The Lake Forest Club was founded in 1958 by thirty founding members. The original club consisted of a bath house, two tennis courts, and three pools. Our Day Camp dates back to the founding, and the original initiation fee was $500, and monthly dues totaled $15.
In 1961, the Club added four more tennis courts. The Clubhouse was christened on May 30, 1964 and membership had jumped to about 300 families. Two more tennis courts were added in the late 1960s, and in 1969, the Clubhouse was recognized for “the high quality of its architectural design” by the Chicago A.L.A and the Commerce Association.
In 1972, the Club built its first two paddle courts. The final four of our current 12 tennis courts were added in 1973, and the Paddle Hut was constructed in 1978.
The 1980’s saw ongoing updating of the club house and of the pools, and then construction began again in the 1990s as our third and fourth paddle courts were built. Lights were added to tennis courts 1-4 for evening play. We now boast one of the largest club pool areas on the North Shore.
In the 2000’s a new bath house was built to include men’s, women’s, boy’s, girl’s, and family locker rooms. The facility also included our Pro Shop and aquatics office. A basketball and multi-purpose court were built outside the bath house, and the final piece of the puzzle took place in 2015 with a non-permanent facility: The Lake Forest Club skating rink.
THE PRESENT:
The founding members’ foresight and hard work have been beneficial to all those who have followed. Changes continue to be made to improve the club, and the purpose of The Lake Forest Club has remained the same: social, recreational and dining opportunities for the area families.