Forest Park was set aside as a public park in the original Plan of Lake Forest by Almerin Hotchkiss in 1857, but later developed by Ossian Cole Simonds in 1896. Simonds was a founder of the American Society of Landscape Architects, and a member of the Prairie School of Landscape Architecture, who promoted the study of natural systems and the use of native plants. Beginning in 2008 STIMSON began developing a framework and restoration plan for this important public park along Lake Michigan. The original design was at the heart of the restoration, being sure to both protect and reestablish ravines, oak woodlands and the important coastal bluff. The plan restores the degraded natural areas and introduces new sustainable technologies throughout the site.

Recognition
Boston Society of Landscape Architects | Merit Award 2016
Lake Forest Preservation Foundation | Historic Preservation Award 2016

Collaborators
Robert Grese, Cultural Landscape Architect
P. Clifford Miller, Local Landscape Architect
Wayne Schennum, Ecologist
Pine and Swallow Environmental, Soil Scientists
Galen Gates, Horticulture Consultant

Photography
Scott Shigley
Millicent Harvey