The Backyard Tourist

Savanna, Illinois

There are historic houses that tell you exactly what life was like in another era.

And then there is Havencrest.

Perched on a hill above the Mississippi River town of Savanna, Illinois, Havencrest Castle is something altogether different. It is part mansion, part art installation, part fantasy, part memorial — and perhaps most importantly, a very tangible love story.

You don’t really tour Havencrest so much as step inside someone else’s imagination.

And that is precisely why I think it belongs on the Backyard Tourist’s list.

A Mansion Built on a Bet

The story actually begins long before Havencrest became a castle.

In the late nineteenth century, Savanna was a prosperous river and railroad community. The Mississippi River and the railroad made it an important commercial center, and some of the town’s wealthier residents were building increasingly elaborate homes.

In 1899, four prominent Savanna businessmen reportedly entered into a wager over who could build the grandest house. All four houses would be designed by local architect Lester Bowen in the Queen Anne style.

The winner, in my opinion, is easy to find.

The house that became Havencrest was built for Francis S. Greenleaf and his wife, Margaret. Construction began in 1899 and was completed in 1901.

Called Hillcrest, the mansion was built from local brick and Indiana limestone brought in by rail.

And this was not simply a big Victorian house.

It was technologically modern for its time.

The house had electricity, indoor plumbing and two bathrooms at a time when those were still luxuries. Margaret even had a marble sink with hot and cold running water in her bedroom. The dining room featured a Tiffany chandelier and a coffered oak ceiling with small lights tucked between the beams.

It was a statement house for a prosperous family in a prosperous town.

But the story of Havencrest was only beginning.

From Hillcrest to Havencrest

The Greenleaf family lived in the house for decades. Francis died in 1944, followed by Margaret several months later. Their children were scattered around the country, and the furnishings — and eventually the house — were sold.

Some of the home’s most beautiful original architectural features survived, including its fireplaces, stained and beveled glass, sliding doors, brass hardware and elaborate woodwork.

Then, in 1976, the house found its next owners.

Alan and Adrianne St. George.

And this is where Havencrest becomes something you really can’t compare with an ordinary historic house museum.

A Castle Built for Love

Alan and Adrianne had known each other since they were teenagers.

When they purchased the Greenleaf mansion, they didn’t simply restore it.

They reimagined it.

Over the next three decades, the couple transformed the 22-room Victorian mansion into a 63-room world of their own.

There was no architect or interior designer directing the transformation.

Alan and Adrianne designed it themselves.

Room by room. Idea by idea. Artwork by artwork.

The result is Havencrest Castle.

The official history describes it as a tribute to love and art, and that description really does capture what makes the place different.

Alan created sculptures, murals and elaborate decorative elements, many inspired by Adrianne. The couple held galas, costume parties and charity events in the house.

Their home became their canvas.

And Adrianne was its inspiration.

Alan once described their relationship this way:

“When Adrianne entered a room, the lights and music went on, and when she left, the lights and music went out.”

It is difficult to imagine a more personal description of a home.

The House Becomes a Memorial

Adrianne died in 2006.

For Alan, the loss changed everything.

He spent years mourning before returning to his creative work. Eventually he completed the last of the life-sized figures for the ballroom and later began working in bronze and aluminum.

That history matters when you visit Havencrest.

Because what you’re seeing isn’t simply Victorian extravagance.

You’re seeing decades of a couple’s shared life — and one person’s attempt to preserve that love after the other was gone.

The house is filled with art Alan created for Adrianne.

In that sense, Havencrest isn’t just a mansion.

It is a portrait of a marriage.

And Then There’s the Ballroom

If there is one room that seems designed to make you stop in your tracks, it is the ballroom.

The house contains 24 life-sized figures, along with countless sculptures and other works of art created by Alan.

This is where the scale of the St. Georges’ imagination really becomes apparent.

You can look at a traditional historic house and understand why someone built a particular room.

At Havencrest, you may instead find yourself asking: “How did they even think of this?”

That’s part of the fun.

