Lots New at 20th Annual Woodlands Academy Winter Wonderwalk/Boutique

In addition to tours of four architecturally significant Lake Forest homes, this year’s Winter Wonderwalk & Holiday Boutique benefit for Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart offers a first-hand look at the transformation the former Barat College’s library building, designed by architect Dirk Lohan (grandson of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe), has undergone.

Renamed the Gloria Dei Center as part of Woodlands Academy’s recently dedicated expanded campus, the facility will host Boutique shopping events all three days of this year’s Winter Wonderwalk, Thursday, Dec. 10, through Saturday, Dec. 12. The ticket pick-up and reception desk also will be located there. This is one of the first examples of the many ways the repurposed building and its approximately 20,000 square feet of floor space will be utilized both by Woodlands Academy and the surrounding community.

In the past Boutique vendors would display their distinctive items in the hallways of the school. Winter Wonderwalk’s Boutique has grown from five vendors in 1995 to more than 40 this year. Offering items that won’t be found in traditional stores, these unique vendors hail from Lake Forest to Chicago, Wisconsin and beyond. Also new in 2015 is a full-service Boutique Cafe with a range of lunch and snack options prepared by Chef Fredy who caters for the Chicago Bears, Blackhawks and White Sox.

Other new features this year include the addition of Saturday Boutique shopping hours (9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 12) along with seminars, demonstrations, hourly prize drawings and a Pop-up Alley including additional Saturday-only vendors. A Boutique preview party themed “Let it Snow” will be held Thursday, Dec. 10, from 5 to 8:30 p.m. featuring cocktails and hors d’ oeuvres, first-look shopping, door prizes and more. The Housewalk tours are scheduled on a Friday (Dec. 11 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.) this year. Friday’s Boutique hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. offer a full day of shopping.

As always, the Housewalk tour sites offer a variety of architectural and decorative highlights:

· An exquisite classic contemporary home built in 1969 by architect James Otis on part of the original Noble Judah estate. This newer home rivals the parent home in both quality and craftsmanship and features an impressive collection of museum-quality Western and Japanese art, as well as antique furnishing from around the globe.

· The Havenwood gardens, featured in the 1924 edition of Beautiful Gardens, provide the setting for this 2005 estate designed by architect Frank Klepitsch built on the traditional principles of Palladian architecture. The extensive grounds allowed for ample formal and informal landscape and garden development.

· A charming Cape Cod built in 1929 by Russian born architect William Bernhard for Marion Martin and recently renovated by architect Ed Deegan providing views of the old and the new in rooms displaying art and furniture that have been passed on for generations.

· A home built in 1989 by Robert Geudtner and Associates, a prominent Lake Forest firm, on the grounds of the D. Mark Cummings estate dating back to 1903. The rebuilding of the estate was done with attention to detail in both authenticity and quality resulting in masterful old-world dignity and new-owner charm.

Early Bird tickets for Winter Wonderwalk may be purchased through Dec. 1 on the school’s website, www.woodlandsacademy.org. Prices are:

Early Bird After 12/1

Let It Snow Preview Party & 3-day shopping pass.............. $25 $30

Preview Party, Housewalk ticket & 3-day shopping pass ....... $70 $85

Housewalk & 2-day shopping pass (Friday/Saturday) ............ $55 $65

2-day shopping pass (Friday/Saturday) ------------- $10 $15

Winter Wonderwalk tickets may be picked up at Woodlands Academy’s Gloria Dei Center from 4:00 p.m. to 8:30.p.m. on Dec. 10 and beginning at 9 a.m. on Dec. 11.

Winter Wonderwalk is one of the major fundraising events supported annually by Woodlands’ Mothers Club, Fathers Club and Alumnae Parents Connection. Proceeds will benefit the school’s financial- aid program. Nearly one-third of the school’s student body receives some form of assistance.

For Winter Wonderwalk & Holiday Boutique information visit either the school’s website or www.winterwonderwalk.org. You also may contact Kathy Fivelson at kfivelson@woodlandsacademy.org.

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Founded in 1858, Woodlands Academy is an independent Catholic college preparatory day and boarding high school for young women. It’s part of a worldwide network of Sacred Heart Schools that spans the United States and 40 other countries. A nonprofit, Woodlands Academy’s identity is rooted in Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat’s desire to inspire young hearts and minds to excel, to lead lives of integrity and to serve. For more information about Woodlands Academy, please visit www.woodlandsacademy.org