The first of my custom house portraits portraying homes in Lake Bluff IL.
I really enjoyed wandering through Lake Bluff and viewing the eclectic mix of homes there. Lake Bluff reminded me of a typical New England village with its old-fashioned corner store and interesting boutique stores, hotels and restaurants. Additionally, one can find a wonderful array of shingled historic home right in heart of Old Town Lake Bluff.
As you can see here, I selected a number of interesting homes to create pen and watercolor house portraits of and start building my Lake Bluff hand-painted watercolor house portraits series.
History of Lake Bluff IL
A little bit of history. The town came into being around the 1870s and was official incorporated in 1895. The first railroad through Lake County was completed in 1855, running from Chicago through the county line. At that time Henry Ostrander owned the land where the depot was to be built, and he agreed to donate that site, calling it “Rockland.” Rockland had a post office and general store on Mawman Avenue with a small school and church located west of the tracks near Green Bay Road. The name was later changed to Lake Bluff.
The Fourth of July is enthusiastically celebrated in the town with a lively parade that winds through the center of the main hub. A fun fact: during World War I, theChicago Tribunedubbed Lake Bluff “the most patriotic town in America” due to the fact the town had apparently raised more money and sent more soldiers to the war efforts than others of its size.
Lake Bluff Today
Far from being a living museum however, Lake Bluff is not stuck in the past and these original paintings of homes proves that. It has a vibrant sense of community and is very proud of its heritage.
The Fourth of July is enthusiastically celebrated in the town with a lively parade that winds through the center of the main hub. A fun fact: during World War I, the Chicago Tribune dubbed Lake Bluff “the most patriotic town in America” due to the fact the town had apparently raised more money and sent more soldiers to the war efforts than others of its size.
Far from being a living museum however, Lake Bluff is not stuck in the past and these original paintings of homes proves that. It has a vibrant sense of community and is very proud of its heritage.
To find out more, I encourage you to check out the Lake Bluff History Museum at 127 E. Scranton Ave. Unfortunately it was after hours when I was last in town so I missed taking a look, however they have an excellent Lake Bluff History Museeum website that shows off their exhibits, collections and Lake Bluff stories.
Until next time,
Cheers, Leisa