A Castle Full of Stories

Today, the standard tour includes 27 rooms on the first and second floors. I strongly recommend using the audio tour, (unless guided tours are available-Sometimes Alan St. George is on site to greet guests!)

It is narrated by Alan himself and can be accessed on your own phone. Hearing the creator explain the rooms, the art and the stories behind them adds another layer to an experience that can otherwise be almost overwhelming in its sheer volume of detail. (Bring earbuds.)

Give yourself permission to slow down. This isn’t the kind of place where you want to race through the rooms checking them off a list.

Look up. Look down. Look at the woodwork. Look at the sculptures. Look at the objects that seem completely unrelated until you hear the story behind them.

Havencrest rewards curiosity.

The Castle’s Titanic Connection

One of the more unusual elements of Havencrest is its connection to the Titanic.

Alan created Titanic-inspired elements and historically informed reproductions as part of the castle’s elaborate interior environment. Memorial Hall is among the spaces that help tell the story of the St. Georges’ relationship with history, art and remembrance.

And then there are the things that sound almost too strange to be real:

A giant Chippendale chair room.

A Crystal Tower.

Dozens of themed spaces.

Art everywhere.

A five-story mansion that somehow contains 63 rooms.

This is not subtle. Nor is it supposed to be.

The Castle Is Still a Home

Perhaps the most fascinating part of Havencrest is remembering that this isn’t a museum created after the fact.

It was — and remains — Alan St. George’s home and workplace.

The castle also remains connected to his artistic career and Facemakers, the mascot company he founded as a young man. The company eventually created mascots for organizations ranging from Disney and the White House to schools and universities.

So you’re walking through someone’s home, studio, collection and life’s work all at once.

That distinction matters.

If you’re expecting a conventional historic-house museum where a docent explains how people lived in 1905, Havencrest may surprise you.

The Victorian Greenleaf house is still there.

But it has been completely transformed by another family’s story.

How to Visit Havencrest

This is one of those destinations where timing matters.

Havencrest is not open every day.

Public tours are currently offered on weekends in May and October, generally from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the last standard admission at 4 p.m. (havencrestcastle)

The parking lot is at the bottom of the hill. From there you can walk up or take one of the castle’s vehicles to the visitor center.

There is also a limited VIP tour led by Alan St. George himself. It includes additional spaces not included on the standard tour, including the Crystal Tower and giant Chippendale chair room.

Check the official site for the current dates before making the drive.

Make It a Mississippi River Road Trip

Havencrest is one of those destinations that becomes even better when you make it part of a larger trip. Savanna sits along the Mississippi River and the Great River Road, surrounded by some of the most beautiful landscapes in northwestern Illinois.

So don’t just drive to Savanna, tour the castle and drive home. Take the scenic route. Explore downtown Savanna. Check out the antique shops! Look for the town’s historic architecture. Drive along the river.

Visit nearby Mississippi Palisades State Park. Stop for lunch or coffee.

And let the road between destinations become part of the experience.

Because that’s really what the Backyard Tourist is about.

The House That Love Built

I’ve visited plenty of historic houses. I’ve enjoyed working in several historic house museums during my career.

Some homes tell you about architecture.

Some tell you about wealth.

Some tell you about politics or industry or the families who occupied them.

Havencrest tells you something much more personal.

It tells you what can happen when two people make a home their creative expression — and when one of them spends decades trying to preserve the memory of the other.

The Victorian mansion that began as Hillcrest was already remarkable.

But Havencrest became something else entirely.

It became Alan and Adrianne’s world.

Their art.

Their fantasy.

Their memories.

Their love story.

And now, for a few weekends each year, they invite the rest of us inside.

That’s worth taking the scenic route for.

The Backyard Tourist Tip:

Don’t think of Havencrest as a traditional historic house museum.

Think of it as an immersive work of art housed inside a 120-plus-year-old mansion.

And before you go, watch the documentary Adrianne & the Castle if you can. Understanding the St. Georges’ story will give you a completely different perspective when you walk through those doors.

Be prepared to walk up a very steep hill from the parking lot, or wait for the tram to pick you up.

Bring ear buds.

Don’t miss the cute downtown for shopping and lunch!