In 1924, Hazle Buck Ewing and her husband Davis set off on a yearlong trip around the world. After their return—with a variety of ideas in mind and numerous sketches in hand—they hired Bloomington architect Phil Hooten to design a Channel-Norman-style residence, so favored by the affluent in the post-Victorian period. The house was built on their 6.5-acre home site east of town, which they called Sunset Hill. The architectural style was in keeping with Mrs. Ewing’s interest in nurturing the environment and maintaining all that was natural.
The general contractor was the John Felmley Company, whose workers labored for more than a year to build the $178,000 manor, which featured Wisconsin and Joliet limestone, hand-hewn cypress timbers, and bricks from an abandoned local brewery. Construction was completed in 1929.
The surrounding gardens were created by noted landscape architect Jens Jensen, who also designed Springfield's Lincoln Memorial Gardens. Enhancing the property are the additions of the Moriyama Japanese Garden in 1982 and the Genevieve Green Gardens in 2007.
Hazle Ewing lived at Sunset Hill, so named for the curving road Jansen created to view both sunrise and sunset, until her death in 1969. In her will, she bequeathed the property to the Illinois State University Foundation with the stipulation that it be used as a cultural center to promote international understanding.
Ewing Manor is open to potential clients by appointment only.
