History By Design: 3 notable subdivisions, 1 small town

Frank Lloyd Wright reached national acclaim for his work as a Prairie School architect; locally we celebrate his commitment to developing a subdivision of Prairie houses. 

In northeast Glencoe between Franklin Road and the Union Pacific North line, Wright worked with his attorney, Sherman Booth, to create Ravine Bluffs. The 1915 development includes six modest rental houses, based on Wright’s 1906 “Fireproof House for $5,000” published in the Ladies Home Journal, and Booth’s own house, which was more complex.

The Booth House incorporated two earlier Wright-designed structures — a stucco barn that became the south wing and a gardener’s cottage that was converted into the east bedroom wing. These flank a four-story central block that housed the main living area.

Ravine Bluffs is reached via a reconstructed Wright- designed concrete bridge. There are three geometric poured concrete sculptures marking the entrances to this unique place. In 1978, Ravine Bluffs was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Architects George Fred Keck and William Keck designed an equally significant subdivision in Glencoe.

Named Forest Crest, it consisted of 22 houses built by real estate developer Harold Friedman on 9 1/2 acres next to Turnbull Woods Forest Preserve.

Construction began in 1952; it was located off Green Bay Road along Carol Lane, Park Place and Terrace Court, with five different plans that took advantage of each site, creating an appealing visual variety.

George Fred Keck designed the House of Tomorrow at the 1933 Century of Progress, and it was there he discovered the impact of solar energy. His houses at Forest Crest have broad overhangs to allow winter sunlight to penetrate deep inside to provide warmth yet keep the sun out in the summer. The ventilation system consists of a fixed pane of floor-to-ceiling glass flanked by screened louvered openings set behind doors that open from the inside. This configuration allows free flow of air, maximum light and uninterrupted views. Floors had radiant heat. Every house had a carport or attached garage. 

Despite some teardowns, the subdivision is a tribute to modernism and retains its inviting original character.

Greta Lederer was not an architect, but she built hundreds of houses in Glencoe and Highland Park, sometimes in clusters, sometimes in areas that she didn’t develop.

Practicing in the world of male contractors, she became successful soon after World War II, when women were not yet part of an active work force.

A Chicago Tribune article on her was titled “Meet Greta, Blond Builder of Suburbs. 

Although Lederer used different architects, Milton Schwartz, a modernist from Barrington, was usually her go-to architect. He designed split levels with a sense of drama.

Greta Lederer developed 50 acres in the area of Strawberry Hill, along Cherry Tree Lane, Apple Tree Lane and Edgebrook Lane and also built homes in Glencoe’s Skokie Ridge and Skokie Heights. 

History By Design is The Record’s monthly column focusing on the North Shore’s special and influential architectural history. Local historians and authors Susan S. Benjamin and Robert A. Sideman write and research the column.

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