Built in 1916 (Renaissance Revival architecture). Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.
One of 98 National Register listings published here for Lake County · listed in 2005 · category: Building · built in 1916, Renaissance Revival architecture, by Howard Van Doren Shaw.
Sources: the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service · the Wikipedia article
The chapter on West Deerfield Township in The Past and Present of Lake County, Illinois, published 1877 names Lake Forest. This is what it says, exactly as the scans read.
The location of this school is well chosen. About fifteen minutes' walk from the lake shore, in the midst of picturesque scenery and surrounded by the residences of cultured and wealthy families, quiet and healthful - these natural advantages, combined with its nearness to the city, which enables students to have the benefit of the best concerts and lectures, altogether render it one of the most fortunately located schools in the West. The doors of this institution were opened for the accommodation of pupils, for the first time, in September, 1876. The school is under the control of Prof. Edward P. Weston, a gentleman of rare ability and enthusiasm, who has had a wide experience as an educator to prepare him for this, which he hopes to make the crowning work of his life. For thirteen years he had charge of the Maine Female College, after which he, for a number of years, filled the office of Superintendent of Public Instruction in the same State, from which he was called to the presi¬ dency of Ferry Hall, at Lake Forest, where he remained until he resigned his position to undertake this more congenial work at Highland Park.
Passage source: The Past and Present of Lake County, Illinois, published 1877.
Highwood is a village in the township of Deerfield, on the railroad, adjoin¬ ing the town plat of Highland Park on the north, but the depot or station house at this place is about a mile from that at Highland Park. The town plat of this place was laid out in April, 1871. It is about three miles south of Lake Forest. It is connected with Highland Park by broad avenues, on some of which the buildings are scattered along, so that the dividing point between the two places is not discernible. The streets and avenues were first laid out by Rev. Dr. Evarts. Directly east of the railroad depot he secured a handsome bluff of nine acres of land for his homestead. He afterward parted with a por¬ tion of the same to his friend and parishioner, W. W. Boyington, the wellknown architect of Chicago, who built a fine residence thereon.
Passage source: The Past and Present of Lake County, Illinois, published 1877.
Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.
Read the whole chapter on West Deerfield Township - 7,940 words on its settlement, mills, schools and churches.
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 5 fires within 5 miles of Louis F. Swift House between 2017 and 2020, burning about 41 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 2 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 1 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 April 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 15 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | 19-971 |
| 30 April 2018 | Debris and open burning | 2.0 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | 18-1413 |
| 4 December 2017 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1.0 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | 17-3964 |
| 15 December 2020 | Debris and open burning | 23 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | 2020-2498 |
| 4 November 2020 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | 2020-2239 |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of Louis F. Swift House: 1 past producer. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Stone. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deerfield Pit | Stone | Past Producer |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Lake Forest, the town this property stands in, in 8 storm reports between 2000 and 2024: 3 thunderstorm wind, 2 flash flood, 2 flood, 1 hail. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2001 | Flash Flood | Lake Forest | $180,000 | no account filed |
| February 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | West Lake Forest | - | A photo shared via social media showed a tree downed onto a road at Lake Forest Academy. Time was estimated using radar. |
| June 2024 | Flash Flood | West Lake Forest | - | The northbound lane of US Rt 41 was closed between IL Rt 60 in Lake Forest and Washington St in Waukegan due to areas of flooding. |
| September 2018 | Flood | West Lake Forest | - | Route 41 was closed south of Route 60 due to flooding in a flood prone area under a low-lying railroad bridge. |
| December 2018 | Flood | Lake Forest | - | Minor street flooding was reported in Highland Park including Tanglewood Court, Taylor Avenue and Tennyson Lane. Storm total rainfall of 1.55 inches was measured one mile south of Highwood. |
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lake Forest | - | Approximately 300 trees were damaged in Lake Forest with 35 trees blown down or were damaged severely enough to be removed. |
| June 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lake Forest | - | Trees blown down. |
| May 2000 | Hail | Lake Forest | - | no account filed |
No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.
Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.
| Photograph | Property | Distance | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Vine-Oakwood-Green Bay Road Historic District | 0.9 miles | 1980 |
 | Deerpath Inn | 1.0 miles | 1992 |
 | Edward H. Bennett House and Studio | 1.0 miles | 1995 |
 | Robert P. Lamont House | 1.1 miles | 1993 |
 | Lake Forest Historic District | 1.2 miles | 1978 |
 | Noble Judah Estate | 1.2 miles | 1990 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 05001256 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Lake County | All 98 listed properties in this county. |
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