Open Doors Highland Park 

OpenDoors HP
September 28, 2019

Open Doors Highland Park is a free, public HP150 event taking place on September 28, 2019 throughout Highland Park. Open Doors offers behind the scene access to more than a dozen Highland Park buildings described below.  Participants will enjoy hidden gems, architectural treasures, and fascinating utilitarian sites. 

RAVINIA FESTIVAL BACKSTAGE TOUR: 
SOLD OUT!  
Thank you for your overwhelming interest in this event! 

BROCHURE: 
View the Open Doors Highland Park brochure here. 

PARTICIPATING SITES:

Braeside School (SD112), 150 Pierce Rd. 
9 AM - 1 PM
Designed by John Van Bergen, celebrated Prairie School architect, in 1927.  See the historic library with its unusual windows, fireplace, and beautiful woodwork.
Not handicapped accessible. 

City Hall, 1707 St. Johns Ave. 
9 AM - 12 PM 
See the City Council’s conference room and stand on the podium in the Council  chamber.

City of Highland Park Fire Station, 1130 Central Ave. 
10 AM - 2 PM
Tours on the hour and half hour. Last tour at 1:30 PM. 
The tour that provides insights in how firefighters live in the firehouse along with displays highlighting emergency medical services, firefighting equipment, and special teams.
Park in the Hidden Creek lot.  


City of Highland Park Police Station, 1677 Old Deerfield Rd
10 AM - 2 PM 
Tours on the hour and half hour. Last tour at 1:30 PM.
The tour provides insights about daily operations at the Police Department highlighting police roll calls, arrestee booking, fingerprinting, bicycle safety, police vehicles and equipment, and special teams. 
Park in front of the building or on side streets.  Please do not park in the lot adjacent. 

City of Highland Park Water Treatment Plant, Park Avenue Beach 
10 AM - 2 PM
Tours on the hour and half hour. Last tour at 1:30 PM.
See how water from Lake Michigan is purified using the latest technology.
Park on north, east or South side of building.  Entrance on the north side. 
Certain parts of the tour are not handicapped accessible.  

Green Bay School (SD112), 1936 Green Bay Rd. 
9 AM - 1 PM
See the District 112 board room with its outstanding WPA murals.


Exmoor Country Club, 700 Vine Ave. 
1 PM - 4:30 PM 
Tours on the hour and the half hour. 
Founded in 1896 as Illinois’ third golf club, Exmoor has a rich history of family-oriented club life, famous member golfers and important national golf and curling tournaments. 

Highland Park Presbyterian Church, 330 Laurel Ave. 
10 AM - 4 PM
Designed by Charles Frost and completed in 1912 in an English style.  In 1939 the chancel was redesigned by Thomas Tallmadge.  (Tallmadge died in January, 1940 and this is one of his last commissions.)  As part of that renovation, the well known WPA artist Edgar Miller did the altar screen.

Highland Park High School (SD113), 433 Vine Ave. 
9 AM - 11 AM 
Tour the new swimming pool and see other improvements made possible by the 2013 bond referendum.

Immaculate Conception Church, 770 Deerfield Rd. 
9 AM - 12 PM
Enjoy the sanctuary’s beautiful stained glass windows.

North Shore Yacht Club, 21 Park Ave. 
10 AM - 4 PM
See the inside of the club house and find out  about opportunities to get out onto the water and enjoy Lake Michigan on kayaks, paddleboards and sailboats or sit down and enjoy the incomparable views. 
Park on the south or east side of water treatment plant.  

Northmoor Country Club, 820 Edgewood Rd. 
9 AM - 11:30 PM 
See the  gracious reception rooms and  veranda in this  building which opened  in 1929.

North Shore Water Reclamation Facility, Clavey Rd. 
10 AM - 2 PM  
Tours on the half hour.
The North Shore Water Reclamation District’s Clavey Road Water Reclamation Facility is one of three advanced wastewater treatment facilities owned and operated by the District with an average design flow of 17.8 million gallons per day.   Visitors will see how wastewater from the City of Highland Park and other communities is purified using a combination of physical and biological treatment processes to meet stringent standards and the exceptional quality treated effluent is discharged to the Skokie River.  
Enter on Clavey and park in front of the main building. 
District facilities contain hazards inherent to industrial sites. In accordance, tour participants are required to follow the tour guidelines : wear proper clothing – long pants, shirts with sleeves and flat, enclosed shoes (no shorts, skirts, tank tops, high heels or sandals.  No cameras or binoculars.  Children must be at least 10 years of age and accompanied by an adult.  
Not handicapped accessible. 


Park District of Highland Park Rosewood Beach Interpretive Center, Rosewood Beach
10 AM - 2 PM   
The interpretive center, a 1,960 square foot building adjacent to the northernmost beach cove, opened June 2015. It’s geothermal technology provides heating and cooling of the year-round facility.  To mitigate bird collision, bird-friendly glass is used throughout the building, as well as in the other beach facilities.  The glass features a patterned, UV reflective coating making it visible to birds while remaining virtually transparent to the human eye, thus allowing undisturbed views of Lake Michigan from the interior of the Interpretive Center.   It was designed by Chicago architects Woodhouse &  Tinucci.

Ravinia Festival
Advance Registration Only 
SOLD OUT!

This free tour will include a backstage tour of Ravinia’s dressing rooms, and green room, at the Pavilion and Martin Theatre and guests will have opportunity to stand on both Martin Theatre and stages.  The tour will also highlight Ravinia’s art collection, including the Botero, Hunt, Chadwick, and Plensa Sculptures and the soon-to-open Associates Board Gallery featuring the Grammy Museum’s Bernstein exhibition, which includes such mementos as his hand-notated scores, the desk where he wrote “West Side Story,” and his childhood piano. Not handicapped accessible. 
Entry into the Ravinia site is only available to those individuals who were able to register in advance.   



Stupey Cabin 
9 AM - 4 PM
Highland Park’s oldest standing structure is located in Laurel Park between the library and city hall. The cabin, built in 1847, was given to the people of Highland Park as a Centennial gift in 1968 by Exmoor Country Club. The Historical Society moved, restored and furnished the cabin in the period of 1850.

Trinity Episcopal Church, 425 Laurel Ave. 
10 AM - 4 PM
Trinity is highlighting their gorgeous stained glass windows, including a Tiffany, and their beautiful music. Every hour on the hour  a professional musician from the congregation will be playing or singing. The building was designed by Ernest Mayo, and completed in 1901.  Two bays were added after WW2.   The sanctuary has gorgeous stained  glass windows. The large chancel window at the north end dates  from 1911.  The large rose window in the new section is based on medieval designs.  
Parking in the public lot on the north side of the church off of Central and walk around to the front entrance on Laurel.