Summer 2023
SPECIAL FOUR-PAGE PULL-OUT MAP,
Lake Forest’s Downtown Notable Historic Architecture Plaques
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1PHOTO BY MARCUS NORMAN
From the President
Preservation teaches that the enemy of good is not always evil. Sometimes the enemy of good is better. How often have you gone into an historic structure only to find that the moulding and millwork, fixtures, or other defining architectural details were removed years ago in an effort to “modernize” and make the structure better? Believe it or not, at various times, plans were advanced in Lake Forest to demolish structures that are now regarded as public treasures – such as the train station, City Hall, and the Gorton Center – all in the misguided belief that replacing them would make our community better.
Thankfully, farsighted civic leaders and Lake Forest residents opposed such efforts and over 25 years ago adopted an historic preservation ordinance that recognized the need to preserve, restore and rehabilitate historic structures, sites and objects. That ordinance and residents of Lake Forest, who served on commissions and tirelessly voiced their opinions in favor of preservation and conscientious development, saved Lake Forest from the fate of some neighboring communities, which have lost their historic architectural heritage. We can fully appreciate the importance of that heritage when we consider that the recent Looking Forward Lake Forest poll reported that 92% of all respondents agreed that the overall character of Lake Forest’s Historic Central Business District is a defining element of our community.
In this issue, the LFPF celebrates all those who have promoted and maintained the historic visual character of Lake Forest in the most tangible way – by preserving, restoring, rehabilitating, or reconstructing historic homes, structures and landscapes. The LFPF celebrates them, especially this year’s winners identified in the following pages, through its Annual Preservation Awards. That homeowners and businesses in Lake Forest understand the value of preservation is amply demonstrated by the fact that since its inception, the LFPF has issued over 250 preservation awards in five categories.
The LFPF also celebrates Lake Forest’s rich architectural tradition by issuing plaques for historic structures in and around the Central Business District, which were recently showcased in the LFPF’s Tour of Plaques. The center insert of this issue features an iconic map by Mark McMahon, a favorite local artist, that highlights 18 historic buildings all found in our Central Business District.
The LFPF thanks its members and all who have played a role in maintaining the historic visual character of Lake Forest. Because of your contributions, Lake Forest remains a unique and special place and I look forward to serving as your President.
Brian Norton
President
Brian Norton
2023 Annual Meeting
April 30, 2023
At the annual meeting of the membership on April 30th, over 100 of our members and friends reflected on another successful year for the 47 year-old preservation advocacy organization. Several of our accomplishments of the past year are highlighted in this issue. We also welcomed 8 new directors, thanked the 5 who are retiring and awarded 8 properties the honor of an Historic Preservation Award. To cap the afternoon, we enjoyed the hospitality of Judy and Bert Krueger at their meticulously preserved 1860 home, The Homestead, original residence of D. R. and Ellen Hubbard Holt. To read more about the home, visit our InfoHub on the website.
Retiring Directors: Elizabeth Abbattista, Natalie Reinkemeyer, Debbie Marcusson. Not pictured, Scott Streightiff and Courtney Trombley
Annual Meeting Reception hosts Judy and Bert Krueger pose beneath a portrait of D. R. Holt
on the cover:
1298 NORTH GREEN BAY ROAD
Carry Playhouse, ca. 1915, 1918
Howard Van Doren Shaw, Architect Residence of Ned and Sigun M. Kimbrel
Original lantern slide c. 1930, Smithsonian
When Architectural Lake Forest was published by the Preservation Foundation late last year, it highlighted 261 local historic sites seen from the street. But Preservation Foundation awards are presented also for places not visible from the street or even known. This issue’s cover features one such hidden gem.
When Ned and Sigun Kimbrel first visited this 1915 and 1917-18 Howard Van Doren Shaw designed property in 1985, it was in great disrepair. Broken windows punctuated the beautifully paneled living room, originally built as a playhouse, 1915. While the Kimbrels were looking at the interesting character of the space, a feral cat flew through one of those windows, saw the visitors, and quickly bounded out another. The Kimbrel family, though, loved the house and could picture it four decades later as it appears today, charmingly rehabilitated and set in the spacious
2.64 acre, mature, and well cared for grounds extending west.
