THE PATTEN HOUSE
Breathing New Life into a Historic Treasure
An old gem on Second Street in downtown Geneva has received a facelift! The Patten House, located on the corner of Second and Campbell, opened this past June after over a year of renovations. Owner Nancy Luyten, a St. Charles resident, transformed this historic house, bringing it back to its former glory. “I had been looking all over the Fox Valley area and decided that if I found the right venue, in the right area, I’d get back into the restaurant business,” Luyten explains. “I looked three times before I realized that the Patten House had everything I was looking for.”
The project was quite extensive. Luyten kept the integrity of the house, but worked from top to bottom redoing the windows, floors, taking out old plaster, and exposing the natural brick throughout the house. What was once a swimming pool has now been filled in and replaced with a patio, perfect for outside dining! The exterior needed major landscaping and a deck and porch were added on, wrapping around much of the outside of the house – making extra seating available for patrons.
With its smoky gray molding, eclectic design, granite bar, and stunning crystal chandeliers, the Patten House has come a long way since Luyten purchased it back in March of 2013. To add some fresh flavor in the western suburbs, the Patten House is serving up something unique. “There isn’t a New Orleans styled restaurant in the area and the house suits the menu perfectly,” Luyten enthuses. “There’s something for everyone, from light appetizers, sandwiches, salads, and full entrées.” As if the menu didn’t stand alone as an elite offering, the bar is stocked full of craft beers and small vineyard wines - most of which are not found in your local liquor store.
Although Luyten was at the heart of this massive project, she credits her employees, contractors, and the community of Geneva for the successful overhaul of the Patten House. “This was a full community project and it was not a one-person job,” she shares. “It was definitely a labor of love and the house is incredible. It just needed some TLC.”
-Danielle Fitzpatrick Clark,
Features Writer , Photos by Mike Mantucca
