University of Chicago, police said. His name has not been released.

The 15-year-old, shot in the legs, was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital in critical condition. Investigators recovered two handguns from the scene and also recovered a rifle while executing a search warrant, Deenihan said.

Paramedic shot at hospital

A Chicago Fire Department paramedic was grazed at Stroger Hospital while working on a patient.

The paramedic was at the emergency room at Stroger about 10:35 p.m. when witnesses told police a suspect in an older green Buick opened fire, grazing the paramedic in the bill of the baseball cap, police said.

About 10 minutes earlier, two men 28 and 31 were shot by someone in a car about 10:25 p.m. in the 2300 block of West Warren Boulevard, police said. The older man was shot in the chest and arm, and was taken to Stroger where he died, police said. The younger man was shot in the right heel and was also taken to Stroger, where he was in good condition.

Humboldt Park mass shooting

One person was killed and three others, including a 17-year-old, were wounded Monday morning in Humboldt Park on the Northwest Side. The group were standing in the 800 block of North Ridgeway Avenue about 1:40 a.m. when someone in a dark-colored car opened fire, police said. A 34-year-old man was shot in the chest and was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he died.

Two males, 17 and 24, were also taken to Stroger with a gunshot wounds, police said. They were listed in good condition.

A man was killed in a separate shooting a day earlier only blocks away. James Carter, 22, was shot in his chest and leg while standing outside of a vehicle around 11:50 a.m. Sunday in the 800 block of St. Louis Ave., authorities said. Police said the gunman exited another vehicle and opened fire. Carter was pronounced dead at Mount Sinai Hospital.

18-year-old woman killed on Southwest Side

Melica De La Garza, 18, was fatally shot Saturday in West Elsdon on the South Side, authorities said. She was sitting in a parked car around 8:30 p.m. in the 5400 block of South Avers Avenue when someone approached and fired shots, police said. She was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Fatal argument after card game

A man was killed and another wounded in a shooting during an argument after a card game Monday morning in Gresham on the South Side. The two men, 35 and 38, were in a home in the 700 block of West 77th Street when the older man shot the younger man multiple times around 12:45 a.m., police said. The 35-year-old was taken to the University of Chicago, where he was pronounced dead, police said. The 38-year-old was shot in the left arm and was taken to the University of Chicago in good condition and was in police custody.

Fatal shootings in South Deering, Burnside, Park Manor

Earlier Saturday afternoon, a 31-year-old man was fatally shot in South Deering on the South Side. About 4:20 p.m., he was on the sidewalk in the 10200 block of South Yates Boulevard, when someone in a car pulled up and someone inside fired shots, police said. He was struck multiple times and taken to the University of Chicago, where he was pronounced dead, police said. He has not yet been identified.
A 44-year-old man was fatally shot Friday in the Burnside on the South Side. About 7:45 p.m., he was near the street in the 700 block of East 92nd Place when he was approached by two people who pulled out guns and fired, Chicago police said. He was struck in the abdomen and taken to the University of Chicago, where he was pronounced dead, police said. He has not yet been identified.
A 36-year-old man was fatally shot in Park Manor Sunday night. He was walking on the sidewalk about 9:05 p.m. in the first block of East 71st Street when he was struck by gunfire in the back and body, police said. He was taken to the University of Chicago, where he died, police said.

Other attacks

Six people were shot Sunday morning in East Garfield Park. Just after 2:50 a.m., three men and three women were standing outside in the 800 block of South Albany Avenue when a suspect in a black SUV opened fire, police said. The victims were in their 20s and 30s. A woman was listed in critical condition, while the five other men were in fair or good condition.
A woman and a 14-year-old boy were wounded Saturday in a shooting in Washington Park on the South Side. About 7:45 p.m., the 39-year-old woman and the boy were exiting the expressway in the 100 block of East 59th Street when a dark-colored Audi drove up and someone inside fired shots, police said. The woman continued to drive east but crashed into a silver Pontiac sedan. They were listed in good condition.
A 16-year-old was wounded in Back of the Yards on the South Side early Saturday. The teen was riding in the back seat of a car about 1:15 a.m. in the 4600 block of South Paulina Street when he was shot in the heel, police said. He was taken by the driver to Mount Sinai Hospital, where his condition was stabilized.
A woman was also shot in Back of the Yards less than an hour earlier. About 12:30 a.m., a woman, 26, was a passenger in a car traveling in the 600 block of West Garfield Boulevard when she was shot in her ankle, police said. She was in good condition.
A 17-year-old was among two wounded Sunday morning in Little Village on the West Side. The teen and man, 29, were leaving a house about 1:40 a.m. in the 2500 block of South Hamlin Avenue when someone inside a gold Suburban opened fire, police said. The teen was in good condition, while the man was in serious condition.

