This retreat welcomes members to a stunning lakeside view through a newly reconstructed edifice and reorganized pool and landscape. Paying homage to its original design, recent renovations restore an easy indoor/outdoor flow in an uninterrupted and gracious way.



Lake Shore Country Club, designed in 1909 by Howard van Doren Shaw, has maintained a high degree of original architectural character, even through some rather awkward renovations. A reoriented pool, deck, and landscaped gardens restore the circulation path through the club and grounds from the entrance to the lake bluff, as previously intended.

Architectural additions and improvements include bar and lounge, summer dining cabana, pool facilities and lockers. Renovations include tennis locker rooms, main dining hall and living room. The architectural scope adds much needed programming to the club while complementing the original architecture, rather than detracting from it.

2018 05 03 Landscape PlanLandscape Plan
Original Floor Plan JPEGOriginal Plan: Direct access to outdoor areas and Lakefront




The original design had good flow from inside to outside and included open porches and covered porticoes with a casual cottage feel. These elements had been covered and eliminated over time, losing the open-air feeling, blocking access to the lake and changing the circulation. Our mission was to recreate the original pathways through the porticoes to the lake. Our design looked back at Shaw’s houses borrowing compositional elements and details from screened porches and pergolas to recreate the character he felt was so vital.

New Floor Plan JPEGvWA Renovation Plan: direct circulation to lawn and lake bluff
Existing Floor Plan JPEGPre-vWA Renovation: confusing, indirect circulation
1508 002General View of the Great Lawn with New Cabana in Foreground
1508 013New Cabana from Great Lawn
1508 010Westward view of the Lake Bluff from the Poolside
1508 008East Facing Facade from Poolside Pergola
1508 006Tennis Courts and Gardens
180115 Scheme 2 Cabana ElevationCabana Elevation Drawing
180316 LIFE GUARD ELEVLife Guard Booth Elevation Drawing

In Collaboration with James Thomas Interiors, the inside of the clubhouse was restored to the feel of the original interior design while simultaneously updating the finishes with a touch of modern stylistic elements.

LIBRARY NORTH ELEVATION REV 1Library Elevation Rendering
1509 005Bar
1509 006Bar Dining Room
1508 014Main Hall
1508 016Main Living Room
1509 004Main Dining Room
1509 010Cabana Dining Room