GazeboNews

A Sneak Peak At LB'S New School

Editor’s note: School District 65 recently offered a media tour of the new Lake Bluff Elementary School, led by principle architect Tim McGrath of the BLDD deisgn firm. To cover the tour, GazeboNews recruited Kevin Considine, a Lake Bluff dad whose two daughters will attend the school. Here’s what he found…

By Kevin Considine

Construction of Lake Bluff Elementary School is behind schedule, but the building is ahead of the curve on everything else. Led by principle architect Tim McGrath, the design team has built an effective and fun learning environment that is both environmentally efficient and safe.

Everywhere you see the marriage of form and function. Having to work around the then-operating Central School meant wedging the new building into the rear area of the lot. It turns out this was ideal, forcing a primarily southeast orientation. This provides lots of natural light, but not the heat of direct southern exposure. The school has two wings, academic and administrative. The two-story academic wing is built around a central courtyard, which has several purposes. It brings light deep into the school, provides an outdoor project or assembly space and also serves as an orientation device for navigating the school.

That orientation also fed the color choices. Bright hues of kiwi, orange and grape line the corridors of the academic wing, bringing cheer to the space. The color-coding will also make it easier for children, particularly the younger set, to learn their way around the building. The classrooms seem enormous. At 1,150 square feet, they are larger than most parents' first apartments. All the classrooms are bright and airy, some with an enviable view of the 10th fairway next door. Many couple the large central area with a small conference room that can be used for teacher workspace or group projects.

Prior to designing the space, the architects asked many students if they could have anything in the school, what it would be. The designers were struck by one boy's idea of a tree house. This influenced

the design of the Media Center, with a huge photo-sensitive skylight surrounded by a leaf-green ceiling and white tile clouds.

LBES will be one of the first LEED registered public schools in the country. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a building certification program run by the U.S. Green Building Council. There are four classifications, Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Overall classification is based on

Elawa Farm In Living Color

It's fun to see how artists interpret places that many of us take for granted. Here's a link to a blog by a LaGrange artist who recently painted a scene "en plein air" from the Middlefork Savanna in Lake Forest. She's a member of Wilderness Painters of Chicago, which meets at locations once a month to paint in the open air. Her first stop with the group was Elawa Farm, where she had a diverse menu of natural scenes to choose from, including a creek, forest, wetlands, building, bridge, garden and savanna. The artist, Christine Kane, focused on the savanna. She posted a photo of the scene on her blog, followed by more pics and descriptions of the painting in various stages. It's interesting to see how it evolved--that's the final version at left. For more information on Ms. Kane, visit Lets Paint Nature. 

Manicure Helps Woman Nail $1,000

For the price of a manicure, Aileen Emery of Lake Forest won $1,000.  The Lake Forest resident entered her name in a Chamber of Commerce raffle after getting her nails done at Phoenix Nail & Spa last month, but she forgot about the drawing by the time the nail polish had dried. "I literally filled it out and forgot all about it until Joanna called me to say I had won," said Ms. Emery, referring to Lake Forest/Lake Bluff Chamber Executive Director Joanna Rolek. The Chamber is conducting two more "Shopping Zone" raffles to encourage people to keep shopping at downtown stores during the Western Avenue reconstruction project. All you have to do is fill out a raffle form at participating businesses on Western between Laurel and Westminster. There's no minimum purchase required, and the loot is $1,000 in Lake Forest coupons. The Chamber is holding two more drawings--the next one is on July 30 at the season's final Concert on the Green, and the last drawing will take place at the end of October, when the north section of the rehab is expected to be completed.

Same Time, Different Place For LB School Start

Lake Bluff students in Kindergarten through fifth grade will not start the school school year in the Village's new elementary school due to construction delays that have consistently kept the project three weeks behind schedule. School will begin on Sept. 8 as planned, but Kindergarten through third grade classes will be held at East Elementary School, while classes for the fourth, fifth and multi-age grades will be held at Christ Church on Waukegan Road in Lake Forest, according to a press release issued by District 65.

Transportation decisions have not yet been made, spokeswoman Kathleen Reidy told GazeboNews. She said there will be no need to combine classes, since both East School and Christ Church have the capacity to house individual classrooms. She could not provide an estimated opening date for the new school, but said: "We want the students in there as soon as possible."

"This contingency plan was developed by the Board of Education in the spring of 2009 to be used in case the building was not ready for the start of the school year. Teachers and the administration planned accordingly at the end of the last school year to easily move into and instruct in temporary classroom space to make the transition as smooth as possible," the press release stated. 

