Spring 2020
Photo by
Paul Bergmann
Lake Forest High School Students
Preservation Scholarship
page 6
“The importance of Proper Planning”
Chicago and Lake Forest Planning Histories Linked
A new decade is upon us, wherein demographic evolution, technology, innovation, and cultural norms are changing the way people live, work, and play. These changes are having a dynamic impact on how citizens use property to shape the environment in which they live. The disruption and impact of the internet and advancements from companies like Amazon, along with future evolutions from A.I., robotics and self-driving cars that will be used for transportation and deliveries will continue to influence the use and usability of properties and help shape our environment.
These changes are already affecting the retail landscape wherein large stores are being vacated, or adaptively redeveloped into apartments, entertainment or experimental uses. Large parking fields at office buildings will likely be available for a new life as parking requirements shrink creating
opportunities for open space or alternative uses. We are in a world where change dominates growth and investment and where that change is disrupting cultural norms. Proper vision and planning have never been more important to protect our historic past and key properties (such as recent new investment in the Deer Path Inn, and Market Square) and to create a new vision and opportunities for growth and prosperity for the future.
Interestingly, both Lake Forest and Chicago have a history of planning that has been linked together since 1856 when the Lake Forest Association was organized in a Loop church to acquire and lay out the new town of Lake Forest. In a recent interview with Mayor Lori Lightfoot, recognizing demographic and cultural adaptations, it was announced that Chicago is embarking on the development of a new Burnham and Bennett Plan of Chicago called Burnham 2.0, which will outline a vision for the future of Chicago land use. Similarly, Lake Forest has been reworking its comprehensive plan, already completing the Waukegan Settlers Square corridor, now working on the Rt 60 corridor, and soon to turn to the Central Business District.
Early Chicago and Lake Forest Planning, 1856-1912
It could be said that the railroad system was the original disruptor which allowed for an area like Lake Forest to co-exist within the greater Chicagoland area. The original Lake Forest plan by St. Louis’s Almerin Hotchkiss, 1857, was the largest designed to that date picturesque railroad garden suburb, with distinctive curvilinear streets. After the
1893 Chicago World’s Fair introduced classic planning to the city, the fair’s chief architect Daniel Burnham and his Chicago firm designed two lakefront plans. In 1906 Burnham was invited by Lake Forest resident and Merchant’s Club president Charles Dyer Norton to create a new Chicago plan. Burnham recalled his English-born associate Edward H. Bennett (1874-1956) from San Francisco that year, and work on the Chicago plan began in earnest in
1907 from atop his Loop office building overlooking Grant Park. The clients, soon formalizing as the Commercial Club with many Lake Forest estate owners on the team, were managed by Burnham, while the Paris-trained Ecole des Beaux-Arts 1902 top graduate Bennett ran the operation in the rooftop workshop. The folio-sized Plan of Chicago was published in 1909, printed by R. R. Donnelley from their Printer’s Row plant designed by Lake Forest’s Howard Van Doren Shaw, 1898-1902. Lake Forest Academy alumnus and Ryerson Steel president Clyde Carr was put in charge of convincing the residents of north side Pine Street to allow their roadway to become Michigan Boulevard north of the Chicago River.
Planner Edward H. Bennett in Chicago and Lake Forest, 1912-1929
Burnham died in 1912, and already Bennett had launched his own city planning firm in that rooftop office. The City Beautiful Movement from the 1893 World’s Fair, the 1902 Macmillan plan for Washington, DC—both with Burnham’s leadership and involvement—and the 1909 Plan of Chicago had created a new vogue for redevelopment of American urban centers more in tune with the great plans of Renaissance Rome and 19th c. Paris.
Also, in 1912 Bennett consulted with Howard Van Doren Shaw on a plan for a new town center for elite suburban Lake Forest, for land immediately west of the train station bought that summer by Onwentsia-member estate owners. The town had spread west of the original 1857 plan for east of the tracks, and spread out south, north, and west of the Onwentsia grounds located south of Deerpath on Green Bay Road. The randomly built since 1880 Western Avenue stretch of stores opposite the 1900 station was re-imagined first in a Town Market plan, December 1912, with a shallow park parallel to Western Avenue. But—after another draft—a final plan in 1915 led to construction of Market Square around the this-time perpendicular to Western Avenue park and plaza to the east, facing the station. This was occupied in 1916 and completed early in 1917. This new town center embodied the ideals both of the
U.S. City Beautiful Movement and also the English town planning thrust of the time, more focused on smaller communities. It blended English traditional, Tudor style and 16th c. Renaissance Italian style with modern simplicity and motifs to create a charming cluster of buildings and gathering spaces.
In the same period, Bennett was required to replace Burnham’s vision for Grant Park that included three museums, with a new open one and moving Burnham’s central Field Museum to new landfill south of Grant Park. He worked around the railroad tracks to place the Art Institute along the new Michigan Boulevard. By the 1920s he would add Buckingham Fountain.
