Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Historical Society Illinois History Lake County

The Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Historical Society is located at 361 East Westminster in downtown Lake Forest, Illinois. We are one block east of the Lake Forest Metra train station and the Market Square shopping district.

Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. and Fridays by appointment.

If you have a research question or would like to donate an item to the collection, please contact us at (847) 234-5253.

Local Legends: Adrian Smith

The Historical Society is proud to honor Adrian Smith, a Lake Forester and world-renowned architect, as a Local Legend on Saturday, October 29th at 4 p.m. at the Gorton Community Center. Adrian Smith’s extraordinary body of work features the tallest structure on Earth, the Burj Khalifa, among many other amazing designs throughout the world including Millennium Park and Trump Tower in Chicago.

The Historical Society’s signature event debuted in 2010 with a sold out program honoring Astronaut James Lovell. The event is the perfect setting to celebrate one of the community’s superstars in an intimate, one-on-one interview, where guests learn of personal and behind-the-scenes stories that are not readily found in standard biographies. Interviewed by iconic journalist Bill Kurtis, this year’s Local Legends event is not to be missed!

This event is now SOLD OUT. Please contact the Historical Society if you have any questions by calling (847) 234-5253.

100 Local Kids Reach New Heights Through LEGO Design

Our October 22 children's program, "Reaching New Heights Through LEGO Design," was a great success. Over 100 participants had a chance to meet and learn from Adam Reed Tucker, Professional LEGO Artist and designer of the Architecture Series LEGO Kits.

The participants all built their own LEGO model of the Burj Khalifa, currently the tallest building in the world – and Burj Khalifa architect Adrian Smith, our 2011 Local Legend, was on hand as a special guest. Our LEGO Skyscraper Design Challenge had over 30 impressive entries and 10 prizewinners.