City of Big Shoulders...and Vertical Dreams!

I traveled to Chicago during the Memorial Day weekend to attend a Road Scholar trip on "Architectural Masterworks of Chicago & Oak Park". So this post will share with you some of the highlights of this historical and architectural journey. 

The starting point of our trip was actually the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. It is out of that event that today's Chicago was built. 

Fires were a recurring reality in the crowded, wooden cities of the nineteenth century. The Great Fire that destroyed much of Chicago in 1871, however, is legendary as an urban tragedy. The year 1871 was dry in Illinois. Several fires occurred that fall. On the evening of Sunday, October 8, the Great Fire began. Within hours it was out of control and continued for three days until rains began to fall. The burned out area was four miles long and almost a mile wide and included most of the central business district and many residential areas. Nearly 300 persons died; 18,000 buildings were destroyed; 100,000 people (one-third of the city) were homeless. 

The architects who rebuilt Chicago and developed the skyscraper comprised one of the greatest concentrations of creative architectural talent in U. S. history. The best known of those architects included William Jenney, Louis H. Sullivan, John W. Root, and Daniel H. Burnham. From their ideas and work emerged the Chicago School, which is synonymous with the development and mastery of steel framing and the consequent development of the skyscraper as the dominant feature of the urban skyline.  

The Chicago River and the Chicago Riverwalk contrast with the forest of vertical skyscrapers.

One highlight of the trip was the "Architectural River Cruise" on the Chicago River, a great vantage point for taking in the variety of architectural styles and features. 

The Wrigley Building (in the center with the clock tower) is today dwarfed by the Trump Tower (on the left). But in 1925 when it was completed as the headquarters for the Wrigley Chewing Gum Company, it was considered a bold and forward thinking achievement. At the time it was the only office building of its size north of the River and the bridge over the River was just under construction.   

The Merchandise Mart was built in 1930. At 25 stories and 4,250,000 square feet, it was the largest building in the world at that time.

Every square inch of space is of value and utilized...this building hugs right up against the River.

The Wrigley Building (clock tower) in the center and, to the right, the Tribune Tower, built in 1925. The Gothic design of this 36 story building was a result of a competition in which 286 entries were submitted from all over the world.

Riverbend Condominiums built 2000-2002.

 Important to the urban design is the pocket park. Chicago is a big, noisy, crowded city. I was glad to see a variety of places for a bit of respite from the fast pace. 

Any port in the storm!

These are three examples (from the many available!) of how the architects include elements in their designs that will make their building stand out and apart of those around it. On the left notice the "ski slope" in the roof line and on the right the heavily textured surface of rectangles extending from the surface of the building.

River City built in 1986

Ever present in Chicago is the sighting of a railroad bridge. Below is my favorite for its age and character. And the vantage point from the River Cruise vessel. 

 Other downtown Chicago stops included:

Weather was not always perfect! Picasso sculpture in the Plaza of the County/City building. Scaled perfectly for the large plaza in the large city.

And no visit to Chicago is complete without a visit to the Marshall Fields Department Store building (unfortunately now a Macy's). Built between 1892 and 1914 in various stages by various architects, it is in the Classical Revival style. It is a Historic Landmark building and is regarded as the finest example of retail architecture in the country. 

The Marshall Fields department store building brings back the glory days of pre-mall department store shopping with its lavish interiors including the double atria with stain glass and Tiffany mosaics as well as the Art Deco elevator design. It is actually kind of shocking to see the "contemporary" (aka: cheesy) setting of the modern Macy's in the environment of the historic building.

And not to be missed, the Marshall Fields clock. Not to be missed also are the Frango Mints!

And another historic building in the downtown area, The Rookery. Designed by famous Chicago architectural partners Burnham and Root, the  Rookery was originally completed in 1888 and successfully implemented many new and breakthrough building technologies - including metal framing, elevators, fireproofing, electrical lighting, and plate glass. At 11 stories tall, The Rookery was one of the earliest examples of metal framing with masonry walls on such a large scale. Today, it is considered the oldest standing high-rise in Chicago. 

Our primary mission was to see the Lobby.

Frank Lloyd Wright redesigned the stunning two story skylit lobby in 1905 adding many of the Moorish and Middle Eastern features.

We spent time in the area of Hyde Park and the University of Chicago. Our stops there included The Robie House. As usual with Wright buildings, no interior photography allowed.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House, designed for businessman Frederick C. Robie between 1908 and 1910, has been a National Historic Landmark since 1963. The structure is cited as the best example of Wright's Prairie style.

The inspiration for Wright’s celebrated Prairie style was the American Midwest, and its flat, expansive plains. Prairie style homes are recognized by their strong exterior horizontal lines, low-pitched roofs, long bands of windows, and natural materials. In particular, Wright's structures incorporate brick and wood into their design and echo the natural world around them.

Our group on the University of Chicago campus.

A Henry Moore sculpture and the dome is part of the University library.

Valois is a favorite eatery for President Obama, so we had lunch there! It is in the Hyde Park area where the Obama family home is located. We went by the house but all you can see are the big black SUV's with Secret Service agents at the ready to turn the curious away.

Back to the serious architecture.

 We visited the campus of the Illinois Institute of Technology in the midst of a thunderous downpour...but our goal was to visit Crown Hall, the home of the School of Architecture on the ITT campus. Crown Hall was designated a Chicago Landmark in 1997 and a National Historic Landmark in 2000.

Crown Hall...not my picture but wanted to show the overall building. Credit the Internet.

Designed by German architect Mies van der Rohe, Crown Hall was completed in 1956. It is regarded as his masterpiece and one of the most architecturally significant buildings of the 20th century Modernist movement, and the start to the International Style of building. Known for its design of openness and simplicity, Crown Hall is considered architecturally significant for its use of basic steel and glass construction.

We ran between the raindrops but glad we braved the storm. 

Next stop was Oak Park, Illinois and the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio.

After a falling out with his mentor and employer in Chicago, Louis Sullivan,

Wright moved with his family to Oak Park. The home was built in 1889 and the adjacent studio was built in 1898. 

Home front entrance.

This span of time in Wright's career was one of exploration and formulation of his architectural philosophy. The result was the Prairie style of American architecture. 

The photos below are of the entrance area to the studio.

Wright did not work in isolation. He had students, associates and collaborators around him regularly. Visiting the studio was quite inspiring especially the primary work area with its open space design. He seemed to "engineer" the space for maximum freedom of thinking, working and interacting. 

While living and working in Oak Park, Wright received many commissions to design private residences there. We had the opportunity to take a guided spin around the area to see some of the homes out of which the Prairie style of architecture evolved. 

If you made it this far, congratulations! Thanks for sharing the experience with me. My take-away: the trip was a unique way to see that, out of the Great Fire, a coincidence of circumstances created the opportunity for creative, daring and big-thinking people to realize a new urban architecture in Chicago that would be emulated across the nation and the world.

PS...the city of Chicago tried to stop Donald Trump from including HUGE letters declaring his ownership of TRUMP Tower. The city lost that one and ego won out. Too bad for the skyline. 

Thanks for looking.