(continued on page 3)
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A third major early Lake Forest planning effort was Edward H. Bennett’s impact on Lake Forest planning in the 1920s. Bennett had come to summer at Onwentsia in 1907 while working on the Chicago Plan and by 1913 had married Catherine Jones, daughter of one of Market Square’s initial backers. In 1916 Bennett built for his wife the high-profile house on the southwest corner of Deerpath and Green Bay Road: Bagatelle, with gardens to the south, and by 1928 a masonry wall against the growing traffic. In 1923, to separate the successful new commercial center at Market Square from the Green Bay Road estate corridor, Bennett’s firm in Chicago drafted a new zoning ordinance, that same year, Chicago’s zoning code was enacted. By 1929, with Lake Forest growth at a high point, the Bennett firm also created the organization for the Plan Commission, and Edward Bennett was the first chair. By then, the City had outlined broad general guidelines and left it to property owners to present proposals for new building.
Almost a Century of Planning in the Bennett Tradition, Chicago and Lake Forest
This completed three formative planning cycles for Lake Forest: (1) the 1857 innovative east side plan by Hotchkiss, (2) the City Beautiful era 1916 Market Square plan, and
(3) the post-World War I more de-centralized and developer-driven planning era within established guidelines, which has extended into our own day. A Comprehensive Plan for the remaining open space in town was completed in the 1970s. This has been reviewed and updated periodically, notably after the annexation of the Route 60 corridor in the 1980s, and later amended in the early 2000s.
With the very dynamic and evolutionary changes occurring through demographic treads and technology, it will be exciting to see the result of the Burnham 2.0 plan and amended City of Lake Forest Comprehensive Plan, which both set out with the objective of a planned approach towards the future to benefit the community. This century and half of planning in Chicago and in Lake Forest has paralleled often and will continue to adapt to take advantage of current and future disruptors and while working to preserve our past.
Lake Forest Architecture in 3 parts
Part I 1850-1900
Part I in a series of essays to examine three distinct time periods in the Architectural history of Lake Forest and the homes that stand today as testament to design of an era and adaption of the terrain for siting, building and for landscape and gardens.
When you look to the era before 1860 in most any part of the region, there is still a transition happening from the pioneer and settler habitats, mostly log cabins, to a refining use of the domestic building as a sign of an individual’s taste, family needs and status in the community.
Lake Forest had log homes that were part of the farming community and served both the staff and head of household. These structures were filling the basic needs of shelter without the added embellishments of mouldings, porches, and other design features that would seem frivolous to the essential needs of protection from the elements in every season of Illinois weather. Doors and shutters were made of simple, solid boards, daubing for insulation between the logs was from straw and grasses found within feet of the cabin structure and was mixed with mud, and then packed. Design of these frontier buildings was made ad hoc with available materials and tools on hand, following general-type characteristics.
Examples of log homes are seen in some historic photos, including the Swanton family farm, in the area where Ragdale stands today on Green Bay Road. Others were captured in an Everett School 1918 state centennial scrapbook, now at the Dunn Museum, Libertyville.
With the expanding world being brought to people via railroads and train travel both for commerce and recreation, housing design was also being expanded from its humble beginnings. Few homes did this transition gradually. The Great Chicago Fire (1871) helped to spur a building bonanza for the City of Chicago and also for its suburban neighbors.
The restored cabin in Lake Bluff that once stood on Mills Court, south of Lake Forest High School.
Captains of industry began to set up retreats in Lake Forest as well as did many prominent merchants. Many homes from this era are clustered in the East Lake Forest Historic District. Design styles most represented are Queen Anne, Italianate, and Victorian. The founding of Lake Forest College also assisted in the prominence of this zone. At least eight surviving buildings on campus today were constructed in this area. This is a testament to their sturdy construction and the quality of available materials to build them, along with subsequent rehabilitation and preservation.
As you drive, walk, and bike the area east of McKinley Road, you see homes with characteristics seen in this early period. Windows that are narrow and vertical having the eye think the building is taller than it seems. Grand wrap-around porches that are inviting and practical for keeping the sun out of the parlor rooms just inside and provide a cool resting spot on warm summer days. Wood was the earliest exterior material of choice with a transition to brick, concrete, and stone as they became more available, cost efficient, and fireproof. Houses of worship and other buildings also added their fingerprint to extending architectural style beyond the home and Lake Forest College. The First Presbyterian Church (1887), the Blackler Building (1895), City Hall (1899), and the east train station (1900) still are standing today—great examples of stewardship and maintenance of important community structures.
In the last decade of the century, Lake Forest was establishing itself as a community that brought great architecture to the region as well as promoting the work of local architects who would be known as some of the best in the country.
