As Henry Visser, and wife Carol walked through the Dana-Thomas house in Springfield, Illinois, they kept their eyes open for things they could steal. But they weren’t interested in china or jewelry. The payload they were after laid in the house’s symmetrical design, stepped roofs and ribbon windows. It was Frank Lloyd Wright’s unique architectural […]

Before the documentary Wordplay received the Sundance Film Festival buzz, few people understood America’s crossword puzzle passion—except the regulars who do them every day. To help them fill in the blanks, filmmakers Patrick Creadon and Christine O’Malley turned to respected crossword constructor Merl Reagle. For 22 years, Reagle has been a full-time crossword constructor, making […]

Gary Cole uses his workouts at Holmes Place Health Club as an escape from stresses at work—as photography director and sports editor at Playboy magazine—and at home—as a father of six in Evanston. The lifetime Playboy employee began going to Holmes Place (312/467-1111;) in 2005 because of its proximity to his office and its upscale […]

Bill Zanetis owns an apartment on the 11th floor of a new building on Chicago’s Gold Coast. Though the building’s exterior is Art Deco, Zanetis followed his passion for classicism and hired well-known New York designer Eric Cohler to create a Federal-style home with crisp detailing.
The condo has formal spaces, such as a pine-paneled library. […]

Dr. Jim Chambliss practiced medicine as a diagnostic radiologist for more than 35 years. Now in his 60s, he’s given up treating patients—not to retire, but to pursue a new career in medical informatics, information technology systems designed to acquire, store and retrieve health care information.
What makes someone wake up one morning and decide to […]

With just about any purchase these days, you can get back a mother lode of premiums: gift cards, music downloads, etc. What about a purchase whose premiums could feed a family of four or cover the fees for a child to go to school? In its most simplistic terms, that’s the notion behind the principles […]

All those fond memories of summers at the family cottage—no wonder many parents want to give the house to the next generation to enjoy.
Take Carl and Elaine Spencer. They own a private island on Clear Lake, near Minocqua, Wis., about 350 miles north of Chicago. The Spencers have spent about six weeks at Beacon Island […]

We all need a place in our homes to get stuff done. For some, that means faxing, scanning, and printing copious documents; for others, it’s attending to light paperwork. Especially if you’re launching a new career out of the house (after all, you can’t beat the rent), you’ve got work to do. But in […]