Lake Forest Preservation Symposium Runs October 16-18, 2026 at Ragdale Estate

In honor of their shared 50th anniversaries, the Lake Forest Preservation Foundation and Ragdale present the Lake Forest Preservation Symposium—a weekend of reflection, dialogue, and discovery at the historic Ragdale estate. The symposium runs October 16 through 18, 2026.

The program unites national thought leaders and local voices to explore the architecture, planning, and preservation ideals that define Lake Forest and continue to inspire the next generation of stewards. Lake Forest Preservation Foundation helps safeguard the historic visual character of the Illinois town, and Ragdale is a nonprofit arts organization at the former summer retreat of Chicago architect Howard Van Doren Shaw in Lake Forest.

This three-day celebration of heritage, design, and community marks the 50th anniversaries of both Ragdale and the Lake Forest Preservation Foundation. The symposium brings together residents, preservationists, architects, critics, and civic thinkers to explore what makes Lake Forest distinct—and how its architectural legacy can guide the next 50 years.

Sign up for and find more details on the symposium here.

5:30 – 7:30 PM: Opening/Founders’ Reception
An intimate evening honoring the founders of both organizations and early preservation advocates.

Preview Exhibit Opening — 'Fifty Years of Preservation and Art'

Giovanni Aloi is an author, educator, and curator specializing in the representation of nature and the environment in art. A professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and editor in chief of Antennae: The Journal of Nature in Visual Culture, he is widely recognized for his scholarship on art, ecology, animals, and plants through books including Art & Animals, Speculative Taxidermy, and Why Look at Plants.

Geoffrey Baer is an Emmy Award-winning writer, producer, and longtime WTTW host whose acclaimed television specials have brought Chicago’s architecture, history, and neighborhoods to broad public audiences. Best known for programs such as Chicago by ‘L’, The Chicago River Tour, and the 10 That Changed America series, he is widely recognized as one of the city’s most engaging interpreters of the built environment.

Susan Benjamin is an architectural historian, preservation consultant, and author with more than 40 years of experience in historic preservation. As founder of Benjamin Historic Certifications, she is widely recognized for her work on National Register nominations, Historic American Buildings Survey documentation, landmark designations, and publications on Chicago-area architecture, including Modern in the Middle: Chicago Houses 1929–1975.

Paul Bergmann is a Lake Bluff-based architectural historian, author, and preservation advocate whose work has focused on documenting the architectural legacy of Lake Forest and Lake Bluff. A former board member of the Lake Forest Preservation Foundation and author of The Architecture of Stanley D. Anderson, he is also active in local preservation and history organizations, including the Lake Bluff History Museum.

Lee Bey is a Chicago-based architecture critic, photographer, and author whose work explores the city’s built environment, design history, and urban culture, with a particular focus on the South Side. He is the author of Southern Exposure: The Overlooked Architecture of Chicago’s South Side and has served in civic and media leadership roles including architecture critic at the Chicago Sun-Times and commentator for WBEZ.

Stuart Cohen, FAIA, is a Chicago architect, author, and professor emeritus of architecture at the University of Illinois Chicago, known for his distinguished residential practice and his scholarship on historic Chicago architecture. He is the author of four books on Chicago’s architectural history and received the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art’s 2018 Arthur Ross Award for his writing, as well as a lifetime achievement award from AIA Chicago in 2021.

Cathy Czerniak is director of community development for the City of Lake Forest, where she works on planning, historic preservation, zoning, and development matters that shape the city’s built environment. She has been a key staff leader on initiatives ranging from historic district oversight and Plan Commission matters to comprehensive planning and business district development.

Richard M. Economakis is an architect, educator, and practitioner of classical and traditional design who serves as professor of architecture and director of architecture and urbanism in the graduate program at the University of Notre Dame. Combining academic leadership with private practice, he is known for advancing traditional architecture and urbanism through teaching, writing, and professional work in the United States and Europe.

