Spooky Surprises Coming 10/30-11/1

We’re so glad you asked. In 1927, Harley Lymon Clarke commissioned and built a family mansion on the Evanston lakefront, right next to the famous Grosse Point Lighthouse.

Nearly 100 years later, in 2025, the City of Evanston awarded Celadon Company a 40-year lease to redevelop, restore, and operate this historic property as an event venue to serve the community. Yes, a lot of things did happen in between, but we’re focused on the future here! The rich history of the property deserves a bright future and we’re planning an event venue as legendary as the property itself.

The new event property will be restored to its original grandeur with the authentic landscapes of Jens Jensen, the preservation of as many architectural details as possible from original architect Richard Powers, and the inclusion of accessible facilities, an ice cream shop, a restaurant, and modern amenities.

A historic redevelopment of this magnitude takes time. We’re working closely with preservationists and the City of Evanston to create a lasting community venue. We expect to start construction in the fall of 2026 and open for tours and events in late 2027. 

We will post news on this site and in our email newsletter as soon as we know it. In the meantime, check out the next question!

The land surrounding The Harley Clarke Mansion is one of the most beloved areas of the Evanston lakefront. We are working with Jens Jensen Gardens in Evanston on a multi-year plan to bring back the historic landscape and gardens of Jens Jensen. You can see their work at the coach house on our south border.

This summer, before construction starts, we are inviting community members to visit our lawns and get a taste of what’s to come with temporary pavilions offering coffee, ice cream, and our own Harley Clarke Beer Co. to guests. We hope to be open from mid-June as long as the weather cooperates. We will post hours on our Instagram page and on signs at the property.

Please follow us on Instagram and join our email list to get the latest updates,

Yes. Yes we did. We’re thrilled to partner with C&W Ice Cream of Evanston to provide a selection of Wonder-Chill Ice Cream favorites starting in July. We also will be hosting  Coffee Pop-Ups this Summer from temporary pavilions on the grounds.

You must be reading our mind. We have partnered with a local brewer to develop a signature line of Harley Clarke Beers.

On weekend nights this summer, we plan to offer a curated selection of Harley Clarke Beer on our East Lawn. Watch our Instagram for more details, times, and dates to follow.

This is by far our most popular question. And if we knew the answer we would tell you right now! Our best guess is that the first indoor event at The Harley Clarke Mansion will take place sometime in 2027, but we cannot commit to booking events until we’ve cleared a few more milestones in the development process.

We WILL post information about event bookings on our website as soon we can. If you sign up for our email, we promise you’ll be the first to know.

It’s also good to share that we hope to be able to host events of all shapes and sizes at The Harley Clarke Mansion from full size weddings to smaller professional and community get togethers.

Celadon Partners was awarded a multi-decade lease to redevelop and operate The Harley Clarke Mansion as part of an extensive review and bid process in 2025. Since then we’ve nicknamed ourselves, “The Harley Clarke Development Company” and we’ve initiated key partnerships throughout the Evanston community to ensure that we stay true to our proposed vision: To create a welcoming space that fosters connections, creativity, and collaboration. The Harley Clarke Development Company is committed to revitalizing this historic mansion into a distinctive and innovative community gathering place and event venue.

All in good time! Our plan is to develop a truly wondrous and inviting destination that provides wonder-filled, simple moments for the local community, wildly-enchanted experiences for guests from throughout the Chicagoland area, and legendary lakefront events and gatherings.

When we say, “Wonders. Never Cease.” it is part of our commitment to bringing this Lakefront Legend back to life in a lasting and engaging manner.

We started an email address, AskHarley@TheHarleyClarkeMansion.com to try and answer more questions. To be honest, we don’t know everything yet and we are asking for your patience when it comes to learning more about future event bookings and hiring details. We will do our best to reply to your emails on a regular basis, but our standard answer is, “We don’t know yet! We will make announcements on Instagram and in our community email marketing as soon as we know more!” 

Thank you for reading this far. We look forward to a bright future at 2603 Sheridan Road!