The Alfred Toll house

Yesterday I got to go to a lunch at the Alfred Toll house. The house is at 3502 Warwick. It is right next door to the Jacob Loose mansion. Loose of Loose park. The Toll house is a 4 story 15,000 sq ft mansion that was built in 1904. Alfred Toll was a lumber baron, owner of Badger Lumber. The Tolls moved out in the 1920's because the neighborhood was changing. The house was leased to the Art Institute for years and then was vacant and abandoned. It was renovated in the 50's and turned into an office building. It was purchased in 1963 by the Catholic Reporter, a newspaper that currently occupies the house.

Alfred Toll was my great great grandfather. They were very important people. They had lots of money. Lots. His son Phillip, lost it all. My Dad never had very nice things to say about his grandfather. I have often wondered what it must have been like for my grandmother to have grown up early in such privilege, and then to see it all go away in her twenties.

Well the moral of the story is this. Everybody probably has a famous relative if you search hard enough. It doesn't matter who they were. You are you. You will create your own reputation and leave your own legacy, good or bad. Today is our day to live. Let's choose wisely.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.