Following the repair to the building's dome earlier this year, the Lake Forest Library is set to restore the murals in the building's rotunda installed in 1932.

On Dec. 12, Library Board trustees unanimously approved a $266,000 contract to repair the paintings created by artist Nicolai Remisoff on a series of panels in the building's main entrance.

Library Executive Director Ishwar Laxminarayan said library officials discovered damage to the paintings many years ago. However, with the possibility that water from the leaking dome was the source of the problem, the decision was made to fix the dome.

That project was completed in August, allowing the focus to shift to the 12 paintings, where eight are on canvas and four painted directly on the wall.

"That was the intent of the board that this would be the next project," Laxminarayan said. "There is significant appreciation for the art. These murals are almost as old as the library itself."

The Remisoff Murals are titled, "Poets and Artists of Antiquity," representing iconic figures including Homer, Socrates, Aristotle and Plato. They were installed one year after the building opened.

The art deco murals created by the Russian-born Remisoff in 1887, who after moving to the Chicago area was commissioned to create art projects in several places, including the Library.

Laxminarayan anticipated the scope of the work on the large panels would be a restoration and cleaning, plus determining if there is any plaster damage on the walls behind the paintings.

Library Board trustees signed off on a bid of $233,000 for the mural restoration work, with another $33,000 for contingencies. Funding will come through a private donation from the Friends of the Lake Forest Library, a private group that supports library efforts.

"It is important because of the attachment the Friends has for the library itself," Friends grant committee chairwoman Jan Gibson said. "We want to do whatever the library wants us to do,"

Laxminarayan expects the repairs to start in February, and the project to last about eight weeks.

He noted they are important to the community.

"There is a lot of respect and affection for these murals," he said.

Corresponding with the restoration, Laxminarayan said there was a possibility of lectures to students of all ages on the significance of the murals, along with a webcam livestreaming the project.

"Not only will it enhance the visual element of the rotunda, we also see it as a way to re-educate the community on the history and the value of these murals and reignite that interest in the library," he said.

The murals were last restored in 1997, according to Laxminarayan.

With the renovation of the building’s iconic dome now completed, Lake Forest Library officials are starting to contemplate additional physical changes, as well as assessing future community needs.

Library board president Jim Clifton and executive director Ishwar Laxminarayan spoke at the Sept. 5 Lake Forest City Council meeting, providing an update on both past and future initiatives regarding the city’s library located at 360 E. Deerpath Road.

Their talk followed the completion of the restoration of the library’s dome, which is more than 18 feet high and 30 feet wide. It was a project envisioned for years with the dome under a large tarp for years, but work did not begin until March.

The dome repair had a final cost of $1,072,800, according to Laxminarayan. Crews placed a zinc-coated copper finish at the Deerpath building, where construction began in 1931 and the dome was last renovated in 1984. 

“It’s a gem of a building,” Third Ward Alderman Jim Preschlack said. “It needed some love and care. You’ve done some beautiful work.” 

With the dome project completed, library officials are dealing with both short-term and long-term issues. 

Regarding the immediate future, Clifton spoke of a goal to restore murals inside the building, and Laxminarayan adding the library will soon introduce an app for patrons. 

On a broader level, Clifton noted the “passion” he sensed from the community related to the dome project. With that high interest, officials now wait to see feedback they get through a recently completed community survey on what residents want to see at the library. 

Results are expected later this year, and Clifton expects that data will play a factor in library board decisions. 

“We have a lot of long-standing issues that we now have to address within the building itself, but also what the meaning of a library is in the 21st century,” he said. “We have to think more strategically in what role we play in the community.” 

Laxminarayan pointed to the 1,300 new families that have moved into the community in recent years. 

“The needs of the younger families might be different from those of the established residents,” he said. “They have moved from other communities where they have seen other libraries.” 

Laxminarayan also spoke of the changes in daily life that have occurred since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic and how that might affect library services. 

“In a post-pandemic environment, we know that people want quieter spaces, meeting spaces and they also want a place to work from a remote location,” he said. 

Laxminarayan, who started as executive director in May, said after the results of the survey are in, he wants to engage in discussion with the community, including the possibility of focus groups and town hall meetings. 

The long-planned restoration of the Lake Forest Public Library dome has officially started, as conversations regarding other renovations move into a new chapter.

In early March, scaffolding went up at the library as the first step toward repairing and rehabilitating the building’s 32-foot dome in a project set to last several months.

While renovating the dome for library officials has been of interest to city officials for years, they could not proceed as the community debated aesthetics, functionality and financial issues about the building located at 360 E. Deerpath.

“We’re excited because it has been under a tarp for almost five years now because of leaks and winds,” library board President John Johnson said. “It has been difficult because of some of the uncertainties around town, so now we are prepared to repair and restore.”

The green light library officials were waiting for finally appeared over a year ago. In December 2021, the library board approved a professional services, engineering and design agreement, followed by the city’s Historic Preservation Commission issuing a certificate of appropriateness last May, followed by the library board approving a construction contract in November.

