Think Pink....

Stepped outside my front door this evening, and saw lots of pink! Carson Pirie Scott has new lighting. This must be in preparation for the completion of the restoration of the facade which they have been working on at least the last three years. The pink must be for Breast Cancer??

Corner Shot...

Looking at the images I have taken over the past month or so, I noticed that I seem to have taken quite a few shots looking up at the corner of buildings. So, I thought I would share a few of the better ones.

Standing on the corner of Adams and Dearborn, looking up at the top of the Dearborn Tower (2003).


The nearly finished One South Dearborn (2005). Dearborn and Madison.


Metropolitan Correctional Center (1975) on Van Buren and Clark.


Old Colony Building (1894) on Van Buren and Dearborn.


191 North Wacker (2002) at Lake Street. I like this one because the corner is literally over the street. I had to stay on the sidewalk to avoid getting hit by a cab.


A corner that is near and dear to me. The Reliance Building (now the Hotel Burnham) at State and Washington. I remember reading about this historic 1890's skyscraper when I was a little kid in the 70's.

301 Taylor...

What exactly this is, I am not sure. A power plant of some kind I would think. This structure has long fascinated me since moving here in 1999. It harkens from an era when industrial architecture was something to be proud of.

Taken from the river cruise this past Saturday, the Roosevelt St bridge in the background.


Taken from the Roosevelt St Bridge the previous Sunday (with much clearer skies).


Perspective of the smoke stack vs. the Sears Tower.

North Branch...

A couple of close friends and my significant other, went on the Chicago Architecture Foundations Architecture Cruise this afternoon. I have taken several architecture cruises in the past, but this one is the grandaddy of them all. Our docent Sylvia was fantastic, entertaining, and didn't dumb the facts down to the palatable level of most Navy Pier visitors.

Part of the trip involved going up the north branch of the Chicago River, which is missed by most of the architecture cruises. So, since the north branch isn't often seen, I thought I would bring it to you. This is the bridge house for the Grand Ave Bridge.


Looking back... The three Montgomery Ward buildings. On the left, the oldest of MW warehouse from 1906, now a tech center and condos. On the right, is MW warehouse from 1930, now condos. In the rear center, is the MW corporate office (also now condos) from 1974. Designed by Minoru Yamasaki, the man that designed the World Trade Center.


At the top of the 1930 warehouse is a bronze figure of Diana, Lighting the Way for Commerce.


Erie on the Park by Lucian LaGrange is one of my favorite buildings of the past ten years. The view from the river does an excellent job of showing off it's diagonal support structure.

Reflections on the Equinox...

Last March I took this image of the sun reflecting off of Dearborn Tower onto the facade of the Berghoff, I captured what I felt to be one of the best images I have taken. The reflection of the sign in the glass has fascinated me ever since.
Well, it has been six months, we are on the other side of the equinox, and I thought I would try this image again. The results (below)? Perhaps not as good.

March-05 (I did a post with this image on 05-09)



September-05


Broader perspective.


Full view of the front.

Macy's on State?... I don't think so!...

Add another nail to the coffin of individuality... For those that spent the day under a rock, Federated, the new owner of Marshall Fields, announced today that they will be deleting Marshall Fields from Chicagoland and replacing it with "Miracle on 34th Street". Only it's a miracle how they think that Chicagoans will tolerate a name change.

If you are interested in letting Federated know your thoughts, the address is here at Chicagoist. You can also add your name to the online petition KeepItFields.com

These images taken this past January during a snow storm exemplifies how it would be, the moment when hell froze over and Chicagoans flocked to "Macy's on State".


The Clock on the SW corner was actually attached to the previous incarnation of Fields that stood here before the current structure was completed in the early 1900's.


As you can tell, it was 11:16 PM, on that blizzardy January 22nd. I had a blast tromping through the snow falling in the vacant streets, taking more than 60 pictures before the stroke of midnight.

One South Dearborn

One South Dearborn is in the final stages of completion. At this point you can get a good general idea of how it is going to look. Shown here with One Chase (Bank One) Plaza reflected in the facade.


The setting sun reflecting light off of One South Dearborn onto the east side of One Chase Plaza.


The two buildings together.


One South Dearborn is quite complicated in it's simplicity. The materials are simple, stainless steel, black granite and glass, but there is asymmetry on all sides.

The Fireworks are Over...

Last night was the final fireworks show of the season at Navy Pier. While I tend to stay as far from Navy Pier as possible, I do enjoy watching the fireworks show they put on during the summer months. It was an exceptional night to be on the west tower roof of Marina City where I captured these images.


The brilliant harvest moon lit up the surface of the lake like I have only seen a few times since I moved here.


The sky was absolutely clear with lights in Indiana and Michigan creating a line on the horizon.


After the show we went down to the Marina Level, and watched as a group of kayakers came paddling down the river.


The kayaker on the left had to stop paddling to answer his cell phone.

Bare Bulbs in the Loop...

Having now taken hundreds of walks around the Loop with my camera, I have seen my fair share of bare light bulbs. The humble bare "Edison Bulb" is becoming less of a common sight than you would think.

Little did I know when I shot this just a few months ago in May, it wouldn't be there now. The Sign was recently replaced with a less than aesthetically pleasing plastic sign back-lit with fluorescent bulbs.


Taken in a service alley off of LaSalle St near Monroe.


Currently under restoration, the (LaSalle Bank) Shubert Theater on Monroe near State is where I found these bulbs. The Theater is currently undergoing restoration, so I doubt they still exist outside the exit in the alley.


