Wright in Context

Architect and Ravine Bluffs resident Peter Van Vechten will join us on Sunday, February 22nd at 5:00 to add context to our centennial Ravine Bluffs celebration. He will discuss what was going on in the world, in architecture, and in Wright's life and career at the time of Ravine Bluffs's inception. He will also give a homeowners' perspective on living in a Wright house. Co-sponsored by the library and the Glencoe Historical Society, this program is part of a year-long series of programs and events presented by the Glencoe Historical Society's Ravine Bluffs Centennial Committee.

The library will close at 4:00 pm and re-open at 4:30 for program seating in the Johnson Room. For more information on this year-long celebration, please visit the Historical Society's Wright in Glencoe site.

A Wright Expert Looks at Ravine Bluffs

The year-long celebration of Frank Lloyd Wright in Glencoe continues with A Wright Expert Looks at Ravine Bluffs on Sunday, January 11 at 5:00. Thomas A. Heinz, a Chicago architect and author of numerous books on Frank Lloyd Wright, will present a slide program focused on Wright’s work in Glencoe’s Ravine Bluffs subdivision. The library will close at 4:00 p.m. and re-open at 4:30 for program seating in the Johnson Room. This program is co-sponsored with the Glencoe Historical Society. You can view more information on upcoming Frank Lloyd Wright programs at the Historical Society's website.

Frank Lloyd Wright's Ravine Bluffs sculptures

One hundred years ago, Sherman and Elizabeth Booth, created the area in Glencoe, Illinois we now call Ravine Bluffs. Sherman Booth was a friend and attorney of noted architect Frank Lloyd Wright. At Booth’s request, Wright designed seven homes, three concrete street markers and a bridge for this area of Glencoe. When combined with the two additional existing Wright homes in the village, our community is the home to the third largest concentration of Frank Lloyd Wright designed structures in the world.

To honor the centennial of this community treasure, the Glencoe Historical Society has planned a yearlong celebration commemorating 100 years of Frank Lloyd Wright in Glencoe. As part of that celebration, GHS has planned a public art project similar to the famous Chicago Cows on Parade but featuring a fiberglass replica of our own Ravine Bluffs street markers. The prototype for this project is currently on display at the Glencoe Public Library. GHS will be seeking sponsors and artists for the project. The finished markers will be displayed throughout the village next summer. Further details will be released on December 1st at www.wrightinglencoe.org a new website devoted exclusively to the Ravine Bluffs Centennial Celebration. In the meantime, email info@glencoehistory.org to obtain more information about this exciting project!

Ravine Bluffs: Historic Structures in a Changing Community

What’s so great about Ravine Bluffs? Is it really better to have nine Frank Lloyd Wright homes rather than just one or two? Historic preservation expert Nan Greenough, known for her activities both at the state level and in her hometown of Winnetka, will visit the library on Sunday, November 2nd at 5:00 to discuss the importance of protecting our treasured landmarks and why, in our new-is-better world, we need to give more respect to our architectural elder statesmen. Nan will explain why everyone should care about what happens to these - and other - historic structures in our community.

The Glencoe Historical Society Ravine Bluffs Centennial Committee will also unveil more exciting details on this yearlong community Frank Lloyd Wright celebration! Please note: the library will close at 4:00 and reopen at 4:30 for this program's seating.

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.