Prairie and Pattern
in the middle of Chicago
I have always been crazy for world-class architecture. For
years, I have daydreamed about taking my children on the super-popular CAF
(Chicago Architecture Foundation) river cruise celebrating Chicago’s
architecture. I have always daydreamed
about taking them to see all of the
Frank Lloyd Wright sites in Oak Park,Illinois. I have also never been to see the
Bahai Temple in Wilmette, Illinois, for
example. I would love for my children to see the Bahai Temple there to
celebrate, not only the architecture, but the diversity of America’s religious
expression. I didn’t get that ‘Chicago architecture daydream’ done in their
formative years. This was my chance!
Approaching the
James R.Thompson Center,
formerly known as
the State of Illinois Building,
designed by Murphy/Helmut Jahn.
Notice the Jean Dubuffet sculpture
in front of the building.
Light abounds at this intersection
since the building leans back
from the intersection.
Inside, the open, awe-inspiring
atrium is designed to communicate
"an open government in action."
A 'dome,' a fixture of so many
sacred and governmental buildings,
was instead, modeled
into the floor
in tile.
The sculpture
"Monument with Standing Beast"
by French sculptor Jean Dubuffet
invites a feeling of play
from all passing pedestrians
regardless of age.
The State of Illinois
set aside 0.05% of building cost
for public art.
I love public art programs
and was a inaugural board member
of my city's public art board
in my hometown.
Living in Chicago for the summer gave me an opportunity to
plan an architecture outing. It allowed me the chance to join the Chicago
Architecture Foundation and to experience the amazing community of architecture
enthusiasts that has developed in the city.
The untitled Picasso sculpture
was the first significant public art
in downtown Chicago.
Kids love to run up and down it.
The story goes that it was inspired
by a woman with a great pony-tail that
Picasso was dating
at the time.
When I first walked into the
Chicago Architecture Foundation retail store and meeting point, I started crying. I am sure they thought I was
nuts. I was just so moved! This is how life is meant to be!
Imagine, there are thousands of people all over the world who
join the Chicago Architecture Foundation to
celebrate, enjoy, mull over,discuss, and preserve Chicago’s architectural heritage. Chicago is the home of
the world’s first skyscraper, has a spectacular master plan designed by Daniel
Burnham due to the Chicago Fire in 1878 that leveled much of the city, and 18
miles of gorgeous beachfront that is open to the public thanks to great urban planning and Montgomery Ward's leadership in the 1920s.
The Chicago Architecture Foundation’s mission is “to inspire
people to discover why design matters.” In 1966, preservation enthusiasts got together
to save a private Chicago residence, the Glessner House, from destruction.
Their success led people from across disciplines to form an organization
devoted to sharing this enthusiasm for great design. Since then, it has grown
into a group with a $17 million budget and 9,700 members. 450 volunteer tour
leaders led 6,395 tour departures last year celebrating architecture with
319,661 people. A whopping 1,367
volunteers put on their annual October Open House showcasing architectural
treasures across the city over the course of one weekend.
It’s such a great value too, to become a CAF member. Members
can go on 62 different walking tours for free. Yes, I said, 62 FREE walking
tours! Members are able to buy tickets to the architectural river cruise at 2
for 1, or 4 for 2 pricing, plus members get discounts in the retail shop, on boat,
bicycle, bus, and Segway tours, free attendance at lunch and evening programs,
and free passes to all exhibitions. Plus, if one were living in the city long-term, what a joy it would be to develop community with
like-minded, design-enthused people. Priceless!
The organization is so successful, it has started a sister
organization just to help people who ask, “how could I get one of these
architectural foundations started in my city?” I thought many times during the summer,
how useful an Istanbul Architectural Foundation would be, now, at a time when
the whole city seems up for grabs for construction with nary a thought to the
archaeological value of some sites.
Having an organized, committed, educated Istanbul
architectural foundation with a budget , a network of communication, and
institutional heft could make a difference. Far easier for design enthusiasts to work through institutional power, rather than through the street protests that have resulted in tear gas, arrests, and deaths for individuals who care about the future of their city.
