MONTICELLO — The Mansion Solarium at Allerton Park and Retreat Center has always had one of the best indoor views at the Monticello-area park, with large windows looking out towards a reflecting pond and 14-acre meadow.
After updates that were undertaken over the winter months, the Solarium is also a more flexible space with a mind towards being more public-facing.
Included in the work was installation of a new bar, a large area rug that helps level portions of the original brick floor, and indoor/outdoor furniture that can work equally well for hotel guests, weddings and corporate clients.
“I think it makes it more functional for hotel guests,” Allerton Associate Director of Retreat Center and Programming Jordan Zech said. “Just having a dedicated space for a morning breakfast spot, or afternoon/evening place with a beautiful view.”
It fits in with a long-term plan to make the 1900-era Mansion more available for overnight stays, or to simply come out for a drink from the bar.
Speaking of the bar, the new one took a good bit of work, as original brick needed to be pulled up to replace plumbing, then re-installed even before carpenters went to work. The rug put down lightens up the space but still leaves bricks around it in full view.
“I’m pleased with how much brick you still see,” Zech said of the roughly 48- by 20-foot Solarium.
Park Associate Director of Park Operations Richard Burton said the changes in the bar from an L-shape that blocked doors to the adjacent Pine Room to a U-shape helped pave the way for an appealing backsplash and a more visually appealing space.
“The changes with the new bar now allows full access to both sets of doors to the Pine Room, and the back bar allows for a much more aesthetic way to store the glassware and liquor. The equipment was updated to include a dishwasher and icemaker for much improved user and guest operations,” Burton said.
The project — along with new lighting and paint for the Mansion Library and extensive upgrades to a hotel room that once housed Robert Allerton’s partner John Gregg — was done during the winter months when there is less hotel and event traffic.
Planned for years, the effort could not have been done without donors who stepped up to fund the projects.
“These significant improvements wouldn’t have happened without the support of our generous donors” Allerton Associate Director of Advancement Bridget Frerichs said.
One of those donors was David and Debra Rathje, who funded the work in the Solarium as well as recent work done in the outdoor Fu Dog Garden and House of the Golden Buddhas.
The couple recently viewed the completed work in the Solarium and were pleased.
“It just all came together beautifully,” Debra Rathje said. “I just always like this room.”
David Rathe agreed.
“It looks wonderful, it really does,” said the Cerro Gordo-area native and University of Illinois graduate. “We just love this place.”
Thanks to support from Susan and Steven Zumdahl, significant work was also done in the Mansion Library, which is a focal point for conferences, Allerton-sponsored events and weddings. Twelve incandescent and multi-vapor HID light fixtures were replaced by 18 recessed, LED fixtures, seven spotlights to shine light on statuary and about 100 feet of linear LED tape light.
The fixtures are also dimmable and programmable, and “reduced our energy use by more than 75 percent” in that space, Burton said.
Updates continue in the library, which will also include updated furniture.
About Allerton
Allerton Park and Retreat Center is a 1,500-acre public park located just southwest of Monticello, Illinois. The park features formal gardens, natural areas, nearly 16 miles of hiking trails, sculptures, and a historic 1900-era Georgian mansion/retreat center that hosts conferences, weddings and other events. The Mansion and other park properties also feature 34 rooms available to the public for overnight stays.
Allerton Park and Retreat Center is part the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The park’s vision is to inspire the community to utilize and value nature, history, and the arts through accessible and sustainable programming, research, and facilities.
More information is available on the park website, www.allerton.illinois.edu.