Benjamin Marshall, Architect and Bon Vivant
Thursday, March 19, 7:00 PM • Gorton Community Center
Chicago architect Benjamin Marshall (1874 – 1944) left a distinctive mark on Chicago’s lakefront and downtown buildings as well as estates in the north and west suburbs in the early decades of the 20th century. Preservation Foundation member Steven Monz
will share his passion and knowledge of Benjamin Marshall’s achievements and life. This program is free of charge,
but reservations are requested at lfpf.org
Benjamin Marshall, Architect and Bon Vivant
Thursday, March 19, 7:00 PM • Gorton Community Center
Chicago architect Benjamin Marshall (1874 – 1944) left a distinctive mark on Chicago’s lakefront and downtown buildings as well as estates in the north and west suburbs in the early decades of the 20th century. Preservation Foundation member Steven Monz
will share his passion and knowledge of Benjamin Marshall’s achievements and life. This program is free of charge,
but reservations are requested at lfpf.orgPart II Domestic Bungalows and the Estate Era 1900-1940, coming Summer 2020
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Thank You To our 2019 MeMbers, Donors, VolunTeers anD sponsors
MeMbership
Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Abbattista* Ms. Nancy Akred*
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Alfe* Ms. Sara Anderson*
Mr. and Mrs. James Armstrong Mr. and Mrs. Bill Athenson* Ms. Rachel Noel Avigad
and Mr. Paul Piotrowski* Ms. Brunhild Baass
Mr. Chris Bacon*
Mr. and Mrs. David Baier Mr. and Mrs. Robert Banks Ms. Caryl Barclay
Mr. and Mrs. Howard Bass Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Behrens
Mr. and Mrs. Francis Beidler III Ms. Patti Belmonti
Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Benjamin Dr. and Mrs. Bruce Bennett*
Mr. and Mrs. Edward Bennett III* Mrs. Joan Bent*
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Bent* Mr. Craig Bergmann
and Mr. Paul Klug Mr. Paul Bergmann*
Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Bernish Mr. and Mrs. Harold Bernthal
Mr. and Mrs. James Bertram Mrs. William Boggess
Mrs. Nancy Bolton Ms. Suzanne Boren* Mr. and Mrs. Jim Borg
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Bowen* Mr. and Mrs. Richard Brandel Ms. Nancy Brankis*
Mr. and Mrs. Chip Brennan* Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Brewster* Mrs. Cameron Brown
Mr. and Mrs. Don Brown Mr. Jackson Brown*
Mr. Robert Brown
Mrs. Katie Cordell*
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Mr. and Mrs. R. Scott Cummings Mr. and Mrs. Todd Curry*
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and Ms. Rommy Lopat Mrs. Madeleine B. Dugan
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Mrs. Patricia Finn*
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Ms. Patricia Shuma and Mr. Craig Fox* Mr. Roger Frech
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Ms. Susan Gaud Ms. Carol Gayle*
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Mrs. William Hughes* Mrs. Roger Hull
Ms. Susan Ipsen
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Mr. and Mrs. Richard Johnsen* Mrs. Kenneth Johnsen
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Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Kim Mr. William Kirk
Mrs. Donna Kissel* Mr. Terry Kiwala
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and Dr. Heather Heiberger Mr. Larry Obermeyer
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Mrs. Ellen Peter
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Mr. and Mrs. Willim Schumann* Mrs. William Searle
Mr. John Sentell Ms. Mary Seyfarth
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Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Slavin Mr. and Mrs. Adrian Smith* Mr. and Mrs. Jason Smith Mr. Sidney T. Smith*
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Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Staackmann* Col. and Mrs. Lawrence Stack
Dr. and Mrs. John Stamelos Mr. Charles Starcevich
Mr. and Mrs. James Stebbins Mr. and Mrs. James Stirling* Mrs. Mary Riley Stokes
Mr. and Mrs. James Stokes Ms. Tina Strauss*
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Mr. and Mrs. Richard Bull Mr. and Mrs. David Burgess Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Buschmann*
Mrs. Rhett Butler* Mr. John Capstick Mrs. Betty Carbol
Mr. and Mrs. Norman Carlson Mrs. Barry Carroll
Ms. Patricia Carter Ms. Mollie Casey
Mr. and Mrs. Doug Cassidy Mr. Bill Castle
Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Chabraja Ms. Catherine Champ
Ms. Annette Champion Ms. Houda Chedid
Mr. and Mrs. Roger Christoph Mr. Jerome Claeys
Mr. and Mrs. Jim Clifton Mr. and Mrs. Vince Conroy Mrs. Daniel Considine
Mr. and Mrs. Ron Coolley
4
Ms. Jan Gibson*
Mrs. R. Thomas Gibson Mr. and Mrs. Ken Gillig Mr. Tom Gleason*
Mr. Jack Goggin
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Goldstein Mr. Trey Gonzales
and Mr. Kip Helverson*
Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Grabbe Ms. Kathryn Grace
and Mr. Brian Norton Mr. and Mrs. Tom Grant Mr. and Mrs. Will Gregg
Mr. and Mrs. David Grinnell Mr. and Mrs. Ernst Häberli* Ms. Lynn Haisma
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Mr. and Mrs. Michael Havey Mr. and Mrs. Ed Hayman Mr. Douglas Hayward
Mrs. Molly Heizer
Mr. and Mrs. David Henkel Mr. and Mrs. Samuel J. Henry* Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hermes
Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Lind Mr. Mark Linenberg*
Mr. and Mrs. David Linville Mr. and Mrs. William Lloyd Mrs. Susan Lovell
Mr. and Mrs. Geoffrey Luce* Mr. Don Lynch
and Ms. Lori Lennon* Mr. and Mrs. George Lyon
Mr. and Mrs. William Madden* Ms. Mary Anna Malich
Mr. and Mrs. Keith Maraccini Mr. and Mrs. Reese Marcusson* Mr. and Mrs. Miles Marsh* Mrs. Carol Marwede
Mr. and Mrs. David Mathis* Mr. David Mattoon
Ms. Meghan McDonald
Mr. and Mrs. John McDonough Mr. and Mrs. William McFadden* Ms. Mary Ellen McGoey
Mr. and Mrs. Tom McIntosh* Ms. Mary McMahon
Ms. Lisa McWeeny
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Mrs. Thomas Quinn* Ms. Kathy Rafferty*
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Rajkovich Dr. and Mrs. Nabih Ramadan* Mr. William Redfield*
Mr. and Mrs. Jack Reilly
Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Reinkemeyer Mr. Lawrence and
Dr. Linda Remensnyder* Ms. Martha ReQua
Mr. Timm Reynolds* Mrs. Daniel Riess* Ms. Sandra Riggs* Mr. Theodore Roberts Mr. Bill Robinson
and Ms. Nancy Green
Dr. and Mrs. Lawrence Roebel Mr. Ted Rojahn
Dr. Carlotta Rotman Ms. Monica Ruggles
Mr. and Mrs. Mike Rummel Mr. and Mrs. Edmond Russ Mr. and Mrs. William Russell* Dr. Stephen Russo
and Dr. Anna Bedran-Russo* Mr. and Mrs. Robert Salzwedel
Mrs. Marilyn Turchi* Mr. Ronald Valentine Ms. Cathy Van Dorpe
Ms. Betty Jean Van Gorkom Mr. and Mrs. William Vance Mr. and Mrs. John Vratimos Mr. and Mrs. Fred Wacker* Mr. and Mrs. Michael Walsh Ms. Emily Watts
Mr. and Mrs. David Waud* Mr. and Mrs. Ron Waud Ms. Nicki Weeden*
Mrs. Louise Weithas
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Ms. Erin Wilson
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Wisner Ms. Lisa Wolfe
and Mr. Mark Diganci* Mr. and Mrs. Kirk Wolter* Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Wood Ms. Gina Zisook
Mr. Lloyd Zuckerberg
- denotes Annual Fund donor also
This Preservation publication is provided three times a year to the entire community of Lake Forest free of charge through our generous members listed above.
annual FunD
Contributions to the Annual Fund are dedicated to new local preservation efforts
Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Abbattista* Ms. Nancy Akred*
Mr. and Mrs. James Allen* Mr. and Mrs. James Anderson Ms. Sara Anderson*
Mr. and Mrs. Bill Athenson* Ms. Rachel Avigad
and Mr. Paul Piotrowski* Mr. Christopher Bacon*
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Mr. and Mrs. Peter Coutant* Mr. and Mrs. William Crane Mr. and Mrs. Robert Crawford* Mr. and Mrs. Todd Curry*
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Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Douglass* Mr. and Mrs. James Estes*
Ms. Patricia Finn*
Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Fontana* Ms. Patricia Shuma
and Mr. Craig Fox*
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Mr. Robert Geudtner Ms. Janet Gibson*
Mr. and Mrs. Edward S. Gillette Mr. and Mrs. James J. Glasser Mr. Tom Gleason*
Mr. Trey Gonzales
and Mr. Kip Helverson* Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Grieve Mr. D. Kendall Griffith Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Gross
Mr. and Mrs. Ernst Häberli* Mr. and Mrs. Timothy R. Hale Mr. Philippe Hans*
Mr. Philip Hartung*
Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Henry* Dr. Eugene Hotchkiss
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph F. Huber* Mrs. Elaine and Ms. Sarah Hughes* Mr. and Mrs. Thomas B. Hunter IV Ms. Anne Hunting
and Dr. Ari Mintz
Mr. and Mrs. Frederick E. Jackson* Dr. and Mrs. William Janes*
Mr. and Mrs. Allan Janis*
Mrs. Kenneth Johnsen*
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Mr. and Mrs. Howard Katz Ms. Rosemary Kehr*
Mr. Thomas E. Keim
Mr. and Mrs. James A. Kellock* Mr. and Mrs. Stewart Kerr* Mrs. Richard Kissel*
Mr. Henry Kleeman
and Ms. Joan Boughton Mr. Fred Klein
and Ms. Frieda Jacobs
Mr. and Mrs. Douglass Kinney Mr. and Mrs. W. Paul Krauss Mrs. Posy Krehbiel*
Mr. Desmond La Place* Lake Forest Garden Club
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Lamphere* Mr. and Mrs. James F. Leahy* Mr. Mark Linenberg*
Mr. and Mrs. Geoffrey W. Luce* Mr. Donald Lynch
and Ms. Lori Lennon*
Mr. and Mrs. William Madden * Mr. and Mrs. Reese Marcusson* Mr. and Mrs. Miles Marsh*
Mr. and Mrs. David B. Mathis* Mr. and Mrs. Keith McClintock Mr. and Mrs. William McFadden* Ms. Mary McWilliams*
Mr. Richard Mentzinger* Mrs. Michael A. Miles*
Mr. and Mrs. Arthur H. Miller* Mr. and Mrs. Roger Mohr*