The world's tallest skyscraper
designed by a woman,
the 82-story mixed use
Aqua Tower
designed by Chicago's
Jeanne Gang
of Studio Gang Architects
Notice the amenities for residents
built into the base of the building:
a jogging track, swimming pool,
parks and underground parking.
A park and school
are part of the complex.
Since Millennium Park was built,
one block away,
the residential units
available in this area
have exponentially increased.
I'm encouraged that
the world's tallest skyscraper
has been built by a woman
from Midwestern America,
in Midwestern America.
I also especially appreciated the CAF’s focus on women
architects. The Foundation works to publicize the gap between the number of women who
graduate with an architectural degree and the number who are actually working
as architects.
There’s a 32% gap. There were
exhibitions about women architects, and bus tours around the city showcasing female-designed buildings
(always sold out). The CAF, and a sister organization, the Chicago Women in Architecture (CAW) serve as
cheerleaders for female design accomplishment.
One local woman from Northern Illinois was the lead
architect on the world’s tallest female-designed skyscraper to date: Jeanne
Gang. Another Chicago institution, the
MacArthur Foundation, has also nurtured her talent with one of their famous “Genius
Grants.” The grant is a one-time gift of $625,000 with no strings attached to
use how the recipient wants. Gosh, I loved learning about her and seeing her
building. Is it any wonder Chicago is the place where female-led design has
pushed the boundaries?
Enjoying the
Chicago Architecture Foundation
River Cruise
with my family
I had one very special day with my children celebrating
magnificent design. Daughter #1 and her husband drove down from Wisconsin for
the day. The two of them, my youngest daughter and I took an CAF architectural
river cruise and saw the city from the point-of-view of the river.
Kayakers check out
the Chicago River's
future riverwalk
We were awed by the design challenges of particular
buildings, the story about how the flow of the Chicago River was reversed, and
the industrial histories of Sears and Montgomery Wards and their impact on the
city.
The engineering challenges met
on the construction
of the Boeing Building were
particularly impressive
Chicago leads the world in most number of
moveable river bridges. So far, the river's infrastructure benefits boats and cars. It’s exciting to see that Chicago’s next big civic design push is
inspired by San Antonio, creating a future pedestrian river walk for citizens to enjoy.
Bertrand Goldberg's "River City,"
affectionately known
as the "eyebrow" building
for the fun shape of the windows.
Notice the boat parking underneath.
Our tour guide noted with a bemused laugh that the Chicago
River has been upgraded from ‘toxic’ to merely ‘polluted.’ She told stories
about how Chicagoans of old used to dispose of their dead horses by dumping
them into the river. I can’t wait to see the day when the
river becomes romantic rather than wretching (well, at least that story was, the river itself looks fine). Go, Chicago, go!
What a view!
The view from the 16th floor terrace
of Trump International Tower
After our architectural river cruise, my family took me out
for a seafood lunch to celebrate my birthday, and then we went to the newly
designed Trump International Tower for a drink. I’m no fan of Trump’s politics, but I was
completely impressed with what he had built in Chicago, beginning with securing
the lot upon which his skyscraper was built. The lot alone speaks to his power.
How did he secure this exquisite piece of land? It has a dead-ahead view of the
Chicago River and Lake Michigan and a view of the Wrigley Building to the left.
The Trump International Tower
from the Chicago River
On 9/11/2001, Donald Trump was in a meeting with his
architect Adrian Smith, who was with the globally-famous architectural design firm Skidmore, Owings, &
Merrill, at the time of the design. Trump and Smith were planning to build a skyscraper
that would be Chicago’s tallest building. For obvious reasons, Trump decided against
this. If the building Trump built is any
less magnificent than what he had planned, I could not see how. It is sleek,
sexy, and timeless, particularly before Donald Trump decided to unnecessarily add his name to the building. We all knew it was yours, Donald. It was unnecessary to 'trump'-it this.
Selfies with my youngest
What a special moment
it was to enjoy this view
with my family
What an uplifting view! All around us were
wedding parties, gussied up and looking pretty, celebrating their special day. As one of my friends said about the pricy
drinks, “you just have to drink your drink very slowly.” Yes, the drinks were expensive, but no more than Istanbul, with its sky-high alcohol taxes.
