tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71802142053615964442024-02-20T04:13:56.044-06:00A Chicago SojournA Chicago Sojourn is located here: <a href="http://achicagosojourn.wordpress.com/" title="A Chicago Sojourn">http://achicagosojourn.wordpress.com/</a>Robert Powershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639365590964995479noreply@blogger.comBlogger233125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180214205361596444.post-66315263973481285972012-08-13T00:22:00.000-05:002012-08-13T00:22:04.459-05:00A Chicago Sojourn has moved!<p>Just a quick reminder, for anyone who missed it: A Chicago Sojourn is now located at WordPress. The new site is here: <a href="http://achicagosojourn.wordpress.com/">http://achicagosojourn.wordpress.com/</a>.</p>
<p>If you haven't come to the new location, you've got several months of posts to catch up on. Come on over and dig in!</p>Robert Powershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639365590964995479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180214205361596444.post-5784238968945007192012-04-25T07:09:00.001-05:002012-04-25T07:09:27.917-05:00A Chicago Sojourn is moving!<p>Another one of those meta posts, but an important one.
<p>Blogger has instituted a new format for their post management system, or dashboard. And, to be blunt, I really hate it. It is awful. It makes writing posts far more difficult and aggravating than it used to be, and it actually damages the page layout in ways I am unable to repair. The unilateral way that this defective and under-tested system was rolled out, to me, speaks volumes about Blogger's attitude toward its user base, and indicates that future changes will be equally irresponsible and ill-considered. So I am doing what many people have suggested over the years, and moving to WordPress.
<p>The new address for A Chicago Sojourn is: <a href="http://achicagosojourn.wordpress.com/">http://achicagosojourn.wordpress.com/</a>.
<p>I apologize to my readers for this. I know how annoying it is to have to reset URLs and bookmarks and RSS feeds. But Blogger has gone off the deep end, sacrificing usability for no apparent reason, except newness for newness's sake. On a technical level, I simply can't continue working with it.
<p>The new site has all the old posts, all the comments, everything. And it's already got a month's worth of Monday morning posts ready to roll out. <a href="http://achicagosojourn.wordpress.com/">I'll see you there!</a>Robert Powershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639365590964995479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180214205361596444.post-48435280631526354062012-04-23T05:30:00.001-05:002012-04-23T07:16:01.666-05:00Church ConversionsWhat happens to a church when the congregation moves on? There are four basic answers: demolition, abandonment (which often leads to demolition), reuse (by a new congregation), or adaptation.<br /><br />Adaptation is rare. Church sanctuaries are specially suited to their particular purposes: the frequent meeting of a large group of people witnessing a singular recurring event. Functionally speaking, the only similar purposes in modern society are movies and plays, and the world only needs so many playhouses. Most adaptations require some radical alterations to the space.<br /><br />Nobody likes to see the grand space of a church sanctuary obliterated, but if the alternative is the complete loss of the building, it seems like a palatable trade-off. And, surprisingly enough, it is a compromise that's been made quite a few times in Chicago.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/7078048149/" title="IMG_8456 by repowers, on Flickr" style="font-size: 100%; "><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7205/7078048149_44ced0ae22.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_8456" /></a><br /><br />3516 N. Sheffield, in Wrigleyville, is one of the more extreme examples. Here, almost the entire existing building was hacked away, leaving only the front facade and a low portion of the side walls. Out of this fragment grows an entirely new condominium-style building. Even the front window was removed, covered up with a new bay window projection.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/7078048023/" title="IMG_8459 by repowers, on Flickr" style="font-size: 100%; "><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7218/7078048023_7703c9e98d.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_8459" /></a><br /><br />This was originally the Lake View Swedish Church (later the Lake View Evangelical Free Church), a congregation begun in 1887. Faced with the relocation of its members to the suburbs, the church moved out in 1954 to a new building at Touhy and Melvina in the northwest suburbs, becoming the Edgebrook Evangelical Free Church.<br /><br />The old building on Sheffield was occupied by the Church of Christ, Presbyterian, a Japanese congregation formed during World War II to serve relocated Japanese residents; it held services in both English and Japanese to meet the needs of first and second generation Japanese-Americans. This congregation in 1998 moved out west to the Albany Park neighborhood, near Kimball & Peterson; the old building was converted to residential use by a developer who hoped that preserving the old structure to some extent would give him a better shot at a zoning variance. <sup style="font-size: 100%; "><a href="http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1998-10-04/business/9810040459_1_bernhardt-associates-lehman-real-estate-miracle-revival-church">1</a></sup> The most ingenious use of the old structure is here, where a former sanctuary window opening now admits light and air to an enclosed porch.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6931970934/" title="IMG_8464 by repowers, on Flickr" style="font-size: 100%; "><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5328/6931970934_774bed9772.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_8464" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6931981004/" title="IMG_8617a by repowers, on Flickr" style="font-size: 100%; "><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5319/6931981004_b0b4cbbca9.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_8617a" /></a><br /><br />A similarly radical reconstruction happened to 916 N. Western Avenue, an 1888 church building previously home to Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church, a Bohemian and Slovak church that closed in 1989 due to a dwindling congregation and rising debts.<sup style="font-size: 100%; "><a href="http://www.csagsi.org/cem_chur.htm">2</a></sup> <sup style="font-size: 100%; "><a href="http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1989-07-03/news/8902140495_1_parish-chicago-archdiocese-church">3</a></sup> The conversion removed the roof and interior, and includes new balconies on the front facade.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6931981138/" title="IMG_8626a by repowers, on Flickr" style="font-size: 100%; "><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7208/6931981138_a1062feaee.jpg" width="500" height="352" alt="IMG_8626a" /></a><br /><br /><br />But not all church conversions are so destructive. This 1893 church at 2558 W. Cortez <!-- also 2584 2554 2546 --> retains its original form and still has the sanctuary space largely intact<sup style="font-size: 100%; "><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/13/church-converted-into-sin_n_681859.html#s126715">4</a></sup> Of course, it's easier to keep such a space intact when it's being changed to a single family home.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/7078049961/" title="IMG_8661a by repowers, on Flickr" style="font-size: 100%; "><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7106/7078049961_cda429e67f.jpg" width="440" height="500" alt="IMG_8661a" /></a><br /><br />This was originally the Evangelical Bethany Lutheran Church, built in 1893 in what is now Ukraine Village. Around 1925 the congregation relocated west (to a building that still stands at Wabansia and Narragansett, near Oak Park); the Good Shepherd Polish National Catholic Church congregation - <i style="font-size: 100%; ">Kościół Dobrego Pasterza</i> - moved in, presumably in 1929, based on the cornerstone. It's not clear when the congregation moved out, but today this modest little church has been converted to a not-so-modest home, which sold for $600K in 2010. No word on what the adjacent rectory house is now used for.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/7078049811/" title="IMG_8680 by repowers, on Flickr" style="font-size: 100%; "><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5333/7078049811_c4712b0695.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_8680" /></a><br /><br /><br />A series of conversions in Lakeview near Belmont best illustrate the common church conversion, in which new floors are constructed within the existing building envelope.<br /><br />The former Elim Swedish Methodist Church, 1021 W. Barry <!-- also 1015 Barry, previously Noble --> at Kenmore, <!-- previously Osgood --> was built in 1898, with the cornerstone laid in September of that year. Swedish-language services were discontinued in 1942, when the Swedish conferences were merged nationwide with English-only ones. The building was converted to condos in 1983. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6931971304/" title="IMG_8702a by repowers, on Flickr" style="font-size: 100%; "><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7119/6931971304_ea362f9546.jpg" width="500" height="326" alt="IMG_8702a" /></a><br /><br />Upper floor units in this conversion retain some of the rafters and eaves of the original sanctuary. <sup><a href="http://www.dreamtown.com/properties/1021-w-barry-2w.html">7</a> </sup> A ground-level garage has been added as well.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/7078313989/" title="IMG_8508a by repowers, on Flickr" style="font-size: 100%; "><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5159/7078313989_71c7f7023c.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_8508a" /></a><br /><br /><br />Trinity Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church - 3101 N. Seminary at Barry - is an 1896 building, constructed to house a congregation founded in 1883. The church's second pastor, who served from 1901 well into the 1920s, gained some notoriety for his remarkable resemblance to President Hoover. Trinity Swedish Lutheran was followed by the Church of the Valley Assemblies of God - per the sign which remains attached to the building!<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6204166242/" title="IMG_7996a by repowers, on Flickr" style="font-size: 100%; "><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6126/6204166242_0266e9750b.jpg" width="405" height="500" alt="IMG_7996a" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6203647869/" title="IMG_8000 by repowers, on Flickr" style="font-size: 100%; "><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6174/6203647869_e815b64a75.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_8000" /></a><br /><br /><br />3055/3057 N. Clifton at Barry is a deep mystery - I can find only 1931 and 1937 references to it as Lake View Baptist Church.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/7078048507/" title="IMG_8716 by repowers, on Flickr" style="font-size: 100%; "><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7266/7078048507_605fe078ca.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_8716" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/7078314117/" title="IMG_8710a by repowers, on Flickr" style="font-size: 100%; "><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7254/7078314117_61130cda81.jpg" width="500" height="345" alt="IMG_8710a" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/7078314263/" title="IMG_8714a by repowers, on Flickr" style="font-size: 100%; "><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5117/7078314263_f5076305b4.jpg" width="500" height="320" alt="IMG_8714a" /></a><br /><br /><br />Church conversions do not have to be pedantic or mundane. Witness the former First German Baptist Church (Ersten Deutsche Baptisten Kirche), 1658 Superior at Paulina, now the "Sanctuary on Superior". This handsome converted church, dating from 1888, still retains a portion of its stained glass<sup style="font-size: 100%; "><a href="http://www.trulia.com/property/3015103687-1658-W-Superior-St-8-Chicago-IL-60622">5</a></sup> <sup style="font-size: 100%; "><a href="http://cribchatter.com/?p=2077">6</a></sup>, making for some truly spectacular residential spaces.<sup style="font-size: 100%; "><a href="http://www.loftenberg.com/church-loft-chicago/%22">7</a></sup><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6203648579/" title="IMG_7663a by repowers, on Flickr" style="font-size: 100%; "><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6129/6203648579_ec37f8e1d8.jpg" width="420" height="500" alt="IMG_7663a" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6203648087/" title="IMG_7666 by repowers, on Flickr" style="font-size: 100%; "><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6166/6203648087_f768786114.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_7666" /></a>Robert Powershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639365590964995479noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180214205361596444.post-32397517378397765402012-04-16T05:30:00.001-05:002012-04-16T05:30:01.424-05:00Church of St. LukeInner city Chicago is not the best place to hunt for grand Mid-Century architectural statements. Nonetheless, at 1500 W. Belmont, just east of Ashland, you'll find one of the region's most fantastic post-war churches.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6920347412/" title="IMG_6133a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5280/6920347412_a87befcbfc.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="IMG_6133a"></a><br /><br />Ground was broken for the Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Luke in April 1959 after two years of planning, and the building - designed by Chicago architect Charles A. Stahl - was dedicated in October 1960. <br /><br />The St. Luke campus has a complicated history. The congregation has met at this location since its founding in 1884, originally in a fairly stock brick Gothic building with a central tower. In 1905, a new school building was erected next door. Though the school building retained its original facade when the new sanctuary went up, subsequent additions and alterations have rendered it almost unrecognizable.<sup><a href="http://www.stlukechicago.org/academy/aboutushistory.shtml">1</a></sup>.<br /><br />The 1950s church bears what might be a trace of Frank Lloyd Wright's ubiquitous influence - but St. Luke is indisputably a vertical building - soaring as any Gothic cathedral, tall and narrow within. Long wood laminate beams rise straight up, turning at their top to support the shallow gabled ceiling.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6920348748/" title="IMG_5965a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7052/6920348748_021d0354ed.jpg" width="347" height="500" alt="IMG_5965a"></a><br /><br />The choir loft is a balcony in the form of a bridge at the rear of the sanctuary, spanning between the walls and supported only on the sides. This enables the back of the sanctuary, behind the balcony, to function as a grand foyer, connected to the main space but somewhat separated from it as well. This foyer space is as tall as the main sanctuary.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6931866406/" title="IMG_5944a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7129/6931866406_f3bbecb096.jpg" width="453" height="500" alt="IMG_5944a"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6920349872/" title="IMG_6229a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5159/6920349872_11cbf87d3a.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_6229a"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/7066429013/" title="IMG_6237 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7117/7066429013_e7fb04461f.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_6237"></a><br /><br />A second balcony functions as the children's choir loft; it is a small room on the west side of the sanctuary overlooking the altar.<br /><br />The Church of St. Luke is wonderfully <i>artful</i> - literally. The congregation holds a substantial art collection - and the sanctuary features both permanent and seasonally rotating elements that complement and enhance the space. Some of the more permanent elements are shown below.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/7066427905/" title="IMG_5974a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5240/7066427905_f996d95fee.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_5974a"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/7066427739/" title="IMG_5969a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5349/7066427739_76a8a63855.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="IMG_5969a"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6920348562/" title="IMG_5951a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7111/6920348562_3aedb090c4.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_5951a"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6920350326/" title="IMG_5183a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7266/6920350326_32546e0e23.jpg" width="500" height="356" alt="IMG_5183a"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6920349606/" title="IMG_6198b by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7102/6920349606_ebc41b838b.jpg" width="500" height="386" alt="IMG_6198b"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/7077943453/" title="IMG_6011a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7115/7077943453_ff4bd65c08.jpg" width="500" height="420" alt="IMG_6011a"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/3816164583/" title="Stained glass by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2498/3816164583_c9f5a79256.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Stained glass"></a><br /><br />The stained glass is strategically concentrated. A grand burst of rising waves of color emerges from behind the altar at the head of the sanctuary, bringing the space to its dramatic climax.