Wide Open Spaces

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Appears in the January 2022 issue.

By Christie Willhite

Given its sweeping open layout with unexpected angles and curves, its blend of stone and wood, and its dramatic walls of windows, the home at 9 Arrowhead Lane in DeKalb appears destined for the property.

Indeed, it was.

Renowned architect and urban planner Harry Weese—known for designing the Metro system in Washington, D.C., and diverse projects in Chicago, including the Time-Life Building, the Metropolitan Correctional Center, and a renovation of the Field Museum of Natural History—planned every detail to integrate the home into the wooded site along a bend in the Kishwaukee River.

“The property was specifically designed to enhance [the land], to bring nature into the home,” said Michele Miller, co-listing agent with Sotheby’s International Realty. “From every angle, every window, you can see trees, the river, the sky.”

Weese took great care to orient the 5,801-square-foot house on the wooded 4.5 acres to preserve specimen trees and provide river views, says co-listing agent Tanya Hamilton. For instance, a cantilevered deck seems to hover above the river, she says.

The main level welcomes visitors into a foyer and great room, with multiple seating and dining areas stretching from a stone fireplace to an open kitchen. The first-floor primary bedroom suite includes a hot tub room overlooking the leaf-shaped outdoor pool and tennis court beyond. 

The second floor features separate wings with two bedrooms and office space as well as loft areas. The wings connect via a walkway, allowing the foyer and great room below to soar to the second-story ceilings. Meanwhile, the lower level offers an additional bedroom as well as space for a game room, rec room, and gathering area.

“One thing that is so unique about the home is the various levels and their design,” Hamilton says. “There are plenty of areas
for a family to work from home, for children to study, for everyone to have their own space. But there’s also plenty of room to gather and plenty of outdoor space that’s perfect for entertaining.” $899,000 | 9 Arrowhead Ln., DeKalb 

Photo by Andrew Miller