Last year during the association visit to Chicago, there was time on Saturday morning and afternoon when Chris and I could drive north to Wisconsin to visit the Livingston family.

We were joined by Sam Babcock and headed up the highway towards the Badger State. Along the way, I was able to take care of one of my bucket list items that I wished to check off.

Since discovering the death of Carl Thorne-Thomsen and the event's leading up to the man who replaced me in Vietnam, I've always wanted to visit his hometown in Illinois to learn more of his history growing up in Lake Forest.

It was a Saturday, and the Lake Forest/Lake Bluff History Center was closed. There is a highly regarded Research Center in that establishment, and I planned on mining that source for whatever I could learn about Thomsen. It wasn’t to be, but luckily, nearby was the Lake Forest Main Library.

We dropped in and I introduced us to the lead Librarian and shared that we were interested in researching any data that the library may have on our fallen brother from A/2/12. She passed us off to the Adult Service Librarian, Krista Kosar. She told us that the library held no specific information on Carl-Thorne Thomsen, but there were archived yearbooks from when he attended Lake Forest High School.
She brought us to a rear room which contained a locked cabinet which contained decades of "FOREST TRAILS" (their title) yearbooks to peruse through.

Knowing the year that he graduated (1964), I reached for that year's yearbook and learned a lot more about the man who left Harvard in 1966 with idealistic beliefs about the men who were then fighting in Vietnam. He felt that the war was inordinately being fought by men who were not as fortunate or connected as he and his Harvard classmates were.

I was able to take quite a few related pictures from that yearbook and I will sprinkle them into the story I prepared for this newsletter.

With its historic dome now repaired, the Lake Forest Library has undertaken a restoration program for its 1932 hand-painted murals that adorn the main rotunda area. The paintings were partially damaged by water seepage because of leaking from the dome and the restoration is expected to take four to six weeks.

The murals are a series of large-scale paintings depicting the ancient Greeks. The artist, Nikolai Remisoff, was commissioned for the work by Arthur E. Hamill, a Lake Forest resident and the library’s president, in 1931. Remisoff had previously completed paintings and murals in the Hamill home, who also served as the artist’s patron.

The Friends of the Lake Forest Library supplied the funding for the project, not to exceed $250,000. They also provided a $16,000 contingency funding grant. The Berwyn-based firm of PARMA Conservation, an art restoration service, was awarded the job order.

“We arrived on Feb. 5 to begin restoring the murals, and we’ll be here for up to six weeks,” said John Salhus, of PARMA. “We use hydraulic lifts to get to the upper parts.”

The mural panels are in keeping with the overall Byzantine design and exterior of the library. The panels depict Homer, Sappho, Virgil, Cicero, Diogenes, Pythagoras in the rotunda, and four smaller landscape designs painted directly onto the plaster above the doorway accesses.

Buckling and water discoloration damage was discovered on one of the canvas paintings, which led to discovering a leak in the dome. It was covered in a heavy plastic in 2017, which was later replaced after being shredded by exposure to the elements. The original 1931 dome was itself replaced in 1980, with a support frame and copper material.

“I came in May of 2023, and work had already started on the dome and was completed in August and completely replaced,” said Ishwar Laxminarayan, the library’s executive director. “In 2017, we started visible signs of moisture on the canvas murals that line the rotunda. Further investigation traced it back to the dome. At that time, there was talk of a broader project, as this building is from 1931.”

He also said there were building additions over the years, to its present footing. A capital improvement plan to look at the building, the access, the elevators, and other items were scrapped when the water damage was discovered. The murals became the high priority item in saving them from further deterioration.

“The murals are almost as old as the library, done in 1932, by Remisoff, a Russian émigré,” said Laxminarayan. “He later went on to Hollywood and did set designs for films. The Friends of Lake Forest Library were instrumental, and we received four bids. PARMA said their work would not exceed $266,000. They did not know the damage extent. The Friends stepped up, and the process was started.”

The work-in-progress can viewed as the mural restoration takes place. The artists also answer questions from patrons visiting the library, while they paint. Their efforts already have shown a dramatic effect with the revived colors, since the murals were treated to a cleaning more than two decades ago.

