2013 Fall Newsletter

Fall 2013 A Lake Forest Treasure Fall House Garden Tour The Preservation Foundation celebrated its Annual Home & Garden Tour of Georgian Estates on the beautiful afternoon of October 5th & Fall House Garden Tour The Preservation Foundation celebrated its Annual Home & Garden Tour of Georgian Estates on the beautiful afternoon of October 5th & FROM THE PRESIDENT The Foundation’s October 5 Home and Garden Tour provided a private look at some of the most architecturally significant Georgian homes in Lake Forest and their gardens with many thanks to all who attended and to Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey R. Brincat, Mr. and Mrs. Kent Haeger, Mr. and Mrs. Robert G. Hershenhorn, and Mr. and Mrs. Miles Marsh for generously sharing the afternoon with guests and to Mr. and Mrs. Robert W. Crawford II who graciously hosted the reception, and thanks also to those who helped underwrite the day including Paul Bergmann, Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Derr, Jan Gibson, Mr. and Mrs. David Grinnell, Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Shields, Lake Forest Bank & Trust Company, Baytree National Bank & Trust Co., and Melichar Architects with the success of the sole annual fundraising event ensured by the Tour Committee chaired by Jan Gibson, Executive Director Marcy Kerr, and thirty-seven docents and volunteers along with the weatherman who held off a ferocious thunderstorm, and excitement announced for the launch of the Foundation’s new website at www.lfpf.org offering opportunity to learn more participate and support preservation in Lake Forest including subscribing to email updates and accessing Newsletter archives and other sources of useful information, with sadness reporting the passing of James F. Herber the Foundation’s sixteenth president in May and noting his more than 50 years active in the community and leading the Foundation from 2005-2007 with projects during his tenure supporting Elawa Farm, Lake Forest College, and the preservation of a 172-year-old Mills Court log cabin believed to be Lake Forest’s oldest surviving home, and invitation for those not already members to join to support preservation and share yearly benefits including educational programs opportunities for advocacy special events and the Annual Holiday Celebration held each year at an historic home and inviting readers to join and come celebrate on December 8, signed With best wishes Gail Hodges, Fall House The Preservation Foundation celebrated its Annual Home & Garden Tour of Georgian Estates on the beautiful afternoon of October 5th, Find Us Online! • www.lFpF.Org with promotional copy asking if you’re looking for a website that is colorful up-to-the-minute and trendy with a place to sign up for informative presentations and tours of beautiful local homes and a single location for photos and videos of memorable events and to join in supporting the Lake Forest Preservation Foundation and noting all that and more at www.lfpf.org the new website of the Lake Forest Preservation Foundation as an online resource to use again and again and encouraging visit and join today to preserve for tomorrow, PRESERVATION FALL 2013 • VOLUME 6, NUMBER 1 Contributors: Suzanne Boren, Peter Coutant, Allison Derr, Jan Gibson, Maureen Grinnell, Gail Hodges, Cappy Johnston, Arthur Miller, Laura Turansick Lake Forest Preservation Foundation • 400 East Illinois Road Lake Forest, Illinois 60045 • www.lfpf.org, Preserving the DNA of Lake Forest in a Changing Economy with discussion that there was a time when economics of real estate historic preservation and stock market intersected ensuring historic housing stock updated and preserved and from mid 1990s through mid 2000s countless historic homes from Sears Catalogue to large estates purchased rehabbed and often resold to buyers wanting completely updated historic home and prepared to pay and many projects successful others less so but significant percentage modernized rather than demolished and often-overlooked aspect that speculative builders fueled many projects because economics presented risk worth taking, and that housing market changed considerably over past six years not just in values but wants and needs of buyers and speculative building and uncertain return to those days soon and still fair number of historic homes needing updating and waiting for long-term investment, and that City of Lake Forest has been leader in historic preservation with history of embracing tools and incentives encouraging homeowners to invest in long-term viability by allowing homes to be improved for modern function and remain viable for future generations and for preservation to succeed in today’s economic climate continued commitment to proven approaches and willingness to consider new approaches required, noting many preservation projects will continue to require exceptions to City Code sometimes significant with building-scale ordinance as example difficult with large historic homes due to original design subdivision history or code modifications and code not exact science requiring balancing numeric aspects with aesthetic and visual features to determine impact on character of streetscape and surrounding properties and Historic Preservation Commission and Building Review Board have knowledge to evaluate requests and grant appropriate exceptions and continued willingness of City to grant appropriate exceptions even if large or questioned by neighbors is crucial tool for encouraging long-term investment, and perhaps more critical challenge dealing with largest homes in town the handful of 15,000+ square-foot estate homes which even if updated have limited market and narrow appeal due to size and upkeep and yet are critical to historical