Results tagged “architecture”

Look out Obama's house and Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie house, there's a new landmark coming to in Hyde Park, and it's sure to dwarf the competition.

Whether or not you still have sore feelings about one of Chicago's most recognizable landmarks being renamed by the Brits, there is at least one good thing coming from the switch: the building will receive an upwards of $300 million green makeover.

A few years back, we mentioned how the National Park Service and the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana partnered with some dedicated individuals to save the "Homes of Tomorrow" designed and built for the 1933 Century of progress World Fair. These homes were part of an exhibit showcasing futuristic conveniences like central air conditioning and new building technologies and materials. At the fair's conclusion, the homes were floated by barge to Beverly Shores, Indiana where a developer planned to use the houses to start a community. That plan failed and the homes languished in disrepair. The partnership planned to save these houses and make them livable, by renting the homes for free -- in return for the residents renovating the houses.

When we were wee lads growing up in Highland Park, we dreamed of owning this one particular home in our neighborhood, which was only fitting given our love of exotic cars and modern architecture. And while riding bikes with our friends one day, we watched a film crew drop a red Ferrari out the back of its glass garage. That, of course, ended up becoming one of the most famous scenes in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," but the home's cinematic legacy may not be enough to save the mid-century masterpiece. The Rose House and Pavilion is included on Landmarks Illinois' latest list of endangered architectural landmarks in our state. Home to Ferris' friend Cameron in the film, the sleek glass house with its own car museum -- cantilevered over the ravine below -- was Designed by A. James Speyer for textile designers Ben and Frances Rose. Completed in 1954 (Pavilion in '74), the Highland Park home remains in relatively good shape for its age. So why is it threatened?

Preservation Chicago placed the Richard Nickel House at 1810 W. Cortland on its "Chicago 7" list of architecturally significant buildings slated for demolition. Nickel, a photographer and architecture preservationist, dedicated his life to preserving Louis Sullivan's classic architecture as Sullivan's buildings were being torn down rapidly during the 60's and 70s. Nickel's home often store rescued artifacts from buildings before being sold to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, where they remain on display.

We have an insatiable appetite for both miniature scale architecture and things built with Lego. So imagine how excited we are to see the ART + SCIENCE = ARCHITECTURE exhibit, opening at the Museum of Science and Industry today.

   

The Sears Tower will receive a $350 million face lift over the next five years to reduce its energy consumption by 80 percent. The building will also receive a new neighbor--an environmentally friendly 50-story luxury hotel, located at Jackson and Wacker. The initiative could create 3,600 new jobs and Sears Tower could become the tallest building to receive LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

              

While we didn't get the photo of Mayor Daley towering over the new Chicago Architecture Foundation mini-city (Da Mayor's out "sick"), we did get to prowl around its borders with a camera. Chicago in model form is 400 square city blocks painted three shades of gray - sans potholes and urban decay - constructed primarily within city limits at a ratio of 1 inch to 50 feet. While nothing moves in the exhibit (oh but for a Model El) the lights do change gradually, representing the shift from daytime to night.

When we were kids, we built vast cities out of Legos. But our micro-sized towns could never have competed with the mini city that the Chicago Architecture Foundation will unveil to the public this week. The exhibition will be free to the public, and located in the atrium of the CAF at 224 S. Michigan Ave. The official public opening and reception will take place on June 11, from 5:30 to 7pm. The exhibit will remain open for viewing until November 20.

          

On Saturday, the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust held their annual Wright Plus home tour, all-day tour which included eight private residences in Oak Park as well as the Wright Home & Studio and the Unity Temple in Oak Park and Hyde Park's Robie House.

Art kids, brace yourselves. Version Fest 09 Immodest Proposals is upon us. Organized by Ed Marszewski & Co. (Public Media Institute), this year's events list comes close to sensory overload. From April 23 - May 2, progressive art, politics, and music will saturate the streets, galleries, and music venues of Bridgeport and the West Loop with programs galore to inspire and engage you. We’re also stoked about Friday’s Korean-Polish BBQ.

Could one of Chicago's most famous landmarks be getting a new wardrobe? The owners of the Sears Tower, which has soared over the city's skyline since 1973, have proposed a silver paint job for the iconic black tower. So why is silver suddenly the new black? Is the Sears Tower jealous of the attention the glimmering Trump Tower demands on account of the way it reflects the sun's rays?

I'll be the first to admit that we give a lot of server space here to Laurent Gras and L2O. His Lincoln Park restaurant has — in less than a year — earned a reputation as one of the best in the city, become one of the crown jewels of the Lettuce Entertain You empire, and his blog detailing the creation process behind his menu items has long been one of the first we check on our RSS feeds If you haven't been L2O and have the means to eat there, it's worth the price.

Chicagoist loves our city's architectural history, as well as the way we Chicagoans celebrate and preserve the great structures in our presence. One of the organizations that works to preserve and promote some of the most significant local abodes is looking to recruit some new volunteers. The Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust, which maintains the Robie House in Hyde Park and Wright's Home and Studion in Oak Park, begins their next volunteer training in a few weeks.

       

Preservation Chicago unveiled today their annual list of the "Chicago 7," the seven most endangered buildings of the city. They are:

Photo by spudart