1992 Winter Newsletter

1992 Winter Newsletter

Lake Forest Preservation Foundation NEWSLETTER Lake Forest, Illinois Winter 1992 The 1860 David J. Lake House, early in this century (left) and at present (right), Photos (left): LF-LB Historical Society, FOUNDATION PROPOSES GREEN BAY ROAD HISTORIC DISTRICT An ongoing project of the Foundation is exploring the possibility of nominating the Green Bay Road estate area to the National Register of Historic Places, research is now underway on the boundaries of the original estates and the history of the surrounding properties and their owners, members of the Foundation and others who are interested in research and photography are invited to help with this project, call Foundation President Linda Shields, 234-0257, for further information, What Is the National Register? The National Register of Historic Places is the nation’s official schedule of cultural property worthy of preservation, election to the National Register is the highest national honor that can be awarded to an historic place, properties within a National Register District or individually listed on the National Register are eligible for federal (Continued on page 2.), Enter Your Nominations for Historic Preservation Awards You can help recognize outstanding local restoration and preservation efforts by entering the Lake Forest Preservation Foundation’s Historic Preservation Awards competition in celebration of National Historic Preservation Week, May 10-16, 1992, What Are the Awards? The awards are presented by the Foundation to recognize owners of Lake Forest structures that have been maintained, restored, or enlarged while retaining or accurately recreating the historic architectural character of the building’s exterior, What Structures Are Eligible for Awards? Any building in Lake Forest built before 1942 may be eligible for consideration, awards will be offered for residences or buildings now in commercial, business, institutional, or professional use, a nominated structure need not be large or elegant, but its exterior should be well maintained as seen from the street, Who Can Make Nominations, and When? Nominations may be made by . any interested person, including the owner, a neighbor, a friend, or an admiring passerby, nominations will not be considered without the owner’s approval (which will be secured by the Lake Forest Preservation Foundation), a green nomination form is • included with this Newsletter, additional forms are available by writing the Preservation Foundation, Box 813, Lake Forest, or by calling Foundation Director Pauline Mohr at 234-5853, all nominations must be received by Saturday, April 18, (Continued on page 2.) PRESERVATION FOUNDATION OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS Officers Linda Shields–President Beattie Radcliffe–Vice President Dan Sutherland–Vice President Richard J. DuBourdieu–Secretary William H. Emerson–Treasurer Directors Allen R. Bartine Margaret Brodeur Carol Champ Leonard C. Everson Gail T. Hodges Elaine Hughes C. Lynn Knutson Geoffrey Luce Linda Mills Pauline Mohr Patricia Riess Anthony M. Ryerson Susie Tiller Lorraine Tweed Sarah Wimmer Honorary Directors Edward H. Bennett, Jr. Herbert Geist Henry P. Wheeler, NATIONAL REGISTER (Continued) and state tax benefits and may be afforded protection from adverse effects of any federally funded or licensed project, no restriction is placed upon the property owner, listing on the Register does not protect a property from demolition, at present, Lake Forest has two National Register districts, one includes most of the original City of Lake Forest, extending roughly from Market Square east to Lake Michigan and from the Lake Forest Cemetery south to Westleigh Road, the other district is comprised of most of Vine Avenue and properties on Green Bay Road and Oakwood Avenue north of Vine Avenue and south of St. Mary’s Church, eighty properties within these Districts are cited for architectural or historic importance, but all District properties over 50 years old are considered to be “on the Register.” PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE On January 13th, residents of a neighborhood gathered before the Plan Commission with a mission in mind–preservation of their streetscape, they were well prepared and backed up in their pursuit by the National Trust, Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois, Open Lands, and our own Preservation Foundation’s interpretation of the strength of the Lake Forest Residential Historic Preservation and Open Space Ordinance, they were successful in convincing a majority of Plan Commission members that their streetscape must be saved, members of another neighborhood met with City staff prior to the same meeting to discuss how they perceived a proposed road would impact the ambiance of their area, they followed up by also attending the Plan Commission meeting and also gained support for saving the character of their neighborhood, unless more residents voice their opinions to elected and appointed representatives and staff, as these residents did, we will continue to see incompatible change in the visual and historic character of our community, this spirit of preservation was a wonderful start to our year, we hope to continue the momentum of this spirit through special restoration projects and research in 1992, the success of these projects depends on volunteers, I invite you to jf,in us and work with us in our preservation efforts, three other local properties are individually listed on the Register–“Ragdale,” the home of Howard Van Doren Shaw on Green Bay Road, “Mellady Farm,” the former J. Ogden Armour estate on Kennedy Road (now the site of Lake Forest Academy), and the Noble Brandon Judah manor house, other nearby properties include the Lester Armour estate manor house in Lake Bluff and Fort Sheridan, which is also listed as a National Historic Landmark, AWARDS Who Will Select the Winners, and When? A panel of seven judges from inside and outside of Lake Forest will consid¬er all entries, judges