A number of docent-led walking tours of Evanston will be conducted this summer and fall by the Evanston History Center, according to a schedule announced this week.
Except for the women’s history tour, they all begin at the center’s headquarters at the Charles Gates Dawes House, 225 Greenwood St., and except for one tour that involves a bus trip, the charge is $20 for non-members and $15 for EHC members.
All tours will begin at 11 a.m. and last for 90 minutes. An exception is the Prairie School bus tour that leaves at 1 p.m.
The organization contends that the tours “provide fun and fascinating insights into the history of Evanston, its architecture, and the cultural landscape.”
In chronological order, here is the 2017 schedule:
June 3 – Forest Foray, a walk down Forest Avenue, which Daniel Burnham called “the choicest street” in Evanston. From Greenwood to Lee Street, it will pass houses designed by architects for such prominent clients as Charles Ringling and Oscar Mayer.
June 17 – Burnham in Evanston. This tour will explore the neighborhood where architect Daniel Burnham chose to live, work, and build. The tour will see his property, houses, and schools he designed, and hear about the man and his love of “bucolic Evanston.”
July 1 – Evanston’s Lakefront. The rich, varied history of Evanston’s lakefront is the subject of this tour, from lifesaving stations to shipwrecks, from boathouses to warehouses, from parks and private residences to piers, beaches, and landscaping…stories as varied as the lakefront itself.
July 15 – Evanston Women’s History. This tour explores the revolutionary history of Evanston’s women by viewing the houses and buildings where they worked to transform our cultural landscape. This tour starts out at the Willard House, 1740 Chicago Ave.
August 5 – Architectural Evanston. A walk through the original town of Evanston, with a view to the architectural styles of different eras and how they reflect the growth and change of the city.
August 19 – A repeat of the June 3 Forest Foray.
September 2 – A repeat of the July 1 lakefront tour.
September 16 – The Prairie School Camelot Bus Tour. Some of the most notable examples of the Prairie School of architecture are in Evanston, along with some of the best-kept secrets. This tour of Evanston’s Prairie gems will leave by bus at 1 p.m. from the Dawes House, and the cost will be $25 for non-members and $20 for EHC members.
October 7 – A repeat of the July 15 Women’s History tour.
October 21 – A repeat of the June 17 Burnham tour.
Reservation information may be found on the EHC’s website.