page_title: Ellwood House
section_title: Interior
hierarchical_section_title: Ellwood House / Architecture / Interior
caption_attribution_description: Sunroom, Ellwood House, DeKalb, Illinois. National Register of Historic Places.
context_page_description: The Ellwood House was built as a private home by barbed wire entrepreneur Isaac Ellwood in 1879. It is located on First Street in DeKalb, Illinois, United States, in DeKalb County. The Victorian style home, designed by George O. Garnsey, underwent remodeling in 1898-1899 and 1911. The house was originally part of 1,000 acres which included a large stable complex known as "Ellwood Green." Isaac Ellwood lived here until 1910 when he passed the estate to his son, Perry Ellwood.
  After Perry Ellwood inherited the home he remodeled the interior and exterior, drastically altering the home's appearance. Thus, the Ellwood House incorporates elements from several architectural styles. In 1964 the home was donated to the city of DeKalb and converted into a museum. The house was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1975. The Ellwood House Museum site contains six structures in addition to the main house. A 50-foot tall water tower dominates the west side of the property while a 14-foot tall miniature Stick style house is located nearer the main house.
context_section_description: The general layout of the home's interior has remained basically the same throughout the remodelings; the rooms on each floor are accessed via a large central hallway which ends in an elegant rotunda. However, some of the changes made in 1910 and 1911 did alter the interior appearance. The parlor was converted into the library and the library was converted into the dining room after an extension was added on. In the home's northwest corner a large kitchen was added, on the second-floor, the room above the kitchen became servant's quarters.
  Upon entering the Ellwood House, guests of Isaac or Perry Ellwood would have been greeted or formally welcomed by members of the family. After Perry Ellwood inherited the house in 1910 the entry parlor began to become known as the library. Prominent among the library's features is a carved Italian marble mantle with a large gilt mirror hung above it. The library's bookshelves are cast in a Neo-Italian Renaissance style and constructed of fine mahogany. Presently filling the shelves in the Ellwood House are a large collection of books with Ellwood family nameplates. Near the library window, which is adorned with its original walnut shutters, is an 1890s French statue. The statue was donated to the Ellwood House Association from someone in Sycamore who bequeathed it to the museum.
  The dining room's underwent an extensive remodel in 1898 because of Ellwood's rise to national prominence through his barbed wire partnership with Joseph Glidden. The room was enlarged through the addition of a semi-circular bay. Beyond the addition, the room was refurnished and redecorated to reflect the Georgian Revival alterations that were occurring on the home's exterior. Elements of Georgian Revival architecture that were incorporated into the Ellwood dining room remodel include, mahogany paneling with dentil molding around the windows and doors, a cornice with Classical details, and brackets. Almost all of the dining room's 1898 furniture and woodwork was custom made by Tobey & Company of Chicago and each piece is affixed with a dated brass plate. The main dining room table and chairs were cast in an early Georgian style and the table has twelve extra leaves which can extend it  the length of the room. The dining room's smaller table, situated within the bay addition, was used for Ellwood family breakfasts.
  The Ellwood House living room did not exist until Perry Ellwood's 1911 remodeling. The original living room space was laid out as two rooms with pocket doors joining them. In the living room, a wall between the sitting room was removed which created a large, open space to which a vaulted ceiling was added. Perry Ellwood's living room was designed to function with the newly added sunroom and south terrace as one large living and entertaining space. The terrace can be accessed through French doors from both the living room and sunroom. The living room was designed to reflect English country houses c. 1650, during the Stuart period. The room was designed by Roy Terwilliger, an interior designer with Marshall Field & Company in Chicago and May Ellwood's cousin. The living room features a "pargework" ceiling constructed of molded plaster and designed with a geometric theme. The large, Caen stone  fireplace was carved in Chicago in 1911. The sunroom was designed in the late 19th century and early 20th century Arts and Crafts style causing it to stand in stark contrast to the living room. The room was originally furnished with Mission style furniture to complement the oak woodwork.
caption: The sunroom was designed in an Arts and Crafts motif and added to the Ellwood House in 1911.
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