Libertyville kicks off celebration of Adler centennial
A yearlong centennial celebration of one of the best known but least understood names in Libertyville history began Wednesday with a ceremonial ribbon cutting.
The "Big 100" refers not only to architect David Adler's arrival and transformation of an old farm house to a country estate, but also aspirations for a major renovation of the village-owned arts center that bears his name.
Mayor Terry Weppler was joined by elected officials, staff and others associated with the David Adler Music and Arts Center to kick off a year of activities for one of the lesser-known amenities in town.
"It's such a beautiful facility and so many people don't know about it," Weppler said.
Adler bought an 1864 farmhouse on about 18 acres and in 1918 began transforming it into his primary residence and country estate. The distinctive sprawling home took shape through major remodels in 1918, 1926. 1934 and 1941.
The U-shaped assemblage is situated between what became a school and park bearing his name. The original building on the east side of Milwaukee Avenue is just steps from the busy road on the northern gateway to town.
Many associate the name with the famous planetarium in Chicago, but the two Adler families were not related. Libertyville's Adler was a low-key but highly sought architect whose works dot the North Shore and other parts of the country.
"Most of his clients and customers were the very wealthy, affluent type of people - the Marshall Fields, the Armours," explained Amy Williams, executive director of the Adler center.
Adler practiced an eclectic architectural design, incorporating a mix of elements to create original and unique works. His home, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999 and designated a local landmark in 2016, contains prototypical design elements that emerged in other projects.
"This was his laboratory to try out things," said Heather Williamson, Adler center program director.
The house is predominantly Colonial Revival but has Classical Revival and French Renaissance Revival elements, including a number of signature design features.
Adler lived there until his death in 1949. He bequeathed to the village his estate, which by then had grown to a 23-room house and 240-acre estate running east to the Des Plaines River.
The center was founded in 1980 and operates a variety of classes, programs and activities. Besides arts education and cultural programming, the care, renovation and interpretation of the home and artifacts is a stated goal of the nonprofit David Adler Music and Arts Center.
To that end, the centennial celebration will be used as a showcase for ambitious plans to restore parts of the facility to their original condition and proceed with upgrades to make the basement and second floor usable.
"It's a huge amount of space here that's wasted," Williams said. "It's old and hasn't been kept up as well as it should have been."
The idea is to renovate and improve the facility and grounds as more of a community center, Williams said. A plan she conservatively estimated to cost $1.5 million will be presented to the village board in coming weeks.
"It's pretty significant what we want to do," she said.