It all started with a television set. In 1989, Dollard Carey was living on the 1200 block of Woodbine in Oak Park when he purchased a large TV. That led to his then wife saying that the couple needed a larger house.
Luckily, Carey knew JoAnn Gagliardo of the Gagliardo Realty family, and she knew of a house that was going to be listed in River Forest. The house was in need of renovations, but Carey was taken with the exterior, which resembled a French farmhouse.
Built in 1939, the home had only had one set of owners before Carey purchased it. Architect Jerome Cerny designed the house for the Righeimer sisters. None of the three sisters ever married. Eva was employed as an office clerk, and Lucy and Dolly were Chicago public school teachers. It’s possible that an inheritance from their wealthy uncle enabled the three sisters to buy the home on their modest incomes…