Students in Lake Bluff Middle School will not be affected by the contingency plan. The construction schedule for the fine arts addition and infrastructure work in the existing building is on target.

GazeboNews will update this story as more information becomes available.

Lake Forest Post Office For Sale

The U.S. Postal Service is seeking a buyer for the Lake Forest Post Office, a circa 1932 art deco building that's in the National Register of Historic Districts as well as one of Lake Forest's Historic Preservation Districts.

U.S.P.S. District Manager Robert Hart last week sent a notification to "postal customers" in Lake Forest, informing them that the Postal Service wants to sell its building and move retail operations to a smaller site in Lake Forest. The note does not specify where in Lake Forest it hopes to relocate. (Please hit the continue reading button for the full text of the note.)

"They are not committing to anything at this point," said City Manager Robert Kiely in an e-mail to GazeboNews. "By law, they will have to entertain proposals from any interested property owner and then evaluate them with input from the City." He said the U.S.P.S. wants to downsize from the 6,000 square feet it has at 230 Northgate Street to 2,000 square feet. He also said the U.S.P.S. has not yet listed the building, nor has it decided on an asking price. "They will be doing all the necessary due diligence studies before any listing (appraisal, survey, etc.)," he said. "They will be working with a real estate firm, but we do not know who at this point."

Photo of the Post Office in downtown Lake Forest, courtesy of Gunnar Soderlind

The Lake Forest Post Office has a long history. To find out more about the building, we turned to the experts: Gail Hodges of the Lake Forest Preservation Foundation; Stephen Vignocchi of the Special Collections/Archives department at Lake Forest College's Donnelley-Lee Library; Cathy Czerniak of the City of Lake Forest; and Robert Willms, former Postmaster from 1967-1990. Here is the information they shared:

Grove Center Hosts Family Carnival

The Grove Cultural Center is hosting a Campus Carnival that's sponsored by some heavy hitters in the local music/entertainment arena: the Music Institute of Chicago, Lake Forest Symphony, Stirling Hall Arts Center, Lake Forest's Parks & Recreation Department, and Dickinson Hall Senior Center. The carnival will include something for everyone: music by Run Surace in "Full Swing" Big Band; a performance of the Jungle Book by members of the Music Institute; historical tours of an original log cabin; the chance to try a potter's wheel; a ceramic exhibit and studio tour; food; face painting; train rides and balloon sculpture. The carnival takes place Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. at 40 East Old Mill Road in Lake Forest. 

Students from the Music Institute of Chicago will perform the Jungle Book on Saturday

Weekend Forecast: Free and Easy

The opportunity to attend free and interesting events continues to grow ever wider in our community, beginning tonight with Market Square's Concert on the Green. The show features The New Invaders' Ultimate '60s Flashback. It starts at 6:30 p.m. and is sponsored by Lake Forest Bank & Trust and Broadacre Market Square Management Co.

On Friday, Lake Forest Parks & Rec opens its maintenance fleet. Kids can explore and even get behind the wheels of the City's fire trucks, front-end loaders, bulldozers, street sweepers and other big rigs. From 10 a.m. to noon behind the Deerpath School Parking lot. 

The Lake Bluff Farmer's Market is in full swing with a bounty of mid-summer goodies, Friday on the Village Green from 7 a.m. till noon. If you eat up all the peaches and string beans by Saturday, you can restock the vege bin at Pasquesi's Home & Garden, which is selling locally grown produce on Saturdays and Sundays from July 11 through the first week in October. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 975 North Shore Drive in Lake Bluff.

On Saturday you can romp with animals at Lake Forest Bank & Trust's petting zoo at 810 S. Waukegan Road. The zoo promises sidewalk pony rides and an assortment of animals to pet, such as sheep, goats, ducks, rabbits and piglets. Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Also on Saturday, the Grove Cultural Center  plans a Campus Carnival, which will include music by Run Surace in "Full Swing" Big Band; a performance of the Jungle Book by members of the Music Institute of Chicago; historical tours of an original log cabin; the chance to try a potter's wheel; a ceramic exhibit and studio tour; food; face painting; train rides and balloon sculpture. The carnival takes place from 1 to 4 p.m. at 40 East Old Mill Road in Lake Forest.

