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Ragdale

October 14, 2023

This article is about the house in the United States. For the village in England, see Ragdale, Leicestershire.

Ragdale is the former summer retreat of Chicago architect Howard Van Doren Shaw (1869–1926), located in Lake Forest, Illinois. It is also the home of the Ragdale Foundation, an artist residency program that hosts creators from a number of disciplines: nonfiction and fiction writers, composers, poets, play- and screenwriters, visual artists, choreographers, as well as those from interdisciplinary interests.

Ragdale
Ragdale
Location1230 N. Green Bay Rd., Lake Forest, Illinois
Coordinates42°15′45″N 87°51′2″W / 42.26250°N 87.85056°W / 42.26250; -87.85056
Area33 acres (13 ha)
Built1897
ArchitectHoward Van Doren Shaw
Architectural styleArts and Crafts
NRHP reference No.76000717[1]
Added to NRHPJune 3, 1976

The house and barn Edit

Built in 1897, the house and barn were built in Shaw's typical Arts and Crafts manner.[2]

Howard Shaw named his new country house 'Ragdale' after an old Tudor house in Leicestershire, England, more because he liked the name itself than because the house was one of his favorites. To him, Ragdale meant meadows and woods and hollow apple trees and country vistas. The raggedy look of the shrubbery, the low hanging branches of trees, and the invasion of the lawn by violets were all deliberate effects. He was aiming for informal country surroundings for his house, not a well-groomed estate.
—Alice Hayes and Susan Moon, Ragdale: A History and Guide.[3]

The property underwent another change in 1912 as the Ragdale Ring was installed; at the outdoor theatre, Shaw's family and friends frequently performed Frances Shaw's works for the Lake Forest community, in the 1930s. Benches were incorporated to accommodate over 200 audience members.

Ragdale was also where Sylvia Shaw Judson (1897–1978), Howard's daughter, sculpted her piece Bird Girl, which is prominently featured on the cover of John Berendt's best-selling nonfiction book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. In 1943, the Meadow Studio was built on the prairie in an effort to accommodate Sylvia's work as a sculptor; in fact, it was here that she formed the Bird Girl as well as a number of other well-known pieces, such as Cats and Summer.

The Ragdale Foundation Edit

In 1976 Shaw's granddaughter, poet Alice Judson Hayes (1922–2006), founded The Ragdale Foundation as a non-profit aimed at providing a place of rest and relaxation for artists of all disciplines.

I am grateful to my mother, Sylvia Shaw Judson, who gave me the house, to the ancestors, relatives, and ghosts with whom I communed when I came back to live there in 1976, to all the artists and writers who by their creativity have validated the idea of the Ragdale Foundation, and to the many people who have helped make the Foundation work. Finally, I am grateful to the house itself for its smell and taste and texture and for the views out of its windows and for its nurturing spirit.
—Alice Hayes, Preface to Ragdale: A History and Guide.[4]

Initially, Hayes ran the foundation with little assistance, managing the landscaping, cooking, and facilities on her own.

In 1980, the Ragdale Foundation was able to obtain the Ragdale Barnhouse from the Preston Family, who had purchased it from Shaw's youngest daughter, Theodora, in the late 1940s, then remodeled it in the 1950s. It is within this converted barn that the Foundation offices are housed.

Hayes donated both the buildings and 5 acres (20,000 m2) of grounds in 1986 to the City of Lake Forest, in an effort to preserve the Ragdale property as well as its environmental integrity.

1991 marked itself as yet another year of progress as the Friends' Studio was built. The space provided a workroom to choreographers, visual artists, composers, and performance artists. Additionally, its well-lit area provided a perfect place for exhibitions and performances.

The Friends Studio was conceived and paid for by Alice Hayes along with Christopher and John Holabird to commemorate the long friendship of their mothers, Sylvia Shaw and Dorothy Holabird. Alice, always focused, had coined the Ragdale motto, 'A place for artists and writers to work.' As there was a growing demand for different kinds of studio space, it was decided to create a composers' studio and a larger studio that could be used by painters, sculptors and dance choreographers. This would be the first new building since the creation of Ragdale and it had to blend in. The site was selected and the design created with a little fear and trepidation. Would the new studio intrude or would it be a complementary addition? The answer came months later in the form of an unintended design critique of the new studio from a former Ragdale resident. She said, 'What did we used to use that building for?' Whew!
—Walker Johnson, architect and former Ragdale Board President

In 2006, the Ragdale Foundation both celebrated its 30th anniversary and mourned the death of Alice Judson Hayes.