At least 40 others were wounded in citywide gun violence since from Friday 5 p.m. to Monday 5 a.m.

Last weekend, nine people were killed and 52 others — including a 3-year-old — were wounded in shootings in Chicago.

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The morning after his offense produced a historically inept performance that gained 47 yards on 42 plays and saw his rookie quarterback get hit on more than half his throws, Bears coach Matt Nagy said “everything’s on the table” to fix it.

That includes, Nagy said, potentially deciding to cede play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Bill Lazor. And it includes playing a different quarterback Sunday, though Fields still figures to have an edge, provided his busted right hand, which isn’t broken, doesn’t swell or cause him too much pain. Andy Dalton remains “week-to-week” with a bone bruise in his left knee, Nagy said, before deciding to punt any further quarterback questions to Wednesday.

Otherwise, though, Nagy was light on details, saying that he and the coaching staff will spend the next day-and-a-half making evaluations — including of themselves — before Wednesday’s practice.

“When you don’t have the success we had on offense [Sunday], with a rookie quarterback in Justin, of course it keeps you up at night, because you want to figure out why,” Nagy said. “So we’re looking at everything right now. Looking at everything — I think that’s being completely honest with you, and real. I care about this situation immensely. Our players care. Our coaches care. So we gotta figure it out and we’ve got to figure it out fast.”

Asked specifically if he could give up calling plays, Nagy reiterated that “everything’s on the table.” He said he will communicate with his coaches and players over the next 36 hours as to how to move forward. If that was sounds vague, it’s because it was. Nagy peppered his Monday morning mea culpa with some of his favorite talking points — the players care and the coaches and trying to figure out the “whys.”

It’s clear Nagy grasped the gravity of what happened Sunday, though.

“I think what we realize and understand is yesterday you can’t have that,” he said. “We understand that. It’s common sense. Yesterday was frustrating on a lot of different levels. And I say that not for one particular person or two or three, but across the board. That was hard. And so anytime that happens. … How were the [last] 18 hours? It’s not fun because of the care we all have for this, the want that we have to be great. If you are honest with yourself, you’re honest with your players and sometimes there’s tough conversations.”

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CLEVELAND — Bears coach Matt Nagy said the Browns knew that he’d try to get rookie quarterback Justin Fields moving out of the pocket Sunday, and they certainly anticipated that. But they appeared to be stunned that Nagy opted for a game plan that relied heavily on Fields dropping back and throwing from the pocket.

The results were brutal. Fields completed 6 of 20 passes for 68 yards and was sacked nine times. He was hit another six times. Browns defensive end Myles Garrett set the franchise record with 4.5 of those sacks and told NBC’s Mike Florio that the Bears’ basic offense made them simple to stop.

“He told me that the Browns’ defense was surprised by the way that Justin Fields was used — or more accurately, the way he wasn’t used,” Florio said on Football Night in America. “They didn’t move him around, they didn’t get him out of the pocket, they didn’t roll him out, they didn’t take advantage of his mobility. It made it easier for the [pass rushers] to get home, to get him on the ground.”

The conversation Florio relayed echoed something Garrett hinted at in his post-game press conference. Nagy’s scheme surprised the Browns, but only on the Bears’ first drive. Then his plan became obvious.

“After that, I think we kind of settled in and saw how they planned to use the flow of the game,” Garrett said. “It kind of came to us easily after the second possession and [we] kind of figured out what they were going to do and how we were going to adjust to that.”

The Bears finished with 47 net yards, their lowest since 1981, and had six first downs.

“I obviously did not do a good enough job of getting this offense ready to go,” Nagy said. “So it starts with me, ends with me and it’s as simple as that.”

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At least eight people were killed, and a Chicago police officer and a paramedic were among 59 wounded in weekend shootings in Chicago.

The 30-year-old officer was on patrol late Friday when she heard the gunfire and rushed to the 1900 block of East 72nd Place, where she saw someone lying in the street, police said.

The officer was getting out of her squad car to provide aid when more shots were fired, striking her in the legs, police Supt. David Brown said. She got back in her squad car, and another officer took her to University of Chicago Medical Center, Brown said. She’s since been treated and released.

She was the 12th Chicago police officer to be wounded by gunfire this year, according to Brown. Thirty-four other officers had been shot at during the same period.

Aaron Jenkins, 26, was charged with shooting the officer. He’s expected to appear in court Monday on attempted murder charges.

The officer was responding to a call of shots fired that left an 18-year-old dead and 15-year-old wounded. About 11 p.m., a 25-year-old man and a woman were returning to their home in the block with a pizza when they were confronted on their back steps by the two teenagers, Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan said.