Mr. Steven B. Monz*
Mr. and Mrs. Chris Moore* Mr. and Mrs. David Moore Mr. and Mrs. James Morris Mrs. Harold Morrison
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Moulton Ely* Dr. and Mrs. Mark G. Neerhof* Ms. Leslie Newman*
Mr. Michael O’Connell*
Mr. and Mrs. Peter O’Malley* Mr. Raymond D. Oddi
Mr. and Mrs. Kurt Pairitz Mrs. Jane Partridge
Mr. and Mrs. L. Robert Pasquesi Mr. Christopher Pommer*
Mrs. Lisa Pommer*
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Mr. and Mrs. James Proesel Mrs and Mrs. James Puryear Mrs. Thomas H. Quinn* Ms. Kathy Rafferty*
Mr. and Mrs. Nabih Ramadan Mr. Willam Redfield*
Mr. Lawrence
and Dr. Linda Remensnyder* Mr. and Mrs. Timm Reynolds* Mrs. Daniel M. Riess*
Ms. Sandra Riggs* Mrs. Mary Ritter
Mr. Theodore H. Roberts Dr. Mark Rudberg
and Ms. Ellory Peck
Mr. and Mrs. William D. Russell* Dr. Stephen Russo
and Dr. Ana Bedran-Russo* Mr. and Mrs. John Schreiber
Schuler Family Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. William Schumann* Mrs. William Searle*
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Mr. and Mrs. Adrian Smith* Mr. Sidney T. Smith*
Ms. Marguerite Solberg
Mr. and Mrs. William Sprague* Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Staakmann* Mr. and Mrs. James Stirling*
Ms. Tina Strauss* Mrs. Carole Stroh
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Mr. and Mrs. Robert Washlow Mr. and Mrs. David Waud* Ms. Nicki Weeden*
Mr. Christopher P. Werwicki Mr. and Mrs. Peter West
Mr. and Mrs. Henry J. West* Ms. Carla Westcott
Mr. and Mrs. Emmett White* Ms. Lisa Wolfe
and Mr. Mark Diganci* Mr. and Mrs. Kirk Wolter* Mrs. Eugene Woroch
- denotes LFPF Member also
DocenTs anD VolunTeers in MeMorY oF
Anthony Abbattista Jane Alfe
Bob Alfe
Trisha Anderson Susie Athenson Rachel Tamar Avigad Nancy Bolton
Brian Bryzinski Ingrid Bryzinski Monica Burmeister Patricia Carter Jennifer Carter Mollie Casey Kristen Chun Nancy Coolley
Kathryn Cordell Peter Coutant Anne Crilly Janet Cummings Nancy Duffy Jennifer Durburg Sue Conolly Dye
Adrienne Fawcett Angela Fontana Anthony Fontana Craig Fox
Trey Gonzales Jane Hinton-Kedo Gail Hodges
Rita Hoke
Sherry Hoover Susan Ipsen Jenny Johnsen Dennis Johnston Cappy Johnston John Julian
Lori Julian
Renee Preston Kunkel LFHS National Honor Society
Jill Julian Leffelman Mark Linenberg Rommy Lopat Debbie Marcusson Ella Marquart
Bill McFadden Sharon McFadden Arthur Miller
Jan Miller Pauline Mohr Roger Mohr Steve Monz Liz Moore
Wendy Moreno Lori Nerheim
Rosemary O’Connell Frederick Prete Elizabeth Reay Monica Ruggles
Pam Russell
Greg Schlax Denise Schlax Alec Schuetter Karla Schwartz Linda Shields Jason Smith Linda Spanberger Jean Sullivan Brooke Tagliaferro Lisa Temkin Karey Walker
Ron White Kiki Wood Sally Wood Gina Zisook
Stanley D. Anderson, Jr. Bill Bergmann
William Hughes Mary Jane Ingram Jeanne La Place Maryjane Mentzinger Ann O’Connell Byron Prais
Daniel M. Riess Thomas H. Ritter Franz Schultz Jerry Shields
Jane and Mike Weeden
sponsors anD in-kinD Donors in honor oF
Craig Bergmann Landscaping Crab Tree Farm DiVinci Painters
Rommy Lopat
and John Drummond
Kogen Friedman Development Desmond La Place Landmarks Illinois Lake Forest Book Store Lake Forest Library
Lynch Construction Mariani Landscape Market House
MB Real Estate Melichar Architects
Michaele Ann McDonnell
Kristi and Peter Nevin Northwest Vascular and Vein Specialists Elizabeth Reay
Kim and Stu Robb Robb Orthodontics
Smith Capital Management Sunset
Judith Tankard
The Davey Tree Expert Company
The Organic Gardener
Tom Gleason Gail Hodges Marcy Kerr
Baker and Rafferty Families
Laura and Edward Gillette II Lake Forest Place
Arthur Miller
The John & Kathleen
Bill Tyre
JWC Media
Cappy and Dennis Johnston Knauz Autopark
Lake Forest Shop
Lake Forest Bank & Trust Nate Lielasus
Alice and Robert Moulton-Ely
Diana and David Moore
Schreiber Foundation Linda Shields SilverPepper
UPS – Lake Forest Webb Financial Group
Every effort was made to list the names of all our contributors. If we have inadvertently omitted your name or listed it incorrectly, please contact the office at 847-234-1230 or [email protected] so we can correct our records.
Every effort was made to list the names of all our contributors. If we have inadvertently omitted your name or listed it incorrectly, please contact the office at 847-234-1230 or [email protected] so we can correct our records.5
Nominations for 2020 Historic Preservation Awards
Due by March 30th
Every year, coinciding with National Historic Preservation Month, the Lake Forest Preservation Foundation honors families, businesses, and organizations that have demonstrated a commitment to excellence in preserving Lake Forest’s architectural heritage. The annual Historic Preservation Awards are based on criteria established by the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties and fall into five categories, a description of each can be found on the Foundation’s website.