<br /><br />At the back of the church, facing south onto Belmont, the corners of the building are wrapped by tall, narrow windows with biblical and saintly symbols with two vines making their way sinuously skyward.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/3816976842/" title="Stained glass by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2596/3816976842_6469519468.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="Stained glass"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6920350102/" title="IMG_6235a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7249/6920350102_a5b0fc091a.jpg" width="500" height="409" alt="IMG_6235a"></a><br /><br />I have not found any notes on who designed or installed the stained glass - not even a signature.<br /><br />An interesting postscript - the preliminary design of the church was much less ambitious, as shown in an illustration from the <i>Chicago Tribune</i> of March 10, 1957:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6931889928/" title="evangelical-lutheran-church-of-st-mark-preliminary by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5118/6931889928_660883c59f.jpg" width="500" height="253" alt="evangelical-lutheran-church-of-st-mark-preliminary"></a><br /><br />Between concept and execution, the tower was joined to the sanctuary (and now contains the stairwell leading to the balcony, as well as some dressing and storage rooms for the choir). The overall design became more sharply vertical, the materials of the shield wall in front changed from flat panels to rough-faced stone masonry, and the large text was dropped.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/7077975197/" title="IMG_5194 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7131/7077975197_a07217f0e9.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_5194"></a>Robert Powershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639365590964995479noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180214205361596444.post-49236935573613393662012-04-10T23:59:00.001-05:002012-04-10T23:59:00.108-05:00Green on WhiteIn the years leading up to World War I, a popular facade style for small commercial buildings consisted of white glazed brick with dark green brick for accents and ornament. Examples can be seen all over Chicago.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6177081246/" title="Damen by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6156/6177081246_248c035134.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Damen"></a><br /><i>Damen Avenue</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6177082056/" title="near Irving Park Road by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6168/6177082056_1d9992cdbe.jpg" width="500" height="313" alt="near Irving Park Road"></a><br /><i>Elston Avenue</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6177081898/" title="Little Village 26th Street by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6179/6177081898_3c693f804f.jpg" width="500" height="282" alt="Little Village 26th Street"></a><br /><i>26th Street</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6177082246/" title="Milwaukee Avenue by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6153/6177082246_a7714daf8b.jpg" width="500" height="300" alt="Milwaukee Avenue"></a><br /><i>Milwaukee Avenue</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6176554103/" title="Archer Avenue by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6173/6176554103_9c49ede455.jpg" width="500" height="347" alt="Archer Avenue"></a><br /><i>Archer Avenue</I><br /><br />I am familiar with one or two cultural trends that would have made the style appealing. The notion of hygiene was on the rise, and glossy white brick - sometimes referred to as baker's brick - was the perfect reflection. Easily cleaned, naturally pure and pristine, glazed white brick would have had great appeal to a populace looking for ways to elevate the filthy, smoke-ridden city.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6176589023/" title="IMG_5290a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6179/6176589023_0820dc3f6d.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_5290a"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6177082648/" title="Western Avenue by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6160/6177082648_5f26b8a2c1.jpg" width="500" height="318" alt="Western Avenue"></a><br /><br />Why the olive green accent, though? While it certainly is a beautiful color scheme - the olive green comes in a variety of tones that make each brick unique - there are a half dozen other tones like blue, maroon, and caramel which would harmonize equally well with white glazed. Yet green is almost exclusively used as the accent color. <br /><br />I have found one or two examples in St. Louis, too, but it seems to be more of a Chicago thing.<br /><br />I have yet to locate the magical research key which will let me unlock this mystery; I have no info on any of these buildings, and little special knowledge of Chicagoland brickmaking. If any knowledgeable reader can suggest further leads to trace, I would welcome it.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6177081452/" title="Clark Street Andersonville by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6167/6177081452_e2b7ab82d5.jpg" width="500" height="373" alt="Clark Street Andersonville"></a><br /><i>Andersonville</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6177081542/" title="S. Michigan Ave by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6158/6177081542_3f90ccb722.jpg" width="500" height="340" alt="S. Michigan Ave"></a><br /><i>S. Michigan Avenue</i><br /><br />The co-monarchs of the style are two twin buildings at Fullerton and Clark, facing one another diagonally across the busy intersection. They are both tricked out with lush terra cotta ornament, catalog blocks applied as a cornice.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6176554457/" title="Clark Street at Fullerton by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6159/6176554457_5ab04be544.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Clark Street at Fullerton"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6176553781/" title="Clark Street at Fullerton by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6160/6176553781_92fbd38c2d.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Clark Street at Fullerton"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6177081716/" title="Clark Street at Fullerton by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6177/6177081716_46efb543d7.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Clark Street at Fullerton"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6177082428/" title="Clark Street at Fullerton by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6154/6177082428_92db0e4ac2.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Clark Street at Fullerton"></a><br /><br />If the Clark Street pair are the kings, then the prime minister must be this block-long assembly on Western Avenue, where seven out of a group of eight buildings feature the green-on-white brick pattern.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6176554699/" title="Western avenue by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6156/6176554699_f3f22e8573.jpg" width="500" height="315" alt="Western avenue"></a><br /><br />Even with this plethora of addresses, my searches turned up nothing besides occasional random factoids about the doings of this or that tenant over the years - not even a builder's name.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6176589099/" title="IMG_5528b by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6159/6176589099_1612e9cf06.jpg" width="500" height="350" alt="IMG_5528b"></a><br /><i>Western Avenue</i>Robert Powershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639365590964995479noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180214205361596444.post-15561357232457165302012-04-09T23:15:00.000-05:002012-04-09T23:14:18.462-05:00Mexican Grocery Store signsThey come in a rainbow of colors (mostly neon, entirely bright), and you can find them all across the city, from Pilsen and Little Village to Logan Square to Rogers Park.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/3850681123/" title="Pulaski grocer by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3542/3850681123_ca0f78c12e.jpg" width="500" height="353" alt="Pulaski grocer" /></a><br /><i>Near West Side</I><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/4641101542/" title="IMG_4637 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3339/4641101542_28cd9e909f.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_4637" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/4640494325/" title="IMG_2803 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4041/4640494325_141b08d9d0.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_2803" /></a><br /><i>Little Village</I><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/4641102414/" title="P2203063 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4057/4641102414_263b1f71d9.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="P2203063" /></a><br /><i>Rogers Park</i><br /><br />Chicago has tons of Mexican grocers - there are three within a block of my residence alone - and a disproportionate number of them advertise with signs just like these.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/4641102162/" title="IMG_7911 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3607/4641102162_6a7b069e6b.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_7911" /></a><br /><br />The style is universal: wavy lines top and bottom, in bright neon colors. Huge blocky numbers for the price, in red. Smaller font for the letters, but still in a bouncy, informal, chipper mood.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/4640492895/" title="IMG_2839 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4034/4640492895_8c3203e719.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_2839" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/4641101788/" title="IMG_8863 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3344/4641101788_40feeb550a.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_8863" /></a><br /><br />Like the builder's Mid-Century style, it's one of those cases of curious convergence. A quick chat with our local grocer reveals that they get them from varying places, sometimes making them themselves, and sometimes hiring guys to do it. I've seen the stamps of at least two different sign makers on these posters, though most of them remain anonymous. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/4640494487/" title="IMG_2802 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3408/4640494487_19d1d2fde0.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_2802" /></a><br /><br />Why are they all the same style? Is it demanded, expected, or simply unexamined? Does it relate to some deep cultural strain, or is it just a thing that is?Robert Powershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639365590964995479noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180214205361596444.post-90127450581053837162012-03-17T21:56:00.003-05:002012-03-17T22:25:44.103-05:00Priorities<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6845519366/" title="IMG_8902a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7177/6845519366_e9c06cab2c.jpg" width="500" height="340" alt="IMG_8902a"></a><br /><br />As you've likely read elsewhere, this lovely terra cotta clad building at 79th and Halsted had its western parapet collapse onto the street at the end of January. The entire building was subsequently demolished by emergency order of the city.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6991646935/" title="IMG_2903 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7052/6991646935_ae037d1c7d.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_2903"></a><br /><br />By the time I was able to visit on the following Saturday, there wasn't a whole lot left. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6991646661/" title="IMG_2890 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7040/6991646661_c70b4a7fc6.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_2890"></a><br /><br />What there was to see, however, was heartbreaking enough. Terra cotta pieces worth untold amounts of money were being smashed into rubble along with everything else. No salvage efforts were in evidence.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6991647177/" title="IMG_2891a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7044/6991647177_3a9c0227a5.jpg" width="500" height="378" alt="IMG_2891a"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6845535418/" title="IMG_2906a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7045/6845535418_14cacc0608.jpg" width="500" height="350" alt="IMG_2906a"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6845518916/" title="IMG_2930 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7069/6845518916_2e2a0c8fbd.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_2930"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6845519096/" title="IMG_2936 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7039/6845519096_90b289c2e4.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_2936"></a><br /><br />Beautifully sculpted terra cotta was going into the trash, along with brick, structural members, and everything else. Untold amounts of landfill, untold amounts of lost invested energy and material... and what <i>do</i> they save?<br /><br />The Coke machine.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6845544848/" title="IMG_2932a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7199/6845544848_1bd1dd1ce7.jpg" width="500" height="394" alt="IMG_2932a"></a><br /><br />Granted, it's a real vintage piece of work, with a 1960s geometry design and a sum cost of ten cents for a soda. The only brand names are Coke and Sprite; the rest are labeled "Orange", "Grape", and "Strawberry".<br /><br />But still. We save the Coke machine, and toss this in the garbage?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6845544748/" title="IMG_8902b by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7208/6845544748_c573884b65.jpg" width="500" height="413" alt="IMG_8902b"></a>Robert Powershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639365590964995479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180214205361596444.post-9107718817570124072012-01-20T05:30:00.001-06:002012-01-20T05:30:00.358-06:00The Terrorists are Clearly Winning<blockquote><a href="http://www.chicityclerk.net/journals/2011/nov2_2011/nov2_2011_part2.pdf">WHEREAS</a>, The City has determined that it is useful, desirable and necessary that the City acquire for fair market value those four certain parcels of real property located in the vicinity of Midway Airport [including] Midway Parcel 150, commonly known as 5600 - 5608 West 63rd Street...The Parcels are being acquired by the City for public purpose and use, namely, as a Runway Protection Zone or a Runway Safety Area, or both, as recognized by the Federal Aviation Administration ("FAA")...It is hereby determined and declared that it is useful, desirable and necessary that the City acquire the Parcels for public purpose and use in furtherance of the City's ownership and operation of Midway Airport...If the Corporation Counsel is unable to agree with the owner(s) of a Parcel on the purchase price...then the Corporation Counsel may institute and prosecute condemnation proceedings in the name of and on behalf of the City for the purpose of acquiring fee simple title to the Parcel under the City's power of eminent domain.</blockquote>Did you get all that?<br /><br />Let me reparse it: the city wants to buy up this building and tear it down.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6729221273/" title="IMG_6698a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7159/6729221273_7db2e14de8.jpg" width="483" height="500" alt="IMG_6698a"></a><br /><br />As first <a href="http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/theskyline/2012/01/a-letter-to-cityscapes-a-neighborhood-gem-near-midway-airport-is-threatened-with-demolition.html">reported by Blair Kamin</a>, this is in the name of creating/expanding a "<a href="http://www.faa.gov/airports/great_lakes/airports_resources/ppms/media/5300-1B.pdf">runway buffer zone</a>" around the south side's Midway Airport. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6729220673/" title="IMG_6666 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7018/6729220673_cf36f5b9e1.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_6666"></a><br /><br />I am, by my nature, a conservative person, in the purest sense of the word: I believe in <i>conserving</i> things. I believe in using what you have, instead of throwing it out. I believe in adapting, repairing, restoring, re-using. I abhor the waste of physical resources.<br /><br />When charged with the awesome responsibility of managing a resource as vast as Midway Airport, however, people have an unfortunate tendency to think in grandiose terms. Plans are made by drawing on maps, made from a God's-eye perspective, rather than from the point of view of persons on the ground. If the plan's not big enough, just move some lines, gobble up a little more land. In the so-called City of Big Shoulders, virtually any scheme can be superficially justified by trotting out Daniel Burnham's threadbare aphorism about how one should "make no little plans".<br /><br />Or maybe I'm looking at it backwards; perhaps this is petty bureaucracy run amuck, an old-fashioned case of government CYA - following the letter of FAA standards, no matter what, because if you don't, someone could come around pointing a finger at you.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6729220451/" title="IMG_6664 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7172/6729220451_508eba0631.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_6664"></a><br /><br />Regardless, here is a plan that has certainly stirred my soul, though not for the better.<br /><br />Midway Airport, like it or not, is located in the city. Not even in the suburbs, but <i>in the city</i> - right in the middle of it. It is landlocked. And like all such institutions, it has a civic responsibility to be a good citizen, to work with what it's got and work with its neighborhood, rather than tossing it out or grabbing up more.