This unique Queen Anne style playhouse was built in 1885 for five-year-old Lucy J. Haskell, daughter of Dr. William A. and Florence Hayner Haskell. It is believed Lucy's grandfather, John E. Hayner, commissioned prominent local architect Lucas J. Pfeiffenberger to design the playhouse. In 1889, at age nine, Lucy died of diphtheria. After Florence Haskell's death in 1932, the Haskell family gave the estate to the City of Alton for educational and recreational purposes, and the playhouse was retained in memory of Lucy J. Haskell. It was designated a National Register Historic Landmark in 1974.