Gloria J Zucaro, First Friday Feb. 3 Opening and Exhibit.

Hi everyone,

I am madly preparing for my first two-man gallery show at The Dole Mansion in Crystal Lake Illinois.  I have about 65 paintings to varnish,frame-up, inventory, photograph and hang for the First Friday event on February 3rd.  So I have not been posting to my blog since last Friday.   If you are in our area, I would love to meet you.  The opening is from 5PM until 7:30PM.  401 Country Club Rd., Crystal Lake, IL
I am exhibiting with my friend Dotty Carringi who does beautiful pastel paintings.
 Here is a picture of front of the building and a short history.

Dole Mansion

Back in the 1860s, when the town of Crystal Lake was about 25 years old, Charles S. Dole purchased over 1,000 acres of land overlooking the lake. It was his dream to construct an elaborate estate that would reflect his position as a successful businessman. He was an early member of the Chicago Board of Trade, being associated with Armour, Dole & Co. in Chicago. To carry out his plan, he built a three-story mansion with adjoining gardens and stables. European craftsmen were imported to lay parquet floors, fashion archways and carve interior wood work from black walnut trees grown on the property. As a final touch, he brought in Italian artisans to build several marble fireplaces. According to Mr. Dole's obituary, construction costs exceeded $100,000, an enormous amount of money in those days.

During the early 1900s, the property was owned and operated by several different ice companies. Ice was harvested from Crystal Lake and shipped by rail to nearby Chicago. The advent of refrigeration brought about the decline of the ice business. After laying vacant for several years, the property was sold in 1922 to the Lake Development Company. Today The Dole Mansion is owned by the Lakeside Legacy, along with Lakeside center, which is the building connected to The Dole Mansion. Dole mansion is located along the lake, and there is a festival held on the grounds every year.