Daring renovation could spare historic Hinsdale mansion from wrecking ball

An ambitious renovation project could save a historic Hinsdale mansion from demolition.

House Beautiful magazine this fall will rehabilitate the 22-room, 3-acre estate at 505 South County Line Road that belonged to Molex CEO Fred Krehbiel until his death in 2021, Crain’s reported. 

Julie Laux, owner of Hinsdale homebuilding firm J. Jordan Homes, pitched the rehab project to House Beautiful. The makeover, led by a team of 15 designers, could cost as much as $500,000. Mihai Sava, who bought the property for $7.5 million in May 2022 and listed it shortly after, is committing $200,000 to the overhaul.

The house, built in the early 1900s and renovated by acclaimed architect David Adler decades later, hasn’t been properly updated since the 1990s. Photos of the interior were not revealed, so it’s hard to know the exact repairs that are needed. One of the issues, though, is the small and outdated kitchen.

“The intention is to make it livable, which if you haven’t been to (the mansion) recently, it’s not,” Laux told the outlet.

Krehbiel was a preservationist himself and tried to get the house designated as a historic landmark before his death, which would’ve protected it from a possible demolition. Laux, preservationists and local residents are hoping the project leads to other historic properties being saved, especially in Hinsdale where a number of vintage homes have been razed throughout the 21st century.

While an overhaul is much needed, the state of the home puts homeowner Mihai Sava in a bind. Sava hired Coldwell Banker agent Dawn McKenna to list the property just a few months after buying it, realizing the amount of work required to fix it up. 

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The mansion was originally priced at $9 million. It was then pulled off the market and recently listed again at just under $10 million. If it sells for that amount, it would be the priciest home sale ever in Hinsdale, eclipsing the current record by more than $2 million. 

Sava is unsure if he’ll continue to market the home for sale or move in after the renovation. Sava’s goal was never to buy and flip the house. Rather, he’s “overwhelmed” by the situation and “not sure what to do,” Laux told the outlet.

— Quinn Donoghue