In the early 1800s, Lake Geneva’s biggest draw was waterpower to drive mills. The small town’s fortunes took a turn when it became a fashionable summer retreat for wealthy Chicagoans beginning in the 1850s.
“Lake Geneva entered its golden age when the railroad from Chicago was completed to Lake Geneva in 1871,” explains George F. Hennerley, president of the Lake Geneva Area CVB. “After that, the nouveau riche, during the industrial revolution, built large summer homes around the lake, and we became known as the ‘Newport of the West.’ Rooming houses, camps and social groups sprang up so everyone could enjoy the beautiful area. That continues even now.”
Lake Geneva’s natural beauty is timeless, and its heritage as a Gilded Age escape for the elite brings a touch of bygone glitz to every event.
Historical Houses
Designed to furnish their seasonal inhabitants with every pleasure, the stately summer homes of Lake Geneva are nothing short of breathtaking. Several are available for rentals and make spectacular off-site locations for receptions.
Construction on Maxwell Mansion began in 1856, making it the first of Lake Geneva’s grand estates. The Italianate property, now a five-room hotel, underwent extensive renovations in 2012. Groups as large as 200 can rent the entire mansion. It can welcome 60 for indoor seated events.
The Queen Anne-style Baker House was built in 1885 and later spent years as a school, a sanitarium and a speakeasy. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Baker House can accommodate groups as large as 170 for rentals of the mansion and lakefront gardens.
Black Point Estate served as the summer cottage of Chicago’s greatest beer baron and his family. The Queen Anne mansion is open to the public for tours, and the best way to arrive is via boat, just as the original residents and their guests did in the 19th century. The venue, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is also available for receptions. PageBreak
Revered Resorts
Not everyone could afford to build their own country cottage in Lake Geneva, so luxurious resorts sprang up to house and entertain the increasing crowds of guests. Today they offer meeting space with every amenity, plus a touch of glamour from the past.
Lake Lawn Resort in nearby Delavan has been welcoming visitors since 1883. It has expanded many times over the past 130 years and has received $4 million in renovations in the past two years. The resort offers 32,000 square feet of meeting space.
A mere 50 years old, The Abbey was the largest resort in the Midwest when it was completed. The European-style property, which is completing a $2 million renovation in 2013, offers 334 guest rooms and 40,000 square feet of meeting space.
Hugh Hefner built the Lake Geneva Playboy Club in 1966 on what had been farmland. The men’s entertainment magnate broke ground rather sensationally with dynamite rather than shovels. A symbol of swinging ’60s decadence, the property is now the Grand Geneva Resort. One of only five AAA Four Diamond properties in the state, the Grand Geneva has 355 guest rooms and 62,000 square feet of event space.
While the Geneva Inn wasn’t built until 1990, it occupies the splendid lakeshore location once home to the landmark Shore Club, a favorite hot spot among locals and visitors alike for 40 years. There is meeting space for 300, and groups can take in the same lake views enjoyed by generations of guests.
Venerable Venues
The city’s long history as a popular resort town has endowed it with several one-of-a-kind locations for off-site gatherings.
Built in 1932, Riviera Lakefront Facility once showcased big bands and swing-dancing couples. Today, the ballroom can accommodate groups as large as 400 with magnificent waterfront views. The Arts and Crafts-style Horticultural Hall has hosted gardening clubs and flower-growing societies since 1911. The hall can welcome as many as 200. Both properties are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Geneva Lake Museum is fittingly located in the 1929 Wisconsin Power & Light building. The museum showcases the town’s long history from its early Potawatomi inhabitants through the 19th and 20th centuries. The North Gallery can welcome 100 for receptions. PageBreak
The newest way to appreciate maritime history and the beauty of Geneva Lake is with a group dining experience at Pier 290. Founded in 2012 by the owners of Lake Geneva Cruise Lines, the restaurant is located right on the pier and along the lakeside walking path. The building incorporates many pieces of local history, including doors from the first mansion built along the lake and a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed hotel, the floor from a summer house on the Wrigley Estate and butternut wall paneling salvaged from a house on the property of Lake Lawn Lodge. Best of all, the owners are collecting boating artifacts with the intention of opening a museum of Geneva Lake maritime history. Pier 290 can seat 70 indoors and 100 outdoors.
History in Action
Experiencing history in Lake Geneva is as simple as going for a walk.
“Groups can take a historic walk, a lakefront walk on the 26-mile public walking path around the lake,” Hennerley says. “Downtown Lake Geneva, as well as the Maple Park District, are on the National Register of Historic Places and Lake Geneva was named one of a Dozen Distinctive Destinations in 2009 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.”
More structured activities include private cruises on a historic boat with Lake Geneva Cruise Line. The restored Steam Yacht Louise has been plying the waters of Geneva Lake since 1902 and can welcome 50. The 40-person Yacht Polaris was built in 1898 for one of Lake Geneva’s many millionaires, and the stunning, mahogany-trimmed Lorelei, built in 1954, can accommodate 14. The cruise line also offers a combination walking tour and boat ride that begins with an eight-mile walk literally through the yards of many of the most fabulous lakeside mansions.
Kelly Crumrin is a frequent contributor to Meetings Focus. The Victorian era is her favorite period of history.
