The near-yearlong renovation of the Deer Path Inn, 255 E. Illinois Road in downtown Lake Forest, was not intended to be a Botox-like injection to make her look young again. Rather it was to bring out her True Brit in all its magnificent stateliness; to step inside is to party like it’s the 15th century, but with 21st century upgrades.
Built in 1929, the structure, added in 1992 to the National Register of Historic Places, was modeled after an English manor house in Chiddingstone, Kent, England by architect William C. Jones, who designed it in the Tudor Revival style. “Through the years, it has served as almost like a country club for local residents,” noted general manager Matthew Barba. “It has served generations of families as a venue for special life events as well as a social gathering place for the community.”
The original Deer Path Inn dates back to the 1860s. It was a private home located on the site now occupied by the Gorton Community Center. It was moved to make way for the Gorton School. According to information provided by the Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Historical Society, the home was converted into a hotel, which was run by Mr. and Mrs. M.H. Patterson. Edwin Burgess, a transplanted Englishman, purchased the Inn in 1924. He relocated it to its current location.
The Deer Path Inn survived a devastating 1938 fire that destroyed much of the building’s third floor, and has been remodeled several times over the decades. But from inaccessible outlets in the guest rooms to outdated heating throughout the Inn, extensive work was required.
The Deer Path Inn was closed for 11 months in 2015. The scope of the renovation was extensive, the schedule aggressive, Barba noted. The exterior was preserved. Inside, there was already little that was left from the original building, but certain elements were retained, such as the wooden beams and select pieces of artwork in the Inn’s more formal dining room, The English Room, and the fireplace in the Hearth Room, a welcoming meeting space off the lobby. The building’s windows were removed, meticulously restored and reinstalled. But most of the Inn’s new furnishings and furniture pieces are at once in mint condition and as if they had always been there, Barba said.
Some ground floor guest rooms once located in a narrow, dimly lit corridor were moved. This walkway to Windsor Hall, the Inn’s event space, is now a sunnier “historical corridor,” with archival and vintage photos of the Inn as well as a tariff card that shows that at one time, rooms were $12 a night.
“The community is very fortunate that a significant investment was recently made in the Deer Path Inn,” Lake Forest Director of Community Development Catherine Czerniak said in an email. “The careful restoration, up-to-date life safety features, state-of-the-art kitchen and guest rooms and attention to detail has generated great interest and increased customer activity. The hotel is now positioned for success well into the future. The entire Central Business District benefits from the restoration of this community treasure.”
Donald Liebenson is a freelance writer.
The Deer Path Inn
Address: 255 E. Illinois Road, Lake Forest
Architect: William C. Jones
Architectural style: Tudor Revival
Year it was built: 1929
Size: 70,000 square-feet
Did you know? Carol Burnett stayed at the Deer Path Inn while filming Robert Altman’s “The Wedding.” As reported in the Chicago Tribune, she found the mattresses to be too soft and went to Sears to purchase a firmer one, which she tied to the roof of her car to take back to the Inn.
