(DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Chicago

AR T INSTITUTE OF CHIC A GO  49

The Child’s Bath (1893)
American artist Mary Cassatt VISITORS’ CHECKLIST
employed a raised vantage point and
cropped figures in her work – artistic Practical Information
devices uncommon at the time. This 111 S Michigan Ave. Map 4 D2.
painting is influenced by the realistic Tel (312) 443-3600.
style prominent in Japanese prints. Open 10:30am–5pm Mon–Wed,
Fri, Sun; 10:30am–8pm Thu.
Closed Jan 1, Thanksgiving,
Third floor Dec 25. & (children under
14 free). 7 Michigan Ave.
0 = h at Monroe St. and
Millennium Park garages,
Grant Park garages. Exhibits,
lectures, films. ∑ artic.edu
Transport
q Adams. @ 3, 4, 6, 7, 126, 145,
McKinlock 147. £ Van Buren St.
Court


. American Gothic
Grant Wood’s 1930
portrait of an Iowa
farmer and his spinster
daughter, initially
criticized as satire,
has become an
American classic.

McKinlock
Court







Second floor
McKinlock
Court
. A Sunday on La Grande Jatte – 1884
Post-Impressionist Georges Seurat
composed this image of promenading
Parisians using tiny dots of color.


The Assumption
of the Virgin . Old Man with
a Gold Chain
Rembrandt van
Rijn’s interest in
the wisdom of
Museum Guide age can be seen
First-floor galleries range from ancient Greek in this character
artifacts to Asian collections, American art, and study (c.1631).
the Modern Wing’s film, video and new media,
and photography galleries. The second floor is
devoted mostly to European works from the 15th
to 20th centuries and to art after 1960. The third
floor houses modern art from 1900 up to 1950.




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Exploring the Art Institute of Chicago
The museum’s holdings span the globe as well as centuries,
from 3rd-millennium BC Chinese artifacts to modern
American and European art. Almost every major artistic
movement of the 19th and 20th centuries is represented.
The museum’s Early Modernism collection is very strong;
its Impressionist and Post-Impressionist collection – one
of the most signi ficant in the world – is outstanding. Flower gardens in the grounds of
Important Renaissance and Baroque paintings complement the Art Institute
these exhibits.
and brass, the suit is decorated
with large medallions depicting
allegorical figures.
Decorative Arts
For unparalleled insight into
the ever-changing taste of
Western society, visit the
decorative arts galleries.
Their broad array embraces
household items, including
furniture and tableware,
jewelry, and religious artifacts.
The impressive European
collection contains 25,000
objects crafted from wood,
metal, glass, ceramics, enamel,
Visitor to the European gallery appreciating the old masters on display and ivory dating from 1100 to
the present. It also includes
carved 13th-century stone sculpture from the medieval
Asian Art
statute of Sara swati, the Hindu period to 1900.
Some of the museum’s most goddess of learning, from The American collection
exquisite pieces are in its Southern India. includes an excellent selection
distinguished Asian collection, The Art Institute also houses of Arts and Crafts furniture,
which comprises 35,000 Persian 16th-century illumin- including a beautiful oak library
works of archeological and ated manuscripts and miniature table (1896) designed by Frank
artistic significance. paintings, though these are not Lloyd Wright (see p32).
The galleries of Chinese, currently on view. The fine European and
Japanese, and Korean art American textile collection
include celebrated collections spans 15 centuries and features
of ancient Chinese bronzes Arms and Armor vestments, tapestries, and
and jades, 18th- and 19th- Remarkable works of late embroideries. Highlights are a
century Japanese woodblock medieval and Renaissance 19th-century William Morris-
prints, and early Korean metal-craft are showcased in designed carpet and two rare
ceramic vases. the George F. Harding
The art from the Golden Age Collection. One of the finest
of the Tang Dynasty (AD 618– such collections in North
907) is the prize of this exhibit, America, it consists of 3,000
in particular, the magnificent pieces of arms and armor.
brightly glazed earthenware These include finely etched
funerary horses. helmets, chain mail, equestrian
Indian, Himalayan, and equipment, historic weaponry,
Southeast Asian art dating from and decorated breastplates.
the 2nd to 19th centuries One of the earliest pieces in
encompasses artifacts of the the collection is a breastplate
Hindu and Buddhist faiths. from northern Italy. Dating from
Among the gems here are the 1380, its original fabric covering
nearly life-sized 2nd- and is still intact. Also striking is a
3rd-century bodhisattva 1575 northern Italian suit of
sculptures from Gandhara armor, used for foot combat. The grand staircase and foyer of
(present-day Pakistan), and a Made of etched and gilded steel the Art Institute




