06/05/2026
For more than a century, Glen Rowan has been a place where people come together.
Completed in 1909, Glen Rowan was designed by Howard Van Doren Shaw as the home of Rev. Dr. Clifford W. Barnes and Alice Reid Barnes, a Lake Forest College alumna. The Barnes family was deeply connected to civic life, philanthropy, education, and social reform. Rev. Barnes was a prominent Chicago clergyman and reformer, active in the settlement house movement and later the founding president of the Chicago Community Trust.
That spirit helped shape Glen Rowan as more than a private residence. It became a place where culture, community, and public life intersected — a tradition continued by the Barnes family’s daughter, Lilace Barnes, who later hosted Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during his Chicago open housing work in the 1960s.
Glen Rowan was also closely tied to Lake Forest College through the Barnes and Reid families. Alice Reid Barnes was part of a family whose philanthropy left a lasting mark on the College, and Lilace Barnes later deeded Glen Rowan to the College in 1968, helping preserve this remarkable Howard Van Doren Shaw estate for future generations.
Today, Glen Rowan continues its long tradition of welcome and gathering.
Join us on June 26 for Preserved in Black & White: A Vintage Cocktail Celebration as we celebrate 50 years of preservation at one of Lake Forest’s most storied historic homes.
Tickets available through the link below:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/preserved-in-black-white-a-vintage-cocktail-celebration-tickets-1985931108405?aff=oddtdtcreator
