Our Campus
Favorite Places
Harlan-Blackstone Gates
Perhaps the most iconic spot at Lake Forest College are the iron gates that connect Blackstone and Harlan dormitories and also serve as an entrance to Middle Campus from Sheridan Road. Built in the early 20th century, the gates originally led south to the Lake Forest Academy campus (now South Campus) and east toward Ferry Hall, a preparatory school for women. The gates now represent a favorite photo opportunity for visitors and alumni who return to campus.
Favorite Places
Spectrum polled students and faculty on their favorite spots around campus and added a few of our own to create this list. You will recognize many places – showing that some things never change at the College.
Favorite Places
Lake Forest College’s 107-acre campus is located 30 miles north of downtown Chicago in the historic suburb of Lake Forest. Wooded ravines connect North, Middle, and South Campus, and the beach along Lake Michigan is a short distance away. It’s largely a walking (or biking, or sometimes skateboarding) campus.
When not working or in class, students and faculty alike can be found playing pool or ping-pong in the Mohr Student Center, checking email or studying at the Donnelley and Lee Library, or working out in the new Sports Center, which opened in April 2010. The Caf is a hot spot at lunchtime where made-to-order wraps and pasta are as popular as the brownie bar (okay, almost as popular). There are also a number of smaller cafés in some of the residence halls, the sports center, and the library. The College also has an art gallery that features professional art work as well as student pieces for public viewing.
Most of our students live on campus, although some commuter students come from the suburbs and Chicago. Lake Forest is a small city where students use their College i.d.s to get discounts at stores and restaurants.
The train to Chicago is a half-mile walk from campus.
