2001 Winter Newsletter

PRESERVATION FOUNDATION OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS Officers Linda L. Shields PRESIDENT Janet M. Gibson VICE PRESIDENT, MEMBERSHIP Arthur H. Miller, Jr. VICE PRESIDENT, PROGRAMS Marcia Bennett SECRETARY Alice Moulton-Ely TREASURER Directors David Bahlman Edward H. Bennett, Ill Paul Bergmann Priscilla A. Billington James M. Brown Susan Dillon Bryant Carol A. Champ Susan Halle Judith Harris Elaine B. Hughes Pauline M. Mohr Kimberly Nicastro Shirley Paddock Patricia C. Riess David Schlott Christine L. Shaw Dan Sutherland Louise Weithas Honorary Directors Herbert Geist Gail T. Hodges Lorraine A. Tweed Henry P. Wheeler Sarah D. Wimmer PRESIDENTS OF THE PRESERVATION FOUNDATION Edward H. Bennett, Jr., 1976-1978 Gayle K. Dompke, 1978-1980 Gail T. Hodges, 1980-1982 Herbert Geist, 1982-1984 Lorraine A. Tweed, 1984-1986 Henry P. Wheeler, 1986-1988 Sarah D. Wimmer, 1988-1990, 1992-1993 Linda L. Shields, 1990-1992 Pauline M. Mohr, 1993-1995, 1997-1999 Richard J. DuBourdieu, 1995-1997 Edward H. Bennett, Ill, 1999-2001 Photos: Pages 1,4-10 courtesy of Paul Bergmann; pages 5 (top), 6 (margin), 11,12 Gail Hodges; pages 13-15 Roger Mohr. Preservation! is published by The Lake Forest Foundation for Historic Preservation, Box 813, Lake Forest IL 60045, (847) 234-1230. www.LFPF.org President’s What’s Happening to the Ranch Message House?! We have an endangered species in our midst, it is the single-story ranch house, quietly, but systematically, it is being eliminated from our town, each month the Building Review Board is asked to approve the hastening of its extinction, some realtors are of the view that the quicker the ranch house goes the better, some even write letters supporting its demise, no one wants these kinds of houses anymore, they say, they’re not marketable, there are not enough of them in the million-dollar-plus category, developers and builders say that these houses have outlived their usefulness, let’s make better use of the land, they say, of course this means filling every possible space with brick and stone, replacing ranch houses with homes three times their size, forget streetscape, forget green space, forget diversity, forget the original intent of the City’s subdivision planning, the single-story ranch house, home to young families and seniors and some of us in between, is not useful to those who make a business out of changing our community, please don’t misunderstand me, not every ranch house is worth saving, the real issue is this: it’s not just the home that’s lost, it’s what comes in its place, it’s the loss of streetscape and neighborhood architectural compatibility, it’s the impact on the infrastructure, it’s what this kind of change does to demographic diversity, this situation is not unique to Lake Forest, it’s happening all over, Hinsdale has lost 25% of its housing stock, Wilmette has lost about 70 homes in the last two years, Barrington is threatened with the loss of a National Register District due to teardowns, the demand for new homes in old suburbs makes small homes on large lots prime targets for teardowns, we need to ask ourselves: do we want wall-to-wall “Monster” houses dominating our streets and putting even more demands on basic services such as storm and sanitary sewers, preservation is about more than just buildings, it’s about all those elements that go into giving a community its character, including the people who call single-family ranch structures “home,” Linda Shields, Upcoming Events and Programs December-June Open to the Community! Holiday Party to Celebrate the Year’s Achievements Foundation Members Only, members are invited to join the Foundation’s officers and directors at Harrison House, Lake Bluff, the historic William Kelley estate “Stonebridge House,” for refreshments and a festive year-end celebration of our achievements, Understanding Lake Forest Architectural Styles: 1940s-1960s Ranch Houses free to Foundation Members; $5 for Nonmembers, join Arthur Miller, Professor, Lake Forest College, as he explores what is perhaps Lake Forest’s most endangered group of houses, those designed in the ranch style so popular in the post-World War II period, what do these homes say about how we lived and thought in that period, and can they be adapted to meet the changing needs of today’s families, Mark Your Calendar for These Upcoming Programs Teardowns, Monster Homes, and Infill, Lake Forest works hard to accommodate change that doesn’t overwhelm the community’s