The Ardleys' Home
How I searched for architectural inspiration and keep historical accuracy
Welcome to Backstage, my supplemental newsletter for historical people, things, places, and events behind my novels. Today, I’ll begin with Moonlight, the first book in my WWII fiction series Rose of Anzio.
Whenever I have to write about buildings and houses in my stories, I always try to make sure that the architectural styles conform to the styles of the era. For inspirations, I also research historical buildings in existence at the time.
The Ann Lurie Mansion
For inspiration of what Anthony’s home might look like, I looked at the Ann Lurie mansion built in 1891. After studying Chicago's history, I thought his family background would be most credible if it was his grandfather, who brought his family to prominence, had originally built their family mansion around the same time when the Ann Lurie mansion was built. (To be clear, Anthony’s home as described in my book is different from the Ann Lurie mansion, but I look to historical buildings to help me decide how to write detailed descriptions of houses and buildings in my stories.)
Today, the Ann Lurie mansion remains one of Chicago's most expensive homes. It was purchased by the Latin School of Chicago in 2017 for $12 million USD.
Evanston, Chicago
When Rose of Anzio first released, I took a trip to Chicago to visit all the places I had written about in Moonlight. For Anthony's family, I thought his home would most likely be at the more upscale neighborhood of Evanston. (In Book Two-Jalousie, he told General Castille he lives in Evanston.)
Evanston is just outside of Chicago, and is easily accessible by Lake Shore Drive. I went there during my trip to see where Anthony’s house might have been in that neighborhood, and to look for houses that might be similar to the home where he lived.
Just as I thought, Evanston was the perfect location for my story. The neighborhood is near Lake Michigan and very idyllic. Here’s a panoramic photo I took:
There seems to be some Chicago old money living there. The houses in this neighborhood are beautiful. I didn’t see any home similar to what I imagined for Anthony’s family, but I found many spots where his home might have been located. Here’s one right across from the lake.
It's hard to see the house in the picture because the place is gated. This house is the closest to how I imagined the Ardley’s home in the story, except it doesn't have the circular driveway. But I can imagine Tessa lying on the grass behind the house with the view overlooking the Lake, in Chapter 1.
Here’s another luxury home in Evanston with a driveway and a gorgeous garden. If the driveway is circular and there’s a swimming pool in the back, then this could be a possibility for my story.
Another beautiful house across from the lake:
Here’s a bike path along the lake. I can imagine Tessa biking around here near where they live.
This is a small beach in Evanston near all the homes I was looking at. This spot was one of the places where the night swimming scene in Chapter 34, Moonlight could have happened.
A couple more pictures of Evanston.