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AR T INSTITUTE OF CHIC A GO  51


fragments of Coptic cloth precursor of
dating from between the all abstract art
5th and 8th centuries. forms; German
Two of the quirkiest – and Expressionism, the
most renowned – collections embodiment of
are the Arthur Rubloff Paper- the search for a
weight Collection and the strong emotional
Thorne Miniature Rooms. The language in art;
museum’s holdings of more and Surrealism, the
than 1,000 French, English, and liberation of
American glass paperweights, the irrational.
popular in the mid-19th Post-World War II
century, are one of the art is also well-
largest in the world. represented by The Basket of Apples (c.1895) by Paul Cézanne
The Thorne Miniature Rooms works of such
consist of 68 model rooms, influential artists as Dedicated to a new form of
painstakingly constructed to Willem de Kooning and art – one that eschewed the
a scale of 1 inch (2.5 cm) to Jackson Pollock. constraints of the prevailing
1 foot (30 cm). The intricate formal style – these artists
European and American attempted to capture the
furnished interiors, ranging Architecture textures and moods of fleeting
from the 16th to 20th centuries, When the 1894 Chicago Stock moments, or impressions. Their
are made with extraordinary Exchange (Adler and Sullivan) final exhibition was in 1886.
technical precision. was demolished in 1972, its The artists who followed in
Trading Room was salvaged and the Impressionists’ footsteps –
reconstructed at the museum. labeled Post-Impressionists by
Its ornate glory can still be seen English art critic Roger Fry –
in the stenciled ceiling and art- created works of art exploring
glass skylights. There are also evocative color relationships
pieces from other demolished and rules of composition.
Chicago buildings. Highlights of the museum’s
Special exhibits and a library holdings include the highly
with a comprehensive estimable Helen Birch Bartlett
collection on Louis Sullivan Memorial Collection, featuring
complement the installations, Paul Cézanne’s The Basket of
housed in the Modern Wing. Apples (c.1895) and Henri de
Toulouse-Lautrec’s At the Moulin
Rouge (1895).
Impressionist and Post- No better illustration of
Impressionist Art
Impressionist and Post-
Gifts from wealthy patrons such Impressionist principles can be
as Bertha Palmer (see p79) and found than Claude Monet’s six
The Londonderry Vase (1813), inspired Frederic Clay Bartlett, who versions of a wheat field, which
by Roman imperial art astutely began collecting works combines the basic doctrine
by Monet, Degas, and Seurat in of Impressionism – capturing
the late 19th century, led to the nature’s temporality – with
20th-Century Art Art Institute becoming the first the Post-Impressionist concern
The museum’s collection of in the US to include a gallery of for reconstructing nature
more than 1,500 20th-century Post-Impressionist art. Today, it according to art’s formal,
and contemporary paintings is one of the foremost centers of expressive potential.
and sculptures provides a Impressionist and
comprehensive and provocative Post- Impressionist
survey of the development of paintings outside
modern art. Representing every France.
significant artistic movement in United only by
Europe and the US, the works their fiercely held
are arranged in groupings that belief in artistic
highlight stylistic affinities experimentation,
between varied artists. the French
The collection is divided into Impressionists were
pre-1950 and post-1950 works, a diverse group
housed in the Modern Wing. who exhibited
Particularly strong are the together in the
examples of Cubism, the 1870s and 1880s. On the Seine at Bennecourt (1868) by Claude Monet




