Take a Cruise to the Victorian Summer Retreat of a Chicago Beer Baron
Black Point Estate was built for Chicago Beer Baron, Conrad Seipp, in 1888 as a retreat, and in that spirit the home remains a place to relax, refresh, and explore. Just like the Victorian VIPs who established the estate, you’ll arrive in style and enjoy stunning Geneva Lake views on your cruise to this magnificent summer home, considered one of the finest examples of period architecture and furniture in the Midwest, and one of the oldest homes in Lake Geneva.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Get the Best Deal in History
Unlock incredible value for historic year-round fun!
All Wisconsin Historical Society members enjoy unlimited free admission to our 11 historic sites and museums, exclusive merchandise and special event discounts, a complimentary annual subscription to the Wisconsin Magazine of History and more. Join at the Family level and above for added benefits and discounts at over 1,200 organizations nationwide!
Black Point Estate and Gardens
Step into Gilded Age elegance at the 1888 Summer home of Chicago beer baron, Conrad Seipp. Guests enjoy a narrated boat ride to the property via the Lake Geneva Cruise Line, a guided tour of the mansion, & time to relax and sip Seipp beer on the veranda.
2026 is the 250th anniversary of the United States of America. Over the next 250 days we will be highlighting historic people, places or things from around Walworth County.
Up next is Loramoor.
Loramoor was a Tudor Revival style home built for James Moore in 1900. It was named for his wife, Lora, and was enjoyed by the family until his death.
The home was constructed in a V shape so that the lake could be seen from every room in the house. It had three floors and 27 rooms including a bowling alley and a wine cellar.
The property was also extensive, consisting of 32 different outbuildings including an icehouse, a boathouse, several barns and stables as well as various houses for animals.
After his death, the house was purchased by a group of Franciscan friars who turned the estate into a friary before it was razed in the 1980s, leaving only a few of the outbuildings standing, which are now private residencies.
Walworth@250 #59 ... See MoreSee Less
Comment on Facebook
The greenhouse was visible from South Shore - near the low wall that I hopped to take a few pictures. I was approached by one of the friars who offered to give me a tour of the grounds and the house. There was a rather large woodpile along the woodland trail - one of the friars chopped wood as a form of meditation. The home was very sparsley furnished but the interior wood workmanship was beautiful. A sweet memory of this friar's kindness. In the 70s it was always nice to see the friars on their park benches along the Shore Path.
You are a wealth of information. Thanks for sharing.
Isn’t there a novel surrounding this home, a world’s fair, written by a man from Elgin?
Moore owned Diamond Match. He even had a full race horse track across South Shore Drive. My wife lived in the Loramoor coachmans house for a few years. When they went to raze the main house they thought it would take a week. It took a couple of months. They had a bulldozer parked on the main floor taking it down because it was all steel beams and brick.
In the early 1980's I sang with a community choir and orchestra in the gymnasium, which was part of an addition to the mansion by the Friars that included a dormitory. I only got to see the mansion's main entrance area, which had been preserved by the Friars. There are several buildings that were original to the estate that still exist along Hwy B just west of the curve intersection with Hwy 120. The gatehouse, the stables, which the Friars turned into a world class library, the laundry building, the chicken coop, and the cattle barn, all now residences. The tell-tale structural sign of a Laramore building was the rounded over roof edges. At the peak of its existence with the Moores, there was a full horse racing track in the space between current Hwy B and Hwy 120. The most obvious remains of the estate is the red brick wall that runs along the road.
I remember being told there were elevators for the horses in the stables and that Gene Autry had once bid for the property.
View more comments
2026 is the 250th anniversary of the United States of America. Over the next 250 days we will be highlighting historic people, places or things from around Walworth County.
Up next is Harry Gordon Selfridge.
Harry Gordon Selfridge was an innovator and businessman largely responsible for making the shopping experience what it is today.
He was born to a humble family in Ripon, Wisconsin. By 1879, Selfridge had moved to Chicago and was working as a stock boy at Marshall Fields & Company.
Even then, he had revolutionary ideas such as placing the perfume counters by the front of the store to create a welcoming and pleasant environment as well as placing items for sale on display shelves and counters rather than on high shelves where they were less visible.
In just six years, Selfridge went from being a stock boy to a major stockholder in the company.
As he began to amass his fortune, Selfridge and his wife, Rosalie Buckingham Selfridge, built their summer estate on the shores of Lake Geneva. Known as Harrose (Harry and Rose) Hall, their home was next door to Rosalie’s sister’s house, Ceylon Court. Selfridge and his family soon moved to London, but they would come back to summer in Lake Geneva.
In 1909, Harry Selfridge opened his own department store, Selfridge’s in London. The store saw massive success, thanks to his ingenious business techniques.
Unfortunately, after the death of his wife and mother, Harry Selfridge began a downward spiral and squandered his multi-million dollar fortune. However, Harry Selfridge completely revolutionized shopping as we know it today, inventing concepts and phrases like window-shopping, “the customer is always right”, and “business as usual.”
Selfridge’s still stands on Oxford Street in London and continues to be a leading department store.
Walworth@250 #58 ... See MoreSee Less
Comment on Facebook
PBS had a very good series on Selfridge many years ago.
Wow I didn't know this background! How exciting! Thank you! 👍🏻
Harry used Chicago architect, Daniel Burnham for his store in London. Burnham also designed Marshall Field’s in Chicago. The two stores are very similar!
I’ve shopped at the London store. Knowing his background made it more exciting.
Our next storytellers event is 6-8PM, March 5th at the @Geneva Tap House.
If you have a story to tell we'd love to hear it.
IM us here for details. ... See MoreSee Less
Comment on Facebook