The 900 sq. ft. playhouse, located west of railroad car builder Edward Carry’s 1898 Shaw house, was designed and built for the
there of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Gordon Selfridge. Mr. Selfridge had founded the 1909-opened department store named for him in London, having worked earlier for Field’s in Chicago. But as U.S. entry into World War I became imminent, Ermina returned home. By July 1917 she was married to Fort Sheridan stationed Captain, later Colonel, William Corcoran Fenlon Nicholson (1883-1962, buried in Arlington Cemetery), son and grandson of military leaders and later a Pullman Co. vice president. The
playhouse was expanded by 1918
to 1917 designs by Shaw for the Nicholsons with a small country house scaled, 2,725 sq. ft., two-story addition,
with the original
Carry’s daughter, Ermina (1897-1932). She presumably acted in
Modern interior of playhouse
little theater
the title role of German author Hermann Suderman’s 1909 humorous one-act “Far-Away Princess,” presented there by neighbor Frances Wells Shaw (Mrs. Howard). The play’s setting
serving as the picturesque living room. Added were a dining room, kitchen, butler’s pantry, maid’s quarters, bedrooms, bathrooms, and two sleeping porches. The couple had two children.
in an 18th century rural German inn matched the character of
the space. The Shaw’s own second daughter, Sylvia, was the friend, perhaps Westover boarding-school mate two years ahead of Ginevra King, and fellow amateur actor with same-aged Ermina.
By 1916 railroad car “princess” Ermina was a debutante, soon leaving for London to help with wartime hospital work, a guest
Continued on LFPF.org/info-hub: with more on the Carrys and their main house, 1296 N. Green Bay, the Little Theatre Movement, and on Ermina’s younger sister, Peg, one of Ginevra King’s “Big Four” Chicago young Socialites, later Mrs. E.A. Cudahy, 904 N. Green Bay Rd. Included are details on sources, for further reading.
Three Lake Forest High School Graduating Seniors Awarded, May 25,2023
This year LFPF challenged graduating seniors to tell us how they have been influenced by preservation. All the entries were creative and inspiring but our team of 7 judges who blindly read them all, felt the following 3 were of special note:
1st place – Mary Bernadette Petty wrote a passionate photo-documented essay on the loss of Stonebridge, an important 1916 Howard
Emma Darling, Bernadette Petty, Amelia Fontana
school’s architecture in the community then and now.
2nd Runner Up – Emma Darling wrote a beautiful essay on her appreciation of her home, its style and how it was meticulously designed to fit easily into a neighborhood of historic homes. This heightened her appreciation of compatibility and good design.
Read entire essays on our InfoHub.
van Doren Shaw estate on Green Bay Road, demolished in spring 2023.
1st Runner Up – Amelia Fontana wrote about the architectural legacy of the Lake Forest High School. She expanded on Stanley Anderson’s belief in compatibility and the influence of the high
Thank you to all the seniors who shared their visions, understanding and love of the historic visual character of Lake Forest. Good luck on your future endeavors!
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A Good Year for Lake Forest’s Historic Visual Character
The team at the Preservation Foundation—board members, staff, members, and donors—experienced a vibrant year in 2022-23.
Lake Forest Library Dome Restoration
Lake Forest Library Dome RestorationAs it has every year since 2007, the group sent out to local households three issues of its Preservation periodical. Issues such as for Spring 2022 made the “Case for Place” highlighting the challenge of creating a new Central Business District Comprehensive Plan which protects our unique downtown traditional character, led by urban planner and board member Perry Georgopoulos and local promoter/developer Jason Smith. We showed our 2022 award winning properties in the summer issue, and our fall issue announced our revised and expanded guidebook, Architectural Lake Forest, A Guide to National Register Historic Districts and Properties in Lake Forest, Illinois.
The new book, featuring 261 designated and protected locations visible from the street with beautiful new color photography by local professional Marcus Norman is in itself a valuable record. The group’s 1990s guide to 80 sites had been based on 1970s black and white photography, a base from the founding members of the Foundation. In addition, the little guidebook sized bundle is packed with brief captions and much new information, an address index with references to sources on each site, an
Le Colonial Adaptive Re-use
Le Colonial Adaptive Re-useindex to historic architects and landscape architects, and a guide to locally visible styles. A “coffee table book” for easy-reference glove compartment storage! The book is available for $25 from the LFPF office or from the Lake Forest Book Store.
Programs featuring the book included the November 4, 2022, launch at David Adler’s jewel at 255 N. Green Bay Rd., and presentations at the History Center and Lake Forest Place, one with Carol Summerfield of the History Center on garden history in Lake Forest and the Center’s new landscape plan reflecting this unique heritage.
Elsewhere in the community, the Lake Forest Library began restoring the dome on its significant 1931 Edwin Hill Clark building donated by the daughters of John G. Shedd, Mrs. Reed and Mrs. Schweppe, in memory of Mrs. Reed’s deceased spouse, Kelsey Coates Reed. The building with its art collections is a Chicago regional landmark of late estate era excellence.
