List Price: $2.99 million
Sale Price: $2.88 million
The Property: Gunther Trieb, the new president of the Sears brands Kenmore, Craftsman, and DieHard, has bought this 17-room mansion in the heart of Winnetka. The sale closed August 25th, four days after Sears Holding Corp. announced that it had recruited Trieb to “grow the value of the company’s major brands.”

Built in 1912, the red brick house has a commanding two-story circular bay on the back, with a broad balcony on top that affords views over the trees to Lake Michigan, which is three blocks away. Because the house sits sideways to its street and at the north end of its lot, the Palladian windows of that bay (on the south side of the house) look out across more than a quarter acre of lawn, oak trees, terrace, and swimming pool. In all, the lot encompasses almost half an acre.

The architect, whose name was not recorded, “set the house to make maximum use of light and [natural] ventilation throughout the house,” says Blanche Romey, who was both the home’s seller and listing agent. “I’ve only used the air conditioner one day this summer.”

The house has seven bedrooms, a three-room coach house, and lovely gardens. It is a short walk to either of two public Winnetka beaches and the village’s charming downtown area and train station.

Gunther Trieb, who did not respond to a request for an interview, comes to Sears from Procter & Gamble, where he worked for 24 years. Most recently, he had been posted in Bern, Switzerland, as vice-president of P&G’s feminine-care business unit in Western Europe.

Price Points: Romey paid $1.65 million for the house in 1998; in subsequent years, she renovated the kitchen and most of the six-plus bathrooms, and added the pool and terrace. With her children grown, Romey initially listed the house for sale in March with an asking price of $3.195 million. She later dropped the price to $2.99 million.

Listing Agent: Blanche Romey, BRE Sotheby’s International Realty, 847-446-4200