This house was built in 1920 for Russell and Kathleen Lord. Russell Lord was president of Ayer & Lord Tie Co., which manufactured railroad crossties. He had served as a captain of artillery with the 33rd Division in World War I; locally, Lord also served a term as a Lake Forest alderman in 1922. After Lord died at a young age in 1925, his wife and two small daughters continued to reside here. Kathleen Lord became a partner in Lake Forest’s second realty company after purchasing a firm (Lord & Rayner) with Gilbert Rayner. Since she and her daughters also spent a good portion of their time traveling, in 1934 it was leased to Scott Bromwell and Mari Smith Bromwell. Like their predecessor, the Bromwells were very involved in the town goings-ons. Bettering the lives of women and children was an important cause for Mari Bromwell, who was involved in both the YWCA and Arden Shore. Kathleen Lord returned to the house in 1943 and would occupy it through the 1960s.
According to earlier real estate listings, the house features a mantlepiece from the old Ritz Hotel in New York.