森林公园在1857年由Almerin Hotchkiss在原始的Lake Forest计划中被列为公园，但后来由Ossian Cole Simonds于1896年开发。Simonds是美国景观设计师协会的创始人之一，也是草原的成员 风景园林学院推动了自然系统的研究和本地植物的利用。 从2008年开始，Stephen Stimson Associates开始为密歇根湖沿岸这个重要的公共公园制定框架和恢复计划。 原始设计是恢复的核心，确保既保护和重建峡谷，橡树林地和重要的沿海虚张声势。 该计划恢复了退化的自然区域，并在整个现场引入了新的可持续技术。

Forest Park was set aside as a public park in the original Plan of Lake Forest by Almerin Hotchkiss in 1857, but later developed by Ossian Cole Simonds in 1896. Simonds was a founder of the American Society of Landscape Architects, and a member of the Prairie School of Landscape Architecture, who promoted the study of natural systems and the use of native plants. Beginning in 2008 Stephen Stimson Associates began developing a framework and restoration plan for this important public park along Lake Michigan. The original design was at the heart of the restoration, being sure to both protect and reestablish ravines, oak woodlands and the important coastal bluff. The plan restores the degraded natural areas and introduces new sustainable technologies throughout the site.