When Coffee Talk Is Consequential: Lake Forest Preservation Symposium Poised to Present Compelling Panels, Ideas

By David A. F. Sweet Sitting outside of Hometown Coffee in Lake Forest, Jennifer McGregor and Paul Sacaridiz talked about when they first met – which was steps away inside the café. Having been appointed the executive directors of two local non-profits – the Lake Forest Preservation Foundation in McGregor’s case and Ragdale in Sacaridiz’s – the two discussed their overlapping missions and ideas they might explore by working together. The fruits of this conversation will be unveiled at the Lake Forest Preservation Symposium taking place Oct. 16-18 at Ragdale, Lake Forest College and other sites around town.

"This is a converging of minds and intellects to propel us," Jennifer McGregor says about the symposium. Notable architects, historians, professors and others will gather to discuss preservation. Big names from the media world, including television personality Bill Kurtis and Pulitzer-Prize-winning critic Blair Kamin, will moderate topics tackling why preservation matters, the future of preservation and more. Lake Forest City Manager Jason Wicha will join the opening panel discussion, sharing how the City’s preservation rules and design review process set a high standard for protecting the community’s character while allowing for thoughtful, high-quality design. House tours that illustrate different stories of preservation and a private reception at Ragdale (whose mission as an artist residency program involves historic preservation and whose campus is a living example of it) are also highlights of the inaugural symposium. “With the two organizations having our 50th anniversaries this year, the thought was, ‘How can we leverage that moment into something meaningful?’” said McGregor, adding that the organizations’ birthdays are celebrated on City of Lake Forest vehicle stickers. “This is a converging of minds and intellects to propel us. What are we going to look like in 50 years?” “Events like this are often originated by academic institutions, but this time it’s two independent nonprofits,” Sacaridiz said. “What’s most exciting is what happens afterward: the conversations that keep going, the collaborations that form between people who might never have met otherwise, and the ways the ideas shared at the symposium start to take shape in new ways.”

Paul Sacaridiz is excited for the event to launch at Ragdale when Giovanni Aloi presents his lecture Avant-Gardeners: When the Garden Becomes Art. Lake Forest is lauded beyond its city limits for championing preservation and its impact in shaping the character of the community. Kamin, an architecture expert who enjoyed a long career at the Chicago Tribune, is looking forward to his panel.

“This event is bringing together a wealth of speakers who can address the central questions of what sets Lake Forest apart and why its extraordinary range of design achievements should be preserved for future generations,” he said. “Lake Forest’s commitment to historic preservation has helped create an ethic of respect for, and pride in, architectural achievement. Where else would the local Walgreens put up a plaque announcing that its building was designed by James Gamble Rogers?”

Several out-of-town speakers will be staying at Ragdale, the former home of architect Howard Van Doren Shaw, where 6,000 artists have worked since its founding in 1976.

Sacaridiz noted McGregor gets the credit for curating such a strong group of thought leaders, speakers and moderators to come to town.

“My past professional network and my life really helped open the possibilities to attract some of these speakers,” she said. “It’s also opened up another world of people I didn’t know before.

“This symposium is an extension of the important work we do at the Preservation Foundation, and we hope that this event helps to expand the ways we think about preservation and why it matters.”

The Lake Forest Preservation Foundation commissioned this watercolor of Market Square, a site which is a shining example of preservation.

Sacaridiz is excited for the event to launch on the afternoon of Oct. 16 at Ragdale, when Giovanni Aloi, an art historian and professor at the School of The Art Institute, presents his lecture Avant-Gardeners: When the Garden Becomes Art.

“Together, we hope this weekend is a model for how not-for-profits in this remarkable community can work together,” Sacaridiz said. “We can raise attention to what makes this place truly unique.”

For more information, please visit lfpf.org/events