Sheridan Road from Evanston through Wilmette, Winnetka, Glencoe, Lake Forest and other North Shore suburbs is arguably the loveliest drive in Cook County and displays some of Illinois finest architecture. It’s a picturesque, winding road withfew stoplights, light traffic, andglimpses of water as it skirts Lake Michigan. The tour includes:
• The Baha’i Temple is the faith’ssecond House of Worship ever constructed and the oldest still standing. Designed by Louis Bourgeois and constructed from 1912 to 1953, this innovative steel-framed, precast concrete structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1978. A new welcome center opened in 2015.
• The 900+ buildings in the Ouilmette North Historic District (NRHP-2005) exhibit a wonderful and diverse variety of architectural styles. We’ll focus on homes designed by renown Prairie School architects including Frank Lloyd Wright, John Van Bergen, Talmadge & Watson,George Maher and William Drummond.
• Further north nearby Sheridan Road you’ll see George Maher’s Kenilworth Assembly Hall (NRHP-1979), a $75 million mansion in Winnetka, the F.L. Wright-designed Ravine BluffsDevelopment including one of only two bridges he ever designed (NRHP-1979) and other notable buildings.
• Visit the recently restored 1903 Waukegan History Museum at the Carnegie (NRHP-2014) that houses the personal library of Waukegan-native Ray Bradbury.
• Tour the Shiloh House(NRHP-1977) built in 1901 by Dr. John Dowie, founder of the City of Zion, and one of the most unique religious utopias and planned industrial communities of the 20thcentury.
Itinerary
8:00. Continental breakfast at Korak' house, 707 Forest, Wilmette
9:00. Depart on tour
9:15 Visit Baha'i Temple 100 Lincoln Ave, Wilmette
9:45 Depart Temple, drive by sites in East Wilmette, Kenilworth
10:30. Drive up Sheridan Rdto Waukegan
12:30 Lunch, Lucky Scottie, 30 N. Genesee St. Waukegan
1:30 Waukegan History Museum at the Carnegie, 1 N Sherdin Rd
2:30 Depart for Zion
3:00 Tour Shiloh House, 1300 Shiloh Blvd, Zion
4:00 Tour ends