If jewelry is your thing, you can attend a trunk show at Peg Ann Kompany in Lake Bluff, on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 79 E. Scranton. It features J'Artisa and many new designs from artist Lisa Kula.

On Sunday evening, you can unwind from the busy weekend at Bluffinia, which features the "Billy Childer's Band."  The concert series takes place from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Village Green in Lake Bluff and is sponsored by Baytree National Bank & Trust Co.

Festival & Fireworks Was A Blast

It's hard to believe she can pack it in, but McKey Sullivan, Lake Forest's very own Next Top Model, won the pie-eating contest at Festival & Fireworks. More than 12,000 people attended the Fourth of July celebration in Lake Forest's Deerpath Park, which included picnic fare, fireworks beneath the stars and live music from Rock Candy and Village People. Yes, THE Village People (click here to revisit the '80s) performed in Lake Forest on a tour that includes England, France, Ecuador, Canada, Spain and Ireland. The Festival & Fireworks is planned and funded by Friends of Parks & Recreation, whose goal is to give you---you!--a good time on the evening of the Fourth as well as other key events. The group still needs help funding this year's party. Click over to the Friends website to see how you can help.

It's Time For 'W00T!'

Wednesday is the opening night of the curiously named "w00t!" The original musical showcases the acting and singing talents of the young thespians training with the Academy @ Citadel Theatre in Lake Forest. It was written by Mike O'Mara and Matt Boresi of the Music Institute of Chicago and examines the joys and foibles of kids at the edge of the technological frontier. The campers, age 8 to 17, have been in daily rehearsals since June 15 and will be showing three world premiere performances. "w00t!" features an eclectic mix of pop, jazz, blues, rock and rap. It surfs the fast lane of the www, explores the virtual creative, and boldly goes where no adult has gone before. Performances take place in Deerpath Middle School's main auditorium on Wednesday, July 8, at 6 p.m. and Thursday, July 9, at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Tickets will be sold at the door. For more details, visit citadeltheatre.org.

Ask The Gazebo: The Skinny On Skinny Dipping

Recently the Chicago Tribune ran a police blotter item about a young man in Buffalo Grove who was given a warning by police for swimming naked in his backyard pool. He had been skinny dipping with two female friends at about 5:40 a.m. when a neighbor, who had a clear view of the pool, called the police.  According to the Trib account: "Police responded to the swimming pool ... and spoke to the man about public indecency laws."

A GazeboNews reader wanted to know how such a scenario would play out in our community. To put it another way: Can you go outdoors in the buff in Lake Forest or Lake Bluff? We contacted police in both 'burbs and found that the answer depends on how private your property is.

GazeboNews: Can residents of Lake Forest or Lake Bluff skinny dip, sunbathe nude or just be naked in their backyards?

Lake Forest Deputy Chief Glenn Burmeister: Chapter 47, Section 4.2, a local ordinance on Public Indecency, defines a public place for purposes of this section as any place where the conduct may reasonably be expected to be viewed by others.

Lake Bluff Police Chief William Gallagher: The Village of Lake Bluff doesn't have a specific ordinance regarding appropriate attire while swimming in your own backyard; however it would fall under 7-2-4 of the Village Code, which is Disorderly Conduct. The offended person would have to sign the complaint.

Pizza Calling

Most people are used to ordering pizza over the phone. But how do you feel about the pizza parlor calling you to ask if you'd like to order something? This summer, Domino's restaurants are randomly calling people on their home, work and/or cell phone numbers to offer a special price on pizza. Anyone who has ever ordered from Domino's is a potential target of this promotion. Lake Forest and Lake Bluff are served by the chain's North Chicago store, which will be calling people next week, according to the man from the Glencoe Domino's who called the GazeboNews hotline today to see if we were hungry.

Parade Gets Off With Nary A Hitch

No one wants it to rain on the parade, and fortunately, on Saturday, it didn't. Though the forecast was gloomy, storm clouds held to the south and gave Lake Bluff a chance to strut its Fourth of July stuff. The police estimated attendance was 18,500, down from last year's 20,000 visitors. But you wouldn't have guessed that from the long lines at the Kiwanis Club pancake breakfast or the demand for $1 donuts at The Village Market or the way you had to elbow through the throngs of people to see the floats go by.

