Visitors can relax near the bubbling trout stream.
Creating an Untouched Effect
Dundee, Illinois
Renovating the Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation’s 1,200-acre retreat presented a tremendous opportunity to the Van Zelst team. The ample woodlands, lowlands and farmland are home to over 250 species of birds, 33 species of mammals, and much more, and fully dedicated to environmental conservation.
Van Zelst worked hard to maintain the Foundation’s intimate, natural “North Woods” feel as we enhanced and added to the public spaces and plantings. For example, even though the wildlife areas were all manmade on land that had previously been used for dairy farms, the work had been environmentally sensitive and consistent with the founder’s vision.
To that end, group gathering areas and meandering pathways use only hardscape materials that were available when the space was created in the early 60s. A mix of bluestone, gravel and Lannon stone keeps even the most sophisticated areas from feeling too formal.
Van Zelst also upgraded the main entrance to the reserve, developed a new parking area that can be converted to an outdoor event space, and added expansive plantings of native grasses and wildflowers.