character, where are we succeeding, where are we failing, what might be more effective, Annual Meeting, Preservation Awards, and Members’ Tour, FOUNDATION GUIDEBOOK A Perfect Gift!, The Foundation’s Guidebook to National Register Properties, Lake Forest, Illinois, 2d Ed., includes information on the first two Lake Forest Districts elected to the National Register of Historic Places and on five properties listed individually on the National Register, The Guidebook is available in local bookstores and shops, and at Gorton Community Center, for $15, THE PRESERVATION FOUNDATION GUIDEBOOK A Perfect Gift!, The Foundation’s Guidebook to National Register Properties, Lake Forest, Illinois, 2d Ed., includes information on the first two Lake Forest Districts elected to the National Register of Historic Places and on five properties listed individually on the National Register, The Guidebook is available in local bookstores and shops, and at Gorton Community Center, for $15, THE PRESERVATION Annual Tour of Historic Homes and Gardens: Deer Path Hill Estates this members and guests tour will feature the Deer Path Hill Estates homes developed by Stanley D. Anderson and Associates, this planned area was developed in 1926 by Stanley D. Anderson and James Ticknor, we know it today as the area around King Muir Road, Armour Circle, and Verda Lane, join the Preservation Foundation today, and plan to come (see membership information on pages 14-15), SUNDAY DECEMBER 16, 2001 4P.M. Harrison House, Lake Bluff, THURSDAY JANUARY 31, 2002 7P.M. Gorton Community Center, MARCH 2002, SUNDAY APRIL 28, 2002, JUNE 2002, Deer Path streetscape view in the 1920s showing the 280 East Deer Path building at the left and the Deerpath Theater building at 270 to its right, architecturally of Tudor origin these buildings were designed by the Anderson firm to be contextually compatible with Howard Van Doren Shaw’s design for Market Square, Stanley D. Anderson Associates’ Influence on Civic and Commercial Building in Lake Forest by Gail T. Hodges with Paul Bergmann, in researching Lake Forest architecture for nearly 25 years I have made many surprising discoveries but none struck me so much as what I learned about downtown Lake Forest in preparing this article, my original intent was to provide an overview of the local projects of the Anderson firm hoping to pique interest in this important work and in the Foundation’s spring house tour as well, my direction changed as I delved into notes and photos shared by Paul Bergmann who is writing a book on the firm’s work, his father Bill Bergmann was a partner in the firm from 1949 until 1992, my earlier downtown focus had been on Market Square and major buildings like the First National Bank and Deer Path Theater building, I never imagined the full impact of the Anderson firm’s influence on the civic and commercial architectural character of Lake Forest, perhaps these brief insights and photos will change the way you too look at our hometown, The Local Partners Stanley D. Anderson, it was perhaps natural that Stanley D. Anderson should care about downtown Lake Forest, his grandfather was a pioneer Lake Forester and his grandfather and father ran a local dry goods store in the 1800s at the corner where Walgreen’s now occupies the historic Anderson Building, Anderson was raised here and he was a graduate of Lake Forest College, his early years as an architect were spent working in the office of Howard Van Doren Shaw whose 1916 Market Square dictated the way the town looked as Anderson grew up, Anderson was trained in architecture and engineering at the University of Illinois, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Beaux Arts in Paris, Bill Bergmann born in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, Bill Bergmann received his Masters of Architecture degree from the University of Minnesota in 1941, the advent of World War II took him to Princeton where he taught and did research design work for the Army including bomb shelter design, he was a Lake Bluff resident for many years, The Firm after working for Shaw for more than six years, Stanley D. Anderson launched his own firm, Anderson, Ticknor and Fox in 1924, Fox left the firm in 1926, Anderson and James Ticknor continued as partners through World War II designing an outstanding collection of public and residential buildings, many young architects joined them to launch their careers among them Jerome Cerny who later formed his own firm in Lake Forest, after World War II the