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0 Sullivan Center the upper floors of the old
building were supported on jack
1 S State St. Map 3 C2. Tel (312) 675-
5500. q Monroe; Washington (Red screws and the lower stories
Line). Open 10am–8pm Mon–Sat. demolished. The ground floors
Closed Easter, Thanksgiving, Dec 25. of the Reliance Building were
∑ thesullivancenter.com completed and in 1894, when
the leases expired, the upper
It is appropriate that such an floors were demolished and the
architectural gem as the Sullivan steel framing for 13 more stories
Center (formerly known as the completed, in 15 days.
Carson Pirie Scott Building), The new building, officially
which, until 2007, housed one opened in March 1895, was
of Chicago’s oldest department considered revolutionary
stores, rests at Chicago’s ground- because of its steel frame and
zero address of State and unusual two-story-column
Madison, the starting point for the design, allowing for the masses
city’s street-numbering system. In of windows which give the
2012, the City Target store chain building its modern look.
opened shop in the building. The building’s design was
The upper floors of the building undertaken by John Root of
are finished in white terra-cotta, Burnham and Root. Charles
but it is the ornamental metal- Atwood completed it upon
work on the first two floors that Root’s death in 1891.
give this building, designed by The building was in serious
Louis Sullivan in 1899, its The Reliance Building, precursor to the disrepair in the mid-1990s, until
distinctive character. modern skyscraper the City of Chicago purchased
A particularly noteworthy it and began an exterior
feature of the exterior is the q Reliance Building renovation, which involved
corner entrance pavilion, which 32 N State St. Map 3 C1. Tel (312) 782- the replacement of 2,000 pieces
extends 12 stories to the top of 1111. q Washington (Red Line). of terra-cotta. In 1995, it was
the building and has ornamental Open 24 hrs daily. 7 h See Where designated a Chicago landmark.
cast-iron motifs. Along with to Stay, Hotel Burnham: p144. In 1998, a hotel company
intricate botanical and geometric bought the building,
forms, Sullivan’s initials, L.H.S., The Reliance Building’s two- undertaking a $27.5-million
can be seen above the corner stage construction (1891–95) refurbishment before opening
entrance. While this is the showy was as unusual as were the the Hotel Burnham in 1999.
heart of the building, it is worth structural-support techniques Root’s original bronze and
taking a walk east along Madison used. The leases for the upper granite design of the first floor
Street to take time to admire floors of the original building has been re-created and the
the metalwork and Chicago on the site did not expire until 20-ft- (6-m-) high elevator
windows from a far less busy 1894, so when work on the new lobby reconstructed using
vantage point. Reliance Building began in 1890, Italian marble, ornamental
metal elevator grills, and
elaborate mosaic floor tiles.
w Macy’s
111 N State St. Map 4 D1. Tel (312)
781-1000. q Washington (Red Line).
Open 10am–8pm Mon, Thu–Sat;
9am–9pm Tue & Wed; 11am–6pm
Sun. Closed Easter, Thanksgiving,
Dec 25. 7 8 0 h See Shops
and Markets: p159.
∑ visitmacyschicago.com
No other retail establishment
is, perhaps, as important to
Chicago’s cultural history as
Marshall Field’s department
store, which became part of the
Macy’s chain in 2006. The original
Marshall Field plaques remain on
The red bull’s eye logo represents City Target, a popular store at the Sullivan Center the building but, despite protests




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1925, when it was demolished.
The Oriental, built on the site,
opened in 1926. The 22-story
building, with its 3,238-seat
auditorium, was designed by
renowned theater architects
Cornelius W. and George L. Rapp.
The theater was used as a
movie palace back when live
performances accompanied
screenings. Judy Garland, Jackie
Gleason, and Bob Hope all
performed here.
Inspired by the East Indian
carnival-festival Durbar, the
theater’s interior is full of
fantastic decorative elements,
such as the elephant-head light
fixtures in the foyer.
The Oriental is in what, for
more than a century, was
Chicago’s bustling theater district:
Randolph Street between
Michigan Avenue and Wacker
Christmas window display at Macy’s Drive. The Rice Theatre was the
first to open in the area, in 1847
by loyal customers, the name lady what she wants.” When the (since it has burned down).
Macy’s remains ubiquitous store opened in 1907, it was By the 1880s, more than 25
elsewhere. Originally a dry- considered the largest in the entertainment palaces were
goods shop begun by wealthy world, with 1,339,000 sq ft offering vaudeville, musicals,
businessman Marshall Field (124,400 sq m) of retail space, opera, and drama. Although
(see p79), the store now occupies including the basement (such few of the original theaters
an entire city block. Built in use was until then unheard of remain, the district has been
five stages as the company in US merchandising), 35,000 revitalized, spurred by the
grew, the original building, a electric lights, 50 elevators, and restoration of the Oriental, which
Renaissance Revival-style design 12 street-front entrances. reopened as the Ford Center for
by Charles B. Atwood of D.H. The store’s most spectacular the Performing Arts Oriental
Burnham, still stands at feature is its Tiffany mosaic Theater. Restoration of the
Washington and Wabash. vaulted dome. With more than theater was completed in 1998
Field is credited with trans- 1.6 million pieces of iridescent after a 17-year closure; 62,500 sq
forming State Street into the glass covering 6,000 sq ft ft (5,800 sq m) of gold leaf were
retail heart of Chicago in the (557 sq m), it took 18 months used in the theater’s renovation.
early 1900s and for coining the and 50 artisans, supervised by
commercial credo, “Give the designer Louis Comfort Tiffany,
to complete.
e Oriental
Theater
24 W Randolph St. Map 3 C1.
Tel (312) 782-2004. q
Washington (Red Line). 7 8
11am Sat. See Entertainment:
pp166–7. ∑ chicago-
theater.com
The Oriental Theater
occupies the site of one of
the worst theater fires in US
history: just weeks after opening
in 1903, fire broke out in the
Iroquois Theater, claiming almost Signs such as this
Superb Tiffany glass dome in Macy’s 600 lives (see p19). The theater mark the Loop’s
southern atrium was rebuilt and operated until theatrical district




