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.
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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 Buena Vista Hotel, East Troy..
Cobblestone is not an architectural style (any more than “brick” is one) but it is a masonry technique marked by carefully selected and arranged stones of uniform size and color.
Among the remaining cobblestone buildings in Walworth County, at least two are on the National Register of Historic Places.
The elegant design style came to Wisconsin from western New York, and is associated with areas of glacial drift…Rock, Racine and Walworth Counties…Beloit, Burlington and East Troy have examples.
The largest cobblestone example in Walworth County (and in Wisconsin) was the 3 story Buena Vista House on the Square in East Troy…completed in 1849 after three years of construction by Samuel Bradley, a mason, with stones collected in the nearby lake beds of Lake Beulah and Booth Lake. The hotel was named after a Mexican-American War battle in 1847. In disrepair, the building was razed in 2023.
Walworth@250 #99.
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It’s a shame that it was beyond economic repair. It was a beautiful building.
The Buena Vista Hotel's history is a compelling aspect of Walworth County's heritage.
That first paragraph is a bit harsh for those of us that are Cobblestone fans and deeply miss seeing the old building on the corner of the ET square. Year of demolition is incorrect as well.
Old houses… Woopie-day!
We welcomed our seasonal staff today.
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Looks like more people than actually ever lived there…! Thanks guys and gals all !
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 RT Crane.
What’s a father to do when his son needs his horse Bill at camp in Lake Geneva in 1879?
According to legend, RT Crane hitched Bill to his surrey, traveled 90 miles from Chicago, delivered the horse, and fell in love with Geneva Lake. Crane, a self-made man, and his brother founded the Crane Company, a plumbing fixture business in Chicago. At Lake Geneva, he purchased 23 acres on the north shore and constructed a 22-room mansion which he named Jerseyhurst after his home state.
Four stained glass windows from the estate are displayed aGeneva Lake MuseumMuseum.
Their yacht Passaic is one of the few yachts from this era still in private use on the lake today.
RT Crane was a pioneer in employee relations, offering stock options, annual bonuses, profit sharing and pension plans, an eight-hour work day, and free medical care for families.
He died in 1912 and is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery. The original house was razed in 1933, but two structures remain as part of the legacy of Richard Teller Crane.
Walworth@250 #98
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I don’t understand why everything is like torn down in Lake Geneva and then you talk about it like it’s still there why isn’t there any rules regarding teardowns of the historic homes the new ones who cares?
Patrick Ryan, Sr. appears to have made a modernized, all electric powered, version of The Matriarch.
I used to draw pictures of Clipper ships so the sight of the Matriarch docking at our boat pier was delightful!
Lived for a few years near the Massive Crane factory works on Chicago’s Southside. Even though you didn’t ask, I noticed they had Crane urinals in the men’s room at the LG Piggly Wiggly.
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