'Ferris Bueller' home features work of Chicago textile artist Ben Rose, private art collection

The Ferrari isn't parked there anymore, and the glass windows are no longer shattered.

But the pavilion at the Highland Park home still evokes the same jaw-dropping feeling as the moment in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," when Cameron's dad's beloved car goes flying out the glass windows into the ravine below.

The 5,300 square-foot estate at 370 Beech St. made famous in the 1986 film is now for sale with a listing price of $2.3 million.

Sudler Sotheby's International Realty listed the four-bedroom, four-bathroom estate on the market May 18, said Meladee Hughes, the real estate agent listing the home.

The Ferris Bueller film crew set up a rail in the pavilion, which is behind the estate's main house, to roll the car out the windows in the scene. Four fiberglass versions of the Ferrari were used in the film to model the rare car, Hughes said.

“Because they were fiberglass, they didn’t burn when they crashed, so they had to use smoke bombs to create the scene you see in the movie,” Hughes said.

But the estate is more than a memorial to 1980s pop culture.

“It’s a historic landmark,” said Diane Redding, of Fairfield Design, who prepared the home for its viewings.

The estate belonged to Ben and Frances Rose. Ben Rose was a textile artist whose work is featured at the Art Institute of Chicago. The Roses' private art collection is on display at the home, as is many of Ben Rose's textile designs, which the couple used throughout both buildings.

Ben and Frances Rose lived in the home until their deaths. Ben Rose died in 2004 and Frances Rose remained there with a caregiver until her death earlier this year.

"It's an art collector's dream," said Redding, who also worked as an art curator for 10 years.

Almost the entire home is encased in floor-to-ceiling windows. Even the bathrooms have an open skylight in the roof.

Ben Rose often used one of the front rooms as his drawing room, Redding said. The Roses kept their painting supplies in the pavilion.

“He used nature as an inspiration for many of his designs and living here, he was surrounded by it,” Redding said. “It’s like a secluded retreat.”

A. James Speyer, a well-known American architect, built the estate’s main house. David Heid was Speyer’s first graduate student, and he built the pavilion behind the home. Both structures have won numerous architectural awards.

The floors and walls are all built with natural materials. Much of the floor is a cork in a neutral brown color.

“There is a certain tonality to the home,” Redding said. “It’s a philosophy of sorts—to just stay in tune with nature.”

Much of the furniture used by Ben and Frances Rose is still in the home. The style throughout the home is mid-century modern, Redding said.

“The air and light is used in a very meaningful way throughout the house,” Redding said. “It takes you to another place, where you can hear your own thoughts. It’s a very spiritual space.”

The kitchen includes the original two-deck oven that was put into the home when it was built in 1953, Redding said.

“At that time, it was the crème de la crème,” she said. “They loved it.”

He and his wife also collected art and rare vintage cars. His award-winning collection included an Alpha Romeo, a BMW 400 and others.

Ben Rose kept his cars in the pavilion behind his home, which is also encased in glass. Two glass doors in the front of the pavilion open up for the cars to enter.

Sotheby International is setting up private showings for the estate. A Ferrari club toured the house before it went on the market.

The house sits on three-quarters of an acre.

“There will never be another house built on the ravine like this again,” Hughes said.

Sotheby International is marketing the house’s sale around the world, Hughes said.

“This is the kind of property that needs international attention,” she said. “This is a collector’s property. There's been a lot of interest. It won't last long."

By Tara May Tesimu | Triblocal.com reporter




 

The pavilion from a scene in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" is up for sale in Highland Park.	The estate includes the personal art collection of Ben Rose, a textile artist who died in 2004.	The pavilion includes a sitting area.
Ben Rose and his wife, Frances Rose, collected vintage cars. The photo shows the couple in one of the cars from their collection.	Diane Redding, who set up the house for viewings, shows the kitchen, which features a curtain designed by Ben Rose.

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