Art Deco
Elevator Doors
at the
Chicago Board of Trade
I tried to do at least three of the free CAF walking tours each week while I was in Chicago. Because, these tours were so incredible, I didn’t
have time to see many of the amazing ‘secondary’ attractions that Chicago
boasts of that I would also like to see: Jane Addams’ Hull House museum, the
Oriental Art Institute (which I would really now appreciate having lived in
Turkey), the Glessner House, whose imminent destruction in the 1960s lead to the
creation of the CAF, the Pritzker Military Library (another architectural gem),
and on and on the list goes. Chicago in INCREDIBLE.
My favorite building discovery
of the summer
was the Marquette Building,
built in 1895,
and designed by
Holabird and Roche.
It has steel-frame architecture
and is considered
one of the best examples of
the "Chicago School of Architecture."
The building celebrates the voyage of Frenchman
and priest Jacques Marquette,
the first European settler in Chicago.
He explored the Chicago River in 1674.
Notice the bas-relief sculpture
over the entrance that celebrates
Marquette's exploration of the Great Lakes,
including, in the far right panel, his burial.
The Marquette Building is currently home
to the John D. and Catherine
MacArthur Foundation,
the people who make the
Genius Grants every year.
That foundation did an extensive renovation
of this imaginative, wonderfully-American gem.
Marquette's expedition
is recreated in
Tiffany glass murals
surrounding the atrium.
I found this absolutely thrilling!
Yes, people, that is a tomahawk
on a brass door.
Elsewhere there were peace pipes
in the brass panel fittings.
You aren't going to see a building like this
anywhere in Europe.
Expedition members were highlighted
on all sides of the atrium.
How cool is that?
It made me wonder why more history
isn't highlighted more in architectural buildings.
It helped me recognize
architecture's ability to teach,
awakening interest in history,
not just design.
A teacher could have a field day
with the institutionalized racism
captured in this description of Marquette,
as the "discoverer" of a river
Native Americans
were using on a daily basis.
It's so fantastic this
dated thinking is preserved.
We see not only the good,
but the limits of generations
who proceeded us.
I also did not get every site seen on my family field-trip daydream. Next time, I’ll have to take my girls to see Frank Lloyd Wright’s
work and Ernest Hemingway’s home in Oak Park. We'll drive out to
Wilmette to see the Bahai House. I’ve added tons more sites I would love to
see, especially houses of worship. There were so many gospel services, jazz
services, and classical music worship services in incredible looking buildings.
I wanted to get to them all!
When I consider the impact of the Foundation, it really didn’t
take that many people to change the world. So often, global challenges seem so overwhelming.
It seems they require such large sums of
money and large groups of people. A person could be forgiven for thinking they seem
impossible. Yet, the CAF started with
one project, and then undertook another, and it started growing. In forty
years, using the good will and hard work of around 10,000 souls a year, they
are producing world-class results. That seems so achievable. What exciting
project could your good will and hard work enable?
Thank you,
Chicago Architectural Foundation, for an inspiring summer of celebrating |"why design matters."
You gave me my very favorite experiences of
"My Jubilant American Summer" in 2014!
Readers, I just realized I've written 63 other posts about architecture. You might enjoy them. Here are a few of my favorites:
In Illinois:
"Make No Little Plans..."
"America's Favorite Architecture"
|"America's Finest Example of Prairie-School Architecture"
"A Living Tribute to Abraham Lincoln"
"Why the Obama Presidential Library Should be Built in Springfield, Illinois"
In Prague:
"Was Living in Soviet Housing on my Bucket List?"
"Art Deco Elegance in Old Town Prague"
"I Needed Some Cash In My New Neighborhood"
Pavel's Prague, Part Two, The Grand Orient Cafe
In Istanbul:
An Afternoon of Art and Beauty at the Borusan Contemporary, Part One
Topkapi Palace, Part One
For My Jubilant American Summer, Part One, click here
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