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54  CHIC A GO AREA B Y AREA


originally skylights but have
since been sheathed with
copper and backlit to protect
and preserve the glass.
On the fourth floor is the
Sidney R. Yates Gallery, a replica
of an assembly hall in Venice’s
14th-century Doge’s Palace.
Arched, bronzed doorways are
inlaid with antique marble, and
the ceiling is coffered. The
stairway leading to the fifth
floor is modeled on the Bridge
of Sighs in Venice.
Although the building
Facade of Chicago Cultural Center’s Randolph Street entrance itself deserves many hours
r Chicago Cultural granite base. The elegant of architectural exploration,
allow enough time to view
Center building cost almost $2 million the center’s many exhibits
to construct. that reflect the city’s rich
78 E Washington St. Map 4 D1.
Tel (312) 744-3316. q Randolph. There are two entrances to cultural heritage and show-
Open 8am–7pm Mon–Thu; 8am– the building. The north case local and international
6pm Fri; 9am–6pm Sat; 10am–6pm entrance, at 77 East Randolph artists. Along the western
Sun. Closed public hols. 7 via Street, with Doric columns and corridor on the same floor
Randolph St. entrance. 8 1:15pm a massive portico, serves the is the Landmark Chicago
Wed, Fri, Sat. - = n Daily arts four-story north wing; the Gallery, displaying
events: call (312) 744-3316. deeply arched Romanesque photographs of the city’s
∑ chicagoculturalcenter.org portal with bronze-framed architectural heritage.
doors at the south entrance, The center also contains
Built between 1893 and 1897 at 78 East Washington Street, two concert halls, two theaters,
as the city’s main library, the serves the five-story south and a dance studio. Hundreds
building was dedicated in wing. The Garland Court of programs and exhibitions
1991 as the Chicago Cultural corridor connects the wings. are presented annually. Each
Center to showcase and The interior of the building, week, there are many concerts,
celebrate the performing, which includes a grand Carrara literary readings, and cultural
visual, and literary arts. marble staircase just inside the events held here.
Designed by the Boston firm Washington Street entrance, is One of two Visitor
Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge, a monument to elegant Information Centers operated
this massive Neo-Classical (see ornamentation. Inset in the by the Chicago Office of
p29) edifice features soaring staircase are small medallions Tourism is on the first floor
arches of white marble and made from a rare Irish emerald of the Chicago Cultural
classical Greek columns. The marble. On the underside of Center, near the Randolph
3-ft- (1-m-) thick masonry walls, the staircase, seen by looking Street entrance.
clad with Bedford limestone, up from each landing, are
rise 104 ft (32 m) above a intricate mosaics.
Two spectacular glass domes
complete the opulent
detailing. At the south end of
the building, on the third floor
in Preston Bradley Hall, is a
huge Tiffany dome. This 38-ft
(11.5-m) jewel of sparkling
colored glass, stone, and
mother-of-pearl is valued at an
incredible $35 million. It is the
largest stained-glass Tiffany
dome in the world. At the
north end of the building, in
the second-floor G.A.R.
Rotunda, is a stained-glass
dome in an intricate
Renaissance pattern. It was
Grand staircase leading to the third-floor created by the local firm Healy Stained glass dome by Healy and Millet in
Preston Bradley Hall and Millet. Both domes were the G.A.R. Rotunda




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DOWNT OWN  55


NOR TH C OL UMBUS DRIVE





T
STREE T STREE

ANDOLPH




R MONROE
EAST EAST








NOR TH MICHIGAN A VENUE
Key to Main Sights
1 Harris Theater for Music and 4 AT&T Plaza 8 Great Lawn
Dance 5 South Terrace and Crown Fountain 9 Jay Pritzker Pavillion
2 Wrigley Square 6 Chase Promenade 0 BP Bridge
3 McCormick-Tribune Ice Rink 7 Lurie Garden q Nichols Bridgeway
t Millennium Park includes a special sound a pleasant landscape of plants
system that reaches the whole and flowers. This extensive garden
Bounded by Randolph & Monroe sts.,
Michigan Ave., & Columbus Dr. audience. The Pavilion is the was the result of an international
Map 4 D1. Tel (312) 742-1168. home of several summer music design competition and has
q Madison; Randolph. 8 Park: festivals. It can accommodate become a popular meeting place.
6am–11pm daily. - h Concerts. up to 14,000 people, while its The Crown Fountain consists
∑ millenniumpark.org stage allows for up to 120 of two 50-ft (15-m) towers that
musicians and a chorus of 150 project video images of Chicago
A project to celebrate the singers to perform at the same citizens, whose mouths open to
21st century, Millennium Park time. Nearby, connecting the spout water on those visitors
has provided year-round Great Lawn with the third floor splashing below.
recreational opportunities of the Art Institute’s Modern The McCormick-Tribune Ice-
since it opened in summer Wing, is the Nichols Bridgeway. rink converts to an outdoor
2004. A northern expansion The 1,500-seat Harris Theater restaurant and activity plaza in
of Grant Park (see pp86–7), it for Music and Dance was built the summer, becoming a venue
covers more than 1 million sq ft mostly below ground so as not for Chicago’s summer dance
(93,000 sq m). This park-within- to obscure views through the program (see p164).
a-park has transformed an park. Designed by Hammond Beside the Ice Rink is the
unsightly rail yard and parking Beeby Rupert Ainge, the theater AT&T Plaza, featuring the
lot into a world-class cultural offers ballet and other dance huge Cloud Gate sculpture by
destination for families, tourists, performances, in addition to renowned British artist Anish
and convention-goers. classical, chamber, opera, and Kapoor. This giant elliptical
The showpiece is the outdoor folk music. structure (nicknamed The Bean)
Jay Pritzker Pavilion, which was Designed to pay homage to has a highly polished surface,
designed by internationally the city’s motto Urbs in Horto which is designed to reflect the
acclaimed architect Frank Gehry (City in a Garden), the Lurie park and surroundings. It is
in association with the park’s Garden, with its graceful wooden Kapoor’s first public work
own designers. The bandshell footbridge and groves of trees, is installed in the US.