On April 9, 2008, the Meadow Studio was reopened, after having been the workspace of Sylvia Shaw Judson. Partnering with 12 fourth- and fifth-year students from the Illinois Institute of Technology College of Architecture under the direction of Associate Professor Frank Flurry, the Foundation was able to utilize the original footprint of the building in constructing a building light on environmental impact. Due to poor roof maintenance in the studio's early years, it was subject to extensive damage—however, the Ragdale Foundation was fortunate in attaining the funds necessary to rebuild it.[5]

Notable alumni Edit

References Edit

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ "Ragdale-from Chicago Gardens: the Early History". University of Chicago. 2008.
  3. ^ Alice Hayes and Susan Moon (1990) Ragdale: A History and Guide ISBN 0-931416-07-8
  4. ^ Alice Hayes and Susan Moon, Preface
  5. ^ "IIT Architecture Students Produce Important New Work at Ragdale". The Huffington Post. December 23, 2008.

External links Edit

  • The Ragdale Foundation (Official Website)
  • Lake Forest's Ragdale offers historic and quiet retreat
  • The View from Ragdale: An Ideal Retreat for Artists

October 14, 2023
ragdale, this, article, about, house, united, states, village, england, leicestershire, former, summer, retreat, chicago, architect, howard, doren, shaw, 1869, 1926, located, lake, forest, illinois, also, home, foundation, artist, residency, program, that, hos. This article is about the house in the United States For the village in England see Ragdale Leicestershire Ragdale is the former summer retreat of Chicago architect Howard Van Doren Shaw 1869 1926 located in Lake Forest Illinois It is also the home of the Ragdale Foundation an artist residency program that hosts creators from a number of disciplines nonfiction and fiction writers composers poets play and screenwriters visual artists choreographers as well as those from interdisciplinary interests RagdaleU S National Register of Historic PlacesRagdaleShow map of IllinoisShow map of the United StatesLocation1230 N Green Bay Rd Lake Forest IllinoisCoordinates42 15 45 N 87 51 2 W 42 26250 N 87 85056 W 42 26250 87 85056Area33 acres 13 ha Built1897ArchitectHoward Van Doren ShawArchitectural styleArts and CraftsNRHP reference No 76000717 1 Added to NRHPJune 3 1976 Contents 1 The house and barn 2 The Ragdale Foundation 2 1 Notable alumni 3 References 4 External linksThe house and barn EditBuilt in 1897 the house and barn were built in Shaw s typical Arts and Crafts manner 2 Howard Shaw named his new country house Ragdale after an old Tudor house in Leicestershire England more because he liked the name itself than because the house was one of his favorites To him Ragdale meant meadows and woods and hollow apple trees and country vistas The raggedy look of the shrubbery the low hanging branches of trees and the invasion of the lawn by violets were all deliberate effects He was aiming for informal country surroundings for his house not a well groomed estate Alice Hayes and Susan Moon Ragdale A History and Guide 3 The property underwent another change in 1912 as the Ragdale Ring was installed at the outdoor theatre Shaw s family and friends frequently performed Frances Shaw s works for the Lake Forest community in the 1930s Benches were incorporated to accommodate over 200 audience members Ragdale was also where Sylvia Shaw Judson 1897 1978 Howard s daughter sculpted her piece Bird Girl which is prominently featured on the cover of John Berendt s best selling nonfiction book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil In 1943 the Meadow Studio was built on the prairie in an effort to accommodate Sylvia s work as a sculptor in fact it was here that she formed the Bird Girl as well as a number of other well known pieces such as Cats and Summer The Ragdale Foundation EditIn 1976 Shaw s granddaughter poet Alice Judson Hayes 1922 2006 founded The Ragdale Foundation as a non profit aimed at providing a place of rest and relaxation for artists of all disciplines I am grateful to my mother Sylvia Shaw Judson who gave me the house to the ancestors relatives and ghosts with whom I communed when I came back to live there in 1976 to all the artists and writers who by their creativity have validated the idea of the Ragdale Foundation and to the many people who have helped make the Foundation work Finally I am grateful to the house itself for its smell and taste and texture and for the views out of its windows and for its nurturing spirit Alice