Chicago Tribune
January 26, 2006 Thursday
North Shore Final Edition
Developer buys Barat College
site
By Lisa Black, Tribune staff reporter.
Developer Robert Shaw has agreed to purchase Barat College
in Lake Forest,
with plans to convert the 100-year-old campus into a residential community but
retain its legacy through an educational foundation, officials announced
Wednesday.
The new development, known as Barat Woods, will offer up to 150 condominiums,
townhouses and rowhouses on 23 acres.
DePaul University, which merged with Barat in
2001, closed the small liberal arts college in June after officials said they
misjudged the costs of modernizing facilities and could no longer afford to operate
it.
Students, faculty and alumni railed against the school's closing last year. But
Shaw allayed some concerns by offering to allow the non-profit Barat Education
Foundation to stay on site and continue its mission of education and social
activism.
"I'm sure all of us have some mixed emotions on the change," said
Lake Forest Ald. Roger Mohr, who joined officials from DePaul and the Barat
foundation at the historic Old
Main Building
to announce the news. "But on the other side of the coin, we're pleased to
see Bob Shaw as the developer."
Shaw, who said he has lived within a mile of the campus for 37 years, said he
plans to carefully consider the property's aesthetics. He will leave vacant the
expansive south lawn that can be seen from Sheridan Road and does not expect to
destroy any of the land's mature trees or the adjacent ravine, he said.
The facade of the Old
Main Building
will remain, but Shaw plans on converting the rest of it into 40 to 50
condominiums with underground parking, he said. The condos would range from
about 1,500 square feet to 3,000 square feet
He plans to demolish adjacent residence halls, a theater, a gymnasium and a
science center, which are not considered architecturally significant. He will
replace them with clustered housing, townhouses and rowhouses, for a total of
no more than 150 units, assuming the city approves his plans, Shaw said
He did not provide the sales prices of the homes but said he will appeal to
different segments of the market and adhere to Lake Forest's law regarding
affordable housing.
Because the average home in Lake
Forest sells for about $1 million, the city's
definition of "affordable" won't be the same as less-affluent
communities, he said.
"We're not looking at $35,000 houses," he said. "Everything is
relative."
Shaw declined to say what he paid for the Barat property but said it was
"less than $20 million." He said he hopes to begin construction
within a year but must submit formal plans for approval by various city
committees and the City Council.
Within a few weeks, he expects to meet with an ad hoc committee formed by Lake Forest last year,
when discussions about the property began.
"At that time we'll show a concept plan, as we envision it, prior to city
input," he said.
Shaw, a retired chief executive officer of International Jensen Inc., has
developed several other neighborhoods in Lake
Forest, including The Preserve of Middlefork Farm and
Academy Woods.
He formed Barat Woods LLC for this project and included wording in the contract
that calls for providing an office for the Barat foundation, he said.
The foundation plans to provide scholarships to students of all ages, establish
a center for women's leadership and provide other new educational programs,
such as on business ethics.
"For the Barat legacy to continue on, we're thrilled," said Michelle
Burgis, a trustee with the foundation.
lblack@tribune.com
-Paul Gerth
Where is John Galt?