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y Chicago Theatre (inspired by Paris’ Arc de
Triomphe), and palatial lobby
175 N State St. Map 4 D1. Tel (312)
462-6300. q Lake (Red Line), State reflect the opulence of early
and Lake (Brown, Green, & Orange theater design. The six-story-
Lines). @ 29, 36, 62, 145, 146. high sign above the marquee
Open 10am–6pm Mon–Fri. 8 Apr– has become a city symbol.
Sep: noon Tue & Thu; Oct–Mar: noon
Tue. 3rd Sat of month: 11am & noon. u Michigan Avenue
See Entertainment: pp166–7.
∑ thechicagotheatre.com Bridge
Map 2 D5. Tel (312) 977-0227.
Slated for demolition in the q Lake/State (Red Line), State and
1980s but reprieved, this grand Clark/Lake (Blue Line). @ 11, 33, 125,
3,800-seat theater has been 145, 146, 147, 151. Museum Open
restored to its former glory. 10am–5pm Thu–Mon.
The oldest surviving theater in Henry Hering’s Defence depicting the 1812
Chicago, it was designed by Linking the loop with the massacre, on the bridgehouse
Rapp and Rapp in 1921 and Magnificent Mile, this bridge, the
originally was a vaudeville first double-deck trunnion At the bridge’s north end, in
movie palace. It now bascule bridge ever built, the 401 North Michigan Avenue
hosts musicals was completed in 1920. plaza, a plaque marks the
and other live Spanning the Chicago homestead of Jean Baptiste
performances. River, the two leaves, each Point du Sable, Chicago’s first
Along with its Beaux- weighing 3,340 tons (3,030 permanent non-American Indian
Arts white terra-cotta tonnes), open by turning resident. On the northwest end
facade, the theater has on enormous trunnion is the McCormick Bridgehouse
the last cast-iron bearings on the banks. & Chicago River Museum,
building front in The bas-relief sculptures, which reveals the inner workings
Chicago. In 1902, one on each of the of the bridge, and the man-
architects Hill four bridge-houses, made transformations of the
and Woltersdorf Chicago Theatre’s commemorate important Chicago River.
remodeled the west marquee and sign events in Chicago’s history. Michigan Avenue Bridge is
facade and added A plaque on the south- one of 20 downtown bridges
another floor. The decoration of west corner marks the site of spanning the Chicago River, in
the entranceway triumphal arch Fort Dearborn (1803–12). a city that has the greatest





























The opulent interior of the restored Chicago Theatre




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number of movable bridges
of any city in the world.
Visitors can also stroll along
nearby Riverwalk, parallel to
Wacker Drive from Wabash
Avenue to Wells Street.

i 35 East Wacker
Drive
Map 4 D1. Tel (312) 726-4260.
q Lake; State. Open 24 hrs daily. 7
∑ 35eastwackerdrive.com
This sandy-colored terra-cotta
office building, which became a
Chicago landmark in 1994, has
been described as a “confection”
– the dome at the top really
does resemble a birthday cake!
The building, designed by
Thielbar and Fugard, opened in
1926. During Prohibition, the
dome housed mobster Al
Capone’s notorious speakeasy,
the Stratosphere Club.
The building once had
private parking garages on
each of the first 22 floors;
jeweler tenants, concerned
about security, drove into
the elevator and were lifted
up to their floors. A 1988
renovation restored the
marble interior. Outside, a Corberó’s Three Lawyers and a Judge in the R. R. Donnelley Building
6-ton (5.4-tonne) clock with
the gilded bronze figure of o R. R. Donnelley the classics: a grid of
Father Time overhangs the Building Portuguese white granite
Wacker Drive sidewalk. frames the exterior curtain
77 W Wacker Dr. Map 3 C1. wall of silver reflective glass.
Tel (312) 917-1177. q Clark. The ground-floor marble
Open 24 hrs daily. 7 lobby, with its 42-ft- (13-m-)
high ceiling and huge,
The R. R. Donnelley Building, classical windows, is a
a modern 50-story office monumental space housing
tower overlooking the two sculptural groupings:
Chicago River, was built in 1992 Ricardo Bofill’s Twisted
in the Downtown area. Columns (1992), a set of
Designed by Chicago three Modernistic columns
architect James DeStefano, hand-carved from white
with famed Catalan architect Italian marble, and Catalan
Ricardo Bofill as the design sculptor Xavier Corberó’s
consultant, the building Three Lawyers and a Judge
combines classical aesthetic (1992), rough-hewn
with Chicago School basalt figures suggesting
(see pp28–9) functionality. human forms.
The many classical references At night, 540 high-intensity
to ancient Greece and lamps dramatically illuminate
Rome include the four- the building in a lighting
pedimented roof, a scheme designed by
contemporary take on Pierre Arnaud, who also
a classically proportioned illuminated the Pyramids,
35 East Wacker Drive, seen from across the Greek temple. The building the Parthenon, and the
Chicago River materials likewise conjure Louvre Museum.




