This property was originally part of the 1875 Calvin Durand estate “Merrie Meade,” at 600 Mayflower. Durand (1840-1911) was a Civil War veteran, wholesale grocery magnate, Lake Forest mayor, and local philanthropist (Calvin Durand Commons at Lake Forest College was named in his honor).
In the years following Durand’s death in 1911, his family moved out of the house and eventually sold it to Oliver Wilson in 1920. Wilson brought in renowned eclectic architect David Adler to remodel the estate, including the construction of this building at the entrance to the property. It served as a coach house with apartments for staff.
In 1929 the estate was sold to the Edward J. Bermingham family, who had the former Merrie Meade main house torn down in 1939 to subdivide the property. This coach house, renumbered 929 Spring Lane, was converted by illustrator Milo Winter into a separate residence and studio in the late 1940s; architect Ralph Milman carried out the renovations. The property would undergo another significant alteration in the 1990s, when a second story was added.