 From 1896 to 1906, it was the home of barbed-wire industrialist and robber baron John Warne Gates, better known as "Bet-a-Million" Gates for his gambling excesses.In the early 20th century, it served as the main building for what is today, National-Louis University.It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977, and it was designated a Chicago Landmark on March 18, 1987.