Preservation • Rehabilitation • Restoration Reconstruction • New Construction or Infill
Any building, structure or landscape fifty years or older is eligible to be nominated. For the category of New Construction or Infill, new and recent construction is eligible. Nominations may be made by any interested person – the owner, the designer, a neighbor or friend, an admiring passerby. Handsome bronze plaques will be presented to award recipients at the Preservation Foundation’s Annual Meeting, May 3rd. Nominations for the 2020 awards are being accepted now through March 30th and can be submitted by downloading a nomination form available on the Foundation’s website, http://lfpf.org/preservation-awards, or by contacting the LFPF office, 847-234-1230 or [email protected].
Nominations for 2020 Historic Preservation Awards
Due by March 30th
Every year, coinciding with National Historic Preservation Month, the Lake Forest Preservation Foundation honors families, businesses, and organizations that have demonstrated a commitment to excellence in preserving Lake Forest’s architectural heritage. The annual Historic Preservation Awards are based on criteria established by the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties and fall into five categories, a description of each can be found on the Foundation’s website.
Preservation • Rehabilitation • Restoration Reconstruction • New Construction or Infill
Any building, structure or landscape fifty years or older is eligible to be nominated. For the category of New Construction or Infill, new and recent construction is eligible. Nominations may be made by any interested person – the owner, the designer, a neighbor or friend, an admiring passerby. Handsome bronze plaques will be presented to award recipients at the Preservation Foundation’s Annual Meeting, May 3rd. Nominations for the 2020 awards are being accepted now through March 30th and can be submitted by downloading a nomination form available on the Foundation’s website, http://lfpf.org/preservation-awards, or by contacting the LFPF office, 847-234-1230 or [email protected] the President
Thanks to the support of our members, other community supporters, and community organizations, 2019 was an outstanding year for the Preservation Foundation.
Friends and neighbors joined with generous homeowners to make our Fall Architectural House and Garden Tour in the Woodland and Edgewood Roads neighborhood a wonderful success.
Foundation members and friends across the community generously contributed to our Annual Fund campaign supporting this year’s two-part project. The first part will develop and install bronze plaques marking architecturally significant buildings and sites in the downtown area. And later this year, we will begin to update the ever popular and now 25-year-old LFPF-published A Preservation Guide to National Register Properties Lake Forest, Illinois.
Eight property owners received Preservation Awards recognizing the dedication, stewardship, and diligence required to help preserve the architectural gems that make our community unique. We celebrated the 150th anniversary of the birth of local architect Howard Van Doren Shaw. We enjoyed two wildly popular Summer Garden Stroll events, first in June at the ravine-edge shade garden of Cappy Johnson, and then in August at the lakefront garden of Desmond LaPlace.
We are proud to announce a new scholarship program for high school students graduating in June 2020: The Lake Forest Preservation Foundation Scholarship.
The scholarship is intended to help create greater awareness of and interest in preserving the tradition and beauty of Lake Forest, asking students to share how Lake Forest resonates with them and why showing consideration for the historical roots of our town is important.
“We are excited to learn the perspectives on preservation from our Lake Forest youth,” said Elizabeth Abbattista, the leader of the new initiative for the LFPF. “We hope this platform encourages more student awareness of preservation in Lake Forest. We want them to learn from us, teach us, and partner with us to ensure the continuity of our mission.”
The $1,000 scholarship will be offered in Spring of 2020. Students will submit visual images, which reference one of Lake Forest’s historically recognized buildings, homes, streetscapes or neighborhoods. Entries should convey why the LFPF mission and vision are important. Entries are due by March 16, 2020.
The Lake Forest Preservation Foundation is dedicated to the stewardship, safeguarding, and endurance of our exceptional architectural and landscape legacy for succeeding generations.
“We look forward to seeing how students, especially upon high school graduation, will reflect on the many ways living in Lake Forest is an important part of their childhood and has grounded them for their future,” said Abbattista.
For more information about the Lake Forest Preservation Foundation, visit www.LFPF.org. For more information about the LFHS scholarship, visit www.lakeforestschools.org/schools/lfhs/ student-services/college-career-counseling/scholarships.
Announcing Our New Lake Forest Preservation Scholarship
We are proud to announce a new scholarship program for high school students graduating in June 2020: The Lake Forest Preservation Foundation Scholarship.
The scholarship is intended to help create greater awareness of and interest in preserving the tradition and beauty of Lake Forest, asking students to share how Lake Forest resonates with them and why showing consideration for the historical roots of our town is important.
“We are excited to learn the perspectives on preservation from our Lake Forest youth,” said Elizabeth Abbattista, the leader of the new initiative for the LFPF. “We hope this platform encourages more student awareness of preservation in Lake Forest. We want them to learn from us, teach us, and partner with us to ensure the continuity of our mission.”
The $1,000 scholarship will be offered in Spring of 2020. Students will submit visual images, which reference one of Lake Forest’s historically recognized buildings, homes, streetscapes or neighborhoods. Entries should convey why the LFPF mission and vision are important. Entries are due by March 16, 2020.
The Lake Forest Preservation Foundation is dedicated to the stewardship, safeguarding, and endurance of our exceptional architectural and landscape legacy for succeeding generations.
“We look forward to seeing how students, especially upon high school graduation, will reflect on the many ways living in Lake Forest is an important part of their childhood and has grounded them for their future,” said Abbattista.
For more information about the Lake Forest Preservation Foundation, visit www.LFPF.org. For more information about the LFHS scholarship, visit www.lakeforestschools.org/schools/lfhs/ student-services/college-career-counseling/scholarships.
