The Wisconsin Historical Society is presenting Legends and Landmarks: A Walking Tour of Lake Geneva this summer.
The $10 tours run from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 8 and 22, July 13 and 27, Aug. 10 and 24, and Sept. 14.
The 90-minute guided tour will gather and depart from the Riviera Building, 812 Wrigley Drive, in downtown Lake Geneva, and cover roughly 1.5 miles.
The Wisconsin Historical Society will be offering walking tours of downtown Lake Geneva and the historic Maple Park neighborhood again this year. The tour was developed by the staff of the society’s Black Point Estate and in conjunction with the Lake Geneva Preservation Commission and the Geneva Lake Museum.
Enacted after the destruction of numerous buildings and sites in the years following World War II, the National Historic Preservation Act encourages Americans to identify and preserve our nation’s cultural and historic resources. Originally signed by President Lyndon Johnson in 1966, the act states that “the historical and cultural foundations of the nation should be preserved as a living part of our community life and development in order to give a sense of orientation to the American people.”
Through the Legends and Landmarks walking tour the staff at Black Point Estate hopes to raise awareness for Lake Geneva’s rich and diverse built environment.
“The tour will focus on not only the architecture but many of the colorful personalities and events that make Lake Geneva a special place” Black Point Estate Director Dave Desimone said. “For a town of this size, the diversity and quality of architecture is truly impressive. This tour will help to highlight some of it.”
Tour attendees will learn which buildings were designed by famous architects, which have a colorful past and which significant structures were lost to neglect or the wrecking ball.
For more information on Legends and Landmarks or any other events, visit www.blackpointestate.org.
Tickets can be purchased in advance by calling Black Point Estate at 262-248-1888 or purchased day of the tour directly from the tour guide.
