Lake Forest, Illinois, Volume 4, Number 1, Winter/Spring 2011, featuring “Downtown Train Station Restoration News” by Gail T. Hodges announcing that restoration of the historic downtown Train Station will begin “in a few months,” noting that in early November the City of Lake Forest was awarded an $835,090 federal grant for restoration through the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program (ITEP), and that the grant plus $400,000 in commitments from the City of Lake Forest and Metra will provide $1.2 million to fund restoration of the original slate roof and exterior to exacting preservation standards, followed by “Historic and Contemporary Significance” stating the Station was constructed in 1900 and designed by renowned Chicago architects and Lake Forest residents Charles S. Frost and Alfred H. Granger (architects for the Chicago & North Western Railway), described as a Tudor-Revival building listed as a contributing structure in the Lake Forest National Register Historic District, and explaining that today the Station serves as an active Metra station for nearly 1,000 commuters daily, an important trailhead facility and comfort station for the adjacent Robert McClory regional bike trail, a focal point of the downtown business district, and a site for community activities centered at historic Market Square, followed by “Foundation’s Contribution to Save the Station” explaining that in 2008 the Preservation Foundation recognized the Station was in desperate need of repair and could become vulnerable to demolition or modern replacement, and to preclude that possibility the Foundation Board commissioned a $50,000 “Historic Structure Report” by noted preservation architect Gunny Harboe, noting that this initiative—funded by members’ dues—laid groundwork for a two-year collaboration between the Foundation (which helped write the grant), the City, and State Senator Susan Garrett to secure ITEP funding to preserve the site, followed by “The Need for Restoration” stating the Station was first renovated circa 1980 in a campaign undertaken by the Foundation in cooperation with the City, the North Western, RTA (Metra), and local businesses and residents, and that the work is failing after nearly 30 years and is beyond its “useful life,” with problems including significant water damage to the foundation due to deteriorated roof structure and shingles, gutters, windows, and brick/mortar, plus inadequate public restrooms not meeting ADA guidelines, water-damaged interior woodwork and plaster, crumbling floor tiles and compromised floor safety from standing water due to roof leaks, required fire and life-safety hardware, and mechanical systems needing replacement with up-to-date cost-effective systems, then outlining “Exterior Restoration” as the first phase including: replacing deteriorating cedar shake shingles with original slate, repairing deteriorated exterior structural elements and trim, replacing deteriorated gutters with authentic copper gutters, repairing damaged windows and doors, stabilizing water-damaged foundation/masonry and the ticket agent bay window, and restoring stucco, then “Future Interior Restoration” describing later work (when funds are raised) including replacing crumbling floor tiles/baseboards with original materials, expanding restrooms and making them ADA compliant, restoring interior woodwork/plaster, installing fire and life-safety hardware, replacing mechanical systems, and refurbishing/constructing additional display cases for expanded museum exhibits, then a section on “Importance of Preservation Architectural Supervision” noting budget constraints in the 1980s limited comprehensive preservation and that the goal now is to restore to standards comparable to original construction that lasted 80+ years, with the Harboe report and exterior funds as a start, and stating the intent to ensure the project meets the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties including required Section 106 Review and a Certificate of Appropriateness from the City’s Historic Preservation Commission, followed by “Capital Campaign Planned to Complete the Restoration” noting that while $1.2 million has been raised additional funds are needed and the Foundation is organizing a capital campaign to secure approximately $2 million to complete remaining construction, followed by “Your Help Is Needed” stating an immediate need to raise $10,000–$15,000 to hire professional fund counsel to conduct a market feasibility study with community interviews and recommend campaign structure and achievable goals, inviting readers to contact the Foundation at 847-234-1230 or [email protected] to contribute or help, noting donations are tax deductible and naming opportunities will be available, and referencing background in “The Lake Forest Preservation Newsletter,” Volume 1, Number 2, awards 2008 on the website, alongside “PRESERVATION Foundation Officers and Directors” listing officers including Thomas Daly (President), Suzanne Boren (V.P. Membership), Jan Gibson (V.P. Programs), Gail Hodges (Secretary), Dennis Johnston (Treasurer), plus directors, immediate past president Arthur H. Miller, honorary directors, past presidents, and executive director Marcy Kerr, then a “President’s Message” by Tom Daly reflecting on hearing the 4:30 a.m. train and thinking of Lake Forest founders and the city’s 150th anniversary banner over Market Square, noting preservation wins (Walden/Bluff’s Edge Bridge) and losses (David Adler–designed Chicken Coop at Elawa Farm), and previewing 150th anniversary programming including an April 17 lecture and tours of award-winning 150th anniversary homes, a Jens Jensen Restoration private garden tour in May, annual Family Fair in Market Square in June, and a Lake Forest Train Station event in September, followed by repeated “Please Join Us on Sunday, April 17” event block at Lily Reid Holt Memorial Chapel at Lake Forest College with a 1:45 p.m. Founders Lecture, 2:30 p.m. Historic House Tour, 4:30–5:30 p.m. wine and cheese reception, tickets Members $45 / Non-Members $55, RSVP by April 14, 2011 via 847-234-1230 or [email protected], then “Celebrating 150 Years of Architectural History in Lake Forest” describing the April 17 Founders Lecture and Historic House Tour featuring a program on “The History of Prominent Lake Forest Architecture” presented by Arthur H. Miller (past president; Lake Forest College archivist for Special Collections) and architectural historian Susan Benjamin (Benjamin Historic Certifications), describing how Lake Michigan bluffs, cosmopolitan clientele, and renowned architects shaped the community and that the lecture explores Lake Forest’s evolution and is followed by a tour of four rarely viewed private 19th-century Lake Forest houses, then a book review by Arthur H. Miller of Witold Rybczynski’s Makeshift Metropolis: Ideas About Cities (Scribner, 2010) connecting the book’s planning/density themes to Lake Forest as it looks toward the future while preserving historic visual character, and an “Update: Forest Park Project Board and Design Development Plan” by Rommy Lopat summarizing the City Council’s May 2010 Resolution 2010-06 accepting the Lake Forest Garden Club’s gift of a conceptual master plan and continuing toward a design development plan via creation of a 501(c)3 Forest Park Project Board with subcommittees, noting an executive committee formed in summer 2010 and subcommittees beginning fall 2010, listing committee roles and anticipated monthly subcommittee presentations (engineering; historic preservation advisory; landscape and horticulture) and hope for a public meeting in April, plus mention that the Preservation Foundation published a position paper in November 2010 on the Forest Park Concept Plan (available at lfpf.org) with the cited source being the City of Lake Forest website “What’s New?” Forest Park Master Plan Project Board Information revised 7/2/10, and closing with an “Upcoming Events” listing including April 17 “Celebrating 150 years of Architectural History in Lake Forest,” May 22 “Jens Jensen Garden Restoration” private tour for members, June 25 “3rd Annual Family Fair in Market Square,” September 22 “Here We Go Again: Tooting the Train Horn for Preservation” hardhat party celebrating the 35th anniversary of LFPF and its first preservation undertaking (the Lake Forest Train Station renovation), plus additional 2011 program teasers and a prompt to check the website.
