New Englander Henry Hoyt Hilton arrived in Chicago in 1894 to open an office for Ginn & Company, which at one time was the largest textbook publisher in the country. He rose to become president of the firm and made quite a life for himself in Chicago, serving as a trustee of the Chicago Theological Seminary, enjoying membership in the Union League Club, and residing in a Federal-style residence designed by architect Howard Van Doren Shaw. That Hyde Park house is now on the market at $3.1 million.

Born in Chicago and trained at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Shaw was a contemporary of Frank Lloyd Wright, who regarded his work as old-fashioned. He dissed one Shaw house with the remark, “I utterly failed to imagine entering it other than in a costume.” Nonetheless, Shaw had no trouble attracting clients who appreciated his traditional architectural styles.

Designed in 1911, the former Hilton residence at 5638 South Woodlawn Avenue sits in the shadow of the First Unitarian Church (and just blocks from Wright’s Robie House). Measuring 8,000 square feet over three floors, the red brick home, with its deeply recessed front door capped with a fanlight, has six bedrooms (five with en suite baths) and ample living space, including a roomy library and formal dining room, plus contemporary areas such as an exercise room and, on the third floor, a monster family room.

The home combines updates (renovated bathrooms, a chef’s kitchen) with the period charm of wood paneling, a butler’s pantry, and three fireplaces. The primary bedroom features a large walk-in closet and a separate sitting room. There’s an office off the kitchen and a deck on the third floor. No problem finding a quiet spot to read here.