The older man exchanged gunfire with the two younger individuals, Deenihan said. The 18-year-old was shot multiple times and pronounced dead at University of Chicago, police said. His name has not been released.

The 15-year-old, shot in the legs, was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital, where he remains in critical condition. Investigators recovered two handguns from the scene and also recovered a rifle while executing a search warrant, Deenihan said.

Two suspects were being questioned Saturday night, according to Deenihan, who said each has a criminal record.

Paramedic shot at hospital

A Chicago Fire Department paramedic was grazed at Stroger Hospital while working on a patient, and one person was killed and another wounded Saturday night in a shooting on the Near West Side.

The paramedic was working on a patient about 10:35 p.m. in the emergency room at Stroger when witnesses told police a suspect in an older green Buick opened fire, grazing the medical responder in the bill of their baseball cap, police said.

About 10 minutes earlier, two men, 28 and 31, were outside when they were shot by someone in a vehicle about 10:25 p.m. in the 2300 block of West Warren Boulevard, police said. The older man was shot in the chest and arm, and was taken to Stroger, where he died, police said. The younger man was shot in the right heel, and was also taken to Stroger, where he was in good condition.

One person was killed and three others, including a 17-year-old, were wounded Monday morning in Humboldt Park on the Northwest Side. The group were standing in the 800 block of North Ridgeway Avenue about 1:40 a.m. when someone in a dark-colored car opened fire, police said. A 34-year-old man was shot in the chest, and was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he died.

Two males, 17 and 24, were also taken to Stroger with a gunshot wounds, police said. They were listed in good condition.

18-year-old woman killed on South Side

Melica De La Garza, 18, was fatally shot Saturday in West Elsdon on the South Side, according to police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office. She was sitting in a parked vehicle around 8:30 p.m. in the 5400 block of South Avers Avenue, when someone approached and fired shots, police said. She was struck in the torso, and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Man killed in shootout

A man was killed and a suspect wounded in a shooting after an argument Monday morning in Gresham on the South Side. The two men, 35 and 38, were arguing after a card game about 12:45 a.m. in a residence in the 700 block of West 77th Street when the older man shot at the younger man multiple times, police said. The 35-year-old was taken to the University of Chicago, where he was pronounced dead, police said. The 38-year-old was shot in the left arm, and was also taken to the University of Chicago, where he was in good condition and in custody.

Other homicides

Earlier Saturday afternoon, a 31-year-old man was fatally shot in South Deering on the South Side. About 4:20 p.m., he was on the sidewalk in the 10200 block of South Yates Boulevard, when someone in a vehicle pulled up and someone inside fired shots, police said. He was struck multiple times and taken to the University of Chicago, where he was pronounced dead, police said. He has not yet been identified.
A 44-year-old man was fatally shot Friday in the Burnside on the South Side. About 7:45 p.m., he was near the street in the 700 block of East 92nd Place, when he was approached by two males who pulled out guns and fired shots, Chicago police said. He was struck in the abdomen and taken to the University of Chicago, where he was pronounced dead, police said. He has not yet been identified.
A 36-year-old man was fatally shot in Park Manor Sunday night. He was walking on the sidewalk about 9:05 p.m. in the first block of East 71st Street when he was struck by gunfire in the back and body, police said. He was taken to the University of Chicago, where he died, police said.

Dozens others wounded

In nonfatal attacks, six people were shot Sunday morning in East Garfield Park. Just after 2:50 a.m., three men and three women were standing outside in the 800 block of South Albany Avenue when a suspect in a black SUV opened fire, police said. The victims were in their 20s and 30s. A woman was listed in critical condition, while the five other men were in fair or good condition.
A woman and a 14-year-old boy were wounded Saturday in a shooting in Washington Park on the South Side. About 7:45 p.m., the 39-year-old woman and the boy were exiting the expressway in the 100 block of East 59th Street, when a dark-colored Audi drove up to them and someone inside fired shots, striking them, police said. The woman continued to drive east, but later crashed into a silver Pontiac sedan. They listed in good condition.
A 16-year-old was wounded in Back of the Yards on the South Side early Saturday. The teen was riding in the rear seat of a vehicle about 1:15 a.m. in the 4600 block of South Paulina Street when he was shot in the heel, police said. He was taken by the driver to Mount Sinai Hospital, where his condition was stabilized.
A woman was also shot in Back of the Yards less than an hour earlier. About 12:30 a.m., a woman, 26, was a passenger in a vehicle traveling in the 600 block of West Garfield Boulevard when she was shot in her ankle, police said. She was in good condition.
A 17-year-old was among two shot and wounded Sunday morning in Little Village on the West Side. The teen and man, 17 and 29, were leaving a house about 1:40 a.m. in the 2500 block of South Hamlin Avenue when someone inside a gold Suburban opened fire, police said. The teen was in good condition, while the man was in serious condition.