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58  CHIC A GO AREA B Y AREA


16th floor. Here, visitors brave
enough to look down will
have a stunning view of the
marble rosette in the granite
concourse floor marking the
building’s center.
Throughout the building are
14 specially commissioned
artworks showcasing Illinois
artists, and selections from
the building’s permanent art
collection are also on view.
Ask for a directory at the
information desk.
On the main floor is the
Illinois Artisans gallery, where
local artisans frequently sell
artworks and crafts.
Not on view to the public
are eight ice banks – each
40 ft (12 m) long, 12 ft (3.5 m)
wide, and 14 ft (4 m) tall – in
the sub-basement. In summer,
up to 400 tons (363 tonnes)
of ice are frozen each night
in these giant cubes, then
used to cool the building.
Outside the building,
located at the Randolph Street
entrance, sits Jean Dubuffet’s
The towering atrium in the James R. Thompson Center 29-ft (9-m) lighthearted
p James R. numerous restaurants and fiberglass sculpture Monument
with Standing Beast (1984)
Thompson Center shops. Performances and fairs (see p127).
are often held in the atrium.
100 W Randolph St. Map 3 C1.
Tel (312) 814-6660. q Clark/Lake. The interior rotunda, at a 333 West
Open 6:30am–6pm (atrium 17 stories and 160 ft (49 m) in Wacker Drive
8am–6pm) Mon–Fri. 7 = Art diameter, is one of the largest
exhibits. ∑ theatriumchicago.com enclosed spaces in the world. Map 3 B1. q Washington (Brown,
A cylindrical skylight soaring Orange, Purple Lines). Open 7am–
The James R. Thompson 75 ft (23 m) above the roofline 6:30pm Mon–Fri. 7 h
Center (1985) is a refreshing caps the rotunda. Its steel
change from the rectangular frame weighs almost 10,500 Located at a bend in the
skyscrapers that make up tons (9,525 tonnes). Chicago River, this prominent
Chicago’s Downtown. Architect Exposed escalator and Post-Modern, 36-story edifice
Helmut Jahn designed the elevator machinery echo the echoes the curving form of its
center as a symbol of open building’s no-barriers theme. natural neighbor. Designed in
democratic government, Elevators run up glass shafts 1983 by the architectural firm
one with no barriers between to a viewing platform on the of Kohn Pedersen Fox, the
it and the people. The all-glass
walls and roof in this multi-
shaped structure provide a
monumental, dazzling – and
some say, chaotic transparency.
Originally called the State
of Illinois Building, and often
still referred to as such, the
building was later renamed
after the former Illinois governor
who commissioned it. The
tricolor (patriotic but often
criticized salmon, silver, and
blue) center is home to almost
70 government offices and The massive James R. Thompson Center, Standing Beast in foreground