and architectural “DNA” of community and question whether enough buyers for all sustainable as single-family homes and preservation of some may require willingness to consider creative approaches for economics to work such as conversion to boutique hotel or bed & breakfast or use as business like foundation offices or corporate headquarters as with Tangley Oaks manor home in Lake Bluff converted to Terlato Wines International HQ in mid 1990s or conversion into multiple family dwellings all requiring exceptions to City Code and tough public scrutiny and suggesting time for in-depth study and community dialogue on unconventional approaches before City faces difficult task of evaluating demolition request for one of these great old places so economics of preservation can work, The Robert G. Hershenhorn House 808 East Deer path Architectural Description describing house product of Chicago office of Boston firm Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge heirs to Henry Hobson Richardson built 1902 during period when firm undertaking Gothic buildings at University of Chicago and illustrating ability in Georgian idiom later noted in Harkness Houses at Harvard and also designed Art Institute of Chicago (1893), exterior welcoming with perfect Georgian symmetry and balance with elegant portico surmounted with Palladian window over front door and finely sculpted dormers and details carved Ionic capitals columns and pilasters carved pediment over front door cornice at roof line and curvilinear tracery of third-floor dormer windows, interior continues Georgian symmetry and balance with living room and library to east dining room and kitchen-service to west forming wings with matching porches entered from living room or dining room and cornices mantels overmantels raised paneling typical Georgian details and noteworthy Williamsburg dining room with features seen in Metropolitan Museum of Art and library designed by Robert Work former associate of Howard Van Doren Shaw and Hency C. Dangler and David Adler’s partner 1918-1928, central stairway with three types balusters and mahogany handrail terminating in carved scroll and detailed arch in entry softening straight stairway, Other Points of Interest that house believed built on site of Samuel F. Miller house (1860) with Miller surveying and supervising first railroad Chicago to Milwaukee becoming Chicago and North Western Railway and first teacher at Lake Forest Academy first headmaster 1858-1862 and Lake Forest’s first postmaster and superintendent of schools, and original property included coach-house/stable now another private residence to north, Architects section recounting Richardson’s death 1886 and three assistants Shepley Rutan Coolidge continuing work finishing Marshall Field Building and Glessner House in Chicago Alleghany County Courthouse Pittsburgh Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce and new commissions more delicate in style with more generous fenestration winning competition for Chicago Public Library (1893) followed by Art Institute of Chicago and local architects perverting name to “Simply Rotten and Foolish” leading to permanent Chicago office with later commissions Corn Exchange Bank Harris Trust University of Chicago buildings and other major works Howard Memorial Library New Orleans Wells Fargo San Francisco Ames Building (1889) Harvard Medical School (1903) Merchant’s National Bank Boston Stanford University campus (1888) and firm continuing as Shepley Bulfinch, with bios for George Foster Shepley born Nov 7 1860 St Louis MIT 1882 married Richardson’s daughter Julia June 1886 died 1903 with son Henry Richardson Shepley driving force 1936-1962 and grandson Hugh Shepley last family partner retired 1990, and noting Shepley Rutan and Coolidge 1902 Renovation by Robert Work 1940s, with bios for Charles H. Rutan born March 28 1851 Newark joined Richardson 1878 engineer at time of death Fellow of AIA died 1914 and Charles Allerton Coolidge born Nov 30 1858 Boston Harvard 1881 studied at MIT joined Richardson 1882 designer married Shepley’s sister 1889 and after deaths formed partnership Coolidge and Hodgdon Chicago and in 1924 partnership with Shepley’s son Bulfinch and Abbott died 1936, The Owners section noting house designed for Russell Day Hill Chicago native born Dec 19 1869 educated at Chicago’s Harvard School member of Yale Class of 1891 but left 1888 upon father’s death to assume real estate business as R.D. Hill & Co engaged only in central business district transactions controlling tract books and at time built home vice-president of Chicago real estate board and leader of minority advocating surface plan for boulevard connecting link between north and south sides of Chicago, married Lucia Elliott Green 1896 with one daughter Helen Dorothy Hill and Hills residents of Highland Park before moving to Lake Forest and surmised Hill’s business drew him to appreciate Shepley Rutan and Coolidge and design may be unique here with only one other Lake Forest home by firm the Henry Rumsey residence, noting later home to Mr. Owen A. West who commissioned architect Robert Work to design library renovation of music room and Wests enjoyed house many years longer than original owners, and current owner Mr. Robert G. Hershenhorn lived in house approximately 40 years and when purchased assured former owner would always be a steward and preservation efforts evident including formal garden to west and terraces to east personally designed and created by Mr. Hershenhorn using his drawings to blend with architecture of period and family’s steadfast love a gift for Lake Foresters to admire, WILLIAM A. P. PULLMAN HOUSE 700 MAYFLOWER Architect Stanley D. Anderson 1929 with narrative about preservation projects and 700 