More than a Century of History - The Givens Castle*

"The Castle" was built in 1886 by Robert G. Givens, a very creative and successful real estate promoter turned lucrative novelist. It sprang from a sketch he did of an existing ivy covered castle on the River Dee, between Belfast and Dublin in his ancestral Ireland. Stories reveal it was a romantic surprise for his bride! Over looking Longwood Drive, the three story castle, with its three crenellated towers, was built from limestone hauled from a quarry near Joliet in low, horse drawn wagons. There were originally fifteen beautifully furnished rooms decorated with rich tapestries, lit with stained glass windows, elegant chandeliers and big copper gaslights, and warmed with tiled fireplaces. An exceptional window on the second floor, which bears the motto "Dum Spiro Spero," "While I Live I Hope," was dedicated to the Reverend Salterin Givens whose relationship to Robert was never completely discerned. The original carriage house for the castle lies just west, on Seeley Avenue, although its interior has been extensively remodeled. Apparently, Givens lived in his castle until 1894, then again from 1904 to 1909 when he moved to San Francisco where he died in 1915.

The Chicago Female College located itself in the castle for an unknown length of time, perhaps between 1894 and 1904. John B. Burdett, a manufacturer, purchased the castle in 1909. He had it wired for electricity, installed additional radiators, and added an elegant porte-cochere onto its north side. He sold the castle in 1920, to Dr. Miroslaw Siemans, a physician, who was responsible for obtaining the Ukrainian Pavilion at the Chicago World's Fair in 1933. Dr. Siemans had his office in the castle, which fell on hard times with the coming of the Depression. Dr. Siemans filed bankruptcy in 1935, and the castle was put into a trust in 1937.

The Beverly Unitarian Fellowship bought the castle in 1942. This fellowship was an off-shoot from the Peoples Liberal Church in Englewood and they decided to merge into the Beverly Unitarian Church in 1951. The long awaited modification of the castle's interior was designed and executed by members of this combined congregation. The church school building was erected in 1959.

Presently, "The Givens Castle" is registered at the Smithsonian Institute as a historical landmark.

* Information obtained from http://www.beverlyunitarian.org/givens_castle_history.htm

   Photo courtesy of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beverly,_Chicago