Named after Civil War cavalry general Philip Sheridan, Fort Sheridan is a beautiful neighborhood located in Lake Forest, Highwood, and Highland Park, Illinois.
Fine Art Studio of Rotblatt & Amrany makes its home in Fort Sheridan in the Highwood portion of the area.
Fort Sheridan got its start as a French trading post around 1670. The post was on the trail between Green Bay, Wisconsin and Chicago, Illinois and was used by Native Americans and settlers to trade and barter their goods.
A community grew up around the trading post, becoming the town of St. Johns in the 1840s. It was developed into a US Army installation in the late 1800s. Ninety-four buildings were built on the 640 acres overlooking Lake Michigan.
In 1993, the US Army closed the base and sold the property to commercial land developers. Many of the original buildings were kept, updated, and sold as a residential community. Other buildings were given to cultural organizations. The Midwest Young Artists Conservatory is one of these groups.
Located at 912 Lyster Road, Fine Art Studio of Rotblatt & Amrany is housed in one of the historic Fort Sheridan buildings.
The 1980s were a time of preservation for the Fort Sheridan area. In 1984, the National Park Service designated 230 acres of Fort Sheridan as a historic district. The area covers barracks, stables, a water tower, and other military buildings, along with the 54-acre parade ground.
The Lake County Forest Preserves began acquiring land from the US Army to create a forest preserve in the Fort Sheridan area. This continued through the 1990s, with the final section being obtained in 2001. The 250-acre preserve includes 4.5 miles of hiking trails, 3.7 miles of cross-country skiing trails, and 1.3 miles of biking trails, along with almost a mile of shoreline.
All of us at Fine Art Studio of Rotblatt & Amrany are proud to be located in the beautiful Fort Sheridan area. Please visit us and see the beauty and history that surrounds our location.