MILWAUKEE COUNTY LANDMARKS
River Hills
Lindsay / Stein House
2055 West Dean Road
River Hills
Landmark Designation: 1989
This grand estate was the home of the first President of River Hills, Walter S. Lindsay. Born in Scotland, he came to Milwaukee in 1911 and made his fortune in the Lindsay-McMillan Oil Company which he later sold to Cities Service.
The house was designed by Armand Frank. It had the appearance of a small village rather than a single family residence. The main house with its complex roofline rambles in and out and around the brow of a hill. Nearby, the coach house with its eight car garage continues the picturesque sprawl. A covered passageway with a timber-framed roof connects the coach house with a third building – a “playhouse” which once also contained the boilers for the residence. This charming slate-roofed complex looks over a vast gently-sloping lawn that rolls down to the river bank.
Mr. Lindsay died in 1975, but the house remained within his family for another twelve years. In 1987, when Jack and Joan Stein purchased the property, it was in run-down condition. The Steins invested a considerable amount to bring the 17-room mansion back into first class shape.
Donovan House
1425 West Calumet Court
River Hills
Landmark Designation: 1991
This house, built for the Seaman family between 1929 and 1931, was designed by one of Milwaukee’s outstanding architects, Fitzhugh Scott, as a manor house in the Cotswold style. It features outstanding craftsmanship in all its construction details both inside and out. Julie Orlandini did the ceiling plaster design. Because of its design and workmanship, it is probably the most outstanding example of a large manor-type residence in Milwaukee County.
