Lake Forest Improvement Trust

Identity elements

Reference code

US ILfC SC/052

Level of description

Collection

Title

Lake Forest Improvement Trust

Date(s)

  • 1912-1999 (Creation)

Extent

3 Boxes, Mainly Photocopies of Original Documents

Name of creator

Name of creator

(May 7, 1869-May 7, 1926)

Biographical history

American Architect well known for his designed buildings in Chicago Area
Created the design for Lake Forest Market Square, the first planned shopping center in the United States.
A Leader of the Arts and Crafts Architectural Movement seen with buildings like his home Ragdale, Lakeside Press Building, Second Presbyterian Church (Chicago) and Marktown
Member of the American Institute of Architects and received the AIA Gold Medal
Married Frances (Wells) Shaw and Father of Three

Content and structure elements

Scope and content

This collection holds the papers of the Lake Forest Improvement Trust. This organization formed in 1912 to redevelop Lake Forest’s central business district known as the Market Square. The materials given by Griffth Grant and Lackie, Realtors, Inc. covered the period of the planning, construction, and early operation of Market Square. The documents in this collection also consist of correspondence between Trustees and various groups of people, technical maps and drawings, formal contracts between Trustees and the building team, past images of Market Square and a number of reference and research papers/articles compiled by Shirley M. Paddock,Gordon M. Lackie of Griffth Grant and Lackie, Realtors, Inc., and past LFC archivist Arthur Miller on the planning of Market Square.
It should be noted that due to the fragile state of many of the donated materials, the collection mainly is made up of detailed B&W and color photocopies.
For more information or questions, please contact the Lake Forest College Archivist.

System of arrangement

This collection is arranged by subject and a given number system (I.1, II.1, etc.) that breaks the collection into three series.
Series One: Documents Part I.1-I.17
Series Two: Documents Part II.1-II.24
Series Three: Reference/Historical Background Papers on Lake Forest Improvement Trust and Market Square
Detailed Folder Titles will also be a helpful aid for any researcher and the predominant date range is between 1912 to 1920.

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      Related archival materials

      Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Historical Society Exhibition “Market Squared: Ten Decades of Business and Beauty”: http://www.lflbhistory.org/online-exhibit-market-squared-ten-decades-business-and-beauty

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