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6729220865/" title="Midway Airport by night by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7173/6729220865_95c5f3e4ff.jpg" width="500" height="296" alt="Midway Airport by night"></a><br /><br />Unleashing the threat of eminent domain upon one's neighbors, regardless of what the FDA recommends, is <i>not</i> being a good neighbor.<br /><br />The author of the original letter also mentions a fear that a terror attack could be unleashed on the nearby National Guard station from the building's upper windows. I am unable to source this comment; however, if it is true, it is absolutely the <i>stupidest</i> thing I have ever heard. Even if these hypothetical terrorists actually gave a crap about Midway Airport (hint: they don't, especially not with internationally famous O'Hare right up the road), why on earth would they try to attack an obscure National Guard post that nobody can even knows is there? These would have to be the most ineffectual terrorists ever. Even if somebody <i>did</I> want to blow the place up, what's to stop them from just lobbing some grenades over the fence instead? <br /><br />This is the kind of panic-stricken "thinking" that prevailed in the days after 9/11, when people talked about making skyscrapers airplane-proof. You don't make buildings airplane-proof; you <i>prevent planes from flying into buildings</i>. And you don't tear down the neighborhood to protect it; you adapt your behavior to avoid endangering it.Robert Powershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639365590964995479noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180214205361596444.post-42174074516108627962011-12-05T05:30:00.000-06:002011-12-05T05:30:02.990-06:00Gold Coast International Style: Mid 60sBy the mid-1960s, the hour for Modernism was growing late. High-minded design ideals had largely (ahem) left the building when it came to multi-family residential development - even the city's most expensive and luxurious tower paid little heed to exterior design.<br /><br />1000 Lake Shore Plaza - Sidney H. Morris & Associates, for Chicago Highrise Corporation, 1963<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6308278986/" title="IMG_8913 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6019/6308278986_b484482648.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="IMG_8913"></a><br /><br />1000 Lake Shore is a 55-story reinforced concrete building, a tall (590 feet) and slender tower with a low garage box attached to the back, fronting onto Oak Street. The building held 137 apartments, at 2 and 3 apartments per floor. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6447367057/" title="IMG_8956a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7171/6447367057_f2aa096617.jpg" width="500" height="385" alt="IMG_8956a"></a> <br /><br />The garage and the building's spandrels are sheathed in glossy olive green brick that's close to, but not quite a match for, the cladding on the older 1000 Lake Shore Drive building next door, by the same architect and developer.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6447367701/" title="IMG_8942a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7020/6447367701_97c54a8380.jpg" width="500" height="394" alt="IMG_8942a"></a><br /><i>Left, 1000 Plaza; at right, the older, more textured bricks of 1000 LS Drive.</i><br /><br />1000 Lake Shore Plaza, was a big deal in its day. Developed by Harold L. Perlman, the building was widely touted as the tallest reinforced concrete apartment building ever built, as well as Chicago's most expensive and most luxurious residential address. The tower was billed by a book-sized sales brochure that cost some $5 a copy to produce and promised "the right to be pampered with luxuries not available even to Cleopatra".<br /><br />Ground was broken in January 1964 in a ceremony attended by Mayor Daley. On the building's tall, narrow mechanical penthouse was a transmitter used by the Chicago Educational Television Association's channel WTTW Channel 11, donated rent-free by the building's owners. Drawn by the public generosity, Illinois governor Otto Kerner spoke at the December 28, 1964 topping out ceremony.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6308278778/" title="1000 lake shore plaza P5120531 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6222/6308278778_ee45dea2b7.jpg" width="500" height="387" alt="1000 lake shore plaza P5120531"></a><br /><br />Amenities included a 9-hole putting green on the garage roof, which should immediately make clear who the target demographic was. Other luxuries included a pool, sun decks, and a "fine restaurant", commissary, and valet shop on the premises. <br /><br />Even more than other Lake Shore towers, 1000 Plaza was hyped by its owners: "the most beautiful and spacious apartment in America", for "sophisticated men of affairs", aimed at "136 of Chicagoland's finest families", "rising majestically to become the tallest apartment building in the world." The apartments were "designed to satisfy every fastidious desire". Rents ran as high as $1,400 a month.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6447366755/" title="IMG_8916a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7011/6447366755_da5675a176.jpg" width="500" height="362" alt="IMG_8916a"></a><br /><br />It wasn't all talk, either: square footage ranging from 2000 to 3300 sf, they were quite large. It wasn't all talk, either. 9 foot ceilings were provided throughout, as was central air conditioning. Maid service was available. The Otis elevators were listed as the fastest residential elevators ever built. Exterior windows were double paned with a 2" insulating gap with venetian blinds inside. The water supply to the building was softened, "to assist M'Lady in cooking and laundering, and to improve hair and skin care!"<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6447367415/" title="IMG_8900b by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7035/6447367415_8f3a3c2488.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_8900b"></a><br /><i>Left, 1000 Plaza; right, 1000 Lake Shore Drive</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6447579753/" title="IMG_1252 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7164/6447579753_05efaabcc5.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_1252"></a><br /><br />One item I haven't been able to figure out is the faux double-height space seen above, on the 8th or 9th floor. It corresponds to the top of the garage and presumably contains access to the rooftop putting green space. The balcony space is doubled in height, but the interior floors seem to continue on as normal.<br /><hr><br />Sheridan-Hollywood Tower - 5650 Sheridan - Loewenberg & Loewenberg 1960<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6447416871/" title="IMG_1112a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7164/6447416871_c0a9959487.jpg" width="500" height="376" alt="IMG_1112a"></a><br /><br />Clad in textured blue brick, the design ideas of this common apartment tower are hardly distinguishable from those of its high-priced cousin at Michigan & Oak Street. The design is an exposed concrete column structure, with glass and brick infill. The major point of interest is the handsome blue brick itself.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6447416443/" title="IMG_1108a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7157/6447416443_e7fb31f23c.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_1108a"></a><br /><br />Opened in May 1961 as the 5650 Sheridan Road Apartments, the building featured a rooftop sun deck and solarium, still present today. Studio apartments started at $130 and 4-rooms at $165.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6447415791/" title="IMG_1105a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7012/6447415791_69fb3aa824.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_1105a"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6447415507/" title="IMG_1099a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7174/6447415507_8f0bb3548f.jpg" width="500" height="364" alt="IMG_1099a"></a><br /><hr><br />The Statesman - 5601 Sheridan, Milton Schwartz & Associates, 1963<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/2367639074/" title="The Statesman by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2264/2367639074_45648205f2.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="The Statesman"></a><br />Just around the corner geographically, but a world apart in design terms, is the Statesman building - one of the lakefront's finest buildings, in my opinion. The building's profile is wrapped in continuous horizontal bands, broken up into a zig-zag pattern by the projecting balconies. The balcony rails enhance the horizontal motif with their slender horizontal railings.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6447680657/" title="IMG_1125 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7011/6447680657_8fdd72b6df.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_1125"></a><br /><br />The ground floor is an odd departure, with a startling driveway and parking ramp that curves up over a ground floor garage entrance. Shoehorned into the tight space, amid descending columns, is a double height glass lobby. Capping off the semi-private spaces is a large full-wrap balcony that extends itself out to become a sun deck, sheltering additional parking spaces. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/4747907048/" title="IMG_7051 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4118/4747907048_e504f9dfd0.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_7051"></a><br /><br />Above, the building holds 90 condominums, mostly 1- and 2-bedrooms. It was <a href="http://statesmancondo.org/building.htm">converted from apartments</a> in 1979.<br /><hr><br />3470 Lake Shore Drive - Raggi & Schoenbrod Inc., 1966<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6447838547/" title="IMG_1168a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7172/6447838547_da69b1409b.jpg" width="500" height="356" alt="IMG_1168a"></a><br /><br />A few miles south, 3470 LSD provides a contrast to show just how artfully the Statesman was handled. This building likewise uses its balconies to powerful effect in creating horizontal banding on its eastern face - but lets the architectural design completely drop on the equally-visible north and south faces. <br /> A powerful composition is left incomplete.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6447838291/" title="IMG_1167a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7147/6447838291_515e31e0c4.jpg" width="500" height="326" alt="IMG_1167a"></a><br /><br />3740 Lake Shore is a 27-story condominium building, opened in May 1967 with one, two and three-bedroom units ranging from $27,000 to $70,000. Amenities include 30-foot long balconies, a 3-story garage in the building's base, and a pool, sauna and "sky lounge" on the tower's roof. Larger units include sunken living rooms, and the building provided an interior decorator to help residents finish out their new homes.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6447837973/" title="IMG_1165a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7155/6447837973_2af9809a67.jpg" width="500" height="341" alt="IMG_1165a"></a><br /><br />Like so many other Lake Shore skyscrapers, it rose on the site of a Victorian mansion, this one erected by Robert D. Lay, president of the Chicago Athletic Association. Mr. Lay died in 1940; his house became an apartment building, then was wrecked in 1966.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6307756513/" title="IMG_9305 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6117/6307756513_f68c15a7b9.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_9305"></a>Robert Powershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639365590964995479noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180214205361596444.post-19138125830966659332011-11-21T05:30:00.005-06:002011-11-21T05:30:01.923-06:00Gold Coast International Style - Early 50sThere was an all-too-brief period after World War II when Modernism really flourished and flowered in America, from the end of the war into the early 1950s. Unfortunately, it was not a time of significant construction, so buildings from the era are all too rare. Those that were built, however, are often knockouts. Take for example:<br /><br />3410 N. Lake Shore Drive - Louis R. Solomon & Associates w/ Josef Guivaner, 1950<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6297092734/" title="IMG_9495 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6221/6297092734_7f7bb8792f.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_9495"></a><br /><br />A stunning and startling composition, easy to miss due to the incongruous white paint scheme it has been saddled with in later years. A bold C-shaped rim of limestone gives the building the appearance of being set within an incomplete picture frame.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6297136018/" title="3410 north lake shore drive 1951 ad by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6111/6297136018_8d1bf9d613.jpg" width="500" height="395" alt="3410 north lake shore drive 1951 ad"></a><br /><br />When new, the building's visual impact was far greater; the tiles between the raised sections of windows on the front facade were black, and the bricks in the recessed areas were red. At some point, both were painted white, greatly diminishing the intended contrasts of horizontal and vertical elements. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6307421849/" title="3410 north lake shore drive historic 02a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6220/6307421849_e82f3563c4.jpg" width="377" height="500" alt="3410 north lake shore drive historic 02a"></a><br /><i>Image from the collection of the University of Michigan, donated by Edward Olencki</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6297092890/" title="IMG_9497 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6058/6297092890_87907d0d93.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_9497"></a><br /><br />3440 Lake Shore was built with 220 rental apartments, ranging from studio units (rents starting at $37.50 per month) to two bedrooms up to $182.50 a month. A second-floor parking garage holds 117 cars.<br /><br /><i>Architectural Record</i> found the building worthy of notice, publishing a short article in October 1951, and small wonder - this is one of a very few Chicago apartment towers to truly aspire to high Modernism, rather than a localized pastiche.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6297092562/" title="IMG_9231 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6231/6297092562_989c56367e.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_9231"></a><br /><br />After holding out for two decades while its neighbors went condo, the building was converted to condominiums in the late 1990s.<br /><hr><br />3440 Lake Shore Drive Apartments - L.R. Solomon & Associates, 1954<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6297093084/" title="IMG_9499a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6217/6297093084_229043653f.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_9499a"></a><br />A sibling to its slightly-older neighbor, 3440 directly abuts 3410. Construction began in late 1954 and continued into 1956. Though at a casual glance, one might mistake the two for a single building, 3440 is a far less adventurous building than its neighbor, symmetrical and conventional in its form and massing. It is clad primarily in glass and white brick.<br /><br />3440 included full air conditioning when built, as well as "Cloric built-in ovens and stainless steel sinks with Formic atops. Magnetic door G-E Refrigerators...Bathrooms by Crane - distinctive colored fixtures accented with matching Ceramic tile. Handsomely mirrored with new Lavinettes." "So advanced it could not have been built before 1955." It was converted to condominiums around 1981.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6316851527/" title="IMG_6424 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6034/6316851527_f059b3c39d.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_6424"></a><br /><hr><br />3180 Lake Shore Drive at Belmont - Shaw, Metz & Dolio, 1953<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6373054009/" title="IMG_1211b by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6098/6373054009_663d884dce.jpg" width="500" height="347" alt="IMG_1211b"></a><br /><br />Begun in 1953, opened by 1955, this building at the corner of Lake Shore and Belmont is the most stridently 50s structure on the lakefront. Geometric details animate its base on all sides, and its color scheme can't be mistaken for any other decade.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6372982177/" title="IMG_1195 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6099/6372982177_4b370689a9.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_1195"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6372981845/" title="IMG_1197 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6038/6372981845_c17c847e0b.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_1197"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6372981185/" title="IMG_1205a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6240/6372981185_608daec443.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_1205a"></a><br /><br />3180 N. Lake Shore was converted to condominiums in 1975.<br /><br /><hr><br />1000 Lake Shore Drive - Sidney H. Morris & Associates, 1953<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6372980093/" title="IMG_1254 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6056/6372980093_331ea4e291.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_1254"></a><br /><br />Begun in April 1953 and opened in mid-1954 after a record-breaking construction pace, 1000 Lake Shore contained 183 apartments when new. 185 cars could park in the garage at the base, which is sheathed in glossy green brick.<br /><br />The target market was well-to-do, as 6 months' advance rent and a 5-year lease was required to move in. Tenants included the Owings from Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, and a president of Borg-Warner. The building cost $4.5 million to construct.