After a run this weekend on the 5.5-mile trail at Allerton Park, I strolled over the park grounds and the Allerton House. I usually don't visit Allerton during the summer, but the trail is very lush and green now and in good shape, although there are some downed trees and limbs blocking the path. As for the house and grounds, I had mixed emotions. My buddy Bacchus (photo), god of wine and merriment, is on the side of the Allerton mansion. It's one of my favorite sculptures out there. Of the two bare-breasted sphinxes (half woman, half lion) in front of the mansion, one is in good shape while the other needs some facial work, her face being cracked. The large pond in front of the house, once covered in a nasty coating of pond scum, is now clean and looks good, thanks to a UI student project that cleaned it up. The flowers in the gardens were nice, but many of the rows of bushes needed trimming badly. The Allerton House itself needs work, the brickwork deteriorating and some of the wood trim rotting. And of course the entrance road is rough and the unrepaired bridge that has forced closure of the main road entrance is still not in use.
Much money is obviously needed for repairs and reconditioning at Allerton, and I hope it is forthcoming in some form. For now, the place is still a gem in the Illinois prairie.
1 comment:
The Allerton Fu Dogs are fantastic. Love walking down that lane with the statues on either side. Birthday is in March.
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