THE BRIGHT SIDE

 

New Beginnings.
This great place has offices in Elkhorn, Whitewater & Jefferson in southern Wisconsin, which means its services cover all of Walworth and Jefferson County. New Beginnings is as wonderful nonprofit organization that assists individuals who have been through some sort of abuse or violent crime, such as domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, harassment, trafficking, and more. All of their services are free, and these services are offered in English and Spanish.  The outfit assists clients in all age groups, from children to seniors.

On April 2nd New Beginnings is hosting a free community event on the Square in Elkhorn from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be fun activities, such as face painting, tie dying, demon decorating, free snacks, informational booths, and raffles. New Beginnings wants the community to know that they are there to help and, since April is Family Strengthening Month, previously known as Child Abuse Prevention Month) and Sexual Assault Awareness month, this organization thought that a family friendly event would be a good way to kick off the month.  The GSR could not agree more.

 

An iconic Lake Geneva mansion has been torn down.
The iconic Villa Hortensia mansion was demolished by the new owner who bought the property for $17 million. The Mediterranean-style home was built in 1906 for Chicago meatpacking magnate Edward Swift and sat atop about 20 acres of prime lakefront land. Architect Howard Van Doren Shaw, a leader of the American Craftsman movement, designed Villa Hortensia. The home’s name was paying homage to Swift’s wife, Hortense. The property sits on prime lake frontage on Geneva Lake. The teardown marks one of the priciest residential demolition projects ever in the Chicago area. The property featured three houses, a service building, and 500 feet of lake frontage. Rehabbing the mansion would have cost three times as much as building a new home, which led to the decision to tear down the mansion.

Mr. Conlon, out of Chicago and Florida, bought the estate for a reported 17 million dollars.  What he’s going to do with it is unknown at this time.  The Gage Marine tour boats will have one less mansion to report about and share with visiting guests.

Tina Trahan, the owner of Stone Manor, heard about the sale only after the teardown began.  She purportedly would have purchased the estate and rebuilt it back to its former splendor.  Tina was born on the edges of the lake and wants to keep as many of the estates as they were when she was growing up.  A lot of citizens around the lake support that idea.  The GSR does too.  Tina is terrific!

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