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6373920707/" title="IMG_1255 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6053/6373920707_19ea14e9bf.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_1255"></a><br /><br />The building reacts intelligently to its site; the south-facing windows are protected from summer sun by continuous concrete shades, which also poke out to provide sheltering roofs for the balconies.) On the north side, it's solid glass.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6372980603/" title="IMG_1266a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6109/6372980603_b7b67abcf7.jpg" width="437" height="500" alt="IMG_1266a"></a><br /><br />1000 N. Lake Shore has, relatively speaking, a good side and a bad side - and the good side is largely covered up by its looming neighbor. The building did not include central air conditioning, "for reasons of cost", resulting in a grid of pockmarking AC units sticking out of the facade.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6372980887/" title="IMG_1274a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6048/6372980887_f60945b37b.jpg" width="500" height="316" alt="IMG_1274a"></a><br /><br />The original windows and mullions are still in place, and are showing their age. The variety of individual window treatments, the aging frames, and the air conditioner units give the north facade a particularly unkempt look today - though it's nothing a smart rehab couldn't fix.<br /><br />The building took some heat in its own time, too; it was among those cited by a 1955 <i>Architectural Forum</i> article that criticized "an incredible rash of imitations and vulgarizations" of Mies van der Rohe's 1946 Lake Shore Apartments; 1000 Lake Shore was cited in particular for its balconies being too small.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6372981549/" title="IMG_1304 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6223/6372981549_cba35d3871.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_1304"></a><br /><br />1000 Lake Shore Drive went up on the site of the McCormick mansion, designed by Solon S. Beman. One of the city's most famous mansions, the McCormick Mansion was a center of high society at the turn of the century and a holdout in Victorian formality until the end. The death of its matron, Mrs. Edith Rockefeller McCormick (brother of John D. Rockefeller Jr.), was page one news in 1932. After being foreclosed and sold at auction, the house became the private Bateman School for a number of years, until owner Metropolitan Life Insurance booted the school out and sold it to a consortium, which demolished the mansion in 1953. Construction on the high rise began immediately.<br /><br />Numerous articles and letters lament the passing of the old mansions of Lake Shore Drive - but quite a few feature articles also celebrated the new elegance of living in these clean, spacious, airy and modern apartments, which offered spectacular views of the lake and the city, day and night. The Living section in the <i>Tribune</i> featured quite a few of the apartments' interior decorations, and the vividly described colors make one ache for color photographs: "a turquoise sofa is dramatized against a navy wall" in one; in another, "splashes of briliant color, beginning with the floor carpeting of broad off-white and lilac horizontal stripes."<br /><br />The building also includes a stylized sculpture by California sculptor Bernard Rosenthal, representing the <i>African</i> Gold Coast, unveiled on the day of the building's topping out.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6316748559/" title="IMG_8938 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6216/6316748559_1d870cfbc6.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_8938"></a>Robert Powershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639365590964995479noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180214205361596444.post-77951830359862953952011-11-14T05:30:00.010-06:002014-05-15T21:55:24.405-05:00Gold Coast International Style - Twin TowersContinuing an exploration of the Midcentury Modern apartment towers along Chicago's lakefront.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6338491883/" title="IMG_1339 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6031/6338491883_4a77026089.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_1339"></a><br /><i>Lake View Towers - 4550 North Clarendon Avenue - 1970</i><br /><br />A scheme used several times along the lakefront involves a pair of similar or identical high-rise towers, with a low-lying lobby connecting them. The lobby often opens onto a drop-off driveway, usually has a doorman or security worker, and typically serves as a point of architectural elaboration. Some contain large-scale artwork.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6338543745/" title="IMG_1141a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6054/6338543745_e56632efa0.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_1141a"></a><br /><i>Hollywood Towers North - 5701 North Sheridan - Solomon, Cordwell and Associates, 1961</i><br /><br />This type of planning keeps a lot of open air on the site, allowing tall towers to retain a view, and fits with the Midcentury trend toward "towers in the park" - a fitting scheme so close to the lake. These buildings made spectacular lakefront views available to thousands of families.<br /><br />3950 N. Lake Shore Drive - Shaw, Metz & Dolio, 1955<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6307476589/" title="IMG_9452a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6054/6307476589_6527022ea8.jpg" width="500" height="332" alt="IMG_9452a"></a><br /><br />Builders John J. Mack and Raymond Sher broke ground in March 1955 for what was then Chicago's largest apartment building, with 23 floors, 662 apartments and a projected cost of $10 million. The building is precisely contemporary with downtown's Prudential, the first tall building to go up downtown since the Depression.<br /><br />Features included a 400 parking space garage, 10 high speed elevators, and gas range kitchens. Occupancy began in June 1956 and by December the buildings were more than 2/3 filled; it was heavily favored by young families, with rents running from $140 to $235 per month. A 37-person cleaning staff kept the building running, vacuuming corridor carpets daily, constantly cleaning the 6,000 windows, and hauling out two tons of garbage daily.<br /><br />It's only clearly visible from the air, but the structure is not symmetrical - the southern tower is offset from the other two, pushed slightly east.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6307998174/" title="IMG_7341a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6104/6307998174_c9026d9794.jpg" width="500" height="327" alt="IMG_7341a"></a><br /><br />Vacant at the time of construction, the land had 20 years prior been home to the mansion of Countess Sarah Victoria Cavicchia.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6307476283/" title="IMG_9338 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6039/6307476283_92dd969581.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_9338"></a><br /><br />I must here humbly submit a correction: when I briefly wrote about this building <a href="http://achicagosojourn.wordpress.com/2010/12/13/lakefront-towers/">last year</a>, I misread an article about 1550 Lake Shore as being about <i>this</i> building instead. 3950 did <i>not</i>, to the best of my knowledge, have the rooftop dining and party space that 1550 has. Those wonderful curved penthouses look like they're purely for mechanicals, and the tower rooftops don't appear to have any resident access at all.<br /><hr><br />3600 Lake Shore Drive at Addison - Shaw Metz & Dolio, Architects, 1959<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6308023706/" title="IMG_9290 copy by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6057/6308023706_1ed68690fd.jpg" width="500" height="355" alt="IMG_9290 copy"></a><br /><br />Twin towers with a vertical emphasis, connected at the base by a common lobby with a landscaped roof. 3600 North Lake Shore is all about rectilinear forms - square tiles, square windows, rectangles of brick outlined by rectangles of stainless steel. Naturally, its two biggest decorative elements are curves - a mesh of steel hoops over the lobby, and the curved front of the porte cochere. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6307502141/" title="IMG_9246 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6035/6307502141_78c6016105.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_9246"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6308023540/" title="IMG_9243 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6228/6308023540_47137c208f.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_9243"></a><br /><br />The land was previously home to Issac Miller Hamilton, president of the Federal Life Insurance Company. <br /><br />Construction on the towers began in April 1959; the buildings opened in June 1960. Its 640 apartments made it the second-largest apartment house in the city. The building, like 3550 just to the south, was a Mack & Sher project. A hair salon named Fred's Coiffures operated in the lobby, along with a small gift shop. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6308024310/" title="IMG_9468 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6034/6308024310_e13cb9e7fd.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_9468"></a><br /><br />The building's relatively small lake-facing windows apparently generated some controversy and discussion among locals; the smaller windows serve bathrooms, while the larger windows in the center are for the bedrooms. True lake views are intended to be from the south and north facing facades, which are generously glazed. Alfred Shaw explained the decision as a result of his own east-facing windows which required him to draw the blinds every morning.<br /><br />Apparently geared towards middle-class professionals, the building and its residents made little noise in the headlines during and after its construction.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6308024100/" title="IMG_4800a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6056/6308024100_213dc5205f.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_4800a"></a><br /><br />Shaw Metz & Dolio, the lakefront's most prolific Midcentury architectural firm, formed in 1947 when architect Alfred Shaw withdrew from a previous partnership and allied with structural engineer Carl Metz and electrical & mechanical engineer John Dolio. That same year the firm landed the job of finishing out the interior of the <a href="http://achicagosojourn.wordpress.com/2010/03/28/bahai-house-of-worship/">Baha'i House of Worship</a> on the north shore. They firm had a flurry of business in the 1950s as they worked on several large housing projects, downtown buildings, and entered a competition to design <a href="http://achicagosojourn.wordpress.com/2010/09/20/chicagos-holy-corner/">St. Peter's Church</a> downtown (their entry did not win.) John Dolio would eventually split off into his own engineering firm, which continued to work with Shaw & Metz.<br /><br />Much of their work was for developers Mack and Sher, whose portfolio of nearly a dozen major lakefront buildings was run by Lake ShoreManagement Company.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6339806742/" title="IMG_1450 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6097/6339806742_0b88dd5bd4.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_1450"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6339057047/" title="IMG_1449a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6040/6339057047_b3ac79f672.jpg" width="500" height="329" alt="IMG_1449a"></a><br /><br /><hr><br />3550 Lake Shore Drive - Loewenberg & Loewenberg, 1961<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6308127130/" title="IMG_9470 copy by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6095/6308127130_5fa7d258a0.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_9470 copy"></a><br /><br />Just across Addison Street to the south, another building with the same concept - two massive slab towers conjoined by a low-lying lobby - opened in 1962.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6308126984/" title="IMG_9258 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6111/6308126984_98168862c7.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_9258"></a><br /><br />Lake Shore Management Company billed it as a "distinctive twin tower architectural masterpiece...providing fabulous views of lake and city", with studio, one and two bedroom apartments. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/4025123064/" title="3550 Lake Shore Drive by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3484/4025123064_ec1929b0e3.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="3550 Lake Shore Drive"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6308126840/" title="IMG_9486 copy by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6058/6308126840_6eeb126deb.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_9486 copy"></a><br /><br />More on this building's wonderful lobby sculpture <a href="http://achicagosojourn.wordpress.com/2009/10/19/3550-lake-shore-drive/">here</a>.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6339056889/" title="IMG_1468a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6044/6339056889_edfb050854.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_1468a"></a><br /><hr><br /><strong>Imperial Towers - 4250 N. Marine Drive - L.R. Solomon and J.D. Cordwell & Associates, 1960</strong><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6339240756/" title="IMG_1353 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6217/6339240756_7b27348585.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_1353"></a><br /><br />Developed by Albert R. Robin, the 29-story Imperial Towers contain 432 apartments per tower. Construction began in 1961; occupancy started in August 1962. It was one of many Chicago projects insured by a section of the national housing act. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6338488295/" title="IMG_1348 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6116/6338488295_4332fab120.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_1348"></a><br /><br />The building was marketed as luxury for the budget-conscious, and was intended to attract a mix of older, retired residents and younger families - the owners went so far as to tout a social ambition of giving seniors the choice of "mingling with the younger generations" when and if they chose.<br /><br />Amenities included an "Olympic" sized rooftop swimming pool over the garage (25 yards, actually, which isn't Olympic sized at all), and several small stores in the lobby including a coffee shop, a beauty salon, Imperial Drug, and the first of several Jewel Pantry stores, high-end groceries in luxury apartment buildings with a large selection of prepared foods, exclusively open to building residents. <br /><br />The building has a 250 car garage, accessed through a ramp in the courtyard that went right under the lobby. A less-touted feature, detailed in a <i>New York Times</i> article, was that the garage could be "converted into a fall-out shelter" with room for the building's population and hundreds more, equipped with emergency generators, special ventilation, heat, water, light and food. Always reassuring in the Cold War age!<br /><br />The building converted to condominiums in 1977.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6339240904/" title="IMG_1350 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6053/6339240904_f0f5d8181e.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_1350"></a><br /><br />Imperial Towers features a Japanese decorative theme, with what were touted as Japanese gardens in the courtyards as well as on the lobby roof. Like many before them, the developers pulled no punches in describing their building, labeling it "America's most fabulous building" in a 1963 ad.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6338488145/" title="IMG_1340 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6100/6338488145_1b3e48fd5c.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_1340"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6339806882/" title="IMG_1421a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6113/6339806882_2f22b0f065.jpg" width="500" height="315" alt="IMG_1421a"></a>Robert Powershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639365590964995479noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180214205361596444.post-58899923691530156592011-11-07T05:30:00.013-06:002011-11-07T07:11:37.406-06:00Gold Coast International Style: White Brick Midcentury<blockquote>"We feel it takes the drabness away."<br /><br> - Architect Alfred Shaw on his white brick buildings, 1965</blockquote>New York City has, in recent years, been coming to grips with its Midcentury heritage of boxy white-brick high rise apartment buildings, built in the 1950s and 1960s to feed the growing demand for luxury and middle-class apartments. These buildings' cladding was a break from the darker colors used in the past, representing a vision of a cleaner, more modern lifestyle. The movement is described in a couple of <i>New York Times</i> articles:<br /><li><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/25/realestate/25scap.html">New Respect for White Brick Buildings</a></li><li><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/16/realestate/16cov.html?pagewanted=all">Seeing White Brick Buildings in a New Light</a></li><br />When a friend pointed them out to me, my first thought was, "Huh, I guess it's a New York thing. I never saw buildings like this here."<br /><br />Well, guess what I saw not a day later as I biked along the lakefront trail?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6295467512/" title="IMG_9319 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6050/6295467512_f78f158cac.