My friend and I had an errand out in this area and decided to see what else there was to see while we were here. This museum (the home of the Hegeler and Carus families, who were involved in a local zinc company and also a publishing house, Open Court Press) is a national historic landmark and is unique because it was owned by the same family the whole time, & they never made any fundamental updates to the house so it's largely as it was when designed by WW Boyington (who also designed Chicago's Water Tower and the old Joliet prison) in the 1870s. Several rooms have been restored, but you can see in areas where it hasn't where time is taking its toll (for example, the main hall was painted with egg tempera paint, and that organic element [the egg] is now degrading after 150 years). Still, the parquet floors are amazing, and details like pocket doors, carved wooden decorations and historical elements like the speaker tube system in the walls for speaking through the house are unusual! The house also contains the only German-style turnhalle (gymnasium) in a historic home in the US. Other interesting details include an ornate butsudan (buddhist cabinet shrine) due to Hegeler's interest in Eastern religions. We just took the general tour ($15), but you can do half house (upper or lower half for $50 each) or whole house tours ($100). The longest one is apparently 3.5 hours with two breaks and children are discouraged since it is long. You must register for the tours as they max out at 6 people. Despite it saying "masks are required" and our temperatures taken at the door, our guide was initially trying to take his mask off to talk and the other couple on the tour followed suit. When my friend and I left ours on, they all put them back on at some point. The rooms do have 6 foot markers on the floors, but since some of the rooms aren't big, if you had a full tour group this would be an issue. There is an elevator so the Mansion is handicap accessible. Overall, this seems to be one of the bigger attractions in LaSalle, so take a tour if you're in town. read more

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This mansion is beautiful and a amazing historic site to see!! The house tour is incredible! I highly recommend going here and learning about this incredible family! read more

Hegeler Carus Foundation - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - La Salle, Illinois

This is an amazing house with an amazing history. And a HUGE thank you to Tricia for her knowledge and Dan for the amazing tour. You cannot find a more amazing house with a more knowledgeable staff. I absolutely love that Dan knew they last family member to own the house and was able to tell us actual family stories! It made the house more real and personal. Not to mention Illinois first private gym! read more

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Really enjoyed the tour. I love history and this was worth the price of admission. The family history and stories that our tour guide, Tricia, told us brought everything to life. These people were absolutely the trend setters of their lifetime, their inventions/contributions will always be with us, and the legacy they left us should be known by all. read more

Hegeler Carus Foundation - Front of the mansion. - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - La Salle, Illinois

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This place is definitely UNDER-rated. My ex and I came here as a last trip before we headed back home to Chicago. This place wasn't too pricey, and the interior and tour were beyond amazing. The tour guide was very friendly and super knowledgeable, and the tour was majorly fascinating. I hope more people support this mansion because it really is a piece of heaven. Especially the workout room (my favorite)!!!! read more

Great tour, highly recommended and will love to come back for the full 4-hours hour. I love the guide tour lady!!! Come and enjoy!! read more

We LOVED this house. We never expected to find this in the middle of Lasalle, IL.. The house is huge and has the ghosts of beauty. The history is just astounding. There are hidden treasures everywhere you look. Also, Trisha, the tour guide, was a total delight. She was knowledgeable and passionate and informative. The only downside I'll comment on is the number of rules. Every historical location has issues with people being handsy or taking photos. To react by banning things seems a bit extreme. The people who grab wallpaper are still going to do it. I really wish I could have taken some non-flash photography to continue researching and examining book names, kitchen gadgets, etc. If you are in the area, this is completely worth stopping by. If this were in Chicago, it would be swarmed with people. Don't miss out! read more

I visited this site with a friend a few days ago. It was just the 2 of us, which was a plus. However I was amazed at the beauty of this house. Yes, it is old, and yes, there were many renovations that are underway, and still need to be done. But almost everything is authentic! You can still see, in spite of the age of the place, the sheer beauty of the place. I would 100% recommend it. We opted for the basic tour which is only the main and one of the upper floors. However we definitely plan to return for the more intensive tour. It's more money, but we agree that it will be worth it. read more

