Cuneo Mansion
Libertyville, IL

Glencoe Documentary

"Glencoe, Missouri is a small town 25 miles outside of St. Louis, and home to the La Salle Retreat Center. The history of La Salle spans over 125 years. From its beginnings as a house of training for young men aspiring to be Christian Brothers, to its current use as a retreat center, this documentary touches on that history through the use of old photos and through the perspective of some former La Salle students.

We also explore La Salle in modern days through the eyes of the Hetlands, the extended family of La Salle graduate, Brother Thomas Hetland. It has become a yearly tradition for the family to stay at La Salle every Memorial Day weekend. They offer an interesting perspective of what makes La Salle unique."

Going down to La Salle every year, I was always intrigued by its history and enjoyed the many memories of going down there since I was a kid. I took it upon myself to take on this massive project to highlight the history and preserve those childhood memories.

The scale of this project was way beyond what I expected when I began shooting it in the summer of 2005. The project was halted in 2007 due to a major production setback. My sole hard drive containing all the partially edited footage died. I still had all the raw footage on tape, but I had to start the editing process all over again. (I have since implemented a regular back up routine with all editing projects)

This setback was actually a blessing in disguise, as it gave me time to re-evaluate the project, shoot more footage, interviews, and acquire more historical information and old photos.

Since this was a personal project with essentially no budget, my paying jobs always took precedence, and thus the documentary wasn't completed until 2012. Here is a clip of the documentary that focuses on the history of the property: