Four of the Oldest Buildings in the Loop
The oldest buildings in the Loop can be hard to find. Downtown Chicago is justly famous for its wealth of modern skyscrapers. Behemoths like the Willis Tower dominate the skyline and our attention. It always makes me feel like everything in the Loop sprang up in the middle of the 20th century. However, there are […]
Historic Chicago Synagogue Architecture at KAM Isaiah Israel
KAM Isaiah Israel is the oldest Jewish congregation in Chicago. Some may know it for as the building with the striking octagonal architecture and dome, located next door to Obama’s house in the Kenwood-Hyde Park neighborhood. The synagogue traces its roots back to the 1841 arrival of the first Jewish settlers in Chicago. My wife works at KAM Isaiah Israel, so […]
Hidden History of Cabrini Shrine in Lincoln Park
The Mother Cabrini Shrine in Lincoln Park is a perfect example of the kind of surprises you run into when wandering Chicago. St. Frances Xavier Cabrini was a Roman Catholic saint who worked in Chicago. Many Chicagoans associate the Cabrini name with the infamous Cabrini-Green public housing project, but that’s a couple miles south of here. […]
Photo Friday: Chicago Historic Industrial Architecture
I’m going to try to share some of my Chicago architecture photos on a weekly basis. Sometimes I get some good architecture shots, and sometimes it might be more the story behind the photo and the history of the building that might intrigue you. In this case, it’s industrial architecture on display. I went biking […]
Three Chicago Architecture and History Events This Week
Every week we give you three architectural and historical art openings, screenings, lectures or other great activities. This week’s Chicago architecture and history events include a discussion on the rise of the skyscraper, a performance of music by Frank Lloyd Wright’s father, and art work celebrating the culture of Bronzeville. 1. Augustus Higginson speaks on […]
Three Cool Historic and Architectural Events This Week of Jan. 20
Starting today, we plan to share a weekly list of what we think are the best, most intriguing historic and architectural events of the week in Chicago. If a lecture, film screening, panel discussion, or art opening focuses on the city, its history, architecture, culture and planning, and it sounds cool, then we will feature it. Our […]
Architecture is Art in Chicago
The people of Chicago likely most know of Jaume Plensa for his Crown Fountain installation in Millennium Park, but around the world he is known for a wide variety of his dynamic works of public art, from massive sculptural heads made of alabaster or mesh to tall beams of light cast into the sky. Last […]
Five Reasons to Visit Spooky Chicago Cemeteries
As we lead up to my favorite holiday, Halloween, it seems fitting to talk about the many Chicago cemeteries. Let’s ponder on some cool reasons for going to visit Chicago cemeteries. Technically, some of the best Chicago cemeteries are just outside the borders of the city. All cemeteries were transferred beyond the city limits in […]
Chicago’s Innovation with Corten Steel
Let’s focus on a seemingly mundane material for a moment – corten steel. A guy named Mark Kurlansky has gotten really into telling history through a mundane commodity, food, or event. He wrote Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World in 1997 and Salt: A World History in 2002. So why not […]
The Evolution of the Merchandise Mart
While on the green line last week I rode past the hefty, block-long Merchandise Mart and began to wonder about its history. As I learned from Amanda‘s talk at the Union League Club this past week, the structure of older buildings usually aren’t very flexible and so they struggle to provide functioning spaces like modern […]