Hayes Preface to Ragdale A History and Guide 4 Initially Hayes ran the foundation with little assistance managing the landscaping cooking and facilities on her own In 1980 the Ragdale Foundation was able to obtain the Ragdale Barnhouse from the Preston Family who had purchased it from Shaw s youngest daughter Theodora in the late 1940s then remodeled it in the 1950s It is within this converted barn that the Foundation offices are housed Hayes donated both the buildings and 5 acres 20 000 m2 of grounds in 1986 to the City of Lake Forest in an effort to preserve the Ragdale property as well as its environmental integrity 1991 marked itself as yet another year of progress as the Friends Studio was built The space provided a workroom to choreographers visual artists composers and performance artists Additionally its well lit area provided a perfect place for exhibitions and performances The Friends Studio was conceived and paid for by Alice Hayes along with Christopher and John Holabird to commemorate the long friendship of their mothers Sylvia Shaw and Dorothy Holabird Alice always focused had coined the Ragdale motto A place for artists and writers to work As there was a growing demand for different kinds of studio space it was decided to create a composers studio and a larger studio that could be used by painters sculptors and dance choreographers This would be the first new building since the creation of Ragdale and it had to blend in The site was selected and the design created with a little fear and trepidation Would the new studio intrude or would it be a complementary addition The answer came months later in the form of an unintended design critique of the new studio from a former Ragdale resident She said What did we used to use that building for Whew Walker Johnson architect and former Ragdale Board President In 2006 the Ragdale Foundation both celebrated its 30th anniversary and mourned the death of Alice Judson Hayes On April 9 2008 the Meadow Studio was reopened after having been the workspace of Sylvia Shaw Judson Partnering with 12 fourth and fifth year students from the Illinois Institute of Technology College of Architecture under the direction of Associate Professor Frank Flurry the Foundation was able to utilize the original footprint of the building in constructing a building light on environmental impact Due to poor roof maintenance in the studio s early years it was subject to extensive damage however the Ragdale Foundation was fortunate in attaining the funds necessary to rebuild it 5 Notable alumni Edit Kim Addonizio Elizabeth Alexander Yehuda Amichai A Manette Ansay Francisco Aragon Lynda Barry Judith Baumel Jan Beatty Robin Becker Star Black poet Lawrence Block Bruce Bond Marianne Boruch Lan Samantha Chang Susan Cheever Maxine Chernoff Kelly Cherry Shimmer Chinodya Rita Ciresi Barbara Croft Moira Crone Stanley Crouch John Dilg Crescent Dragonwagon Camille Dungy Janice Moore Fuller Pamela Gemin Kinereth Gensler Hector Giuffre painter Eugene Gloria Lauren Groff Jane Hamilton Martha Hollander Nancy Horan Ma Luisa Aguilar Igloria Colette Inez Halvard Johnson Janet Kaplan Brigit Kelly Carolyn Kizer Alex Kotlowitz Wlodzimierz Ksiazek Jean Kwok Anne Laughlin Dennis Lehane Sabra Loomis Sheryl Luna Jacki Lyden Rebecca Makkai Charles Martin J Michael Martinez Stephen McCauley Sandra McPherson Jacquelyn Mitchard Lisel Mueller Audrey Niffenegger John Frederick Nims Kathleen Norris Camille Norton Alice Notley Sara Paretsky Oliver de la Paz Katha Pollitt Kim Roberts Alice Sebold Ravi Shankar Alan Shapiro Barbara Smith Carmen Gimenez Smith Ann Snodgrass David Sosnowski John Spaulding Mark Strand Stephanie Strickland Gail Tsukiyama Luis Alberto Urrea Dan Vera Mark Winegardner Rafael YglesiasReferences Edit National Register Information System National Register of Historic Places National Park Service July 9 2010 Ragdale from Chicago Gardens the Early History University of Chicago 2008 Alice Hayes and Susan Moon 1990 Ragdale A History and Guide ISBN 0 931416 07 8 Alice Hayes and Susan Moon Preface IIT Architecture Students Produce Important New Work at Ragdale The Huffington Post December 23 2008 External links EditThe Ragdale Foundation Official Website Lake Forest s Ragdale offers historic and quiet retreat The View from Ragdale An Ideal Retreat for Artists Ragdale A Historic Landscape Revisited Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ragdale amp oldid 1169988711, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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