1992 Summer Newsletter

NEWSLETTER Lake Forest, llllnols Summer 1992 – The 1858 John Andrews King House on Green Bay Road(left) and the 1897 Dickinson House on East Westminster (right} received the Foundation’s 1992 Preservation Awards, 1992 Preservation Awards Four historic Lake Forest properties received Preservation Awards at the Foundation’s 1992 Annual Meeting in May, the John Andrews King House on Green Bay Road, owned by Mr. and Mrs. James P. Stirling, received the Award for Preservation, Dickinson House on East Westminster, owned by Mr. and Mrs. Stefan Jaronski, received the Award for Restoration, Awarded Honorable Mention for Preservation was the Reverend James Gore King McClure Manse on East Walnut, owned by Mr. and Mrs. Richard H. Brown, an Honorable Mention for Adaptive Re-Use was awarded to the Murrie Blacksmith Shop, now adapted as an antique shop by The Country House, the awards were presented by the Foundation to recognize Lake Forest structures that have been maintained, restored, or enlarged by their owners, while retaining or accurately recreating the historic architectural character of the building’s exterior, a panel of seven judges from inside and outside of Lake Forest considered all entries, reviewing the structures from public streets, entries were judged for qualities of preservation and restoration, The James Andrews King House Generally considered to the oldest house on Green Bay Road, the King House is comprised of a country post office, circa 1858, and a school house, circa 1892, which were drawn together by a team of horses to form a white frame New England style country house, the original buildings were probably designed and built by local carpenters, however, the united structure has had additions designed by several leading local architects, including David Adler and Stanley Anderson, the present owners have carefully preserved the original structures in the Green Bay Road streetscape and have enhanced the building to the east with an addition and a new garage that complement the character of the original buildings, Dickinson House Widower James Dickinson built a home for his new bride, Sarah, on East Westminster property which had been deeded to Mrs. Dickinson by her wealthy employers, a 1925 telephone book identifies James Dickin- ‘ son as a carpenter working at Lake Forest College and Sarah Dickinson as a laundress working at a home on Mayflower Road, • the current owners have spent five years restoring the exterior of the (Continued on page 3.), PRESERVATION FOUNDATION OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS Officers Sarah Wimmer–President Elaine B. Hughes–Vice President Susie Tiller–Vice President Richard J. DuBourdieu–Secretary William H. Emerson–Treasurer Directors Priscilla Billington Margaret F. Brodeur Carol A. Champ Leonard C. Everson Gail T. Hodges C. Lynn Knutson Geoffrey W. Luce Linda G. Mills Pauline M. Mohr David R. Moulton Beatrice Radcliffe Patricia C. Riess Anthony M. Ryerson Linda L. Shields Dan Sutherland Lorraine A. Tweed Honorary Directors Edward H. Bennett, Jr. Herbert Geist Henry P. Wheeler, WANTED Free office storage space in Lake Forest for Foundation records Our not-for profit group needs free of charge a local place for storage of files, records, etc. Also, if possible, space for occasional desk work, must be secure and readily accessible to Foundation officers, call Sarah Wimmer, President, Lake Forest Foundation for Historic Preservation, at 234-3292 or 234-3100, A Preservation Foundation Guide to National Register Properties: Lake Forest, Illinois, features photographs and brief histories of 83 Lake Forest properties listed individually on the National Register or cited for special significance in Lake Forest’s two National Register Historic Districts, maps for self-guided tours are also included, available for $12 at Gorton Community Center, Helander’s, Dans un Jardin, The Lake Forest Book Store, McMaster’s Pharmacy, and the Labor Day Art Fair, PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE As I take on the responsibility of President of the Preservation Foundation again this summer, I am particularly mindful of the present and future character of Lake Forest and concerned about what we can do to ensure its continued quality and eminence into the 21st century, in that regard, I consider that we are all in a way stewards, we are here for a number of years–or a lifetime–and then we move on, what comes to your mind when you think of stewardship? Is it a sense of responsibility, of obligation, of concern for ensuring continuity? Or does it have other connotations? Surely, it is a concept which has several meanings, for the Lake Forest Preservation Foundation, it encompasses all of the concepts just mentioned, stewardship in this sense relates to the Foundation’s fundamental purpose, to the reasons for which the group was founded in 1976 and for which it continues to exist: The Foundation is committed to preserving the City’s visual character and to guiding its change and growth for consistency with that character, according to my dictionary, a “steward” is a person entrusted with the management of estates or affairs not his own; an administrator, in a sense, this may be applied to both the public and private buildings of historical significal}ce here in Lake Forest, these structures may be entrusted to the citizens of Lake Forest in common or owned privately; but together, they enrich the whole of this place and comprise a unique living environment that has a greater value than its individual parts, what we do to the components of this community fabric, how we change or conserve them, affects us all, in time, changes–whether positive or negative–will inevitably alter the character of Lake Forest, change does have a cumulative effect, at the