[11][12][13] Architects of the time who attempted to create pure examples of the style emulated the features of the 16th Century chateaux of the Loire Valley in France, usually sheathing the buildings with limestone and decorating them with elaborate Renaissance carving.

Perhaps the best example of this style remaining in Chicago is the house at 1801 S. Prairie Ave.[14] (see picture) that was designed in 1890 by Solon Spencer Beman and built for the piano manufacturer William W. Kimball at a reputed cost of one million dollars.

Certainly the best example ever built in the United States is the 225-room Biltmore House (1888–1895), the home of George Washington Vanderbilt II constructed in Asheville, NC, which was also designed by Hunt.

The house is open to the public by docent-led tours, featuring a walk through the library, dining room, kitchen, and great hall which are decorated with period furnishings and artwork once belonging to the Dawes family.

The EHC also runs public events, workshops, lectures, and a research room containing documents, books, photographs, maps and other historical archival material related to Evanston history.www.evanstonhistorycenter.org