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_9319"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6300611987/" title="IMG_9157a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6111/6300611987_eaa4895ebc.jpg" width="500" height="343" alt="IMG_9157a"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6301157638/" title="IMG_8888a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6115/6301157638_4672b823e1.jpg" width="500" height="366" alt="IMG_8888a"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6320705839/" title="IMG_1222b by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6111/6320705839_a79ee55909.jpg" width="362" height="500" alt="IMG_1222b"></a><br /><i>777 North Michigan Avenue - Shaw Metz & Associates, 1964</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6320705665/" title="IMG_1232a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6216/6320705665_9f77e8a282.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_1232a"></a><br /><i>909 North Michigan Avenue - Shaw Metz & Associates, 1962</i><br /><br />While not a precise stylistic match to the blocky Manhattan buildings (quite a few of the Chicago examples tend toward <a href="http://milwaukeestreets.blogspot.com/2007/06/new-formalism-in-milwaukee.html">New Formalism</a> as much as pure International Style), Chicago does indeed have several buildings representing the same ethos, from exactly the same time period.<br /><br />These buildings share common elements beyond their cladding. All were built with clean modern designs that practically demand a simplified, modern and efficient life. The designs were matched by a host of modern features like central air, electric kitchens, attached indoor parking garages, even security cameras in the lobby that residents could view from their apartments. Most offered luxury amenities like maid service, 24 hour doormen, and rooftop pools and party decks. Circa 1962, these buildings offered the ultimate in urbane luxury living.<br /><hr><br />1550 N. Lake Shore Drive at North Avenue - Shaw, Metz & Dolio, 1957<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6296083355/" title="IMG_9169 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6092/6296083355_e46aaeeacb.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_9169"></a><br /><br />Developed by local builders Mack & Sher, this 33-story tower was planned to include "every conceivable luxury", including sizable family rooms. Its distinctive top includes a rooftop dining and party space available to the residents. 180 cars can park in the garage. It was topped out in 1959.<br /><br />The address continued to appear in society pages with some frequency in the years following its completion.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6296083173/" title="IMG_9168a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6112/6296083173_36635b21e5.jpg" width="500" height="337" alt="IMG_9168a"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6296616630/" title="IMG_9163a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6212/6296616630_51f9464fcd.jpg" width="500" height="322" alt="IMG_9163a"></a><br /><br />This building rose on the site of the 1910 Richard T. Crane mansion; Mr. Crane died in 1931 and his widow passed away in 1949. The Gothic mansion was razed in 1955, originally for a parking lot.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6296083859/" title="IMG_7756a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6235/6296083859_258303f5f3.jpg" width="500" height="361" alt="IMG_7756a"></a><br /><hr><br />3150 N. Lake Shore Drive, Shaw Metz & Dolio, 1961<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6320705209/" title="IMG_1181a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6240/6320705209_2f20ed0031.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="IMG_1181a"></a><br /><br />Opened in August 1963, 3150 Lake Shore was described in Lake Shore Management's glowing prose as "the Crown Jewel of the lakefront!" The 38 story building has 6 elevators, serving only 2 apartments per floor.<br /><br />The building exhibits a number of curiosities; not least of which is the marked similarity of its massing to its sibling at 1550. Both share a large rooftop mechanical penthouse, artfully designed to cap off the building, rather than left as an unconsidered collection of boxes atop the structure, as has happened so many times elsewhere.<br /><br />The design also makes the curious choice to have powerful vertical elements on the broad faces, but only horizontal banding on the narrow ends.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6320705495/" title="IMG_1192 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6110/6320705495_1f20e7c194.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_1192"></a><br /><br />The garage is housed in a wonderously pure box of white brick.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6320795671/" title="IMG_1187 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6238/6320795671_71c26dd99c.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_1187"></a><br /><br />3150 LSD was previously the site of a 1919 mansion built by Frank D. Stout, a "capitalist" who made his fortunes in lumber and went on to become director of various banking and railroad enterprises. Mr. Stout died in 1927; his widow passed away a decade later. The mansion became home to the contentious Kenner Hospital, a 65-bed unit, fined in 1948 for operating without a license and repeatedly in the news for its various problems. The Stout mansion was razed in 1959 to make way for the new skyscraper.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6320705373/" title="IMG_1185a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6043/6320705373_d604f701a9.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_1185a"></a><br /><hr><br />3900 N. Lake Shore Drive at Sheridan - Loewenberg & Loewenberg, 1958<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6294938315/" title="IMG_9455 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6094/6294938315_798629b555.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_9455"></a><br />3900 Lake Shore broke ground in September 1958, was topped out in November 1959, and opened in 1960. Developed and managed by I. Richard Cobrin, who also did 2970 N. Lake Shore, the building originally contained 240 luxury apartments.<br /><br />Its construction drew the newspapers' attention thanks to a couple of high-tech innovations that were used. The first was the French-built Benoto caisson digger machine used by Lake States Engineering in preparing the foundations. The "spider-like" machine that could sink caissons down 83 feet to bedrock in about 8 hours, then "walk" away to the next spot when finished; it was also notably quiet. Also of note was an advanced plaster-pumping technique used to send plaster up to the upper floors, where it could be sprayed or hand-troweled onto the walls.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6294939065/" title="IMG_9331 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6232/6294939065_914e9887ba.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_9331"></a><br /><br />The building was designed by Loewenberg & Loewenberg Architects, a firm founded by Lithuanian-born brothers I.S. Loewenberg and Col. Max L. Loewenberg, and later joined by Max's son James Loewenberg. James, now in his 70s, remains an active developer in Chicago today.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6295467316/" title="IMG_3634a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6225/6295467316_bcb1f5416a.jpg" width="500" height="382" alt="IMG_3634a"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6295467724/" title="IMG_9322 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6218/6295467724_720e604839.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_9322"></a><br /><br />3900 N. Lake Shore was renovated and converted to condominiums in 1977.<br /><hr><br />1300 Lake Shore Drive - Ezra Gordon, Jack M. Levin & Associates, 1963<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6300720811/" title="IMG_8896 copy by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6221/6300720811_073ae4ac64.jpg" width="405" height="500" alt="IMG_8896 copy"></a><br /><br />Built by developer Ralph W. Applegate (who soon moved into the building, with his adult son living across the hall) 1300 N. Lake Shore was part of the thriving luxury apartment boom of the early 1960s. The 40-story tower strove, along with several of its neighbors up and down the shore, to attract the city's most well-to-do tenants - doctors and lawyers, executive chefs, CEOs and bank chairmen. Construction was underway by mid-1963. A number of society-notable names were soon among the building's tenants; rents could run as high as $1800 a month. The 40th floor contained a large ball room originally known as the 1300 Club.<br /><br />Crime and fatality followed glamour and riches; one apartment was robbed of $100,000 of jewels in 1964, and another saw the wife of a mobster die in a bedroom fire in 1966. The fire filled the whole building with smoke and forced residents to evacuate. Another resident, apparently despondent over his failing health, leaped from a 14th story balcony later that year.<br /><br />The asymetrical bits along the roofline are a tri-level penthouse, added during the 1976 conversion of the building to condominiums. It was designed and occupied by Jack Levin, one of the original architects.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6300720611/" title="IMG_8891 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6238/6300720611_64a7cc1769.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_8891"></a><br /><br />It's easy to dismiss 1300 as the quintessential ugly 60s building. Indeed, from a distance, it seems little more than a rote assembly of its parts. Yet if you look closely, you can see what the architects were striving for - elements of geometry appear from the building's spandrels and bay windows, overlapping planes advancing and receding. Even the balcony railings get in on the act, though it's not clear if they are the originals or a more recent addition. The effect does not carry over onto the building as a whole - but to say there is no design here is to speak without looking.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6316763969/" title="IMG_9155a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6045/6316763969_1c8f775d0c.jpg" width="500" height="340" alt="IMG_9155a"></a><br /><br />Curiously, Mies Van Der Roes proposed an unbuilt project for the same site in 1956.Robert Powershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639365590964995479noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180214205361596444.post-62097278493386434302011-10-31T05:30:00.000-05:002012-04-22T02:01:56.193-05:00A Biker's Guide to Riding Metra<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6293499100/" title="P2283160a by repowers, on Flickr"><img alt="P2283160a" height="326" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6037/6293499100_ec7fe6291b.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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I've spent much of 2011 taking my bike on Metra trains daily, so I feel qualified to offer up some tips for anyone considering taking a bicycle on Metra:<br />
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1) Check the schedule! Before you leave the house, make sure you're heading for a train that allows bikes (basically, everything except morning rush hour heading into town, and evening rush hour heading out of town.) <br />
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In particular, make sure it's not a blackout date - Metra is terrible about publicizing bike blackout dates. If you don't do your homework, your only warning will be when the conductor barks "NO BIKES!" at you on the platform, leaving you with only seconds to either lock your bike on the platform and leave without it, or skip the train entirely.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6293498876/" title="IMG_8668a by repowers, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_8668a" height="346" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6104/6293498876_22cf01ef85.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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2) Bikes are last on, and last off. Wait till everyone else is on the train before boarding. Wait till everyone else is out of the passenger compartment before rolling out. It's the rules, and it's just plain polite. You're likely to whack someone with a pedal or handlebar if you're in the middle of a crowd of people getting on or off. Don't worry - the train will not leave without you.<br />
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3) Have a bungee cord with you. They're incredibly cheap at Target or Walmart. The rules require you to strap your bike to the bottom rails. I see bikers routinely using U-locks, chains, or cloth straps for the same purpose, but it's incredibly awkward and time consuming - particularly annoying when someone else needs to put their bike on top of yours.<br />
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4) Unless you're going to the end of the line, stay with your bike. Or at least pay attention to it. People with bikes are constantly getting on and off, all up and down the line. If you reach your stop and haven't been paying attention, you may find another bike on top of yours. Likewise, your bike might end up blocking someone else's.<br />
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5) Take 3 seats only - park all the way back. The handicapped/bike/luggage area contains 5 fold-down seats. A bike can easily fit on top of only three of them, if you push it all the way against the compartment wall (toward the door.) It's rude and thoughtless to take up 4 or even 5 seats when three will do the trick - but I see it happen all the time.<br />
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Also, tuck your bike tight against the seats. The pedal that's against the car wall should go under the rail so the bike is upright and fully against the wall.<br />
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6) Don't block the aisle. For better or worse, a lot of people choose to move around and between cars right before reaching a stop. Bikers who have just unstrapped their bike often stand in the middle of the aisle waiting for the train to stop, oblivious to people in the aisle behind them.<br />
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7) Listen to the conductor's instructions. On the trains, they are God, and what they say goes. Yes, sometimes some of them are assholes, and that sucks. But arguing with them won't help. Seriously - I've seen it tried.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6292975369/" title="P6233748a by repowers, on Flickr"><img alt="P6233748a" height="353" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6055/6292975369_c66c2a0179.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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And while I'm at it, a couple of tips for non-biker passengers:<br />
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1) Move for the bikers. If you're in the folding seats, the biker has the right to boot you out. Don't complain, don't grumble, don't be an ass about it - in fact, you shouldn't even have to be asked. There's dozens of seats on every car, but only one place where bikes can go. If you see a bike coming on board, be gracious and move to another seat. Is it fair? I don't know, but that's the chance you took when you sat on the folding seats. There's a sign right there announcing it.<br />
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2) Don't hang out in the vestibule. The vestibule is for people getting on and off the train, and you're in the way - especially for people trying to haul a bike out the door.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/5412171031/" title="Metra 102 by repowers, on Flickr"><img alt="Metra 102" height="333" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4123/5412171031_c96ce8b388.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>Robert Powershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639365590964995479noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180214205361596444.post-5719802017822611712011-10-17T05:30:00.000-05:002011-10-17T05:30:01.620-05:00Purple Hotel on the WaneThe unmistakable, can't-miss-it building at the corner of Touhy and Lincoln has housed a number of different hotel chains over the decades, but it has long been known by its most obvious description: The Purple Hotel. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/121645018/" title="Purple Hotel by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/37/121645018_2aee223632.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Purple Hotel"></a><br /><i>March 2006</i><br /><br />Planned as the Hyatt-Lincolnwood, the Hyatt House-Chicago broke ground in January 1961, on the site of the Allgauers Fireside restaurant at Lincoln and Touhy, destroyed by fire in 1958. One year later, on January 17, 1962, the Hyatt House opened with a ballroom, conference spaces, an outdoor pool, and a million dollar Ray Foley restaurant. Architects for the hotel were Hausner and Mascal, with Freidman, Alschuler and Sincere designing the restaurant.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6201704505/" title="IMG_1950a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6127/6201704505_a5d018dce8.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_1950a"></a><br /><i>April 2008</i><br /><br />The place did fine into the 80s, when it was sold by the Hyatt and began a series of name changes. The Purple Hotel monicker was finally made official in 2004 by an independent operator.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/121645062/" title="The Purple Hotel by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/51/121645062_83614fc0f9.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="The Purple Hotel"></a><br /><br />Through it all, the Purple Hotel has acquired a rather legendary history in the annals of sleepy Lincolnwood. It was a swinging hot spot in its early days, hosing a variety of performers. In 1983, it was the site of the gangland execution of a mobster. Just a few years ago, convictions were handed down regarding sex parties held at the hotel. And most recently, its rampant building code violations forced the hotel to close in 2007, and have since made it the subject of considerable legal wrangling, as the city of Lincolnwood moves to have it demolished.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6202217392/" title="IMG_1961 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6121/6202217392_d10956f4db.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_1961"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6202218662/" title="IMG_1954a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6025/6202218662_6e8c2c82ba.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_1954a"></a><br /><i>April 2008</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6201703829/" title="IMG_4249a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6132/6201703829_678b7e6ede.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_4249a"></a><br /><i>August 2010</i><br /><br />In the meantime, the Purple Hotel has gone downhill, fast. The pool courtyard is choked by weeds growing six feet tall. Windows are broken. Doors are kicked open. Carpets are torn out. The interior partitions are rotting, and mold is reportedly all over the place.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6202218464/" title="IMG_4231a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6175/6202218464_1872257960.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_4231a"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6201703923/" title="IMG_4226 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6170/6201703923_a9477a4cbf.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_4226"></a><br /><br />The hotel does have some architectural value, as Lee Bay recently pointed out. The exposed structure gives it a nice rhythm, and those massive windows on the guest rooms just don't get done anymore. A few elements here and there give it some added 60s funk, not least of which are the titular glazed purple bricks themselves.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6202218066/" title="IMG_1946a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6164/6202218066_19a730e649.jpg" width="500" height="296" alt="IMG_1946a"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6202217170/" title="IMG_1944 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6123/6202217170_a7cf50261e.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_1944"></a><br /><br />To make it work as a hotel, an operator would have to think way beyond the norm. This building, hanging out in the middle of nowhere in terms of public transit, amenities and attractions, is a non-starter as a standard hotel. The only hope, marketing-wise, would be to capitalize on the building's funky style and swinging history, and go all-out with a completely crazed renovation. Either total Mid Century classic 1960s style - maybe even a 1950s streamline mode - or else a completely contemporary treatment rendered in shades of purple. Purple neon, purple understair lighting, purple translucent backlit panels, curving purple reception desk, an internally glowing purple bar with bottles lining purple-backlit glass shelves.<br /><br />Is Lincolnwood ready for an over-the-top celebration of its own history? Somehow I doubt it.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6202218332/" title="IMG_4230a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6011/6202218332_a3a5590236.jpg" width="500" height="320" alt="IMG_4230a"></a><br /><br /><li><a href="http://americanurbex.com/wordpress/?p=1220">Purple Hotel</a> at American UrbEx blog</li><br /><li><a href="http://www.wbez.org/blog/lee-bey/2011-05-05/purple-razed-lincolnwood-landmark-hotel-might-kiss-sky-or-face-foreclosure-8">Purple Razed?</a> - Lee Bay</li><br /><li><a href="http://skokie.patch.com/articles/the-eyesore-that-is-the-purple-hotel">The Eyesore That Is the Purple Hotel</a> - Skokie.Patch.com</li><br /><li><a href="http://blog.globaltravelerusa.com/2008/03/19/the-purple-hotel/">The Purple Hotel</a> - Global Traveler Blog</li><br /><li><a href="http://www.suntimes.com/business/roeder/7102998-452/sssss.html">Decrepit Purple Hotel Outstays Its Welcome</a> - Sun-Times</li>Robert Powershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639365590964995479noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180214205361596444.post-19627792681001921422011-10-14T20:58:00.001-05:002011-10-14T20:59:16.195-05:00Open House Chicago - this weekend!Over a hundred buildings are open to the public this weekend as part of Open House Chicago, a city-wide architectural tour. It's free and runs Saturday and Sunday. Don't miss out!<br /><br />http://www.openhousechicago.org/Robert Powershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639365590964995479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180214205361596444.post-34125656263534476662011-10-10T05:30:00.003-05:002014-05-15T21:56:08.904-05:00Two little theatersTwo of Chicago's earliest surviving movie theaters - the Park Manor Theater and the New Devon Theater - were built in a similar material palette, a common scheme of white glazed brick with dark green glazed brick trim. It's an often-seen style from the years just before World War I. I will cover it more expansively in a later post; however, in the process of researching these two, I came across so much info that it seemed fair to give them their own separate writeup.<br /><br />Both were relatively small houses, running what the <i>Tribune</i> referred to as "photo plays". They were built at the declining end of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickelodeon_(movie_theater)">nickelodeon</a> era, when features were short, admission was five cents, and "talkies" were still over a decade away. These smaller theaters often could not compete against the much larger movie palaces which began appearing only a few years later, though some stayed in business into the 1950s or later.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/4559899063/" title="IMG_6809a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3002/4559899063_7a55b80b6a.jpg" width="500" height="301" alt="IMG_6809a"></a><br /><br />In Rogers Park, the short-lived New Devon Theater, 1618 W. Devon Avenue, was built in 1912 (previously covered in <a href="http://achicagosojourn.wordpress.com/2010/05/06/gotta-face-the-face/">this post</a>.) Among its earliest listings were the photoplay <i>The Diamond from the Sky</i>, a drama hyped with a full-page ad in the <i>Tribune</i>. The New Devon only lasted a few years as a theater, and housed a series of businesses in the following decades. The first was a Ford auto dealership in the 1920s, the Hughey Motor Company.<br /><br />The former theater included a residence during the Depression (one tenant died in 1940; another was busted in 1948 for operating gambling equipment in Northbrook), and served as a meeting hall for the 50th Ward Republican Party (where a 1939 speaker histrionically declared that the "New Deal-communist alignment [has] made the Democratic party the party of dept, depression, disorder, and destruction. For many years the democrats have been destroying the country.") <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/4560528740/" title="IMG_6812a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4040/4560528740_72f482286d.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_6812a"></a><br /><br />In 1941 it housed the Rogers Park chapter of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America_First_Committee">America First</a>, an anti-war group which had trouble finding lodgings in the area due to landlords' fear of being seen as pro-peace while war raged in Europe. The group had been summarily kicked out of another meeting space after only a few weeks of occupancy, no reasons given. <br /><br />By 1952, it appears to have been home to Devon-Clark Radio, which changed to Devon-Clark Television by 1954, an electronics store selling Westinghouse electronics, air conditioners ("Sleep in an ice cube on hot muggy nights", only $2.66 a week!) and other goods - though some ads list the address as 1612 Devon, a different building entirely. Want to give them a call to check? The number is Ambassador 2-3081.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6182272052/" title="IMG_5683 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6171/6182272052_d567662c26.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_5683"></a><br /><br />The former New Devon Theatre has been the Assyrian American Association since 1963. The one-time competitor that put it out of business, the Ellantee Theater, is visible just down the street and today houses Clark-Devon Hardware.<br /><br /><li><a href="http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/23798">New Devon Theater</a> at Cinema Treasures</li><br /><hr><br />On the south side, the old Park Manor Theater, 321 E. 69th Street, <a href="http://thesixthward.blogspot.com/2009/10/park-manor-theater.html">opened in early 1914</a> and lasted till 1950 as a theater.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6177081788/" title="321 E. 69th Street by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6153/6177081788_3bbed0f9a6.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="321 E. 69th Street"></a><br />Its early screenings in 1914 included serials such as <i>The Adventures of Kathlyn</i> (also showing at the New Devon). A <i>Tribune</i> listing notes the theater among contributors to relief funds in the wake of the <i>Eastland</i> disaster on the Chicago River in 1915; the theater commonly ran the <i>Selig-Tribune</i> newsreel ("The World's Greatest News-Film", according to their ads; again, also showing at the New Devon). A 1970 column and response letter sees old residents of the neighborhood reminiscing about their childhoods, with the Park Manor's nickel-a-show serials and Punch and Judy shows figuring prominently. <br /><br />In 1937, it was involved in a discrimination suit for refusing to sell tickets to a black couple. In November 1950, the theater was listed for sale and described thus:<br /><blockquote>378 seats, fully equipped, including $800 popcorn machine; lobby and front need painting, a few seats need repair, otherwise in first class condition. Oil heat, washed air heating and cooling system, double Western Electric sound, new projector head, new strong low intensity arc lamps, rectifiers and Martin converter, new screen...rent $150 per month...a real opportunity for the right party.</blockquote><br />Alas, the $800 popcorn machine would not see service here again; the building was home to the Philadelpha Church by 1961, followed by the Grace Eden Church - both African-American congregations, ironically (or perhaps fittingly) enough. At some point during this era, it gained a low-budget but funky Midcentury colored window across its entrance.<br /><br />In 1961 it served as a back-up site for a "mixed revival" - a racially integrated prayer rally - which was disrupted by mob violence and broken up by police at its original location at the Ogden Theater, ostensibly on grounds of the building being unsafe. Threatened by demolition in 1967, it nonetheless has survived to the present, currently housing the First Born General Assembly Church.<br /><br /><li><a href="http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/5869">Park Manor Theater</a> at Cinema Treasures</li>Robert Powershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639365590964995479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180214205361596444.post-11764987420287647442011-10-03T05:30:00.001-05:002011-10-03T05:30:00.131-05:00St. Priscilla Catholic Church<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6164798043/" title="IMG_7916 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6179/6164798043_fc8e76328c.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_7916"></a><br /><br />It's nothing mind-blowing from the outside, but if you know how to read your MidCentury vocabulary, you can tell there's going to be great things inside. St. Priscilla Church (6949 W. Addison, 1957) does not disappoint.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/3805729061/" title="Chapel hallway by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2509/3805729061_42aab62b10.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Chapel hallway" /></a><br /><br />The entry hall is a long, narrow rectangular space, which extends beyond the main body of the building to form the baptistry, demarcated only by gates. This thin structure has walls of stained glass on both sides, with bold, flowing abstract designs that alternate large areas of clear glass with color.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/3806548772/" title="Stained glass detail by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2632/3806548772_b79d728e8d.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Stained glass detail" /></a><br /><br />The sanctuary is a large space, with high flat ceilings and walls adorned only by flecks of light (an approach used in St. Louis at <a href="http://www.builtstlouis.net/mod/stcatherine.html">St. Catherine of Sienna church</a>, among others.)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/3806548562/" title="Sanctuary by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2491/3806548562_b884f42952.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Sanctuary" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/3806547150/" title="Side wall by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2483/3806547150_79caa81c26.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Side wall" /></a><br /><br />Below, the stained glass windows continue the same sweeping wave-like forms seen in the chapel.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6165346062/" title="PB045885a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6156/6165346062_10ccfe3992.jpg" width="500" height="314" alt="PB045885a"></a><br /><br />And the motif culminates in the rear window, where Saint Priscilla herself presides over the sanctuary.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6164812933/" title="IMG_3447a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6163/6164812933_5110c3b352.jpg" width="500" height="339" alt="IMG_3447a"></a><br /><br />Behind the altar, a massive metal screen rises up to a round skylight.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6165331828/" title="IMG_7948a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6172/6165331828_fd4aec52af.jpg" width="500" height="304" alt="IMG_7948a"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6165331986/" title="IMG_7958a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6156/6165331986_a68f07d008.jpg" width="500" height="304" alt="IMG_7958a"></a><br /><br />The sanctuary can be a rather moody place, depending on the time of day and how many lights are left on. But it is always beautiful.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6165346274/" title="IMG_3685a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6151/6165346274_ef11d6cd85.jpg" width="500" height="332" alt="IMG_3685a"></a><br /><br />The siting of the church lends it additional presence - it sits at the head of the T-shaped intersection of Addison and Sayre.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/3806547896/" title="From the north by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3616/3806547896_590e4c0f44.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="From the north" /></a><br /><br />A school and newly completed convent already stood on the site in 1956, when Rev. Aloysius Hinterberger led the drive for a new building. Fund raising for the church building began based on a budget of $750,000 (later upped to $900,000). The new building was constructed by Charles B. Johnson & Sons, the general contractor. The new structure was <a href="http://www.stpriscilla.org/about.php">dedicated on Christmas Eve, 1957</a>. Among it better known congregants was builder Albert Schorsch, who developed large swaths of northwestern Chicago.<br /><br />Today St. Priscilla Catholic Church provides Mass in both English and Polish.<br /><br /><li><a href="http://www.stpriscilla.org/index.php">St. Priscilla Church</a> siteRobert Powershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639365590964995479noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180214205361596444.post-59195773728521860282011-09-26T05:30:00.002-05:002011-09-26T05:30:02.250-05:00Northbrook Part II: Contemporary ModernContinuing a look at some of the better buildings in this far-out Chicago suburb.<br /><br />Northbrook Public Library<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6168240924/" title="IMG_8084a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6176/6168240924_ffef91c53f.jpg" width="500" height="250" alt="IMG_8084a"></a><br /><br />It hovers delightfully by day, and glows like a lantern at night. The Northbrook Public Library is the town's most notable "downtown" building, only a block away from the old village center, adjacent to the Postmodern village hall and overlooking a public park.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6168241108/" title="IMG_8018 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6171/6168241108_bd0daf958d.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_8018"></a><br /><br />The top floor reading and stacks room is wonderfully light and airy, with the exposed tube steel structure holding up the roof. The curved pipe trusses blossom from their columns like plant life. The whimsical light fixtures are a rebuke to the older section's staid heritage.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6167705565/" title="IMG_8049a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6154/6167705565_aca06b2569.jpg" width="500" height="317" alt="IMG_8049a"></a><br /><br />Frye Gillan Molinaro Architects, Ltd. designed this delightful space in 1999. It is an eastward addition to an uninspiring 1960 building, exploding outwards and making you forget all that boring low-budget Miesian repetition. Inside, the two buildings are almost seamlessly joined as one.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6168241860/" title="IMG_8025 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6160/6168241860_f6e40383e6.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_8025"></a><br /><br />It's worth noting at this point that this portion of Northbrook - in and around the "downtown" - is comparatively compact and livable, compared to the surrounding sprawl. The houses are smaller, the lots are smaller, the streets are nicer, and you can walk to the train station, the library, or the small knot of stores. It's a different world from the Northbrook that most people experience, which is on massive arterial roads like Dundee or Lake-Cook.