1995 Preservation Awards
Patterson Lodge at Lake Forest College, N. Sheridan Road | 810 S. Ridge Road | 89 E. Deerpath Road | 360 Mayflower Road
Patterson Lodge at Lake Forest College, N. Sheridan Road
Patterson Lodge is the second oldest building on campus and was the home of Reverend Robert W. Patterson, the first president of the College. The bricks used to build the lodge were made from clay dug from a pit under the women's hockey field. In the 1920s, it served as a residence for women, and in the 1960s, it became the home of the Admissions Department. During the 1993 renovation, the College not only brought the building modern conveniences and up to current codes and ADA regulations, but it also used historical photographs as the basis for restoring the original porch. The additions of the required new ramp and railings were sensitive to the architecture. This project received compliments from the City's Building Review Board during its review. The Foundation commends the College for the care of its buildings that are so much a part of the history of Lake Forest itself.
810 S. Ridge Road
Known as The Robert Patterson Lamont House, this home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The current owners carefully rehabilitated and restored this elegant country house. Built for Robert Patterson Lamont, the president of American Steel Foundries, the house originally stood on 102 acres called West View Farms. There have been few alterations to the house, and as a result, its historical integrity is excellent. The house now sits on 7.27 acres, including a lovely small lake and some of the original garden. Auxiliary buildings from the Lamont estate have been converted to other Ridge Road residences.
89 E. Deerpath Road
Bagatelle was the personal residence of the architect Edwin H. Bennett. He was a city planner who worked with Daniel Burnham on the Chicago Plan, which distinctively defined Chicago's lakefront and environs. Bennett was also the designer of the Michigan Avenue Bridge. The present owners took on a major preservation project to repair and renovate this landmark at the entrance to central Lake Forest. The beautiful results of their project are shared each day with those who drive in and out of town past the intersection of Deerpath and Green Bay Roads. Bagatelle is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
360 Mayflower Road
"The pristine restoration of Insley earned the current owners the Historic Preservation Award. The house was built for newlyweds Isabelle Scribner (heiress to the publishing fortune) and Carter Harrison Fitzhugh (descendant of two presidents). A pipe burst in the west wing of the house during World War II, and Mrs. Fitzhugh closed that wing rather than make the necessary repairs. Mrs. Fitzhugh lived in the house until 1965 when she was 95. Advertised in 1992 as a ""teardown,"" the house was described by its present owners as a raccoon-infested, rotting, falling down disaster. Fortunately, they loved the house and accepted the challenge of restoring it to its former elegance and grace. In 1992 when they purchased the house, a full crew of workmen, 20 to 30 a day, were put to work for two years restoring this grand structure.