These bulbs were found on Van Buren near Wells (I think). I was trying to focus on the pigeon, but the bulbs turned out better. (Besides, there are plenty of pigeons in the Loop, and unlike the bare bulb, there always will be.)

Bascule Bonanza...

Chicago is blessed with the largest collection of bascule bridges in the world. (If you're in to that kinda thing.)

This shot is of the Van Buren Bridge looking East.


Looking north on Wells from Wacker.


North on Clark from Wacker.


The underside of the perpetually open railroad bridge crossing the river from the new Sun Times Building (Apparel Mart) towards the west.

Hotel LaSalle Public Garage, Finally Gone...

This past February, I did a post about the Hotel LaSalle Public Garage and it's closing as of 2/14/05. Well, it is officially gone... I have been chronicling the demolition of this oddly historic structure since this past February.



(linked from: http://www.landmarks.org/chicago_watch_2004_3.htm)

Opened in 1918, this was a whole new type of structure, with no previous design history. Sadly, it was built to park Model T's, and not today's cars. The owners said that it wasn't possible to retrofit it for the modern world.


Taken on this past Valentines day, the first workday it was officially closed.


In mid March, the scaffolding was up, the wrecking ball was only days away...


Close up of the scaffolding, the pattern created was pretty cool in a sad way.


Taken in April, the top is off and it is beginning to come down.


By the 11th of May, there was very little left.


As of today, the scaffold is down (some of it for the first time in years) is finally gone. I remember the sidewalk covering going up in 1999 when I first moved here.


Fin'

Big Monster Door...

Walking around the West Loop Gate (or whatever the area bordered by Halsted to Ashland, and Van Buren to Kinzie) I found this larger than life door. Look carefully on the right side of the image below. There, you will find a standard commercial size door.


Imagine carrying the key for this lock around...


Behind the giant yellow door (and under the monster visible through the window), is home to Big Monster Toys LLC. No website to be found for this company, but a bit of web research shows that these guys invent the toys which the big toy companies produce, sell, and take credit for.

Pucker up...

On a recent visit to the Crown Fountain I noticed an eerie haze in the air around the faces. This is what I captured...


Pucker up... And...



Blow hard...!

Road Trip Part II "Dubuque"...

After spending a few hours in Galena, we drove across the Mississippi River to Dubuque, IA. Not exactly a tourist destination, nor a place I would likely visit again (intentionally that is), Dubuque did manage to take a couple of hours of our time. Aside from an empty downtown (the Walmart outside of town was packed), and a Casino which I didn't bother with, I managed to take quite a few pictures.

This garbage can reminds me of street furniture from the 70s. My question is, why is it locked?


One of the few interesting things in Dubuque can be found in the tourist haven of Cable Car Square (There is not square, and it isn't really a cable car). The Fenelon Place Elevator (completed in 1882) is sort of like a vertical lift (known as an "incline" in Pittsburgh). It lifts you up to the top of the bluff while the car at the top is lowered down.


At the top of the lift, you will find this vintage turnstile purchased at the 1893 Columbian Exposition here in Chicago.


At the top of the bluff a few blocks from the Fenelon Elevator, I stumbled upon this unusual house. I knew immediately that it was a Lustron Home from about 1950.


From the top of the bluff looking over the city, we could see the Dubuque County Court House. Completed in 1891, and fully restored in the 1970s, It is definitely the most striking building in the city.


The top has a statue of Justice.


And lastly, Michael found this great remnant of the past. Bireley's California Orangeade... mmm, sounds tasty!

Road Trip Part I "Galena"...

Michael and I got a rental car and decided to get the hell out of town yesterday. Our first stop was the historic town of Galena. A thriving city at a time when Chicago was still a swamp village, Galena built a fortune on lead in the 1830's. It later was home to Ulysses S Grant.

This is a view down Main Street. I was quite impressed by its length and size.


Built up into the hillside, there are stairs everywhere to get from one street to another.


Walking around, there is house after house from the first half of the 19th century. I don't know the age of this duplex on Diagonal Street, but judging by the homes that surround it, I would guess this house dates back to the 1840's. I was more enamoured by this little place with the crooked roof, than any of the old mansions nearby.

Katrina!?! What a Bitch!!!...

This post is off topic for my blog, but I felt it was necessary to put my plea out there to help these people in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.

There are now links on the right where you can make a donation to various charities and organizations. Please consider giving money to help. The McCormick Tribune Foundation will match your gift with 50% up to a million dollars, and Best Buy will match it dollar for dollar.

In reflection of the hundreds of thousands of people that now have no home to go to after Katrina, I remembered a picture I took last March of a man who couldn't even show his face. He actually had it better than those in New Orleans, at least he is dry.


I will be taking the next few days off, have a great weekend, and do something for Katrina's victims. Even if it is only prayer.

(Thanks Corncobber, for suggesting I copy your Katrina Relief "html" links.)

Looking back at the city...

We all have seen the lake from the shore, but it isn't often that most of us get to see the city from the lake. This past week I went on a work/department outing on the lake for a three hour cruise. Unfortunately, it was cloudy, and the water a bit rough, but I enjoyed the trip none the less (even with the Bud Lite).

This shot of McCormick Place from the lake is a great way to see it's incredible roof structure from a distance. I love this building, I consider it an example of good design for the late 60s.


OK, so this isn't looking at the city, but the sea of sail boats seems endless.


I have taken this shot several times, but every time I am out on the lake, I try to get an even better one. This time it was challenging due to the rocking of the boat, and this isn't one of my better ones, but I like it anyway.