Beverly Unitarian Church Peace Pole - Beverly, IL
Posted by: 
adgorn
N 41° 42.428 W 087° 40.288
16T E 444136 N 4617478
Out of the corner of my eye I spotted this PP, while driving through the delightful Chicago neighborhood of Beverly.
Waymark Code: WMH95W
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 06/09/2013
Views: 3
Located at Beverly Unitarian Church 10244 S. Longwood Drive • Chicago IL
The church is housed in the historic Castle, which was built by Robert C. Givins in 1886/1887. More from (
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"The Irish Castle was built from 1886 to 1887 under the direction of Robert C. Givins, a highly successful real estate developer and Renaissance Man. According to legend, Givins sketched an ivy-covered, medieval castle situated on the River Dee, between Dublin and Belfast, in his ancestral Ireland. On a ridge overlooking Longwood Drive, the three-story castle, with its three crenellated towers, was built of limestone from quarries near Joliet on about 3 1/2 acres. The fifteen beautifully furnished rooms were decorated with rich tapestries, elegant chandeliers, and big copper gaslights; they were warmed with tiled fireplaces and were lit with stained glass windows. An exceptional window on the second floor, which bears the motto Dum Spiro Spero, or While I breathe, I hope, was dedicated to the Rev. Saltern Givins, Robert C. Givins' father. The original carriage house for the castle lies just northwest, by Seeley Avenue, although its exterior and interior have been extensively remodeled.
There were five important Castle keepers: the Givins family, the Chicago Female College, the Burdett family, the Siemens family, and Beverly Unitarian Church. The Givins family lived there on and off from 1887 to 1909. The Chicago Female College, a prestigious high school for girls, rented the Castle from 1895 to 1897. The Burdett family lived in the Castle from 1909 to 1921. John B. Burdett, a manufacturer, and his wife Jessie had the Castle wired for electricity, installed additional radiators, and added an elegant porte-cochere onto its north side. Dr. Miroslaw Siemens, a prominent physician, and wife Bonnie purchased the Castle in 1921. Dr. Siemens was a founder of the Ukrainian National Museum and led the committee that established the Ukrainian Pavilion of the Chicago World’s Fair of 1933-34. The Siemens family lived in the Castle from 1921 to 1942, when the Castle was purchased by Beverly Unitarian Fellowship."
Eight languages on four sides!