“Many things are being considered, and the conservators want to invite groups to view them, such as community groups, schools,” said Laxminarayan. “I announced it at the village board meeting, so we’re getting the word out to come see this, as it is being done. They’ve only been here since the start of the month, and they’re happy to answer questions.”

LAKE FOREST, IL — Every time Ishwar Laxminarayan walks through the doors of the Lake Forest Public Library, he can’t help but be in awe of the artistic images that greet visitors upon their arrival.

For Laxminarayan , the library’s executive director, the set of 12 nearly 92-year-old murals that grace the library’s walls and rotunda not only speaks to the love of the fine arts that has long been part of the Lake Forest community but also the uniqueness of the murals and the library space itself.

But ever since water damage began to compromise the murals in recent years, library officials have worked toward restoring the works of art —eight of which are on canvases and the remaining four which are painted directly on the walls. But after the Library Board of Trustees voted last month to spend up to $266,000 to restore and repair the murals, work will soon begin to bring them back to their original glory.

The Lake Forest Public Library Board recently approved devoting up to $266,000 to repair and restore 12 murals that are nearly 92 years old inside the library. (Photo courtesy of Lake Forest Public Library)
A total of $233,000 will be used for repairs while another $30,000 will set aside for contingencies that may come up. The repairs will be done at no cost to local taxpayers but will be covered by The Friends of the Lake Forest Library.

The process will take between 6-8 weeks, Laxminarayan said, and will not only repair the damage created by water in recent years but will help to ensure damage that may not be seen by the naked eye from getting worse.
The most recent repairs were made to the murals in 1997. But around 2017, library officials began to notice damage to the murals, mostly caused by water. Workers found that the damage had been created after the library’s dome had leaked, causing water to seep into the murals themselves, doing damage to a collection of art that has become a treasured part of the library by visitors and Lake Forest art lovers alike.

“Over time (the collection) has become a source of great pride and love,”Laxminarayan told Patch this week. "So I would say there is a great interest in these pieces of art."

Four bids were submitted for the work and the board voted to go with the lowest qualified bid, which came from Parma Conservation, a Chicago-based art restoration company that trustees said showed the most promise in properly repairing the murals.

The work is expected to begin in February, the library’s executive director said, when restoration will begin to preserve the murals for generations to come.

Laxminarayan said that once the work is completed, the visual impact will be dramatic. In addition to repairing the water damage, the murals will be cleaned, removing dirt, dust, and grime that has built up over time. Once the restoration, repairs, and cleaning are complete, Laxminarayan said that visitors will see a dramatic improvement in the beloved artwork.

The murals were created by Russian artist Nicolai Remisoff and have been part of the library’s ambiance since 1932. The murals, entitled “Poets and Artists of Antiquity” represent artistic homages to Aristotle, Plato, Socrates, and Homer.

Laxminarayan said that the works of art are unique from what one might typically expect to find inside a public library. But the love of them among residents represents a passion for artistic creation, making the collection even more special, he said.

Because of the amount of time that the murals have been on display, former residents who return to Lake Forest after years away will make their way back to the library to again see the artistic impressions that help make the library what it is.

Many of the visitors not only return but bring back their children and other families who may have never seen the murals that are painted in areas around the library — including the building’s rotunda and dome.

Laxminarayan said that the library may install a web camera in the library to allow community members to track the mural restoration project in real-time. The library is also considering using the restoration project as an educational opportunity in which students can come in while the repairs are being made to learn more about the murals and the meaning depicted in each of the 12 works of art.

And as long as Laxminarayan has been affiliated with the library, even he can’t get over how the works of art change the surroundings of an already unique public setting.

“It’s like walking into this hallowed space, this sanctified space that you immediately respect” Laxminarayan told Patch this week. “You say, ‘Wow, what a privilege it is to even to be working here’ and you realize what a great community asset this is for a young child who walks through those doors.

“It’s that feeling of awe and wonder as they walk through, they realize they are entering this (space) that has so much history, so much art that this community has worked to preserve for the past 90 years and that they intend to preserve for the next 100 years.”

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.