Lake Forest Was the Star of the Traditional Building Conference
The historic Deer Path Inn was the first event in the 2023 Traditional Building Conference Series, on May 10-11 in Lake Forest, Illinois. Two hundred architects, contractors, building owners, interior designers and suppliers gathered for two days of AIA Continuing Education seminars and architectural tours.
For Immediate Release: May 18, 2023
Lake Forest itself was the star of the conference. The village has a collection of Arts and Crafts and Colonial Revival buildings, some designed by renowned architects of the late 19th and early 20th centuries including Howard Van Doren Shaw and David Adler. Architectural Lake Forest by the Lake Forest Preservation Foundation was brought to life with walking tours by the book’s author Arthur Miller, Ph.D., and Preservation Foundation board member Jim Opsitnik.
Lake Forest’s Town Hall (1899) exemplifies the Arts and Crafts inspired architecture of the community. Additional tours included Ragdale, the former summer home of Howard Van Doren Shaw, now an artist’s colony; Crab Tree Farm and its collection of Arts and Crafts buildings and decorative arts; the home and studio of Craig Bergmann Landscape Design, formally the Armour Estate, and Lake Forest College.
Crab Tree Farm is the last working farm on Lake Michigan in Illinois. It houses an internationally acclaimed collection of Arts and Crafts decorative arts. Collections Manager Thomas Gleason led a tour of this national treasure.
Meg Kindelin, President, Johnson, Lasky, Kindelin Architects; and Raymond Kulla, Special Projects Coordinator, Ragdale Foundation let a tour of Howard Van Doren’s Shaw’s former summer home, Ragdale.
Brown Hall was the subject of a study tour led by Professor Jeffrey Sundberg and Jim Curtin, AIA, Principal, Solomon Cordwell Buenz. Sundberg served on the building committee for the rehabilitation and an addition for Brown Hall. Jim Curtin was the project architect. The project included adapted classrooms, collaborative spaces, code compliance, accessibility and mechanical, electrical and plumbing upgrades.
Stuart Cohen, FAIA, Cohen and Hacker Architects, presented an in-depth program on the work of Howard Van Doren Shaw and David Adler. Bill Kroeger and Joshua Freedland of Bulley & Andrews and Mark Knauer of Knauer, Inc. presented a session on how they solved the accessibility issues in a major renovation of the Deer Path Inn. Mike Jackson, FAIA, and John Curley, AIA, discussed The International Existing Building Code and the Performance Method of code compliance.
Mario Machnicki, President of US Heritage demonstrated the repointing historic masonry; Lauri Wilson of Cambek presented beautiful and sustainable wood doors and Carla Hunigan of Ludowici gave a talk about color selection for terra cotta.
The Traditional Building Conference is underwritten by Platinum Sponsors Aeratis; Allied Window; Cambek; The European Company; Historical Arts and Casting; Ludowici; Marvin; Mon-Ray; Pilkington, NSG; Oliveri Windows and Doors; and Wilmette Hardware. Bronze sponsors were Cathedral Stone Products and US Heritage.
The next stop in the Traditional Building Conference Series is The Mansion at Oyster Bay, Long Island New York, July 11 - 12. The third and final event of the year will be in Tampa, Florida at the Hotel Floridan, December 5- 6.
The Traditional Building Conference provides continuing education for architects, engineers, contractors, interior designers, and building owners who do historic preservation and traditionally inspired new construction. For more information, please contact the following:
Registration- Carolyn Walsh: cwalsh@aimmedia.com
Marketing – Gina Martin: gmartin@aimmedia.com
Exhibit Sales- Jennifer Baldwin: jenbaldwin1@msn.com
Education-Judy L. Hayward: jhayward@aimmedia.com 802.356.4348