Ditto on detail that was stated here by all the 5 star ratings. If you love old mansions.....don't miss this one! We want to go back in October to experience the (up to 4 hour) tour from attic to basement. Can't wait! read more

The mansion is in the process of being refurbished but still makes for an experience! If you are anywhere near the mansion you need to take the hour out of your day and go see it...you will not be disappointed. Tricia is absolutely amazing and we can not wait to come back for the extended (4 hour) tour!! read more

Please take the time to go to this amazingly beautiful, interesting mansion if you ever get the chance. My husband and I have been on quite a few over the years and this tour was probably the best overall!! It's not the "most" beautiful...yet (it is a "work in progress")or the biggest out of the bunch, but definitely one if the most interesting in so many ways! We were so lucky to have Tricia as our guide who is absolutely adorable and knows more about this house than anyone possibly could. She is so passionate and truly loves what she does! I have 4 teenage boys that want to go back to the "big" tour which is about 4 hours long. That has to tell you something. BTW, Tricia is the only guide I guess that gives this tour ....AWESOME!!! Please go, you won't be disappointed! read more

We took a Girl Scout troop of city girls for a long looked-forward to and planned trip to Starved Rock for a weekend of nature and outdoor activity. Unfortunately, it poured this whole weekend. Scrambling to find something to do, we decided to take the tour not just to say that they did something on the trip. We thought that it will be such a struggle to keep a group of nine teens and preteens interested in a history of an old house but the tour director, Tricia (sp?), totally slayed it. They were so engaged and enthralled; they were totally hooked by Tricia's storytelling and passion for the house and its history. She saved our trip. So worth the money. read more

We loved our visit to the Hegeler Carus Mansion! I strongly recommend it for history and architecture buffs AND for people who have never been to a house museum in the past. Tricia is a fantastic tour guide! read more

What value does Kegan add? Writing newsletters and being a "journalist" for Carus doesn't help the company's financial situation. I've never seen a more wasteful position when we are eliminating so many other jobs. With all of the reductions that we are doing, which implies an impending sale of the company, having someone write newsletters and company propaganda is a joke. What that tells the rest of us is that if you kiss up to Inga, you will have a job. That's not a good message to send to the rest of us who have dedicated many years of our career to the company and are now fearing that we will be laid off next. Bring things back to the way they used to be. When you treated us better and with respect, we met our bonus numbers and the company was profitable. When Inga became CEO and her husband started having a voice in her decisions, or maybe making the decisions, the company began to fail, and employees were treated poorly and disrespected. If you are looking to work at Carus, seriously consider your options unless you need a job. This is a short term company that will probably be sold soon. Only work here if you have no other options, but continue to look for another job while you are here. read more

Stop in for a ton of knowledge on the history of the family and their relationship with the Illinois Valley. As a member of the marketing committee I've gotten to know the house, grounds and current staff and volunteers--well worth the trip. read more

This was the last stop in a week of Mansion tours. This place was huge!! One of the only ones that had alot of work to be done still to restore it. That was actually a high point of this tour. We all got to see what the original setting looked like before the restoration process. Our tour guide, Mike, did a great job and we found out afterwards, it was his first time giving a tour!! So hope it gets some more money to speed up it's restoration. Go see it!! read more

Pros...Tour was about an hour and very educational about the family. You see several rooms on the main level and one has been restored and is breathtaking. The derails in the wood working is breathtaking. Cons.....cost is $10 and you only get to see a small part of the house unless you have a $100 to become a member and than u can arrange for a behind the scenes tour. read more

The house is amazing! We discovered it while visiting over at Starved Rock. The history of the family that built and lived in the mansion is captivating. Be aware that this is a 'work in progress', but that is part of the charm. We've been to the Biltmore and several great houses in the south, but none had any more charm than this one. We will go back just to see the progress. Tricia Kelley, our tour guide, kept the tour lively. Her passion for this house and its history made the difference from what could have been a dry string of facts and dates to an involving narrative that pulled us in to the mansion's story. We'll be back! read more

This a terrific place to visit.....an entertaining and interesting trip back in time. The mansion is filled with many interesting stories...and the docents are top-notch! read more