Alison Fisher is the Harold and Margot Schiff Curator of Architecture and Design at the Art Institute of Chicago, where she has organized exhibitions and developed collections that broaden the history of architecture and design. Her work focuses on alternative histories of modern architecture, urbanism, and visual culture, with particular attention to how design shapes public life and the built environment.

Blair Kamin is a Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic, author, and contributing editor to Architectural Record who served for 28 years as the Chicago Tribune’s architecture critic. Widely recognized for his influential writing on cities, design, and the public realm, he won the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for Criticism and is the author of several books, including Why Architecture Matters and Who Is the City For?

Bill Kurtis is an award-winning journalist, producer, and narrator whose distinguished career in broadcast news includes decades as a Chicago television anchor, co-anchor of CBS Morning News, and host of acclaimed documentary series including American Justice, Investigative Reports, and Cold Case Files. Beyond journalism, he is also known for his longstanding commitment to conservation and prairie restoration in Illinois, using his public platform to champion native landscapes and environmental stewardship at the local level.

Bonnie McDonald is a preservation leader and nonprofit executive who serves as president and CEO of Landmarks Illinois, where she has helped advance a people-centered approach to historic preservation across the state. Widely recognized for linking preservation to issues such as community development, equity, housing, and resilience, she previously led the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota and has become an influential voice in shaping a more relevant and just preservation practice.

Arthur H. Miller is an architectural historian, archivist, and preservation leader whose work has helped document and interpret the architectural and cultural history of Lake Forest, Illinois. Emeritus archivist and librarian for special collections at Lake Forest College, he is the author or co-author of numerous books and articles on local history and architecture, including Architectural Lake Forest, and has served as both president and honorary director of the Lake Forest Preservation Foundation.

Ward Miller is a preservation advocate and nonprofit leader who has served as executive director of Preservation Chicago since 2013, after previously helping found the organization and serving as its board president. A longtime voice for protecting Chicago’s architectural heritage, he is widely recognized for his advocacy, research, and public education efforts on behalf of the city’s historic buildings and neighborhoods.

Ben Pentreath is an architect, interior designer, and author whose London-based practice is widely recognized for its refined approach to traditional architecture, urbanism, and decoration. Founder of Ben Pentreath Ltd, he has led projects ranging from private houses and interiors to masterplanning work such as Poundbury and was awarded the 2023 Richard H. Driehaus Prize for his contributions to classical and traditional design.

Javier Quintana de Uña is an architect and senior leader in the global built-environment field, currently serving as CEO of the Council on Vertical Urbanism, formerly the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. With more than 20 years of experience spanning practice, research, and academia, he previously held leadership roles at IDOM UK, directed the Fundación Escolá research division, and served as dean of the IE School of Architecture and Design in Madrid.

Tom Rajkovich is a Chicago-area classical architect and urban designer whose North Shore practice is known for historically informed residential, civic, and ecclesiastical work; he graduated magna cum laude from the University of Notre Dame in 1983 and later studied at the American Academy in Rome. His firm has received national recognition for traditional design, including a 2025 Palladio Award for a new chapel at Saint Therese Church, and he has also taught as an adjunct professor of the practice at the University of Notre Dame.

Stephen M. Salny is an author, lecturer, and architectural historian best known for his books on major American designers and architects, including The Country Houses of David Adler, Frances Elkins: Interior Design, and Michael Taylor: Interior Design. His work has helped illuminate the legacy of influential figures in architecture and interiors, and he has also been recognized for his longstanding study of David Adler and related design history.

Steven W. Semes is an architect, author, and educator who serves as professor of architecture and director of the Michael Christopher Duda Center for Preservation, Resilience, and Sustainability at the University of Notre Dame. A practicing architect for more than 30 years before joining the Notre Dame faculty, he is widely recognized for his scholarship on classical architecture and historic preservation, including his books The Future of the Past and The Architecture of the Classical Interior.

Jason C. Wicha is a public-sector leader who serves as city manager of Lake Forest, Illinois, where he oversees the city’s day-to-day operations and implementation of policies set by the mayor and city council. Known for his leadership in municipal administration and civic services, he plays a central role in guiding local government operations, strategic initiatives, and community planning.