Kennicott Grove was originally about 250 acres (100 ha) of heavily wooded land with several ponds.
The house, first built in 1856, has seen a number of additions and renovations.
A south room and a kitchen wing branch off from a large rectangular building.
The south room was added some time before 1878.
A porch surrounding it was added around 1920.
The exterior of the house features few details.
The only decoration is in the treatment of eaves and some patterns around the second floor windows; it is otherwise plain board and batten.
This type of siding is unusual in Illinois and distinguishes it from nearby architecture.
The design was probably influenced by the popularity in the 1850s of works by Andrew Jackson Downing and Alexander Jackson Davis.
Downing was an acquaintance of John Kennicott and may have been involved in the design, although the boxiness of the main section is unusual for a typical Downing house.

In 1973, a real estate group attempted to purchase a portion of The Grove's lands for a residential development project.
The prompted the formation of the Save The Grove Committee, who attempted to have the site recognized by the National Park Service (NPS).
Their efforts succeeded when the property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 13, 1973.
Zenith made a 6-acre (2.4 ha) donation of land to Glenview in July 1974, including the main house.
By the next February, Glenview had extended the acquisition with an additional 30 acres (12 ha).
The Save the Grove Committee became the Grove Heritage Association in 1976, following recognition of the site by the NPS as a National Historic Landmark on January 7.
With $1,000,000 in funds from the state and federal government, another 82 acres (33 ha) were added by the fall of 1979.
The last major purchase came in 1995, when another 41 acres (17 ha) were added.

The Grove Heritage Association has led efforts to maintain the property.
The original house was restored in 1983 and the schoolhouse followed in 1987.
New buildings were added to the campus to improve the educational value: an interpretive nature center was built in 1989 and a replica Potawatomie loghouse opened in 1997.
The most recent addition was a fireproof and waterproof archives building to store family papers and artifacts.
Approximately 200,000 visit The Grove each year.
Kennicott Grove was originally about 250 acres (100 ha) of heavily wooded land with several ponds. The house, first built in 1856, has seen a number of additions and renovations. A south room and a kitchen wing branch off from a large rectangular building. The south room was added some time before 1878. A porch surrounding it was added around 1920. The exterior of the house features few details. The only decoration is in the treatment of eaves and some patterns around the second floor windows; it is otherwise plain board and batten. This type of siding is unusual in Illinois and distinguishes it from nearby architecture. The design was probably influenced by the popularity in the 1850s of works by Andrew Jackson Downing and Alexander Jackson Davis. Downing was an acquaintance of John Kennicott and may have been involved in the design, although the boxiness of the main section is unusual for a typical Downing house.
In 1973, a real estate group attempted to purchase a portion of The Grove's lands for a residential development project. The prompted the formation of the Save The Grove Committee, who attempted to have the site recognized by the National Park Service (NPS). Their efforts succeeded when the property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 13, 1973. Zenith made a 6-acre (2.4 ha) donation of land to Glenview in July 1974, including the main house. By the next February, Glenview had extended the acquisition with an additional 30 acres (12 ha). The Save the Grove Committee became the Grove Heritage Association in 1976, following recognition of the site by the NPS as a National Historic Landmark on January 7. With $1,000,000 in funds from the state and federal government, another 82 acres (33 ha) were added by the fall of 1979. The last major purchase came in 1995, when another 41 acres (17 ha) were added.
The Grove Heritage Association has led efforts to maintain the property. The original house was restored in 1983 and the schoolhouse followed in 1987. New buildings were added to the campus to improve the educational value: an interpretive nature center was built in 1989 and a replica Potawatomie loghouse opened in 1997. The most recent addition was a fireproof and waterproof archives building to store family papers and artifacts. Approximately 200,000 visit The Grove each year.
Kennicott Grove