will review the structures from public streets, How Will Entries Be Judged? What Awards WIii Be Given? Entries will be judged on the basis of preservation and restoration, “Preservation” means maintaining, altering, or enlarging a structure so that it has retained its original exterior historic character, examples: exterior walls and trim clean and paint in good condition; original decorative elements intact or replaced by duplicated; additions visible from the street compatible with the historic structure, “Restoration” means returning a structure to its historic appearance by removing historically incorrect additions or alterations, or re-installing decorative elements to replicate the originals as nearly-as ,possible . examples, 1870’s Italianate building stripped of its original decorative trim would be restored by replacing the trim and returning the house to its 1870’s ap¬pearance, only repainting a struc¬ture in historically more authentic colors would not be restoration, but could improve chances for a preservation award, the Foundation will present awards for residential and commercial/ institutional properties, What WIii Winners Receive, and When? Winners will be invited to accept their awards at the Preservation Foundation’s Annual Meeting, Sunday, May 3, 1992, the awards are handsome weatherproof bronze plaques, ~ry-ou.r Caktular! :May 10-16 the Preservation foundation wi£[ present activities to celebrate national historic preservation weeRi -Preservation ‘Brings history to Life.· ‘Watch for newspaper announcements, ana foof.:Jor your copy of tfie Spring 1992 Preseroation ![ounaation ‘}./jwsfetter in tfie mail in ear!y :May., THE 1992 GREAT AMERICAN HOME AWARDS CONTEST The National Trust for Historic Preservation and Sears, Roebuck and Company announce The 1992 Great American Home Awards Contest, categories include exterior rehabilitation, sympathetic additions, stewardship, and landscape, for further information and an application form, write to Home Awards, National Trust for Historic Preservation, 1785 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20036, include a self-addressed, stamped business envelope, applications are due by June 30, 1992, A Preservation Foundation Guide to National Register Properties: Lake Forest, Illinois, published in June by the Foundation, features photographs and brief histories of 83 Lake Forest properties listed individually on the National Register or cited for special significance in Lake Forest’s two National Register Historic Districts, detailed maps for self-guided tours are also included, available for $12 at Gorton Community Center, Helander’s, Dans un Jardin, The Lake Forest Book Store, and McMaster’s Pharmacy, Foundation members may purchase one copy for $3 by presenting a Member’s Coupon at Gorton Community Center, Respectful Rehabilitation: Caring for Your Old House–A Guide for Owners and Residents, by Judith L. Kitchen (The Preservation Press), is a concise and well illustrated guide for owners or prospective buyers of historic or old homes, the book covers topics such as “why, what, and how to preserve,” research, protection, costs, inspection, and sources of help, highly recommended and available at the Lake Forest Library, • The Golden Age of American Gardens: Proud Owners, Private Estates, 1890-1940, by Mac Griswold and Eleanor Weller (Harry N. Abrams, Inc.), includes Lake Forest estates and is illustrated with beautiful old photographs, many of them reproduced from historic lantern slides, THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR’S STANDARDS FOR REHABILITATION When a property is evaluated for listing on the National Register or to judge the quality of its maintenance, restoration, or renovation, the national standards applied are those known as “The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.· These ten standards should be kept in mind when planning work on an historic property, they are guidelines for treating an historic property with respect–and kindness, 1 A property shall be used for its historic pur¬pose or be placed in anew use that requires minimal change to the defining characteristics of the building and its site and environment, 2 The historic character of the property shall be retained and preserved, the removal of historic materials or alteration of features and spaces that characterize a property shall be avoided, 3 Each property shall be recognized as a physical record of its time, place, and use, changes that create a false sense of historical development, such as adding conjectural features or architectural elements from other buildings, shall not be undertaken, 4 Most properties change over time: Those changes that have acquired historic significance in their own right shall be retained and preserved, 5 Distinctive features, finishes, and construction techniques or examples of craftsmanship that characterize an historic property shall be preserved, 6 Deteriorated historic features shall be re¬paired rather than replaced, where the severity of deterioration requires replacement of a distinctive feature, the new feature shall match the old in design, color, texture, and other visual qualities and, where possible, materials, replacement of missing features shall be substantiated by documentary, physical, or pictorial evidence, 7 Chemical or physical treatments, such as sandblasting, that cause damage to historic material shall not be used, the surface cleaning of structures, if appropriate, shall be undertaken using the gentlest means possible, 8 Significant archaeological resources affect¬ed by a project shall be protected and preserved, if such resources must be disturbed, mitigation measures shall be undertaken, g New additions, exterior alterations, or relat¬ed new construction shall not destroy historic materials that characterize the property, the new work shall be differentiated from the old and shall be compatible with the massing, size, scale, and architectural features to protect the

 
 
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