Located in what is now Fabyan Forest Preserve of Geneva, Ill., the historic Fabyan Villa rests peacefully overlooking the Fox River.
Fabyan Villa History
The Fabyan Villa’s history began in 1905 when Col. George Fabyan and his wife, Nelle, bought the property as a vacation house. They named it Riverbank Estate.
Originally a farmhouse, in 1907, the Fabyans hired Frank Lloyd Wright to remodel the building as wells as add an addition.
“When you walk into one of these [Frank Lloyd Wright] buildings, and you go down a narrow hallway, and there’s that big open space, you kind of understand what he was going for and why it’s so important,” said Vivien Lasken, the Fabyan Villa and Japanese garden director.
The villa then became the Fabyans’ permanent home until George Fabyan’s death in 1935 and Nelle Fabyan’s death in 1939.
Parts of their personal collections can be seen while touring the historic building, such as the Fabyan mummy (realistic but fake) and a Samurai suit.
Estate Grounds
The historic Riverbank Estate was often known for its luxurious, yet unique, attractions that could be found on the approximately 300-acre property. Some of these peculiar items can still be seen on the land, including the Fabyan Windmill which was featured in a previous blog post.
The bear and monkey cages, which were once part of the Fabyans’ private zoo, still remain on the estate. You can venture into these old animal homes as you walk the grounds.
The Fabyans also had a Japanese garden planted on the property. After their deaths, it went through a long period of disrepair, but eventually, the garden was beautifully restored in a similar fashion to the original.
Unfortunately, some items built on the estate no longer exist such as the Roman swimming pool, the barns, the gazebo, and much more.
Riverbank Laboratories History
Across the street from the Fabyan Villa are three buildings built as part of the Riverbank Laboratories: The engineering building, the acoustics laboratory, and the lodge.
“I think the biggest thing they accomplished here at Fabyan would be the code breaking that happened across the street at the Riverbank Laboratories,” said Lasken.
The laboratories first began because of Col. Fabyan’s interest in determining if Sir Francis Bacon had written the Shakespeare plays. Fabyan hired a team of code breakers to investigate the works of Shakespeare to see if any hidden messages could be found. After several years of work, their research was inconclusive.
During World War One, Fabyan used his team of code breakers to train members of the military on how to break codes. The Riverbank Laboratories housed a team of both men and women that worked with codes and cyphers during the war.
“This place is occasionally hailed as the first place of United States code breaking because it was so instrumental,” said Lasken.
Visiting
Whether to learn about the lifestyle, architecture or science involved with the Riverbank Estate, tours of the historic Fabyan Villa and its grounds can give you a great insight into Northern Illinois’ past.
“Learning about these small, personal histories is important to understanding history of a broader scale which I think is a big service house museums provide,” said Lasken.
The Fabyan Villa is open May 5 to Oct. 13 for 45-minute guided tours.
Wednesday 1-4 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday 1-4:30 p.m.
Self-guided tours through the historic building are also available from June to August.
Thursday 1-4 p.m.
More information
Use these links to learn more about the Fabyan Villa’s history and architecture.
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