In October, distinguished local historian and author Art Miller gave a lecture on the history of Ravinia Festival and surrounding areas. He spoke on the beginnings of the festival, the people and culture of the area and the architecture of the park buildings. Below are two excerpts from that talk.
This part of the lecture focuses on the creation of the park in 1904 as a way to attract more people into using the newly built Chicago and Milwaukee Electric Railroad. Back then the park amenities included a casino, ballpark, hotel, skating rink and other amusements.
This part of the lecture focuses on the buildings and architects responsible for designing them.