The George Pick House was designed by Howard Van Doren Shaw in 1915. Located in Highland Park, it was originally sited on a large parcel of land straddling the slope of a ravine. In early 1962, approximately half a year after President Kennedy addressed all American's urging them to build bomb shelters (the Cuban Missile Crisis of a year later reinforced the directive), a swimming pool, pool house, and bomb shelter were added by then owner Gerald Gidwitz and his wife. There are other mid-century renovations still present inside the house, including the intercom system, glazed walls, and drop ceilings on the main level. The property was subdivided in to four separate parcels after being sold by the Gidwitz family in 1978 and is now enclosed by three new houses making the home hardly visible from the main road. The garage was the last addition and dates to the early 1980s.

Architect Shaw is well known for projects including the Lakeside Press, Market Square, Marktown, and his own estate Ragdale. He was a prominent and prolific society architect during his career which spanned from 1895 until his death in 1922. The Pick house is one of many Shaw designs located in the North Shore. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. The current owner of the property is undertaking a renovation, with a tentative completion date of 2023.

Exteriors