<br /><br /><br />The Pointe in Highland Park<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/5806620465/" title="IMG_9573 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2029/5806620465_df1dd20f0c.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_9573"></a><br /><br />Maybe better known by their street name - Prairie Court - this cluster of Modernist houses stands along Lake-Cook Road, across from Northbrook Court mall (and technically in Highland Park, but it's all about the same thing.) Two of the planned 17 units remain unbuilt - hit by the recession, perhaps - but the remainder stand in neat rows of gleaming glass and precisely finished concrete.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/5806618809/" title="IMG_9476 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5226/5806618809_0527b5262b.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_9476"></a><br /><br />They feature hugely generous glass walls, built-in balconies with projecting roofs, and punched-opening windows in the concrete walls that are echoed by the low screening wall along Lake Cook Road.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/5806618683/" title="IMG_9484 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3273/5806618683_b66a2e9c6e.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_9484"></a><br /><br />They contain one giant WTF moment: a completely ordinary suburban ranch house that, from all appearances, went up at exactly the same time as all the other houses. Seriously... why would anyone who wanted this house choose to put it here?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/5807186282/" title="IMG_9541 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5224/5807186282_15fff85f96.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_9541"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/5806621913/" title="IMG_9545a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2497/5806621913_d79303e90c.jpg" width="500" height="337" alt="IMG_9545a"></a><br /><br /><br />3150 Commercial Avenue<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6151911212/" title="IMG_9558 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6088/6151911212_50d2ba6a37.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_9558"></a><br /><br />This late-1970s warehouse recently got an attention-getting marker tacked on to its front. Those giant pieces of steel aren't holding up anything but a small glass entry canopy, but they definitely make this faceless tilt-up concrete building a lot more interesting.<br /><br />In the background, a new water tower is under construction; as of this writing, it's just about completed on the outside.<br /><br /><br />Greek Feast - by Georgie V<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6151911500/" title="IMG_8289 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6194/6151911500_2a270b2694.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_8289"></a><br /><br />This prominent landmark at the corner of Dundee and Pfingston opened in 2010, designed by architect Brett Karson. The stainless-steel-clad cylinder is a stylized version of a gyro roasting on a spit, while the accompanying blue elements recall the colors of the Greek flag. The shallow-pitched roof, with its two intersecting vertical elements, recalls the 1950s atomic ranch homes which dot the nearby side streets.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6151912734/" title="IMG_8461a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6085/6151912734_59b84ca9ef.jpg" width="500" height="329" alt="IMG_8461a"></a><br /><br />Much to my amusement, the restaurant has been embroiled in parking lot wars with the shabby strip mall surrounding it. In a place like Northbrook, is parking really so difficult to come by?<br /><br /><br />Crate and Barrel<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/5806620623/" title="IMG_9563 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3338/5806620623_61f3d332c5.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_9563"></a><br /><br />Is it fair to include a national chain in a survey of local buildings? Perhaps so, considering their corporate headquarters is just a few miles down the road. Yes or no, the fact remains that Crate and Barrel puts up rather nice buildings, and this outlot structure at Northbrook Court is typically handsome.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/5806618911/" title="IMG_9488a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2056/5806618911_d73a60f096.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_9488a"></a><br /><br /><br />Lipson Alport Glass Associates<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6151911294/" title="IMG_8391 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6073/6151911294_2984e27312.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_8391"></a><br /><br />A startling building on Waukegan Boulevard, home to a package-design company. The visible portion is an addition onto a previously-existing warehouse. Opened in 2003. Architect: <a href="http://www.buildordie.com/index2.htm">Valerio DeWalt Train Associates</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6151363345/" title="IMG_1033 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6164/6151363345_6de9746562.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_1033"></a><br /><br />The contrast between the solid second story and the entirely glass ground floor would be interesting enough, but the building goes a couple of steps further. The north end floats off the ground, hovering above low-lying drainage areas; together with the south-end offset, it creates the impression of two overlapping bars that have been knocked off-center.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6161730040/" title="IMG_8394 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6184/6161730040_ae3b3cb17d.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_8394"></a><br /><br />Oh, and the ground floor <i>tilts</i>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6151363029/" title="IMG_8393 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6207/6151363029_7daa8dca85.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_8393"></a><br /><br />It's not just an illusion; and it is not just the outside. The interior floor, for reasons that <i>Architectural Record</i> left unexplained when they covered this building in May 2004, has a 4-5 degree cant. I cannot imagine how the architect talked the client into this - and I am certain that's how it worked, for no client would request such a thing. "Yeah. We need tilted floors. When I drop a pencil, I wanna see it <i>roll</i>." Clients don't do these things.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6151911650/" title="IMG_1006 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6160/6151911650_f2fa36d6da.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_1006"></a><br /><br />Whatever the reason, it sure is a treat to look at, day or night.<br /><br /><li><a href="http://www.buildordie.com/X-PDF/VDTA_LAGA.pdf">Building project portfolio</a></li>Robert Powershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639365590964995479noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180214205361596444.post-11693163258947396042011-09-22T05:30:00.001-05:002012-04-20T21:51:05.641-05:00Parking Meter Wasteland<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I present here a short overview of the strange landscape alternately known as the Parking Meter Zoo and the Parking Meter Wasteland. Though Chicago blog <a href="http://theexpiredmeter.com/">The Expired Meter</a> has already done a fantastic job documenting this surreal story, I have to get my own two bits in, if only to post a few of the unearthly images that have resulted from this strange landscape.<br />
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March 2008:<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6149194432/" title="IMG_9458 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6167/6149194432_8e3e6f9d7e.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_9458"></a>
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The area in question is on the lower near west side - just north of the Pilsen rail yard embankment, just west of Ashland - in an area adjoining the Illinois Medical District. These utterly empty streets, an urban prairie including Wood Street, Paulina, 13th Street and 14th Street, were a popular parking spot for medical center employees.<br />
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Well, you can't have people parking for free, can you?! Fortunately, the local alderman rode to the rescue, having the city <a href="http://theexpiredmeter.com/2008/10/1250-new-parking-meters-installed-on-near-west-side/">install 1200 parking meters</a> on completely empty streets. "Problem" solved - nobody parks there anymore!<br />
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March 2009:<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6148644013/" title="IMG_7612 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6078/6148644013_d715a37186.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_7612"></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/3425996190/" title="Awaiting the hordes of workers who decend on the urban prairie every day by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3344/3425996190_7b01a29b94.jpg" width="500" height="363" alt="Awaiting the hordes of workers who decend on the urban prairie every day"></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/3425996190/" title="Awaiting the hordes of workers who decend on the urban prairie every day by repowers, on Flickr"><img alt="Awaiting the hordes of workers who decend on the urban prairie every day" height="363" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3344/3425996190_221c730b9c.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/3425995472/" title="If you wanna go nowhere, you're gonna have to pay. by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3329/3425995472_d6542d5a14.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="If you wanna go nowhere, you're gonna have to pay."></a>
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Now, don't get me wrong. I'm no advocate for free or cheap parking. "Free" parking is one of the great lies of American development, and a principal generator of sprawl. Parking requires land, infrastructure and maintenance, all of which have economic value - and so you always pay for parking somehow, whether through higher retail costs or higher taxes. "Free" parking is one of those tricky sleights-of-hand that American corporatocracy is so good at - an illusion that helps to diffuse and hide the true costs of the automobile, and thus enables all the attendant damage that has been done to American cities over the decades.<br />
<br />
But - the point of a parking meter is to keep traffic moving throughout the day, so that shoppers and people on business can reach local stores and businesses. It's so people don't just plonk their car down all day in a spot that other people need to use.<br />
<br />
I'm gonna go out on a limb and speculate that this site does not face that kind of competition.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6148643839/" title="IMG_7604 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6074/6148643839_816aeddf60.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_7604"></a>
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<br />
September 2011:<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6148644203/" title="IMG_7396a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6182/6148644203_aa7af37e91.jpg" width="500" height="293" alt="IMG_7396a"></a>
<br />
Now what's this? Where'd the meters go?! Why, they took the thousands of brand-new meters out again... to <a href="http://theexpiredmeter.com/2011/08/the-worlds-loneliest-parking-meters/">replace them with the new meter boxes!</a><br />
<br />
But of course, even that may not last, since they're dropping a new CostCo grocery store on part of the site, whose description includes all the vacant land shown here. I seriously doubt Costco will build without a sizable parking lot, and I will be surprised if they don't want to take out at least part of one street.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6148644121/" title="IMG_7395a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6151/6148644121_e67f5b8a04.jpg" width="500" height="324" alt="IMG_7395a"></a>
So let's recap. The city and its parking meter company (LAZ Parking) have:<br />
* Installed thousands of meters on empty land<br />
* Ripped out the meters and installed pay boxes on the still-empty land<br />
* May have ripped out some of the pay boxes to remove the streets they were on<br />
<br />
I mean, are they <i>high</i> or what??<br />
<br />
By way of history - these empty blocks were chock full of houses (and one large industrial building) a hundred years ago. The near West Side had a rough reputation when the Illinois Medical District was founded in 1941; by the 1960s, eminent domain was being used to gobble up properties in the area. Today, only a few faint foundations remnants and porch stairs remain to indicate that a neighborhood once stood here.</div>Robert Powershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639365590964995479noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180214205361596444.post-62459069132651844862011-09-19T05:30:00.001-05:002011-09-19T05:30:01.971-05:00Searching for Architecture in NorthbrookAs a preface to this post, I had written out a fairly long rant about how much I hate suburbs in general, and Northbrook in particular. But my M.O. on this blog is to celebrate, not denigrate, so we'll skip all that and get straight to the point: even a far-flung exurb like Northbrook has its moments.<br /><br /><strong>Part 1: 20th Century Northbrook</strong><br /><br />Lakeside Congregation for Reform Judaism - Lake-Cook Road<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/5806618259/" title="IMG_9465a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2581/5806618259_81ba43be1c.jpg" width="500" height="337" alt="IMG_9465a"></a><br /><br />Fitch, Larocca & Carrington Inc., finished 1973 for a congregation dating back to 1954.<br /><br /><br />Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses - Pfingston and Maria Avenue<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6151912344/" title="IMG_3025a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6078/6151912344_b163cd51bf.jpg" width="500" height="353" alt="IMG_3025a"></a><br /><br />A tiny confection rendered in Brutalist language. The building was designed in 1967 by architect Salvatore Balsamo, and built by members of the congregation over the next two years. It's still in use by them today. Having designed it to be built primarily by unskilled labor, Balsamo commented in the 1970 <i>Tribune</i> that "the unions and building department did not bother the workers because the project was a house of worship."<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/5807319106/" title="IMG_7784 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5111/5807319106_cd3a2e98c7.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_7784"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6151364417/" title="IMG_8902a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6175/6151364417_52689656ed.jpg" width="500" height="282" alt="IMG_8902a"></a><br /><br /><br />CitiBank - Lake-Cook Road<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/5807183402/" title="IMG_9491 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5317/5807183402_505b2268d7.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_9491"></a><br /><br />A giant square roof hovering over a transparent body below. The roof extends to shelter the drive-through ATMs in one unified swoop. The bank building went up in the mid-1970s as home to First Federal of Chicago.<br /><br />The bank is an outparcel of the adjacent Northbrook Court, a development fought tooth and nail by neighboring Deerfield, but opened nevertheless in 1976. The mall was designed by Architectonics, Inc., who also worked with developer Sears on another mall in Joliet.<br /><br /><br />Great Lakes Structural Steel<br />237 Melvin Drive<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6151362687/" title="IMG_1151 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6205/6151362687_6c3b296d89.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_1151"></a><br /><br />A plain warehouse with a bold International Style office building up front, built for a company relocating from Skokie. The style has been tweaked a bit, making it a bit more flamboyant than orthodoxy might have allowed - and allowing the original tenant to show off the effectiveness of their signature product. 1969, by the local firm of Alper & Alper. <br /><br />Ironically, it's now home to HDO Productions - a company that provides large event tents.<br /><br /><br />AA Service Co. Heating and Cooling - Anthony Trail<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6151363223/" title="IMG_0490 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6187/6151363223_d1ab6898c7.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_0490"></a><br /><br />This shockingly dramatic arch was once an airport hangar for Sky Harbor Airport. Dating from 1929, it was opened to great aplomb in the days when the Northbrook area was far more sparsely settled. An <a href="http://www.airfields-freeman.com/IL/Airfields_IL_Chicago_N.htm#skyarbor">incredibly stylized club house </a> and control center stood to the south on Dundee Road, but did not survive the Great Depression which closed the airport. Abandoned and vandalized, the clubhouse was torn down in 1939 and the field re-opened as a training center, largely for military pilots. After three decades of use as a popular private airport, Sky Harbor closed in 1973 in the face of rising land values, to be replaced by light industrial development.<br /><br />The original hangar building was abandoned for a few years but survives to this day, now housing a heating contractor. In an utterly bizarre arrangement, it now has a narrow two-story seafood restaurant tacked on to its side.