Mayslake Peabody Estate

Mayslake Peabody Estate at Mayslake Forest Preserve in Oak Brook is a thriving community space for people to connect to nature and one another through art, culture and history. Visitors can experience the grandeur of Mayslake Hall at one of several art, history and cultural programs offered throughout the year.

Mayslake Hall

In 1919 Francis Stuyvesant Peabody commissioned renowned Chicago architect Benjamin Marshall to design the Tudor Revival-style mansion known today as Mayslake Hall. The style reaches back to England’s Tudor period as a revival of the timber-frame buildings popular at that time.

After his death in 1922 Peabody’s family sold the 840-acre estate to the Franciscan Province of the Sacred Heart, order of Friars Minor, in 1926. The hall became a retreat house, and the order sold sections of the estate over time. The last 89 acres including Mayslake Hall and the Portiuncula Chapel was sold to the Forest Preserve District in 1993.

Today, the Forest Preserve District is working to restore Mayslake Hall, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The hall currently serves as a venue for architectural tours, lectures, nature related art classes and performances throughout the year. 

Sections of the hall are available to host an event. 

Portiuncula Chapel

The Portiuncula Chapel is a replica of the original in Assisi, Italy, which is named for the “little portion” of land where St. Francis of Assisi received his call to serve the poor. The front features a colorful stone mosaic.

After Peabody’s death, his family commissioned the Franciscans to build the chapel as a memorial to the late industrialist in 1926. The order moved the chapel to its current location in 1973.

The chapel is available to host an event, including weddings, baptisms, memorial services and other special ceremonies.  

Photography

Commercial and portrait photography in DuPage forest preserves requires a valid still portrait photography permit in the photographer's possession. Please see the photography page or call Visitor Services at 630-933-7247 for more information.

Driving Directions

Nature Art & Culture

Mayslake Peabody Estate hosts nature-inspired art classes and exhibits, lectures about architecture, culture and history, and concerts by jazz and classical musicians. First Folio Theatre performs outdoors in the summer and indoors over other seasons.  

Peabody’s Pages Book Club Three-Part Discussion
Meet in Mayslake Hall’s 100-year-old library for these enriching meetings, where you’ll discuss great reads with fellow book fans! Ages 18 and up. $5 per person for all three discussions. Register online or at 630-206-9568.

Tree Spirit Woman Eight-Part Program
Work on collages and mixed media projects in an inspiring studio-style class with weekly discussions and demonstrations designed to further composition skills and collage techniques. Ages 18 and up. $125 per person. Register online or at 630-206-9566.

Acappellago
Enjoy Escape to ... an Old-Fashioned Christmas with music reminiscent of handmade Christmas gifts, candles on the tree, togetherness, and simple gatherings with friends and relatives. Ages 12 and up; under 18 with an adult. $15 – $17 per person. Purchase tickets at acappellago.org or 708-762-3140.

Holiday Presentation by Sinfonietta Bel Canto
Enjoy this chamber orchestra’s special holiday presentation, a staged production of the beloved famous opera Hansel & Gretel by Humperdinck. The presentation will be accompanied by a 30-piece orchestra, sung in German with projected English translation, and staged with props and costumes. Hansel & Gretel is a classic fairytale, great for adults and kids of all ages, with gingerbread men, an odd witch, and fairies. All ages. $24 per adult; $7 per student or child accompanied by an adult. Purchase tickets at sinfoniettabelcanto.org.

Restoration

Restoration-in-Progress Tours
Learn about the past and future of this historic 1920s Tudor Revival-style mansion at these 45- to 60-minute tours. All ages; under 18 with an adult. $8 per person. No reservations but for groups of eight or more. Questions? Call 630-206-9566. 

Our Friends of the Forest Preserve District appreciate your donations to restore Mayslake Hall's staircase and other projects. Mayslake Hall is being restored to meet the U.S. Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation to preserve our shared heritage. 

Help Us Restore Mayslake
Mayslake Peabody Estate is a thriving community space for cultural history, art and theater. Your support will help Mayslake Peabody Estate remain a beautiful place to experience popular cultural programs and historic architecture.

Art Exhibits

Mayslake Nature Study and Camera Club exhibit
Take in an exhibit that highlights the nature photography. Art changes every two months so plan to stop in again!

Chicago Alliance of Visual Artists exhibit (CAVA)
View the Winter Exhibit of CAVA. Free. Under 12 with an adult.

Mayslake Peabody Estate features rotating exhibits throughout the year. All ages. Free. No registration. Questions? Call 630-206-9566.