WILLIAM O. PETERSEN

William O. Petersen, an attorney who created the Black Point Historic Preserve at Lake Geneva, WI, died on March 28. Mr. Petersen, 85, who was born in Chicago, died at Kendall Retirement Community in Hanover, NH of complications from Parkinson's disease. He was the son of Dr. William F. Petersen and Alma Schmidt Petersen. He was a great-grandson of Conrad Seipp, one of Chicago's most successful brewers in the 19th century. It was the summer home built by Conrad Seipp that would become Mr. Petersen's passion. The house, located on Black Point along the south shore of Geneva Lake, WI, was one of the earliest summer homes constructed by Chicago's industrialists. Designed in the Queen Anne style and finished in 1888, it still retains many of the family's original furnishings, which had been brought from the Seipp's home in Chicago. The collection is considered by some to be one of the best examples of pre-Chicago Fire furniture in existence. Mr. Petersen donated the home and all its furnishings to the state of Wisconsin in 2005. He and his wife, the late Jane Jordan Browne, had worked since 1994 to turn their home into a museum. The Black Point Estate opened to an enthusiastic reception from the public in 2007. William Otto Petersen was born on Nov. 28, 1926 and grew up on Astor St. on the near North side. He graduated from the Chicago Latin School in 1944, and then served in the Navy in the South Pacific during World War Two. After the war, he completed his undergraduate and law studies at Harvard University. He practiced law in Chicago for over 40 years, first at The Northern Trust Co., then with the firm of Vedder Price P.C., working with a number of clients including several prominent authors. He is survived by his brothers Edward and Conrad; as well as four nieces and nephews. A burial is planned for May 9 in Graysville, IL, as well as a mid-July memorial service in Lake Geneva, WI.