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DOWNT OWN  59


office tower is sheathed s Wacker Drive
with reflective, green-tinted From N Wacker Dr to N Michigan Ave.
glass that changes shade Map 3 C1. q Clark.
depending on the levels of
sun and water. Broad horizontal Wacker Drive’s east-west
bands of brushed stainless segment offers one of the
steel run every 6 ft (2 m). loveliest downtown walks of
Green marble and gray granite any US city. Running alongside The fortresslike Merchandise Mart, best
form the base of this elegant, the south bank of the main viewed from Wacker Drive
wedge-shaped building, branch of the Chicago River
materials used again in the and connecting to 17 of the (390,000 sq m), the world’s
two-story lobby. city’s bridges, this two-tiered largest commercial building.
street was the first of its kind in State Street Bridge Gallery, in
the world. the bridge’s mechanical room
Named in honor of Charles (open daily, no admission
Wacker, one of Chicago’s civic charge), offers visitors a rare
planners (see p73), the drive opportunity to see the
was built in 1926 to replace machinery at work behind
the run-down South Water this famous movable bridge.
Street Market. The gallery also displays
The lower level is reserved for local artwork.
through traffic, but the upper At 75 East Wacker Drive is
level consists of a roadway, the city’s thinnest skyscraper.
sidewalks, and a pleasant This Gothic-style, 1928 building
riverwalk, lined with public art. is clad in white terra-cotta.
Wacker Drive affords a splen- The Chicago Architecture
did view across the river of Foundation’s river cruise
impressive architecture, includ- tours, departing from Michigan
ing the massive Merchandise Avenue Bridge at Wacker
A cityscape reflected on 333 West Wacker Mart. Built for Marshall Field in Drive, offer fantastic views
Drive’s convex surface 1930, it is, at 4.2 million sq ft of Chicago’s towers.
Chicago River
No other natural feature played The streets, along with the connected the Chicago River to
as important a role in the early buildings on them, were raised the Des Plaines and Illinois Rivers
development of Chicago as did above the new system, some- and involved the digging out of
the Chicago River. For Native times by as much as 12 ft (3.5 m). more rocks, soil, and clay than
Americans and settlers alike, The city’s largest hotel at the was excavated for the Panama
the river served as a trade route time, the Tremont, was raised Canal. This massive project
connecting the Great Lakes and while still open for business, reversed the flow of the main
the heart of the continent. By without breaking a pane of and south branches of the river,
the mid-1800s, as shipping glass or cracking a plaster wall. which now drain away from Lake
became a major economic This new sewer system did Michigan and into the Sanitary
and Ship Canal.
activity in the area, the Chicago not entirely eradicate the city’s
River was the main thorough fare unsanitary conditions, however.
of a growing metropolis. In 1885, a devas tating cholera
One unsanitary result of such and typhoid epidemic killed
growth was that the Chicago thousands of Chicagoans
River also served as the city’s (12 per cent of the population
sewer, a dumping ground for by some estimates) when
waste. The swampy conditions, sewage flowed into Lake
with the surface of the land near Michigan, the city’s source
to the level of standing water, of drinking water.
made it impossible to construct In response to this tragedy,
an underground sewer system. the city initiated the largest
In the mid-1800s a Boston municipal project in the US at
engineer, Ellis Chesbrough, the time – the construction of
was hired to fix the problem. the 28-mile- (45-km-) long
Chesbrough developed the Sanitary and Ship Canal. Built
country’s first comprehensive between Damen Avenue and Drawbridge spanning the Chicago River
sewer system – above ground. the town of Lockport, the canal opening for water traffic





058-059_EW_Chicago.indd 59 13/07/16 2:59 pm

Sunset at the downtown distict by the Chicago River

Sights at a Glance
Historic Buildings and Streets Modern Skyscrapers d Chicago History
1 Wrigley Building 7 John Hancock Center Museum
2 Tribune Tower e Marina City and IBM Building h International Museum
3 Hotel InterContinental Chicago x Trump International of Surgical Science
5 Water Tower and Pumping Station Hotel & Tower Shopping Streets
9 Drake Hotel Churches and Cathedrals
t Richard H. Driehaus Museum and 6 Fourth Presbyterian Church 8 Oak Street
Ransom R. Cable Houses Piers and Beaches
i Newberry Library y St. James Episcopal Cathedral q Navy Pier
u Archdiocese of Chicago and
p Menomonee Street Chapel of St. James z Oak Street Beach
a Wacker Houses o St. Michael’s Church
s Crilly Court and Olsen-Hansen Row Houses
f 1550 North State Parkway Museums and Galleries
g Residence of the Roman Catholic 4 Hershey’s Chocolate World
Archbishop of Chicago Chicago
j 1500 North Astor Street 0 Museum of Contemporary Art
k Edward P. Russell House w Chicago Children’s Museum
l Charnley-Persky House r River North Gallery District




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CHIC A GO AREA B Y AREA  61

NEAR NORTH SIDE

Just north of the Chicago River, Chicago’s the ashes, and today the Magnificent Mile,
Near North Side encompasses several Gold Coast, Streeterville, and River North
neighbor hoods, most settled in the mid- are all upscale residential and shopping
1880s by Irish, German, and Swedish districts. Modest Old Town is an eclectic
immigrants. Tragically, the 1871 fire razed mix of residences, shops, and
the entire area. The communities rose from entertainment venues.