Announcing Our New Lake Forest Preservation ScholarshipWe held three stellar educational programs. The first highlighted the restoration of Chicago’s 2nd Presbyterian Church. The second program was a guest lecture and book signing by Judith Tankard, who spoke about her new book, Ellen Shipman and the American Garden. And in the last program, we explored the Lake Forest Library’s important cultural heritage. We published three high-quality and informative newsletters that went out to all Lake Forest households. We concluded the year with our festive Holiday Celebration for members, where we enjoyed Laura and Ed Gillette’s fabulous 1916 Howard Van Doren Shaw-designed home.
A special thank you to all our members, donors, volunteers, and sponsors throughout the past year, each of whom is listed on pages 4 and 5 of this publication. The success of all these events would not be possible without your support, for which we are grateful.
We welcome the community to join us throughout the year, both as members and as residents who care about the future of Lake Forest’s distinguished architect and landscape design heritage. You can support preservation by becoming a member, attending our events, or submitting Preservation Award nominations to recognize outstanding design projects and preservation stewardship. Our events are a great way to learn more about what makes Lake Forest unique. Your support helps secure the future of the special qualities we all love about Lake Forest. I look forward to what will surely be another outstanding year of LFPF events.
Sincerely,
Annual Holiday Celebration
We celebrated the season and the successes of the year at Westleigh, the beautiful Howard Van Doren Shaw designed home of Laura and Edward Gillette.
Thank you to our hosts and all our supporters.
Annual Holiday Celebration
We celebrated the season and the successes of the year at Westleigh, the beautiful Howard Van Doren Shaw designed home of Laura and Edward Gillette.
Thank you to our hosts and all our supporters.Peter Coutant, President
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Launching LFPF’s Plaque Program Honoring Lake Forest’s Architecture and Design Heritage
As announced in our Fall 2019 edition of Preservation as part of our Annual Fund drive, the Foundation is launching a program aimed at raising awareness and promoting Lake Forest’s rich architectural and design heritage. Distinguished buildings and public spaces will be marked with a bronze plaque identifying the original name of the building or site, building owner, the name or names of the designers or firms, and the date of completion. The goal of the project is to engage residents and vistors exploring the community by highlighting and interpreting the most significant, architecturally notable buildings and spaces of the past and recent past.
Initially the project aims to include about 20 sites in or near the Central Business district. Sites may include the recently restored Deerpath Inn, Market Square buildings and park, and train station. Other notable structures may include City Hall, the Anderson Block (Walgreen’s), Northern Trust’s original building, Lake Forest Bank & Trust, the Post Office, and the Lake Forest Library. Future phases could expand outside of the downtown area to include other architecturally important commercial and public buildings and sites throughout the community.
A task force of the Preservation Foundation board is consulting with accomplished local architect Guy Berg—a former board member who
designed the City entry signage—on the form, size, and character of these plaques. A proposal then will be reviewed by the Historic Preservation Commission and City Council.
Lake Forest’s Central Business District and nearby area include many historic and more recent examples of outstanding design work by architects Stanley D. Anderson, Peregrine Bryant (London), Edwin Hill Clark, Frost & Granger, Jones & Jones, Ralph Milman, James Gamble Rogers, and Howard Van Doren Shaw—this last being the first American Institute of Architects Midwestern-practicing Gold Medalist architect, 1926-27. Also notable are related recent landscape design work, including that by Craig Bergmann, Douglas Hoerr, and Rodney Robinson (Delaware). The presence in town of these works of local, Chicago regional, and often national and international significance is a source of pride within the community and, as a group, an attraction for visitors as well.
The Foundation continues to raise funds to support this project. If you would like to donate with a tax-deductible gift of any size, you can make a secure online donation at www.LFPF.org, or by calling the Foundation’s office at 847-234-1230. We are grateful for your support.
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Partner to Preserve . . .
If you are a member of the Lake Forest Preservation Foundation or a donor to our Annual Fund, we thank you! If you are not currently a member, we ask you to join now or renew. Simply put, your membership helps to preserve the unique, historic visual character of Lake Forest.
Your membership enables us to:
Educate the community by offering quality programming that provides insight and information on preservation issues
Contribute to City meetings of the Building Review Board and Historic Preservation Commission by adding valuable insight and awareness
Offer house tours, garden strolls, and our annual holiday gathering giving members the rare chance to experience our architectural treasures
Recognize public and private contributions to preservation through our annual awards and programs
Fund restoration and preservation projects, studies, and advocacy
With your partnership, we can help protect the streetscapes and landmarks that make Lake Forest the special place it is and ensure its protection for future generations.
Please become a member or renew today either online at LFPF.org or by calling 847-234-1230.
Thank you for your support!
h
h
Partner to Preserve . . .
If you are a member of the Lake Forest Preservation Foundation or a donor to our Annual Fund, we thank you! If you are not currently a member, we ask you to join now or renew. Simply put, your membership helps to preserve the unique, historic visual character of Lake Forest.
Your membership enables us to:
Educate the community by offering quality programming that provides insight and information on preservation issues
Contribute to City meetings of the Building Review Board and Historic Preservation Commission by adding valuable insight and awareness
Offer house tours, garden strolls, and our annual holiday gathering giving members the rare chance to experience our architectural treasures
Recognize public and private contributions to preservation through our annual awards and programs
Fund restoration and preservation projects, studies, and advocacy
With your partnership, we can help protect the streetscapes and landmarks that make Lake Forest the special place it is and ensure its protection for future generations.