Mayflower owners respectfully preserving architecture interior decorative features and historic gardens with two houses on site originally owners siblings Mary and James Drummond with Frost & Granger designing compound around 1908 to be near sister Mrs. John V. Farwell and James smoker Mary disliked tobacco so separate cottage behind main house built for James living side by side over 25 years, in 1929 purchased by William A. P. Pullmans and 1933 major renovation began with Colonial Revival details proclaiming master hand of Stanley Anderson including bay windows sleeping porches hand carved paneling black iron hinges inset trelliswork carved fox heads above living room mantel and exotic scenic wallpaper “Hindustan” by Zuber et Cie in main hall and original brick flooring and hall drawing visitors from entry to formal gardens and arrangement of interior spaces with garden views hinting to Mr. Pullman’s passion for horticulture and imagining Pullman with landscape architect Annette Hoyt Flanders laying out spaces and gardens inspiring Pullman as president of Chicago Horticultural Society and leading development of Chicago Botanic Garden, and following Pullman era house updated for new generation preserving features and noting lively family now with children pouring confetti into original attic duct work sprinkling house with brightly colored paper, FAIRLAWN’S GARDENS 965 EAST DEER PATH Architect Delano & Aldrich 1923 with gardens dating to 1870s among oldest and best preserved in Chicago region and contemporary in design spirit and 1923 house replacing fire-destroyed 1870 “Fairlawn” of Senator Charles B. Farwell retaining landscape elements from pre-fire era including terracing east and south old tree or two and striking pair of grape arbors shared with property to south among oldest above-ground garden features and woven into 1923 landscape with antiquity established after ca 1890 photo discovered and block subdivided after death of Mrs. McGann Farwell daughter who built 1923 house but residence preserved in appropriate space, and current owners Miles and Lorna Marsh acquired 1988 developing smaller estate grounds reflecting dignity of house with artist Lorna creating series of garden rooms more or less formal north and south adding sculptures of exotic fauna defining spaces using old methods and materials to contemporary ends to elicit surprise and delight and motif verdure garden using only trees and flowering shrubs eschewing perennials and annuals and designing own furnishings metalwork and wood and topiary plant sculptures harmonizing with remaining features and monumental classic house shown to best advantage, BLUFF’S EDGE 620 LAKE ROAD Architect Rebori Wentworth Dewey & McCormick 1925 named because location on ravine edge and designed by Andrew Rebori educated at MIT and Ecole des Beaux Arts with firm combining design credentials with elite connections and Georgian symmetry and balance evident on approach from sweeping driveway with grand entrance red brick with white trim broken pediment over front door flanked by Ionic columns and pilasters and carriage-way wall still stands from original 1895 Victorian-style house once on property and viewed at ravine’s edge at south boundary, originally built for Wayne Chatfield-Taylor in 1925 at age 32 and noting his lineage and roles Under Secretary of Commerce economic advisor to Marshall Plan Yale graduate president of Export-Import Bank 1945-1946, Give the Gift of Preservation with David Brown quote National Trust for Historic Preservation and letter noting since 1976 LFPF protected more than 30 landmarks historic districts and amenities through more than $2 million in grants and enabling funds and first-ever Annual Fund campaign raised more than $20,000 in 2012 and gratitude to contributors and asking donate again and inviting new donors, noting 2012 dividends with West Park recognized as fifth National Register District Phase 2 of Downtown Lake Forest Train Station restoration began and Deerpath Hills Estates Gates south of Deer Path restored, and this year watching additional landmarks in urgent need including Pond & Pond-designed Warming House at West Park crumbling North King Muir Gates at Waukegan Road and Castlegate Court and continued restoration of Downtown Forest Train Station windows and interiors and with help moving from watch-mode to action, and encouraging tax-deductible donation via Annual Fund page on redesigned website at www.lfpf.org, signed Gail Hodges President Maureen Grinnell VP Development Stephen Bent Annual Fund Chair, then LAKE FOREST PRESERVATION FOUNDATION 2013-2014 BOARD OF DIRECTORS list with Executive Committee Gail T. Hodges President Maureen Grinnell VP Development Jan Gibson VP Programs Kristen Chun Secretary Dennis Johnston Treasurer and Directors Guy Berg Judy Boggess Suzanne Boren Stephen Bent Peter Coutant Stephen Douglass Allison Derr Jerry Henry Linda Liang Rommy Lopat Arthur H. Miller Pauline M. Mohr Alice F. Moulton-Ely Fred Moyer Elizabeth Sperry Rosemary Troxel Laura Turansick Honorary Directors Herbert Geist Shirley Paddock Linda A. Shields Lorraine Tweed Sarah Wimmer Executive Director Marcy Kerr and membership promo We appreciate our Members! Together we can protect the historic visual character of Lake Forest for generations to come Join in our mission at www.LFPF.org LFPF is committed to expanding its endeavors for education advocacy and funding to preserve local landmarks, address block 400 East Illinois Road Lake Forest IL 60045 www.lfpf.org ECRWSS Residential Customer Lake Forest IL 60045 and Holiday Celebration invitation Sunday December 8 2013 wine and hors d’oeuvres two o’clock to four o’clock advance reservations only RSVP by December 4 2013 www.lFpF.Org 847-234-1230 or [email protected]