Foundation’s Annual Meeting at the end of May, Preservation Awards were given to certain buildings in Lake Forest, in recognition of their value to the larger community, we did not award the owners of these buildings; we acknowledged the preservation of these structures as being important to the streetscape in which they are located and as adding to the town as a whole, (See article in this Newsletter.), Similar , we who wo or an support t e reservation oun atIon are stewar s oTihe Foundation itself, the Foundation’s work must be sustained and strengthened through education, public projects, and publications, the community and the public can only benefit from such effort, and if this goal is met, our intent to pass on to our members and future boards a strengthened Preservation Foundation will be achieved, I shall welcome your help in these endeavors, please join in supporting our stewardship efforts, the Foundation will welcome your membership and your personal active support in maintaining and enhancing Lake Forest’s very special environment, Sarah Wimmer, President, Enter Your Home in the 1992 Great America Home Awards Contest The National Trust for Historic Preservation and Sears, Roebuck and Company announce The, 1992 Great American Home Awards Contest, outstanding home rehabilitation projects from across the country will be recognized, categories include exterior rehabilitation, sympathetic additions, stewardship, and landscape, for further information and an application form, write to Home Awards, National Trust for Historic Preservation, 1785 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20036, include a self-addressed, stamped business envelope, entries are due by August 31, AWARDS (Continued from page 1) simple cedar clapboard house to its • original style as an in-town house typical of the turn-of-the-century downtown Lake Forest streetscape, their work included uncovering the original clapboard and fishscale shingles (of which only 10 percent had to be replaced), their project also included restoring the original open front porch of the house with dentil-detailing and scroll trim and repainting the building with authentic colors of the period, one surprise in the project was the uncovering of old lumber, marked “James Dickinson, Order #38465, Lake Forest Lumber Company, Inc. 10/8/97.”), The McClure Manse The McClure Manse, an 1885 Queen Anne home on Walnut Road, was occupied for many years by Reverend McClure, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Lake Forest from 1881 until his retirement in 1905 and Acting President of Lake Forest College from 1892 to 1893 and President, from 1897 to 1901, the house was acquired as the first manse of the Church in July 1887 and was occupied by Reverend McClure throughout his pastorate of the Church, it was presented to him upon retirement, Dr. McClure, known affectionately as “The Little Minister,” was instrumental in obtaining the bequests for several of the more significant buildings at Lake Forest College, he later served at president of McCormick Theological Seminary, the present owners have carefully renovated and restored the McClure Manse in ways that complement the Queen Anne architecture and ensure the home’s continuity with the historic Walnut Road streetscape, a recent addition is a wrap-around porch that enhances the Queen Anne style, The Murrie Blacksmith Shop Built by Samuel Dent as a drayage barn for Sam Dent’s livery service and as Murrie’s Blacksmith Shop, the building on Deerpath known today as The Country House has seen many changes over the years, massively altered in the 1930s and in 1948, it once served as a service garage for the gas station to the east, the concrete block for the original building was made on the site, in the 1905 photo shown below, the original proprietor, Al Murrie, is shown wearing a derby and seated on a donkey, together with his son, Dick, who later established Murrie Cleaners, in 1984 the present owner, Richard M. Norton, reclaimed the building and adapted it as a shop and showroom for his antiques business, PROPERTY ASSESSMENT FREEZE AVAILABLE FOR HISTORIC REHABILITATION The state legislation PA-1023 provides an eight-year property valuation assessment freeze for singlefamily, owner-occupied, historic homes in Lake Forest that are substantially rehabilitated, if they qualify under the terms and standards of the Act, forms for certification as a landmark and of rehabilitation plans are available from: Illinois Historic Preservation Office, Old State Capital, Springfield, IL 62701, (217) 785- 4512, owners should have plans checked before beginning work, the cost of rehabilitation, including architect’s fees, must equal 25% of the fair market value of the house, as determined by the assessor, The Reverend James Gore King McClure Manse, with porch in the Queen Anne style added during its recent renovation, WE INVITE YOU TO JOIN THE LAKE FOREST PRESERVATION FOUNDATION Founded by concerned and forward looking citizens in 1976, the Foundation has since then been actively committed to preserving the City’s visual character and to guiding its change and growth for consistency with that character, in addition to the seven-year restoration of the North Western Depot (in which the Foundation was joined by the City, the bank, the railroad, tenants, and friends), the Foundation has actively worked on such matters as the Preservation and Open Space Ordinance, National Register Districts, and advice and counsel to owners of historic homes, our recent Lake Forest Guide to National Register Properties and the Newsletter add to the recorded history of Lake Forest, we participate regularly in City meetings, and our volunteer group does much of the work done el~ewhere by governmental historic commissions, we welcome your participation.