Please become a member or renew today either online at LFPF.org or by calling 847-234-1230.
Thank you for your support!
hLake Forest Preservation Foundation
Upcoming Programs
Visit LFPF.org for details and to register
Thursday, March 19 • 7:00 PM
Benjamin Marshall, Architect and Bon Vivant
Gorton Community Center
Wednesday, April 15 • 7:00 PM
Putting Lake Forest on the Map:
In Partnership with
Lake Forest/Lake Buff History Center Free of Charge
Sunday, May 3 • 2:00 PM
Annual Meeting and
2020 Historic Preservation Awards Gorton Community Center Member reception following
Friday, June 19 • 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM Early Summer Garden Stroll Members $25 Non-members $40
Saturday, July 25 • 10:00 AM or 1:00 PM
Annual Summer Tour
of Crab Tree Farm & Art Collection
Members $25 Non-members $40
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LAKE FOREST PRESERVATION FOUNDATION
2019-2020
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Peter Coutant
President
Tom Gleason
VP Communications
Laura V. Luce
VP Development Elizabeth Abbattista Natalie Reinkemeyer
VP Programs
Susan Rafferty Athenson
Secretary
Debbie Marcusson
Treasurer
Jim Opsitnik
Immediate Past President
DIRECTORS
Robert Alfe
NON-PROFIT ORG
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID PERMIT NO. 184 LAKE FOREST, IL
60045
NON-PROFIT ORG
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID PERMIT NO. 184 LAKE FOREST, IL
60045
ECRWSS
Residential Customer Lake Forest, IL 60045
A PreservAtion Love story . . .
Liz Brandel Ingrid Bryzinski Michelle Curry Adrienne Fawcett Angela Fontana Craig Fox
Trey Gonzales John Julian William McFadden Roger Mohr Elizabeth Moore
Monica Artmann Ruggles Denise Schlax
Jason Smith
HONORARY DIRECTORS
Gail Hodges Arthur Miller Pauline Mohr Shirley Paddock Linda Shields Lorraine Tweed
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Marcy Kerr
Preservation
SPRING 2020
VOLUME 13, NUMBER 1
Contributors:
Peter Coutant, Michelle Curry, Adrienne Fawcett, Trey Gonzales, Gail Hodges, Laura Luce,
Marcy Kerr, Arthur Miller, Pauline Mohr, Monica Artman Ruggles and Jason Smith
Editor: Tom Gleason
PhotograPhy: Paul Bergmann, Cappy Johnston
Lake Forest Preservation Foundation 400 East Illinois Road
Lake Forest, Illinois 60045 www.lfpf.org
Bill Redfield grew up in a 56-room mansion in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, that famously exploded from a faulty safety valve on the furnace boiler in 1963. The last thing Bill wanted when he and his wife, Lyn, went looking for a Lake Forest home during the 1974 energy crisis was another mansion. Handy by nature and an electrical engineer by trade, Bill was open to doing some renovations but wasn’t keen on restoring an entire property.
So how did the Redfields wind up buying the 26-room House of Four Winds and carefully restoring it piece by historic piece over the next 42 years?
It wasn’t love at first sight. When the couple drove up the drive the first time neither liked the decaying, Mediterranean-style house with its loose roof-top shingles and weeds growing in the gutters. But Lyn didn’t want to hurt the real estate agent’s feelings, so they went inside.
They fell in love with the house on second sight.
“We walked through the front door and our jaws just dropped. The living room fireplace was enormous, and the rooms were so magnificent,” Bill said of the home designed in 1909 by famed architect Howard Van Doren Shaw in partnership with landscape architect Rose Standish Nichols.
The Redfields made an offer for the house and all its furnishings; the offer was accepted, and instead of feeling overwhelmed by the work that lay ahead, they were excited and challenged. Lyn was a teacher who loved cooking and decorating, and Bill was an engineer who loved projects. His first purchase was a circular saw that he put to use straight away rebuilding the home’s storm windows – no small feat given there were 100 of them.
Oh, and he had never rebuilt storm windows before that winter.
The circular saw came in handy for years as Bill and Lyn methodically restored the historic House
of Four Winds. They shared their reverence for historic preservation by opening their home to the community to assist in
fund-raisers, promote preservation and showcase the importance of Shaw’s work. In addition to restoring House of Four Winds, Bill served the greater community through his work on the Board of Directors of the Lake Forest Preservation Foundation, the board of Landmarks Illinois — where he received the Driehaus award, and as a commissioner for City of Lake Forest’s Historic Preservation Commission.
And it was Bill’s love of engineering that may have led the couple to restore the ca. 1910 garden that extends the
house’s longitudinal axis outdoors through a porch to two levels of canals to a terminal seat with two fountains on each side. The water had not run for a half century.
Preserving House of Four Winds with its garden and landscape was a projection of Bill and Lyn’s love for each other and their affection for Lake Forest. After Lyn passed away, Bill found a new family, the Estes, to love the House of the Four Winds and to continue his and Lyn’s efforts to preserve the property. The Estes have worked with Landmarks Illinois, owner of the structure’s façade easement, to create a new compatible garage addition. They have also continued to upgrade and restore the 109-year-old house’s infrastructure.
Thank you, Bill!
