Industrialist's Warrenville estate now open to the public

For decades, people passing by the long wooden fence running parallel to Winfield Road at the western edge of St. James Farm in Warrenville could only imagine what was on the other side.

The DuPage County Forest Preserve's purchase of the property in 2000 from industrialist and philanthropist Brooks McCormick afforded the inquisitive an opportunity to see what natural and man-made splendor existed behind the gates.

Sporadically open to the public in 2008, visitors were able to wander around the northern half of the expansive 607-acre property. They could see for themselves the McCormick's devotion to horses, art and nature.

This year, though, visitors will have more opportunities than ever before to explore the grounds of the farm. The property will be open daily from early June through November. That means more opportunities for people explore a property that is as equally rich in beauty as it is in curiosities.

And Saturday kicks off with a "Homecoming" celebration that includes carriage ride tours of the property, equestrian demonstrations and more.

The casual visitor may not know that a building's use can be determined by simply looking at the weather vane topping it. Weather vanes with horses top stables and barns, a car-decorated weather vane sits atop a garage and so on. They probably also don't know that the divots in the wooden lower doors of the stables aren't from years of abuse by workers or equipment, but rather from bored horses that chewed on the wood to pass the time.

Property manager Wayne Zaininger worked for the McCormicks since the early 1980s and knows plenty about the nuances of the former horse farm, but even he admits to being stumped by some anomalies that exist there.

Zaininger explained some of the mysteries of the property on a tour for the Daily Herald.

The loose cabooseNear what is called the East Farm, sits a lone train caboose. The wood-framed green Burlington Northern caboose was bought by McCormick in 1971 at a fundraising auction for Chicago public television station WTTW, Zaininger said.It used to sit on specially built tracks near the McCormick's residence, but it was moved nearer to the East Farm's horse arenas and used as a secretary's office during equestrian events. While it's not open to the public, Zaininger said the caboose's original innards are intact with a sink, stove, adjustable seats, coal bin and ice chest, among other accoutrements."Where the power lines are that run through the property is where the old Chicago, Aurora and Elgin railroad line used to run," Zaininger said. "There used to be a stop at the farm, too."A hidden pathJust a hop, skip and a jump north of the caboose is the courtyard for the show stable. Lined with a towering hedge, the centerpiece is a marble sculpture titled "Horse Trough" that Zaininger said is an actual working horse trough, but horses were frowned upon using it.The courtyard floor is made of brick shipped in from a building that was going to be demolished decades ago in Chicago. When visitors walk into the courtyard, the brick is interrupted by what appears to be a cobblestone patch. However, the cobblestone is actually a foot path through hedges. Unless someone stops on the cobblestone and looks to their right or left, Zaininger said, it's easy to miss.Older old stableOne of the true mysteries that may never be solved at St. James Farm is the actual age of the Red Brick Stable near the center of the property.While the stonework indicates the stable was erected in 1930, architectural experts have said that the wood and ironwork inside the stable is actually much older than that. They can tell by the way the wood was treated and the iron was cast, Zaininger said.What is known is that the material was brought to St. James Farm from England. What it was before its arrival at St. James remains unclear. It could have been a stable or it could have been used for something else, forest preserve officials said.Another unusual attribute of the stable is its custom-created light cover that depicts a fox-hunting scene. Horses that were used in fox hunts on the property were housed in that stable, Zaininger said. But he is quick to point out that most, if not all, fox hunts on the property were not after live quarry.Playing favorites?The McCormick family's interest in art is obvious throughout the grounds at St. James Farm. A wide variety of sculptures dot the landscape.However, among the more personal pieces at the farm is a bronze relief near the East Farm depicting McCormick's granddaughter Fiona and her horse, Something Special. But don't expect to find sculptures featuring McCormick's other grandchildren around the farm."I think Fiona enjoyed riding horses more so than some of the others," Zaininger offered as a rationale.To his knowledge, it wasn't a sore spot among McCormick's other grandchildren that Fiona got her own sculpture. In fact, before the property was turned over to the forest preserve, two smaller versions of the sculpture that were attached to residential buildings were taken by McCormick family members, he said.What hounds?McCormick's devotion to the family's dogs and horses can be witnessed at the farm's Horse and Hound Cemetery on the north end of the property.Custom-built crosses bearing the names of the 25 horses and four dogs buried on the grounds are corralled by a white fence. Because of flooding, some horses were actually buried just outside the fenced area. However, the name of the cemetery is a bit of a misnomer as there are no actual hounds buried there. The dogs buried there - Butee, Stanley, Yum-Yum and Chu Chu - were a terrier, two Shar-Peis and a chow.Homeward unboundBefore the forest preserve took possession of the property, McCormick stipulated that all the family residences at St. James be torn down.Zaininger said McCormick didn't want the property to become a monument or memorial to him. Visitors won't be able to find even a nugget of the former homestead on the property. Well, at least not yet.The houses were razed and grass was planted where they used to stand. There are no markers or foundations left at the sites. However, the forest preserve's master plan for the property eventually calls for a shelter to be built at the site of where McCormick's residence once stood. But Zaininger said that's mainly because it's the best vantage point on the property to overlook the deer park.False20001249An early 20th century wood-framed caboose was purchased by Brooks McCormick at a fundraising auction in 1971 and has been housed at his former St. James Farm estate in Warrenville ever since.Bev Horne | Staff PhotographerFalse