“The whole city is delighted the dome is being repaired,” Mayor George Pandaleon said.

A highlight of the renovation is new zinc-coated copper is expected to be placed on top of the dome. The new materials are believed to be more weather-resistant for the dome that, at its peak, is 46 feet above the main floor of the library, according to library officials.

During the project, six of the library’s 47 parking spots will be unavailable, and the building’s east and west courtyards will be closed.

Interim Library Director David Seleb said the work is expected to be completed around Aug. 1.

Construction costs are projected to be approximately $1 million, according to library officials.

“We have been frugally building our reserves knowing we need to do this,” said Johnson, adding there were private donations to offset some of the costs.

The dome was last renovated in 1984, following the building’s 1931 opening.

The repair to the library’s dome may just be a proverbial chapter to the entire book of an upgrade to the building, which was a donation by two daughters of prominent early 20th century Chicago businessman and philanthropist John Shedd.

“It is a small jewel box of a building,” local historian Arthur Miller said.

Yet given the library’s age, Johnson acknowledged there are issues to be addressed in terms of HVAC, infrastructure and expanding ADA compliance.

“We need to look at how we utilize spaces there,” Johnson said. “That is what we intend to do, but first we need to look at accessibility and take care of that; and second we need to take a look at all the existing space and do some renovation work.”

Johnson said conversations were set to start at the March 14 library board meeting about the next steps for the future as informal conversations have been ongoing for years.

“We welcome input from the community,” Johnson said.

One question ahead is financing a renovation that would likely cost millions. Johnson said there is still some money in reserves, and the Lake Forest Library Foundation has been established that could provide financial assistance with both a capital campaign and endowment.

However, Johnson said securing funds from other sources might still be necessary.

The library is a separate unit of government away from the city, but the city levies taxes on the library’s behalf.

“They are a separate taxing body, but they cannot borrow money without the City Council approval,” Pandaleon said.

Moreover, the mayor appoints the trustees sitting on the nine-member board.

Former City Council members Stanford “Randy” Tack and Prue Beidler, along with resident Paul Hamann are running to succeed Pandaleon in next month’s election.

“We are happy to work with whoever the mayor who gets elected,” Johnson said.

As for the start of the dome project, Johnson was pleased the scaffolding was finally going up.

“After so many years,” Johnson said. “We are excited to have this move forward.”

Two local public libraries are set to have fresh day-to-day guidance with new directors scheduled to start next month.

On Dec. 13, the Lake Forest Library board announced the hiring of David Seleb as interim library director starting in early January. He succeeds Catherine Lemmer, who announced her retirement in October.

Also set to start in early January is Renee Grassi as the new director of the Lake Bluff Library.

Seleb, a Lake Forest native, retired last February after a nearly 10-year run as the executive director of the Oak Park Public Library, according to a library statement.

Prior to Oak Park, Seleb was the director of the Indian Trails Library District in Wheeling, the Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District, and the Blue Island Public Library.

"We are grateful for the extensive library experience that David will bring to Lake Forest Library," library board president John Johnson said. "We know that the Lake Forest Library staff and patrons will benefit from his interim leadership as the library board searches for an executive director."

Johnson said in a subsequent interview that the board hopes to have a permanent director named by early summer or sooner as it has retained a librarian executive search to facilitate the process.

Seleb will take charge of a library where the board recently approved a nearly $1 million contract for a restoration of the dome on the building originally built in 1931.

Johnson said construction would begin as soon as weather permits, with the goal of completion by next summer.

This was the first stage in a continuing renovation of the entire building and the board will soon prioritize the subsequent phases.

"We can't do it all at once, but we are deliberately moving forward in stages," Johnson said.

Seleb will replace Lemmer, who is retiring after close to seven years in Lake Forest.

"It is a natural evolution of reaching a certain age," she said in an interview.

Lemmer, who did not comment on her future plans, said she was pleased with the work of her staff during her time in the community.

"We have really renovated services, programming and operations," she said. "It has become a much more effective and transparent institution. We are more responsive to needs and interests of the community. We are hosting a wide range of programming."

She also spoke of the overall importance of a library.

"The most important thing we do is build community," Lemmer said. "Right now, we are in an environment where people are desperately seeking to have conversations that aren't arguments, and to build connections to feel again that everyone has value and that all opinions are valued. That is at the heart of what a library does."

Up north in Lake Bluff, Grassi is set to take over as she had been working at Dakota County Library in Minnesota, leading its Youth Services Department.

Before moving to Minnesota, Grassi worked in different roles at Chicago suburban libraries, including Deerfield, Glencoe and Glen Ellyn.

"We are so looking forward to Renee joining our library team," board president Kathy Meierhoff said in a statement. "It is clear that Renee has a strong sense of the culture of Lake Bluff. She is a team-oriented leader who brings a wide set of experience and skills that will help enhance the excellence of our library."

Grassi succeeds Eric Bailey as permanent executive director. Bailey left last summer to take a director position in Wisconsin. Since then, Katie Horner has served as interim executive director.