The Ridge Historical Society
The History of the Graver-Driscoll House – Part 9: The Fenn Family continued
By Carol Flynn
Every house has a history.
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Graver – Driscoll House, owned by the Ridge Historical Society (RHS) at 10621 S. Seeley Avenue, a series on its owners through the years has been on-going.
The house, designed by architect John Todd Hetherington, was built in 1922-23 for Herbert and Anna Graver. Graver was an executive with his family’s business, the Graver Tank Works, and a sports star, having participated in the first Rose Bowl in 1902.
In 1940, the Gravers sold the house to John Grant and Grace Harrison Fenn. The Fenns were discussed in the last two posts. The Fenns owned the house until 1946.
The Fenn daughter, Helen Virginia Fenn Ritter (1918 – 2022), was married in the Graver-Driscoll House on June 12, 1943. The groom was Lt. Alden J. “Buzz” Ritter (1919 – 2014), an Army Air Corps meteorologist.
Although the Fenns only lived in the house for six years, and relocated to Ohio and Florida, Helen formed a lifelong attachment to the house. The Fenn-Ritter family visited the house several times, and donated family heirlooms to the RHS collection, including photos of the house from the 1940s.
In 1988, RHS was honored by a visit from Helen and Buzz Ritter and some of their family. Helen's mother, Grace Fenn, maintained an interest in the house and kept clippings of its acquisition by RHS (1972) and activities through the years. Grace had recently died, and the family returned to Chicago for Grace to be buried in the family plot at Mount Greenwood Cemetery with her husband, who died in 1945, and son Grant, who died in 1951.
Then a few years ago, the family contacted RHS to donate photographic negatives they had saved all these years. The family had a darkroom in the basement of the house during their ownership. The pictures of the house from the time of the Fenn family have helped RHS to envision the original appearance before a fire destroyed some of the interior when the next owners lived there.
Helen Fenn Ritter died at the age of 103 in February, and this past summer, the current generations of the family returned from all over the country to their Chicago roots for a burial service for Helen and Buzz at Mount Greenwood Cemetery. They then made a visit to the Graver-Driscoll House.
The family donated a treasure trove of historical material to RHS, including Helen’s wedding dress and numerous pictures and mementos. RHS is grateful for the support and interest of the Fenn Ritter family.