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 Stone Manor.
Stone Manor is the largest estate ever built on Geneva Lake, 48,000 square feet. In 1899 Otto Young started building the mansion he called Younglands. By the time the home was completed in 1901, the cost was close to $2 million. In total, there are seven levels complete with 2 sub-basements, 4 main levels, a roof terrace, and a 250-foot-wide veranda.
All of the doorknobs and electrical fixtures on the main level were 14kt gold plated, and solid sterling silver on the second and third levels.
Otto Young, a German immigrant, started in business by selling costume jewelry from a pushcart on the streets of New York. Over the years he built a business career and an enormous fortune.
After the Chicago Fire in 1871, Young moved to Chicago and started investing in real estate, purchasing the burned-out area that eventually became known as the Loop.
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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 Northwest Municipal Recreation Building / Riviera Ballroom.
Construction on the Riviera Ballroom began in 1932 when the public set aside $85,000 for a community building despite the hardships of the Great Depression. The city hired two crews, each working six hours per day to offer employment to more citizens.
The Riviera opened September 1, 1932…with a Grand Opening performance by Wayne King (“the Waltz King”) and his Aragon Ballroom Dance Band from Chicago on May 22, 1933. For the next few decades, it would host public dances to Big Bands and famous artists like Louis Armstrong. However, as big bands and dancing became less popular, the building began to deteriorate and decline until 1980 when the community decided to restore the building and maintain it as a public facility.
The Riviera Ballroom was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 and today houses shops and ice cream parlors on the first floor for the public to enjoy in the summer season…and a beautifully restored ballroom on the second floor—a popular location for weddings, year-round.
The City of Lake Geneva completed a multimillion dollar renovation in 2021.
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Beautiful.
Wayne King was originally from the same little town in Illinois that my dad is from. Savanna, IL. They have a great museum in town that includes a room about Wayne King.
It's a beautiful building inside and out
This is a beautiful building, a beautiful town …..and such a fun and beautiful area. Lots of great memories !!!❤️🌺❤️
Our wedding reception was here... May 30, 1986!
Really awesome building!
Thank you Mayor Folman And the city council at that time, for making the decision to restore the beautiful Riviera to as it is today.
The restored upstairs room is a wonderful choice for wedding receptions.
Made the motion when I was an alderman to put an elevator in the building as I was tired of watching people having to carry grandma in a wheelchair up and down the stairs for weddings and other events. Let alone the catering companies.
Danced there summers of 74-76 with WSP! Great memories!
Maria Ralston …. Have you seen these posts?
Wow
Loved going to the pier and tying up our boat. Before being old enough to go we could hear the music on a hot summer night on the pier.
WW2 guys were dancing and meeting their future wifes there.
Louis played labor day weekends, and there were slot machines Iining the wall of the walkway back to the pier. I remember the yellow light , the smell of popcorn, and hopimg my dad would win so I could get ice cream.
Been there many times!! Like going on boat tours!!
Liquidation night at the top deck
Many a good memory from that building ❤️
Was tons of fun as Top Deck!!
It was an awesome place back in the day ❤️ loved it !! Still is !!!!!! 👍
Top Deck was the go to place, then the Black Knight
Such a beautiful landmark in a beautiful city. 👍🏻
I’ve been to many Christmas parties here with my sister.
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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 Nancy Reagan in Lake Geneva.
Back when the Maxwell Mansion was owned by Ruth and Christopher Brown, it was called The Oaks. Ruth Brown’s research on the history of the mansion revealed that former first lady Nancy Reagan, then Nancy Davis, visited The Oaks several times in the 1930s when she was a student at the Girls' Latin School in Chicago.
Nancy and her parents, Dr. and Mrs. Loyal Davis, were guests of Sangston Hettler, president of Hettler Lumber in Chicago, who rented The Oaks for the summer season.
As Nancy Davis, she was a Hollywood actress in the 1940s and 1950s. In 1952 she married Ronald Reagan who became the 40th President of the United States in 1980.
Walworth@250 #38
PS. George Washington never slept here. 😂 ... See MoreSee Less
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