S.119 – River Forest Tennis Club, 615 Lathrop Avenue, River Forest, Illinois

This private club was designed by Wright and two other architects, all members of the club. This building was commissioned after fire destroyed the original clubhouse in August 1906. The new structure cost $2629.75 to build and was completed a month after the fire.

The building was smaller and sat at a different location (a few blocks away at Harlem & Quick) until that site was sold to the local forest preserve district. Club members liked the Wright structure, so they arranged in 1920 to divide it into three sections and move it to a new location (where it currently sits). That new location had been sold to the club by Edward C. Waller (see S.065) for $34,800. The 1920 move also brought some expansion of the building without Wright’s involvement.

There are also pool buildings on the back of the property showing the same style, but designed in 1988 by others. The interior is similar to the exterior – dark, long, and without much headroom.

Photographed in August 1991 and October 19, 2014. As you can see, the building has not changed significantly during that time.