Historic Preservation at Lakeside: History & Philosophy

Lakesider Dr. Dale Knobel will present “Historic Preservation at Lakeside: History & Philosophy” on Wednesday, Aug. 7 at 3:30 p.m. in Orchestra Hall. This lecture is supported by the Lucille & Vearl Smith Endowment for Historic Preservation.

Forty years ago, Lakeside applied to be placed as a unit on the National Register of Historic Places, which recognizes features of the built environment that contribute to our nation’s cultural capital. At the same time, Lakeside took its first steps to preserve the historical character of our community and established rules and guidelines for new construction, renovation and repair of both institutional and private structures.

Knobel, Chairperson of Lakeside’s Historic Preservation & Design Review Board (HP&DRB), will discuss historic preservation at Lakeside, the philosophy that guides its implementation, the character of our Lakeside community and the national context for our preservation activities. The presentation will include a Q&A period.

Knobel is a lifetime summer Lakesider.  He and his wife, Tina, continue a family tradition at Lakeside that stretches back to the 1890s. Their teenage grandsons are the sixth generation of the family the Chautauqua experience.

Knobel was the inaugural Chair of the Lakeside Chautauqua Foundation and subsequently served two terms as Chair of the Lakeside Association Board of Directors. Knobel is a professional historian, holding degrees from Yale University and Northwestern University.

For the last 15 years of his 40 years as a professor of American history at both public and private higher education institutions, he served as President of Denison University.

During the last four years, Knobel has chaired Lakeside’s HP&DRB. Now residing in suburban Austin, Texas, Knobel has served as chairperson of the historic preservation board for an historic Texas city and as a county historical commissioner.