firm became Stanley Anderson and Associates, Bill Bergmann joined in 1946 and became a partner in 1949, when Anderson died unexpectedly in 1960 Bill Bergmann and other members of the firm carried on as Stanley D. Anderson Associates until Bill’s retirement in 1992 when the firm closed, The Commercial and Civic Buildings over its more than seventy-year history the Anderson firm designed and built more than thirty public and civic buildings in Lake Forest and Lake Bluff from banks to schools to a hospital to municipal buildings to retail stores and apartments, its work demonstrates Georgian and English Tudor influences as well as the International Style prevalent in the 1950s and 1960s, most buildings still exist, The “Signature Buildings” three buildings all built during the Depression and World War II period exemplify what the firm referred to as its “Country Georgian” style, The Anderson firm’s interpretation of English Georgian architectural style what the partners referred to as “Country Georgian” is exemplified by elements such as these classic pediments on the First National Bank of Lake Forest (now Northern Trust), Lake Forest High School shown here in a 1930s photo was designed to convey a campus atmosphere much like an Eastern preparatory school, copper thermometer and lantern on the north facade of the First National Bank building exemplify just two of many fine details typical of the Anderson firm’s work, Lake Forest Hospital was designed to convey the warmth of an English Regency home, First National Bank of Lake Forest 1930, Lake Forest High School 1935, Lake Forest Hospital 1941, Other Commercial Buildings 1920s Projects, 1930s and 1940s Projects including 291 East Illinois Road and repairs to the Deer Path Inn after a massive fire that made national news in “Eyes and Ears of the World” movie newsreels across the country, Knauz Motors at 1044 North Western Avenue in 1946, 195 West Westminster in 1948, 1950s 1960s and 1970s Projects, buildings on Western Avenue Deer Path and Bank Lane, building at 546 North Western Avenue now Lake Forest Flowers, apartment/retail building at 580 North Bank Lane, former Robertson’s building at 240 East Deer Path now Blockbuster, medical offices building at 711 North McKinley Road, former Strenger Plumbing building at 842 North Western Avenue now Ferantino’s, Murrie Cleaners at 866 North Western Avenue, Fiore Nurseries at 840 South Waukegan Road, retail/apartment buildings at 1391 and 1407 North Western Avenue, Other School Projects Edward F. Gorton School Addition 1935, Ridge Farm Preventorium (Grove School) 1948, Lake Forest Country Day School Additions 1966, Other Civic Buildings Deerpath Golf Course Club House 1930 (razed), American Legion Post 264 Additions and Alterations 1935, City of Lake Forest Pump House 1950, City of Lake Forest Public Works Building 1961, City of Lake Forest Beach House Rest Rooms and Stairs from Bluff 1964, Bennett Hall was designed by Bill Bergmann with Stanley D. Anderson in 1948 as an administrative building for the Ridge Farm Preventorium now known as the Grove School Cultural Campus, the pump house at 1050 Westleigh Road is part of an unusual underground water tank built to eliminate the need for an above-ground water tower, the beach stairs built in 1964 are an International-Style interpretation of a classic formal Beaux Arts stair and belvedere design, Update on Preservation Projects Dickinson Hall Restoration by Sarah Wimmer, the recent renovation of Dickinson Hall was made possible in part by a $25,000 grant from the Preservation Foundation, Begun as the Ridge Farm Preventorium in 1914, expansion in 1927, Edwin Hill Clark, Stirling Hall and Dickinson Hall in 1929, Bennett Hall added in 1948, antibiotics in the 1940s, emotionally-disturbed children, Grove School in 1965, Virginia F. Matson, closing in 1995, City purchased property in 1998, Blue Ribbon Committee, Grove Cultural Campus, Dickinson Hall designated as the future site for the Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Senior Center, stately red brick Georgian-Revival structure, Wren Building at Williamsburg, the restoration of the cupola, six large lanterns, rehabilitate the north and south original entries, elevation of the proposed elevator shaft, modified plans, demolish later addition, new entrance, We are pleased to have been able to make a significant contribution to this project in recognition of the architectural importance of Dickinson Hall as well as its part in our community’s history, this gift to the community was made possible through membership dues and other donations made to the Foundation, Demolition Alert: The Gordon Phelps Kelley House by Linda Shields, fifteen inquiries, packet of information, owner’s representative, intermediaries, continue to follow, Walden-Bluff’s Edge Bridge Update by Priscilla Billington, Garden Art Club dissolved, Deerpath Garden Club offered to continue, Christmas wreaths and greens and annuals, thank them warmly, The City Corner: Did You Know? by Alice Moulton-Ely, Here are some interesting statistics cited by City staff at a recent Building Review Board meeting, As you will note most applicants meeting the City’s criteria for design and construction move through the Building Department’s review process without needing BAB review, Year Applications Reviewed by Staff Applications Referred to BRB 1996 2888 68 1997 3461 60 1998 3660 75 1999 3687 87 2000 4609 62, Please Join Us! by Janet M. Gibson, Vice President, Membership, when you look around our beautiful community what do you see, pride in place, stewards of historic buildings, what the Preservation Foundation does, train station at Market Square, Walden/Bluff’s Edge Bridge, gaining National Register status for Green Bay Road, revenue from memberships and donations directly to public service projects, funding of research, engineering studies, publications, and information about tax benefits, Holiday Decorations at the Market Square Depot, funding from the Preservation Foundation and installation by local Boy Scouts, decorated every year since restoration was completed in the 1980s, 25th Anniversary Gala nearly 1,000 people gathered at Market Square on August 19 to hear the United States Naval Ceremonial Band from the Great Lakes Naval Training Center, 25th Anniversary Gala (Left top) Judy Harris and Jan Gibson are ready to greet guests, (Left bottom) Mayor Kerr chats with Jerry and Linda Shields and Dick and Louise Weithas, (Bottom left) Families gather at Market Square for the concert and celebration, (Bottom right) The United States Naval Ceremonial Band, everyone can help preserve the special character of Lake Forest how by joining the Lake Forest Preservation Foundation, leader in promoting stewardship, for over 25 years worked to educate preserve historically significant structures and research cultural resources, need your membership and volunteer help, what do you receive from membership, educational newsletters like this one, information about lectures and programs to attend, invitations to members-only house tours and special events, looking for that special gift during the holiday season, Preservation Foundation memberships for only $35, concert and to honor the Preservation Foundation’s 25 years of achievements and Great Lakes 90th Anniversary, why every household should be a member, significant influence on maintaining and enhancing property values, whatever you can afford whether it’s $35 $100 or even $2,500, Preservation Can Be Even More Effective with Your Support—Please Join Us, major plans for our future including educational family activities, preservation is fun let us hear from you, JOIN Us JOIN Us If you believe in preserving Lake Forest’s character for future generations you SHOULD become a member, THE LAKE FOREST FOUNDATION FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION Box 813 Lake Forest Illinois 60045, I/We want to help preserve the historic character of Lake Forest please enroll me/us in the selected membership category, Mr./Mrs. Mr. Mrs. Ms., Preservation Activities by Pauline Mohr, Knollwood Club Tour in a June tour, members and their guests viewed the work of architects Hugh Garden, Robert Seyfarth, Howard Van Doren Shaw, Russell Walcott, Robert Work, and William Carbys Zimmerman, and landscape architect Ralph Rodney Root, the architectural styles ranged from Arts and Crafts to Art Moderne with Tudor Georgian and French Country also represented, if you missed the tour you will can still view the Art Moderne residence inside and out as it is to be featured, Street, City, State, Telephone, Zip, Member-Annual Dues $35, Sustaining Member-Annual Dues $250, Contributing Member-Annual Dues $50, Patron-$500, Sponsor-Annual Dues $100, Life Member-$2,500 or more, I/We would like to work actively with the Preservation Foundation contact me/us about volunteering, The Preservation Foundation, an Illinois 501(c)(3) public foundation, is open to all who share its goal of progress through preservation, a101.