A Brief History of Market Square

In the early 1900's Lake Forest was a rural retreat. The sophisticated citizens who lived there appreciated the beauty of the natural landscape. They built elegant homes and enjoyed music and the arts. They had come to Lake Forest to escape from the crowded and noisy city of Chicago. They went into Chicago to work and to shop.

 

Stores

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In contrast to the stately homes of the day, the business district of Lake Forest was an unremarkable clutch of ramshackle buildings. Situated directly across from the train station, these unsightly structures were a daily eyesore for the commuters on their way to and from the city.

In 1913 Arthur Aldis and Howard Van Doren Shaw, both Lake Forest citizens, turned their eyes to the beautification of their own downtown. They decided to buy up the small downtown shops, tear them down, and build a new kind of place: a civic center for shopping and recreation…the first truly planned shopping center in the country.

Two towers were constructed on either end of the plaza. The rounded, signature clock tower anchored the south and the formal, angular, sundial tower engraced the North. A green parklike area was planned for the Center with shops on three sides.
The front would open to Western Avenue. .Apartments were situated above the shops, reminiscent of European villages of the day.
With remarkable foresight, the plaza was planned around the automobile traffic rather than the horse and buggy.
Construction was completed in 1916.

The buildings are beautifully integrated with influences from English, Flemish, and American colonial architecture. The many elegant details include sculptures and relief carvings on the buildings: baskets of fruit, fish, lions, shields, trees.
   
Sculptures by Howard Van Doren Shaw's daughter, Sylvia Judson Haskins,
grace a niche high on the north side
and the greensward fountain of the square.

 

 In 1984, Broadacre acquired the property and has carefully renovated and restored Market Square to its original splendor. Broadacre continues its stewardship today.