<br /><br /><br />The Courts of Northbrook<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6151913258/" title="IMG_9499 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6077/6151913258_dd76f0f3f1.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_9499"></a><br /><br />Opened in 1988, the Courts stand directly west of the shopping mall of nearly the same name. What I like about this place is that it's such a great model for a suburb. It's nothing particularly special or overwrought; and yet, it shows how pleasant a neighborhood can be when the right architectural tools are used to control space. This is not some high-falutin' architect's theoretical experiment - any developer could come up with this place if they put their head to it.<br /><br />Perhaps unsurprisingly for such an enlightened development, this is the work of the Optima Inc. company architect David Hovey.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6151364563/" title="IMG_9505 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6177/6151364563_f6d3527288.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_9505"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6151913114/" title="IMG_9498 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6152/6151913114_3cf6cdb995.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_9498"></a><br /><br />The enclosed porch is an especially nice touch. What a pleasant place to sit and read on a sunny day!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/5806619299/" title="IMG_9500 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3300/5806619299_af56506805.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_9500"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/5806619743/" title="IMG_9511 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3004/5806619743_6e0627fa5a.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_9511"></a><br /><br /><br />360-370 Lake Cook Road<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/5806620941/" title="IMG_9553 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2455/5806620941_073131fa74.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_9553"></a><br /><br />Lacking any name, this low, long building hunkers down under its wonderful green metal roof and behind its low brick walls, scowling out at the rushing traffic on Lake-Cook Road. Inside, a pleasant courtyard greets visitors.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/5806619919/" title="IMG_9521 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2284/5806619919_9bcdfd5f19.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_9521"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6151362777/" title="IMG_9556 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6073/6151362777_8908797f29.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_9556"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6151990148/" title="IMG_9519a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6202/6151990148_ded6880293.jpg" width="500" height="331" alt="IMG_9519a"></a><br /><br />And wander around a bit, and you'll find the requisite 1950s ranch houses, still looking fantastic 50 years after they were built.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6151363821/" title="IMG_2144 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6200/6151363821_e23e10bebe.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_2144"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6151912020/" title="IMG_3017 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6193/6151912020_c5428cf981.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_3017"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6151363493/" title="IMG_3019 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6064/6151363493_525ae6ba7d.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_3019"></a><br /><br />Following on 1950s houses came 1960s churches.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6151364191/" title="IMG_4393 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6168/6151364191_35dc95f96c.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_4393"></a><br /><br />And the story doesn't stop here... next time we'll look at some more recent additions to the landscape.Robert Powershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639365590964995479noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180214205361596444.post-82888839708157155222011-09-15T05:30:00.000-05:002011-09-15T05:30:02.863-05:00No, no, no, no...This giant mural of St. Vincent adorns the west face of DePaul University's Francis X. McCabe Hall. It can't be missed if you're riding north on the Red Line. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6143029244/" title="IMG_6336 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6207/6143029244_ca5420b8d4.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_6336"></a><br /><br />The mural, titled <i>We Are DePaul 2</i>, was created in 2001 via a composite of 16 repeated images of DePaul students and faculty. But it's not the composition or technical aspects that intrigue me so. No, it's his chagrinned scowl. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6142470057/" title="IMG_5833 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6189/6142470057_e0bfab1602.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_5833"></a><br /><br />St. Vincent looms far larger than life over the Wish soccer field, and his disapproval of DePaul's athletic teams couldn't be clearer. Every time I pass, I imagine just what he's thinking as he glares at the minuscule student athletes below:<br /><br />"No, no, no, don't pass to him... no, don't go there... no... wrong... <i>wrong</i>... stop... oh good grief... don't kick it - now what're you - now what is that? What do you think you're - you guys... no, no, no, no, NO. That just won't do at all."Robert Powershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639365590964995479noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180214205361596444.post-54906875013422317002011-09-12T22:06:00.003-05:002011-09-12T23:03:14.576-05:00A remarkable restorationA heartfelt congratulations to the congregants of First Baptist Congregational Church on Chicago's near west side.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6142235919/" title="IMG_7107 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6160/6142235919_3c23323977.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_7107"></a><br /><br />This venerable church was damaged in the intense blizzard that struck Chicago in February of this year. Rooftop masonry was dislodged and tumbled to the street - and through the roof, into the sanctuary. The damage to the historic building was considerable, and it was immediately boarded up.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/5440975794/" title="IMG_5310 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5215/5440975794_d372b1f2a5.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_5310"></a><br /><br />In far too many cases, this would be the beginning of a long, slow decline for such an aged church in an older city neighborhood. In this case, however, quite the opposite happened: insurance, bolstered by donations from an enthusiastic and sizable congregation, covered the damage and spurred additional interior work. The south size of the sanctuary is getting a new roof, a work still in progress, and the organ pipes are still out for repairs.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6142791004/" title="IMG_7105 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6187/6142791004_af636c821b.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_7105"></a><br /><br />But the bulk of the interior work is finished; and thus, this Sunday, a mere seven months after the blizzard, churchgoers returned to the sanctuary for services.<br /><br />And what a sanctuary it is!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6142235475/" title="IMG_7270 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6163/6142235475_c8e99ee0e8.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_7270"></a><br /><br />First Congregational was begun in 1869 as Union Park Congregational Baptist (architect: Gurdon P. Randall.) It opened in 1871; later that year the Great Chicago Fire burned much of the city to the east (though it never came close to the Union Park area.) Union Park Congregational housed city offices for a time in the fire's aftermath; it would go on to have a long, storied history; in the 20th century, it has been a common stop for visiting presidents.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6142791106/" title="IMG_7182a by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6083/6142791106_5e35647983.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_7182a"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6142235591/" title="IMG_7255 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6064/6142235591_76c6ca8efc.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_7255"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/6142235725/" title="IMG_7290 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6065/6142235725_5e3ff815d9.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_7290"></a><br /><br />First Baptist Congregational was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.<br /><br /><li><a href="http://www.fbcc-chicago.net/fbcc_damage_from_2011storm.html">Photos of the damage</a> from FBCC's site</li>Robert Powershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639365590964995479noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180214205361596444.post-44062580048044180122011-07-18T05:30:00.000-05:002011-07-18T05:30:03.089-05:00Midwest MidCentury fights<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/5945040980/" title="save-our-midcentury by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6135/5945040980_e3e5802285.jpg" width="500" height="235" alt="save-our-midcentury"></a><br /><br />I'm duplicating this post across two blogs, because two parallel battles are being fought right now over MidCentury buildings in Chicago and St. Louis.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/5945011168/" title="Prentice by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6018/5945011168_d990c0a1f5.jpg" width="500" height="315" alt="Prentice"></a><br /><br />In Chicago, a well-publicized fight has been going on for many months over the fate of the Prentice Women's Hospital at Northwestern University Hospital's downtown campus. Prentice is a high-rise building by Bertram Goldberg, the same architect who developed the corn-cob Marina Towers on the Chicago river, and two other complexes in a similar idiom south of downtown. The building has been vacated by Northwestern Hospital, which originally expressed a desire to demolish it, though no plan for using the land has been developed.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.builtstlouis.net/mod/images/midcentury-del-taco03.jpg"><br /><br />In St. Louis, Midtown's "flying saucer" building - originally a gas station, now a Del Taco fast food outlet - has been the center of a much swifter controversy, as the owner announced plans to demolish it and build a new retail building in its place. The St. Louis community immediately rose up in righteous grassroots wrath. Driven by an unholy alliance between MidCentury architectural preservationists and fans of Del Taco chain (a mainstay of late night food, particularly for students at nearby Saint Louis University), the issue has flared across local news and been debated at the level of the city council.<br /><br />Several interesting parallels stand between these buildings and their champions. Both are from the 1960s, built of concrete, and defined by dramatic cantilevers and round forms. And both lend themselves to diagramatic simplification in the form of the line drawings up above - a simple, clear expression of the buildings' big ideas, a clear illustration of the dramatic simplicity that defines them. Those two drawings summarize one of the big trends in Modernism - simple, bold design moves, with dramatic but carefully considered lines and proportions. <br /><br />Such representations are eminently useful in getting people to see past the more transitory elements of the buildings. A number of St. Louis residents have commented about bad memories or experiences with Del Taco, and called for demolition - as if the building itself were responsible for the business within it. Likewise, Prentice has the maintenance issues one would expect of any building that's approaching 50 years old, with stained and spalling concrete in need of cleaning and repair.<br /><br />Finally, both buildings are fine examples of the growing need for Midcentury awareness and preservation. Nobody is building these things anymore - once they're gone, they're gone forever.Robert Powershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639365590964995479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180214205361596444.post-25536872432515976982011-07-17T09:10:00.002-05:002011-07-17T09:39:48.715-05:00A lesson in etiquetteThis is completely off-topic and meta, and I know I shouldn't let this topic bother me so much, so I'll keep it short.<br /><br />I write this blog for free, for fun, in my spare time, entirely on my own - photographs, research, writing, everything. I try to gather as much info as I can before posting, but I have my limits. If I waited till I'd done an NRHP-level research document, there wouldn't be anything here.<br /><br />So I get kinda pissed off when a poster who is otherwise giving useful information feels the need to append snotty comments like these:<br /><br /><li><a href="http://achicagosojourn.blogspot.com/2010/10/early-modern-midcentury-moderne.html">"Please do your research before posting."</a></li><br /><li><a href="http://achicagosojourn.blogspot.com/2010/09/lincoln-squares-house-of-mystery.html">"Three minutes of research would tell you that..."</a></li><br /><br />This is called "being a jerk", and it's rude and unnecessary. For me, it obliterates the pleasure of finding out more about a building, and it rather spoils things for the vast majority of commenters who are playing nice.<br /><br />Also - it's very easy to find information about something when you already know all about it. Try starting cold sometime, like with nothing but a street address or even less. You'll find it's a lot tougher.<br /><br />So, in summary, don't be a jerk - to me, to other people online, to other people in real life. <br /><br />Sorry for the diatribe - back on topic now. Wait'll you see these cool Art Deco churches I've got coming up!Robert Powershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639365590964995479noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7180214205361596444.post-59429807911729295992011-07-16T20:13:00.004-05:002011-07-16T20:46:10.544-05:00Mucca Pazza at Tour de FatOne of Chicago's great cultural treasures, in my irreverent opinion at least, is the band Mucca Pazza. Billing themselves as a "circus-punk marching band", this group of 30 musicians and performers employs all the trappings of a high school marching band, including their own mini-squad of cheerleaders, but with a wild abandon that represents what high school band might have looked like if the teacher had left and never come back, and the most energetic students took over running the show. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/5945011862/" title="Mucca Pazza at Tour de Fat 2011 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6126/5945011862_ed21d2abe7.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Mucca Pazza at Tour de Fat 2011"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/5944457833/" title="Mucca Pazza at Tour de Fat 2011 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6028/5944457833_b54b23f715.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Mucca Pazza at Tour de Fat 2011"></a><br /><br />Mucca Pazza does indeed march during their shows, and dance, and spin, and run about through the crowd in every direction. At any moment you might get a cheerleader waving pom-pons in your face or a 5-second guitar solo played almost for your exclusive benefit. Some of the musicians wear amplifiers, with helmet-mounted megaphones on their heads, broadcasting their sound in one particular direction, and perhaps sending it to different areas of the crowd like a rotating tornado siren as they turn about. Groups of horn players might position themselves in different areas and play back and forth across the crowd. A trombone player might need the space between you and your neighbor for his instrument's slide. The show you get depends on where you are, and will be different for every member of the audience. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/5945012278/" title="Mucca Pazza at Tour de Fat 2011 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6006/5945012278_2777b6d508.jpg" width="500" height="319" alt="Mucca Pazza at Tour de Fat 2011"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/5945012154/" title="Mucca Pazza at Tour de Fat 2011 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6026/5945012154_2ff06a5b9e.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Mucca Pazza at Tour de Fat 2011"></a><br /><br />The band's energy is frenetic, and improvisation is everywhere. It's enough to make any standard rock band look dusty and tired.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/5944457603/" title="Mucca Pazza at Tour de Fat 2011 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6134/5944457603_09bff4fa10.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Mucca Pazza at Tour de Fat 2011"></a><br /><br />I happily bought their album, but listening to a recording on speakers cannot remotely compare to the experience of being surrounded by musicians playing their hearts out and having a blast doing it. And there's no cheerleaders, either.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/repowers/5945011972/" title="Mucca Pazza at Tour de Fat 2011 by repowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6150/5945011972_4cd78a4512.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Mucca Pazza at Tour de Fat 2011"></a>Robert Powershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639365590964995479noreply@blogger.com0