The pugs' "Olympugs 2016" won the Just For Fun float contest, eking out the black-clad, beer-swilling Lawn Mower Precision Drill Team, whose theme was multifaceted. "Taking down the lawn mower guys had to be the upset of the ages, right along the lines of David slaying Goliath and Villanova over Georgetown," said Gary Doyle, whose wife Lisa created the pug fan-float five years ago. He added pugnaciously: "To tell you the truth, I wouldn't be surprised if the lawn mower brigade takes a year off to lick their wounds and regroup--obviously there's a new sheriff in town."

The pugs' success was matched in the Business Category by John Welch Fitness, whose proprietor secured a TRX Suspension Training system to the front of a Chevrolet HHR and with a friend hauled the car--oxen style--through the streets of town. "I consider this a test run as I plan to ask the Lake Bluff Fire Department if I may use a fire engine next year," joked Mr. Welch.

Other winning floats included JazzSteppers, which came in first place amongst the Drill Teams; the Chesterton High School Trojans, which beat out other paid bands; District 65 Green Team and the LBMS Earth Club in the Community category; and Troop 48 Scooters, which beat CROYA and the LFHS Varsity and JV dance squads in the Youth Group contest.

Here is a GazeboNews photo slide show--be sure to scroll to the right to see all the pics. For more photos that captured the day, visit these links: LB4July.org (photos by Lake Forest Photography); and Gunnar Soderlind's website (photos set to music).

I Call Saves!

Parade die-hards came to town early Friday evening to stake their claims on prime Lake Bluff real estate. Some brought folding chairs. Others laid out tarps or blankets. A few used yellow crime-scene tape to mark whole sections of grassy areas. Despite past efforts by the Village to curtail the practice, sidewalk-saving is a tradition that's as deeply rooted as the 99-year-old Fourth of July parade itself--just ask Ed Muto. He's lived in the Village for most of his 82 years and figures he's seen, oh, about 70 parades. His wife, Betty, hasn't missed one since she moved to town 58 years ago. That's them in the photo below.

"They tried to get people to stop doing this," said Ed after he and Betty placed two metal lawn chairs in front of the North Shore Spinal & Sports Rehabilitation building at 100 E. Scranton Avenue. "But we didn't hear anything about that this year."

The Mutos have a personal history with their parcel of sidewalk. For 32 years, Betty worked at the Lake Bluff Pharmacy, which was located in what's now the Rehab building and then moved one door west. Ed, meanwhile, worked for the Lake Bluff Post Office for 42 years, first as a carrier on Scranton, North, Center and Prospect, and then as a clerk. The couple said the parade has grown so popular that it's hard to find a spot if you don't get in town early enough. That certainly was true on Friday. When they arrived at 6 p.m., most of the downtown sidewalk space was taken.

What Will The Mowers Do?

Results of the GazeboNews Mower Survey are in, and the nearly unanimous consensus is that we'll be seeing a lot of black wigs in the Fourth of July Parade. A full 74% of respondents think the theme of the Lawn Mower Precision Drill Team will have something to do with ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Could it be that his hair, fund-raising methods and flair for language are too rich a target to pass up? The totally unscientific survey also found that 9% of respondents voted for "bank bailout" and 9% voted for "I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here."  "Government takeovers," "terrorism/torture," and "the economy" received the rest of the vote. Will it be Blago?

Weekend Schedule: Abridged Edition

Here is a pocket-size version of this weekend's Schedule of Events in LF/LB:

• There is NO Concert on the Green in Lake Forest on Thursday night. Repeat: Nada. The series will return next week, July 9. Visit the LF/LB Chamber  website for more info
• There IS a Farmer's Market in Lake Bluff on Friday morning. Repeat: The Farmer's Market is on (there was some mix up about this)
• You don't need to be or know a firefighter to attend Friday's Firemen's Ball in Lake Bluff's Blair Park
• Kiwanis Club's pancake breakfast runs from 6:30 to 9:45 a.m. on the Village Green
• Lake Bluff's Fourth of July Parade is on July 4th
• Family Fair in Artesian Park runs from 11 a.m. till 3:30 p.m.
• Lake Forest's Festival & FIreworks is on July 4th, featuring The Village People.
• The summer Bluffinia Concert Series begins on Saturday night with the Sunrise Beach Party at 6:30 p.m. in Lake Bluff, featuring "White Saddle Band"
• The summer's 2nd Bluffinia Concert takes place the very next day, Sunday, in the Village Green with the Jimmy Buffet sounds of "Od Tapo Imi"

