The art of gentility is not lost at private club in Vernon Hills
Popular opinion might dictate that American culture can be encapsulated in simple iconic images: those of baseball, mom's apple pie, hamburgers, jeans and white T-shirts.
So in the ever-narrowing search for the last vestiges of Americana, there is also another aspect of our culture that warrants mention, lest you think it gone completely.
I am speaking of the culture of gentility, of opening doors for strangers and of holding out chairs for ladies, of picking up the check instead of splitting it six ways, and of a level of service and attention that many nowadays lament has gone the way of the Dodo.
In actually, this culture of gentility did not disappear with the 18th century, but rather has been adopted and has now morphed into a modern aesthetic ideology of manners and taste preserved here by the firm hand of owner Bill Pigati in the neat little package otherwise known as the Forge Club in Vernon Hills.
Situated on a five-acre lot among the -- granted -- dwindling woods of Vernon Hills, though across the street from the forest preserve, the Forge Club is one of the last remnants of a bygone era that nevertheless has found a niche in our modern society.
With clubs like the Chicago Athletic Association, which was founded in 1890 and was a men's-only organization until 1974 and which closed earlier this year, or The Tavern Club in Chicago that closed on Dec. 21, according to manager Javier Rosas, the Forge seems to be faring better, which may be a testament to the type of members it attracts.
"That kind of person doesn't have an age or a particular dollar income value. They just have that kind of mindset. A lot of them are readers, they like old movies. They like a more refined, a more elegant and subdued atmosphere, regardless of their age," said Pigati.
Strict attention to details is something the Forge members expect and this is a service that the Club is more than willing to provide.
"You have to have that attention to detail. Many of our guests, depending on their generation and exposure, still have that strongly ingrained in them and, as that relates to our assisting with the chairs, coats and so forth, it is absolutely critical even if it does seem old-fashioned," said general manager Henry Markwood.
The Forge trains their staff extensively in these 'unspoken' rules of etiquette that are, nevertheless, very much alive and enforced.
On the flip side, it is true that one cannot simply join the Forge at will; they have to come by referral of an existing member. "Our members appreciate what we do and we deliver on those expectations," said Markwood.
Though private clubs have a rather sticky connotation in these days of political correctness and spirit of non-discrimination, this is a 'mothball issue' according to Markwood. "I'm sure it still exists in many other clubs, but we don't really tolerate it here."
In fact, the Forge's member list looks more like a roster from the United Nations, given that the surrounding Fortune 500 member corporations such as Abbott and Motorola often have multi-national employees and transplants from other parts of the world.
Pigati estimates that the Forge has an attrition rate of approximately 8-9 percent a year and gains another 10-11 percent in new membership. That incremental increase keeps them going.
"Our rules are 'enjoy yourself nicely and have a great time at things that are a bit more elegant'," said Pigati, who takes personal pride in teaching something of this dwindling culture to new generations.
"The old days of sitting at a piano bar, the younger kids have never seen that. And when I see a young person get attached to that kind of stuff, that just lights up my night."