Pleasant Home was designed by George W. Maher in 1897 for Chicago banker John Farson. It was in designing Pleasant Home that George Maher perfected his own version of Prairie architecture. Situated in Mills Park, the home was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 and deemed a National Historic Landmark in 1996. Owned by the Park District since 1939, it was used by many organizations for numerous community events until the Pleasant Home Foundation opened Pleasant Home as a museum in 1990. Due to the age of this landmark, it does not have air conditioning.

In order to allow the Park District to preserve and protect the architectural features including the walls, woodwork, and historical elements as well as increase programming, special events and tours in the summer for guests locally and internationally, the Park District installed a Geothermal System. This system is an environmentally friendly system that uses renewable energy which results in a significant costs savings and reduces our carbon footprint.

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