Weekend Schedule In LF/LB: The Long Version

Friday morning starts with the Lake Bluff Farmer's Market. Yes, it is going to take place despite rumors to the contrary. We need our leafy greens to offset all of the grilled meat we'll be eating at barbecues over the weekend. On Friday night, the LB fire squad has its annual Firemen's Ball in Blair Park. Expect to dance and be merry. Saturday is July The Fourth and pancakes are in order, served by the fine members of the LB/LF Kiwanis Club in keeping with a community tradition of 38 years. This photo shows a couple of Kiwanis chefs flipping the flapjacks last year. Breakfast will be served from 6:30 to 9:45 a.m. on the Village Green and costs $7 for adults and $5 for kids three and older with the wee ones getting in for free. Try not to spill any syrup, because the Fourth of July Parade starts to assemble at 8 a.m., with opening ceremonies beginning at 9:40 a.m. There are many interesting participants in this year's parade ceremonials: Rev. Deborah Fisher of Grace United Methodist will give the invocation. The National Anthem will be performed by Bill Barkhausen, Alex Dintruff, Megan Pratt, and Hannah Wang. Chamber of Commerce Honcho Joanna Rolek is the Master of Ceremonies. And review officer is Capt. David Schnell from the Great Lakes Naval Station. Parade Marshalls are Barbara Stuessy and members of the Lake Bluff Garden Club.

Children's Parade entrants take off from the Village Market at 9:50 a.m., and the rest of the entrants begin at Oak Avenue at 10 a.m.

After the parade, it's time for the Family Fair at Artesian Park, sponsored by the Community Church of Lake Forest and Lake Bluff. This runs from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and includes games with cool prizes; inflatable stuff to jump on and slide down; fire-hose games at Rosenthal Field, and mixed doubles tennis finals.

For a light dinner, may we suggest a fruit salad with peaches and berries that you purchased at Friday's Farmer's Market.

After the Fair you are going to have to make a choice: Spectacular Fireworks and live music by The Village People in Lake Forest....or distant fireworks at Sunrise Beach in Lake Bluff.

Lake Forest's Festival And Fireworks begins at 5 p.m. at Deerpath Park and is sponsored (ie paid for) by the non-profit Friends of Lake Forest Parks & Recreation. The group suggests you purchase a $20 pass to park on the grass or Deerpath Middle School lot. You can park for free in downtown Lake Forest, but you'll have to schlep your blankets, chairs and bodies to the park. Several vendors will sell food at the festival. You also can purchase beer, wine, soft drinks and water, with proceeds benefiting Parks & Rec. If you bring a cooler, please donate $10. You don't have to, but it would be nice.

The first band, Rock Candy, performs from 6 to 8 p.m., and The Village People perform from 8 to 9 p.m. Yes, the guys who made the Y.M.C.A. famous. Click here to bring it all back. Fireworks commence at 9:30 p.m.

Lake Bluff's "Evening At Sunrise Beach" starts at 6 p.m., kicking off the summer Bluffinia series. It's  sponsored by the LB Park District with funds from Baytree National Bank & Trust Co. "White Saddle Band" will perform live music and Bluffingtons will be there to sell food. You can see fireworks displays over the lake from a couple of other communities.

Bluffinia's 2nd concert is on Sunday night in the Village Green, at 6 p.m., featuring "Od Tapo Imi." The free, family style, you're-sure-to-run-into-friends music series is organized by the LB Park District and funded by Baytree National Bank. Bluffingtons will man the grill.

First Pres Floats An Interesting Idea

When parishioners started planning First Presbyterian's 150-year celebration, architect Jon Clair floated an idea that was too good to pass up: a float that replicates key aspects of the church, which could be used in the Lake Bluff Fourth of July Parade and Lake Forest Days. The fruits of Mr. Clair's labors are shown in the photos below.

The float took about 150 hours to build and was a group effort led by Mr. Clair with significant support from fellow church member Jeff Hinch and several others. It includes replicas of the church's steeple and six of its famous Tiffany windows, as well as a 35-pound stainless steel cross that was designed by church member Lockhart Burnett, whose family background is in the building of railroad cars. The float is roomy enough to hold the church's youth-group band, cleverly named Eggs Benediction, which will provide live music at the parades.

Mr. Clair is an architect with his own firm, Jonathan Clair & Associates in Lake Forest. He also is a painter specializing in oil on canvas. "Those are the two hats that I wear," he said. "And now, apparently, I've got a third hat as a float builder."

