The Lake Forest Preservation Foundation opens a free exhibit Thursday, Aug. 20, tracing five decades of work that saved landmarks including the East Lake Forest train station, the Deer Path Inn and Bank Lane from neglect or demolition.

"Preserving Lake Forest: Celebrating 50 Years of Stewardship" runs through Sept. 12 at the History Center of Lake Forest-Lake Bluff, 509 E. Deerpath. An opening reception runs 5–7 p.m. Thursday, with regular hours Tuesdays through Thursdays, 10 a.m.–4 p.m., and Saturdays, 1–4 p.m.

The exhibit anchors a year-long 50th anniversary celebration for the foundation, which has raised more than $4 million for preservation since its 1976 founding, according to the organization's Fall 2025 newsletter.

The centerpiece story is the train station itself. In 1976, the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad planned to tear down the Tudor-style building, designed by architects Frost and Granger and completed in 1900, and replace it with a utilitarian brick structure. The newly formed LFPF launched a comprehensive evaluation, then raised $400,000 for immediate repairs.

Decades of fundraising followed.

In 2008, the foundation awarded a $50,000 grant for a Historic Structures Report that unlocked more than $3 million in federal grants. An $835,900 federal grant in 2011 paid for a slate-roof restoration matching the 1900 original. By 2018, a four-phase renovation was complete, with refinished wainscoting, restored wooden benches, expanded bathrooms and upgraded electrical systems.

The foundation's newsletter describes the train station as its largest public-private partnership, a collaboration with the City of Lake Forest. That effort became a model for later projects, including the 2016 rehabilitation of the 1929 Deer Path Inn, now ranked by Travel + Leisure as a top Midwestern resort hotel, according to Lake Forest Love.

LFPF president Henry Kleeman wrote in the Fall 2025 newsletter that the foundation's work built on early civic action: "Our founders understood that Lake Forest was home to some of the most architecturally significant homes and buildings in the Midwest."

A 2025 city-wide survey found 92% of respondents said historic character was important in choosing to live in Lake Forest, ranking alongside schools and lower taxes.

The exhibit is free. The History Center is at 509 E. Deerpath, Lake Forest; call (847) 234-5253 for information.