River Forest Women's Club

Roderick Grant · Post by **Roderick Grant** » Fri May 04, 2012 1:18 pm

Paul, I see on PrairieMod that your neighbor, the River Forest Women's Club / private residence is on the market. Have you been in the transformed structure? The post makes it look like a very sensitive conversion.

SDR · Post by **SDR** » Fri May 04, 2012 2:01 pm

Never saw the interior -- nor even the sides and rear -- of this interesting building -- until now. I agree, it looks like a reasonable rehab.

photo by H A Brooks

SDR · Post by **SDR** » Fri May 04, 2012 2:48 pm

Reidy · Post by **Reidy** » Fri May 04, 2012 3:20 pm

The house was on Wright Plus a few years ago. I got the impression that residents would do most of their daily living in the downstairs rooms (photos 4, 5, 7, 8 at the Coldwell-Banker site) and use the main spaces (2, 3 plus the stage - now a formal dining room) on special occasions. The master bedroom (9) is in a raised space opposite the stage, behind the tall windows above the entry. Through the wooden screen it's open to the main room.

SDR · Post by **SDR** » Fri May 04, 2012 7:00 pm

Thanks for that, Reidy. Here's a pretty-good scan of the Western Architect plan (Plate Nine), as reproduced in Brooks (op cit, above). We note that the entry is at the half level.

Wish we had a longitudinal section of this structure. I guess the new Master Suite comprises the street-side mezzanine-level floor. This would be the organ/and-or/choir loft, were
this quasi-cathedral actually a sacred structure ? Stage/proscenium at left . . .

Is this the Decorated Shed of R. Venturi et al ?

http://www.coldwellbankeronline.com/pro ... 60305.aspx

SDR

pharding · Post by **pharding** » Fri May 04, 2012 9:51 pm

Roderick Grant wrote:Paul, I see on PrairieMod that your neighbor, the River Forest Women's Club / private residence is on the market. Have you been in the transformed structure? The post makes it look like a very sensitive conversion.

Yes I have. They did a competent restoration. It is wonderful to have a fine Drummond Building just down the street. I always thought that it would make a fine architect's office and residence.

ross · Post by **ross** » Wed May 09, 2012 2:12 pm

Link to listing:

http://marceegavula.bairdwarner.com/property/15232993/

I wish current floor plans were included!

clydethecat · Post by **clydethecat** » Sun May 27, 2012 5:42 pm

It's not green anymore!

outside in · Post by **outside in** » Mon May 28, 2012 9:41 am

The primary living space speaks to todays open floor plans. Its rehabilitation transformed it into a model of sustainable design using geothermal heating/cooling systems, solar water heating units and a conventional boiler.

Could someone explain the boiler part?

Tom · Post by **Tom** » Mon May 28, 2012 11:37 am

The exterior perspective rendering of the small kindergarten and community house ...1915? Pretty amazing. I assume this is a FLlW design although the rendering style seems a little strange.

Paul Ringstrom · Post by **Paul Ringstrom** » Mon May 28, 2012 3:43 pm

Tom,
The rendering of the Small Kindergarten and Community House is NOT a rendering of the River Forest Women's Club building even though they appear on the same page of that publication.

SDR · Post by **SDR** » Mon May 28, 2012 6:09 pm

Sorry for including an extraneous item in that scan. To be clear, both illustrated buildings are the work of Guenzel & Drummond.

SDR

Roderick Grant · Post by **Roderick Grant** » Tue May 29, 2012 4:23 pm

The drawing for the Small Kindergarten is on page 234 of "Prairie School Architecture." On page 235 is the floor plan.

SDR · Post by **SDR** » Tue May 29, 2012 8:10 pm

. . . thusly . . .

Tom · Post by **Tom** » Tue May 29, 2012 8:51 pm

Thanks. I like that plan. The perspective reminded me of House on the Mesa.

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River Forest Women's Club

River Forest Women's Club

Re: River Forest Women's Club