At least 40 others were wounded in citywide gun violence since from Friday 5 p.m. to Monday 5 a.m.

Last weekend, nine people were killed and 52 others — including a 3-year-old — were wounded in shootings in Chicago.

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When you hear the term “Victorian,” it doesn’t refer to a particular architectural style but the era of Queen Victoria, whose reign over the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland lasted from 1837 to 1901. The era was defined by a mixture of overlapping styles such as Italianate, Second Empire, and Shingle Style. But most people associate Victorian with the Queen Anne Style, which was popularized by English architect Richard Norman Shaw in the 1860s and 70s. Surprisingly, this new design had nothing to do with the earlier 18th century reign of Queen Anne, yet it soon became the dominant residential style in the U.S. after it was featured at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in St. Louis. The majority of new homes constructed between 1880 and 1900 took on a more picturesque appearance of richly ornamented and asymmetrical facades with turrets, lacy spindlework, and wraparound porches.

The suburb of Hinsdale might be known for tear downs, but some historic architecture still survives here — including this landmarked Queen Anne with more than 8,000 square feet of living space. Originally built for William Hinckley in 1886, the home sits prominently at the top of a hill on a one-acre lot in Hinsdale’s Robbins Park area. It has everything you’d expect with a Queen Anne design: an elaborate wraparound front porch, corner tower, and decorative shingling. Inside you’ll find quarter sawn oak wainscotting, original leaded glass windows, pocket doors, and a dining room with wood paneling and beamed ceilings. But this isn’t some stuffy museum piece, as there have been plenty of updates to fit today’s modern needs. The two-bedroom coach house is perfect for guest accommodations. Plus there’s an in-ground pool, hot tub, and built-in BBQ for outdoor parties.

This beautifully preserved Queen Anne in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood was originally constructed between 1893 and 1897 for paper box manufacturer George J. Kroeck and his wife Bertha. It’s hard to believe, but the home was the first one built on this block just east of Sheridan Road when Lake Michigan was right outside its door (before a landfill project changed all that). Located on a double lot with great curb appeal, the house still boasts many of the original features that were first installed back in the 19th century, including the stunning front staircase with hand-turned spindles, wall murals, quarter-sawn oak wainscotting, custom-made bronze hardware, and a variety of doors from pocket to swinging. And old house lovers will also enjoy the fact that the kitchen fits perfectly with the overall historic design — as do the bathrooms.

This 1885 Queen Anne was designed by the well-known architectural firm Edbrooke and Burnham for Joseph and Fannie Sherman Larimer. How fitting that their house backs up to Evanston’s Larimer Park. Random Chicago fact: Fannie’s father Alson Sherman served as the eighth Mayor of Chicago back in 1844-45. Vintage details start on the big front porch with its beadboard ceiling and continue inside where you’ll find gorgeous hardwood floors, intricate moldings and chair rails, and transom windows above the doors. But the best part? Located on one of the largest lots in town, the home comes with multiple money-making opportunities for potential buyers. The side lot can be subdivided and sold to a developer while at the same time you can collect rent from both the two-bedroom coach house as well as the one-bedroom side house.

You’d never know this magnificent Shingle Style home in Chicago’s Kenwood neighborhood was brought back to life by a developer in 2005. Originally built for E.J. Edwards in 1883, the house was in such poor condition that it had to be gut rehabbed down to the studs and rebuilt inside-out. Today it’s a mix of vintage charm and modern comfort. Step back in time with the foyer and central hall with the original carved staircase, but the open floor plan and modern conveniences put you right in 2021. There is a fully equipped fitness room, game room, theater room, and a full SportCourt and outdoor entertaining area on the beautifully landscaped property. Both the attic and basement are finished, while the three-car coach house comes with a two-bedroom apartment.

More Italianate than Queen Anne with its tall, narrow windows and 13-foot ceilings, this absolutely stunning home was one of the first to be built in historic Riverside in 1869. Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux produced the plan for America’s first planned suburb, but it was investors and developers who turned it into reality. William Le Baron Jenney’s architectural firm carried out Olmsted’s vision, ultimately constructing seventeen residences — including one for William T. Allen, a shareholder in the Riverside Improvement Company. Today Allen’s home still has many original details, such as the grand staircase, nine marble fireplaces, crown moldings, and hardwood floors. Featured in the Keanu Reeves-Sandra Bullock film The Lake House, the historic home sits on a half acre overlooking the Des Plaines River and the town’s famed swinging bridge. 

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