Architecture
Written in Stone
Last Saturday morning, 20 adults, many patrons of the Glessner House, converged in the lobby of Hyde Park’s Oriental Institute. Emily Teeter, a curator for the museum who specializes in Egyptology, stood front and center to guide the group through an architectural history of the museum. The tour began at the beginning: at the... »
15 More Minutes
After the Ramova closed in 1986, in 2001, the city took over the building—seemingly the final nail in a coffin containing a piece of Bridgeport’s history. But Bridgeport resident Maureen Sullivan is striving to regain control. »
Dream Towers
On February 1, architect Jeanne Gang and representatives from Silliman Group presented their plans for City Hyde Park, a two-tower, mixed-use project Silliman plans to build on E. Hyde Park and Lake Park. Anchored by a Whole Foods Market and ground-level retail, the nine- and 20-story towers will add 179 housing units to the... »
Sunrooms in the Off-Season
Hyde Park voyeurs have one Chicago architect in particular to thank for the ease with which they can observe their neighbors. The man in question, early 20th century designer Andrew Sandegren, is credited with the proliferation of the proto-solariums that protrude from so many apartment buildings in historic Kenwood and Hyde Park. One of... »
Good Haunts
When Paul Cornell purchased the land that would become the future site of Hyde Park Township, he had a plan. According to Lee Bey, the architecture critic who spoke in front of the Hyde Park Historical Society last Saturday night, the township was to be “a statement.” It was a place where a university... »
The Destruction of the Temple
3411 West Douglas Boulevard has had many lives. At one time a church, and before that a synagogue, the Lawndale building has an imposing limestone facade topped with an enormous ornamented arch. The 99-year-old structure dwarfs the surrounding houses. But inside it is in shambles. There are gaping holes in the roof; the floor... »
Keeping it Simple, in an Ornate World
Sandwiched between a residential area and the section of the Chicago River called Bubbly Creek (so-named from the bubbles created by the blood and other byproducts of the meat-slaughtering process), Decorators Supply Corporation is easy to miss. The business may fly under the radar of many Chicagoans, but to industry insiders—including those in upscale... »
Garden Fresh
The Michigan Boulevard Garden Apartments in Bronzeville are a sorry sight. At one time, this building was among the city’s largest housing projects. It was built in 1929 by Julius Rosenwald, owner of Sears, Roebuck and Company, at the request of Rosenwald’s friend, Booker T. Washington. Stretching west from Michigan to Wabash and north... »