To recreate the stained-glass windows, Mr. Clair took pictures of six windows with a digital camera and had the photos printed on clear sticky film, which then were mounted on Plexiglass. All elements of the float are designed for re-use in Bible camps and Sunday school classes or as signage for the annual First Pres Rummage Sale. The float is a prelude to the church's sesquicentennial celebration ceremony, which will take place July 24 in Lake Forest.

Elderly Man Is Victim Of 'Scam' In LF

Lake Forest police are reporting an increase in what they call "scams related to the economy." In one incident last week, an 85-year-old Waukegan resident who police described as "very confused" was tricked out of $8,000 by at least two people whom he said convinced him to withdraw money from his account at the Northern Trust Bank in Lake Forest.

Lake Forest Deputy Police Chief Glenn Burmeister said the man's story has changed frequently since he called the LFPD on the afternoon of June 25 from downtown Lake Forest. But based on the victim's initial account and bank video footage, police believe he was tricked by a man and a woman whom he met randomly in Waukegan. Police describe the suspects as a heavy set African American man and an African American woman between 45 and 55 years of age. In the bank video, the female suspect is wearing a large hat.

Deputy Chief Burmeister said the victim was approached in a Jewel Food parking lot in Waukegan. "We think they went into a Waukegan bank and appeared to withdraw money of their own, and then they tricked him into driving to Lake Forest and withdrawing money from his bank," the deputy chief said. In an e-mail, he added: "The scam was that the female suspect claimed to have a large sum of money she received in an insurance settlement from 9/11. They wanted to give some of the money to the Baptist church and the only one the victim knew of was on Oakwood in Lake Forest. The suspects wanted to give

Firemen's Ball Kicks Off Holiday Weekend

As weekends go, this one is huge in Lake Forest and Lake Bluff and it all starts Friday with the 34th annual Firemen's Ball in Lake Bluff. The event supports the Village's all-volunteer Fire Department and is the only fund-raiser conducted throughout year. Though it's called a "ball," tuxedos and glass slippers are most definitely not required. "It's more of a casual community event that's integral to the Fourth of July festivities," said firefighter Jim Seymour. Derrick "Suede" Stout and The Turnstyles will supply the music at the party, which takes place under the Park District's new tent at Blair Park. Tickets cost $15 and you can get them in advance at the Fire Department or Village Hall, or you can buy them Friday night at the door. Can't go? The firefighters won't mind if you send them some money, anyway, as they use the proceeds for training and equipment. ... The Firemen's Ball begins at 7 p.m. at Blair Park. Click over to Darwin Records' website to hear music from The Turnstyles.

Photo courtesy of Nancy Gusterine, the LBFD's executive assistant

Market Square Truly Was First

After reading our story about the Market Square Family Fair, a reader commented that Elle Decor   reported Kansas City's Country Club Plaza was the first shopping center. We wanted to set the record straight, given that Market Square's status is a source of pride in Lake Forest. So we took this query to Arthur H. Miller, archivist and librarian for Special Collections at the Donnelley and Lee Library/LIT at Lake Forest College. He found proof that Market Square was completed in 1916, several years prior to the debut of Country Club Plaza.

By Arthur H. Miller

Lake Forest College's Special Collections holds the papers and early plans of Market Square, a gift from  Griffith Grant & Lackie Realtors, and discovered in 1998 or 1999 by Shirley M. Paddock and Gordon Lackie. The college library has about 2,000 leaves of correspondence and meeting minutes and plans for three versions, 1912 (Town Market), 1914, and 1915. These plans, etc., are shown too in "Lake Forest: Estates, People and Culture" by Arthur H. Miller and Shirley M. Paddock (Arcadia Press, 2000). In addition, the college library, in its Special Collections, has Susan Dart's files that were compiled while she was working on her 1984 book, "Market Square," and including copies of the final plans and an extensive photo file.

When east Lake Forest's estate areas were designated a National Register District in 1976, Market Square was included. In 1981 "The Anglo American Suburb", ed. Robert A.M. Stern (St. Martin's, 1981), p. 23, discusses Lake Forest as an early railroad suburb, and discusses and shows Market Square, saying that it "anticipates the modern shopping centre..." (the book is printed in the UK). Urban historian Michael Ebner also discussed the history of Market Square in his 1988 published "Creating Chicago's North Shore..." (U. of Chicago Press), and first reported the existence of an early, 1912 plan called Town Market.

Early photo of Lake Forest's Market Square, courtesy of Arthur H. Miller