Massive English-Style Manor Lists For $7.6M Near Chicago

A northwest suburban mansion has hit the market and will help provide a clearer outlook for Chicoland’s luxury market in 2024.

In the serene countryside of Harvard, the 43,600-square-foot English-style manor at 17519 Lincoln Road has been priced at $7.6 million, making it the second most-expensive residential listing in McHenry County, Crain’s reported. The asking price is under $175 per square foot.

Janice Corley of Re/Max Premier listed the property, which was built in the 1990s as a grandiose homage to European nobility.

“The house is like a European castle people dream about getting married in,” Corley told the outlet. “And you’ve got the ponds and the forest. It’s something.”

The only other McHenry County residence with a higher price tag is a 20,000-square-foot house on 32 acres in Barrington Hills, whose sellers are asking $7.9 million, or about $395 per square foot. The county’s priciest home sale in the past five years was a 5.3-acre Barrington Hills estate that traded for a little over $4 million in 2020.

The Harvard mansion, dubbed Somerset Manor, is adorned with Gothic arched doorways, a regal limestone staircase and wood ceilings. The estate sprawls over 10 acres, enveloped by over 80,000 trees meticulously planted on former cornfields by the owners, Henri and June Guigni.

Henri Guigni, inspired by his love for the outdoors, envisioned a grand residence that embraced nature’s splendor. Originally hailing from Italy and Chicago, the couple’s dream took shape as a medieval English manor, meticulously designed by architect Jeremy Rawlings to mirror the opulence of European castles.

Corley is playing up the listing as an opportunity for an extended family’s retreat or a potential commercial venture, including a hospitality and wedding venue. The owners have applied for commercial permits, anticipating a transformation.

—Quinn Donoghue