LBLF History Center Garden Initiative
LBLF History Center Garden InitiativeThroughout 2022-23 the City of Lake Forest worked on its downtown comprehensive plan. The mayor appointed a broadly based task force, including LFPF board members Jim Opsitnik and Jason Smith (Smith played a key role in bringing Le Colonial to Lake Forest, preserving the 1904-26 former City building it occupies). This group’s report, still in Plan Commission-led refinement and incorporating resident and stakeholder input, makes clear a commitment to traditional character for future compatible downtown development.
With some 1,500 new households in town between 2020 and 2022, the many needs of this new cohort for services, being addressed in new high school and Deerpath Park upgrades, also has challenged preservationists. We are working to protect the balanced built, styled, and landscaped character unique here on the North Shore while welcoming their new vitality and perspectives. This continues a process that goes back a century, to when Grace Farwell McGann, writing in 1919 when Ginevra King’s generation was on the rise, lamented the loss of exclusive old Lake Forest!
On Bridge Grace Farwell Winston McGann with daughter Grace McGann in boat
On Bridge Grace Farwell Winston McGann with daughter Grace McGann in boat
lake forest preservation foundation
Lake Forest’s Notable Historic Downtown Architecture
celebrated in bronze plaques for eighteen buildings and sites
keyed numbered entries to map designed by mark mcmahon
keyed numbered entries to map designed by mark mcmahon
720 N. McKinley Rd. Chicago & North Western Train Station, 1900. Frost & Granger, architects, ALF, 45. Tudor style. Rehabbed by lessee from railroad, City of Lake Forest, 2011-18, architect Gunny Harboe, based on his 2009 Historic Structure Report and later involvement. Tudor styled building and interior partially rehabbed for passenger use, 2018. (Architectural Lake Forest, LFPF, 2022) ALF, 23.
630 N. Western Ave. Blackler Building 1895, architect not known. First three-story mixed use (including retail and apartments, still being rented) masonry designed building with a turret and bow windows west of the tracks. Italian Renaissance style, with Beaux Arts and Aesthetic Movement ornament in copper. ALF, 15.
284-296 E. Deerpath. Anderson Block, 1904, James Gamble Rogers, architect. Three story mixed use, including retail and apartments, by 1980s the latter offices, at the northwest corner with Western Ave. Classic Georgian style. On site of 1867 James Anderson frame two-story general store building, moved ca. 1903. At southeast corner of the first floor, Walgreens. ALF, 15.
684 N. Western Ave. Krafft’s Drug Store, 1917, Howard Van Doren Shaw, architect ALF, 11, 93. Small building significant architecturally for its stepping down from three-story Anderson Block south to south two-story and attic building of Market Square north. In 2023 Federal Savings Bank, with a classic addition west, 2005, by Peregrine Bryant, London. ALF, 14.
672 N. Western Ave., Market Square South Building and Tower, 1916. Howard Van Doren Shaw. Two-story English traditional, Arts & Crafts style. Balancing the block-long north building, both starting on Western Ave. and then bending west past a tower to Bank Lane. Features medieval and modern clock tower. ALF 11, 14.
Market Square Plaza, Fountain, and Park, 1916-17. Howard Van Doren Shaw, rehab 2000, Rodney Robinson, landscape architect. Garden evolving through three plans, 1912, 1914, and 1915, fountain 1917 with “Friends” sculpture by Sylvia Shaw Judson Haskins. Two rows of trees in park continue columns from east to west end of complex. Plaza east of fountain. ALF, 11, 14.
720 N. Western Ave., Market Square North Building and Tower, 1916. Paired with South Building, same features rearranged, with a taller contrasting classic Stuart, pre-Georgian English tower, Incorporated the ca. 1904 Gordon and Griffith Buildings north, part of Shaw’s design plan. ALF, 11, 13, and front cover.
768 N. Western Ave. The Lantern (O’Neill Building), 1905, architect not known. Three-story, mixed-use building atthe northwest corner of Westminster, the same scale and height as the Anderson Block one block south at Deerpath. Lantern tavern and restaurant a tenant since the end of Prohibition, mid 1930s.
682 N. Bank Lane, Former Marshall Fields (Market Square West Building), 1916, Howard Van Doren Shaw. In the complex’s third plan, 1915, the architect created the park space from the towers north to Bank Lane, in contrast to the English traditional style of the two long flanking buildings, this one’s design is Italian Renaissance derived from Andrea Palladio, mid-16th century. Marshall Fields, 1931-2006. ALF, 11, 17.
The illustrated map was created for the Preservation Foundation by well-known Lake Forest based artist, muralist, and illustrated mapmaker,
Mark McMahon. Mark is widely-known and his work, including beautiful prints, sought after for its animated and colorful impressions of urban,suburban(especiallyNorthShore), sports settings, and even a recent map of sculptures in Lake Forest and Lake Bluff.
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