100th Anniversary Celebration of Ravine Bluffs Begins

A century ago, a remarkable Glencoe family hired two giants of design - Frank Lloyd Wright and Jens Jensen - to envision homes and a landscape for their rolling, ravine-cut property near the bluffs of Lake Michigan. The result, the Ravine Bluffs enclave, was and still is a source of pride for our community. It contains six homes, three poured concrete planters, and a bridge designed by Wright; with the two additional Wright homes in the village, little Glencoe is home to the third highest concentration of Wright-designed structures in the world.

To celebrate the centennial of Ravine Bluffs, the Glencoe Historical Society is partnering with the library and other community institutions for a year of special events. Opening the series on Sunday, September 28, at 5:00 p.m., will be Glencoe resident and noted architectural historian Gwen Summers-Yant, who will present a slide program on Frank Lloyd Wright in Glencoe. Held in the library’s Johnson Room, the lecture will trace the development of Ravine Bluffs, discuss its architectural distinctions, and explore some of the fascinating personal aspects of the Booth family (who founded the subdivision) and their relationship with Wright. Please note that the library will close at 4:00 and will reopen at 4:30 for seating. Please stay tuned for other Frank Lloyd Wright-related programs in the library and the village, including our Sunday, November 2nd program where an architectural historian will take an in-depth look at one of the Wright-designed Glencoe homes.