Restaurants pp149–51 8 Fellini Bar and Restaurant 20 MK Restaurant
1 Billy Goat Tavern 9 Foodlife 21 Mr. Beef
2 Café Iberico 10 Frontera Grill 22 Les Nomades
3 Café Spiaggia 11 Gibson’s Steakhouse 23 NoMI Kitchen
4 Capital Grille 12 Gino’s East 24 Osterio Via Stato
5 Coco Pazzo 13 Hugo’s Frog Bar and 25 P.F. Chang’s
6 Le Colonial Fish House 26 Pizzeria Uno
7 David Burke’s 14 Joe’s Seafood, Prime 27 Portillo’s Hot Dogs
Primehouse Steak & Stone Crab 28 The Pump Room
15 Kiki’s Bistro 29 The Purple Pig
16 Lawry’s The Prime Rib 30 Quartino
17 Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria 31 RA Sushi Bar
18 Mike Ditka’s Restaurant 32 Rosebud Steakhouse
W MENOMONEE ST
19 Mity Nice Bar and Grill 33 Roy’s
W WILLOW ST
34 Signature Room at the 95th
35 Spiaggia
N FERN CT
W EUGENIE ST LASALLE DRIVE
36 Topolobampo
37 Tru
NORTH CLARK STREET
SEDGWICK STREET
NORTH WELLS STREET
N HUDSON AVE
Sedgwick W NORTH AVENUE 38 Wildfire
39 Xoco
W BURTON PL NORTH STATE PARKWAY N ASTOR ST
N ORLEANS ST
N NORTH PARK AVE
N WIELAND STREET
W SCHILLER ST
E BANKS ST
NORTH LASALLE STREET
0 meters 500
W GOETHE STREET E GOETHE ST
0 yards 500
E SCOTT ST
NORTH DEARBORN STREET
NORTH CLARK STREET
W DIVISION STREET Clark/ E DIVISION ST
Division
WEST ELM STREET E ELM ST
E CEDAR ST
W HILL ST
W MAPLE ST
E BELLEVUE PL
W SCOTT ST NORTH WELLS STREET
11 •13 N RUSH ST NO RTH LAKE SHORE D RIV E NORTH LAKE SHORE DRIVE
3 •35
WEST OAK STREET E OAK ST E LAKE SHORE DR
W
WALTON ST E WALTON ST E WALTON PL
W LOCUST ST E DELAWARE PL N DEWITT PL
W CHESTNUT ST E CHESTNUT ST WAY VAN DER ROHE MIES
W CHESTNUT ST See also Street Finder
E PEARSON ST
Chicago Chicago maps 1& 2
W CHICAGO AVE E CHICAGO AVE
W SUPERIOR ST E SUPERIOR ST
NORTH ORLEANS STREET
NORTH LASALLE STREET
W HURON ST E HURON ST
WEST ERIE STREET NORTH MICHIGAN AVENUE N ST CLAIR STREET E ERIE STREET
N WELLS STREET
12 •38 NORTH FAIRBANKS COURT
WEST ONTARIO STREET EAST ONTARIO ST
WEST OHIO STREET NORTH STATE STREET EAST OHIO STREET
WEST GRAND AVENUE N WABASH ST N RUSH ST E GRAND AVE N MCCLURG COURT
N FRANKLIN ST
Grand
WEST ILLINOIS STREET E ILLINOIS ST
WEST HUBBARD STREET 10 •36•39
WEST KINZIE STREET E NORTH WATER ST
W CARROLL ST
Merchandise 225 yards Chicago River
Mart
For keys to symbols see back flap
060-061_EW_Chicago.indd 61 13/07/16 2:56 pm

62  CHIC A GO AREA B Y AREA

Street-by-Street: The Magnificent Mile

The magnificent mile, a stretch of Michigan Avenue north of the
Chicago River, is Chicago’s most fashionable street. Although
almost completely destroyed in the 1871 fire, by the early 1900s,
Michigan Avenue had become a major traffic artery. The 1920
opening of Michigan Avenue Bridge led to a retail boom. In 1947,
developer Arthur Rubloff, predicting that the street would be
Chicago’s premier shopping district, dubbed it the Magnificent
Mile. His prediction came true and the name stuck. Exclusive
shops line the wide boulevard, while modern retail
complexes and mixed-use skyscrapers rub shoulders
with historic buildings.








900 North Michigan Shops
Anchored by Bloomingdales
department store, this
contemporary mall houses
over 400 retailers, including
specialty shops and
high-end designers such as
Coach and Gucci.




6 Fourth Presbyterian Church
Fourteen carved stone angels, each
holding a musical instrument, adorn
the nave of this Gothic Revival-style
church, the oldest structure on the
Magnificent Mile after the Water
Tower. A large fountain sparkles at
the center of its inner courtyard.










5 . Water Tower and
Pumping Station
These two historic castellated
structures, the station housing
a café, theater and visitors’ center,
sit on an island in the street –
7 . John Hancock Center a relaxing, shady retreat from
This tower offers spectacular views from busy Michigan Avenue.
its open-air skywalk and a thrilling TILT
experience, both on the 94th floor. Key
The ground-level plaza has a fountain,
cafés, and, occasionally, live music. Suggested route




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NEAR NOR TH SIDE  63

Water Tower Place
The shopping area of
this 1970s tower block
is centered around an
eight-story terraced atrium
and includes upscale
boutiques, numerous NEAR
restaurants, and two major NORTH SIDE
department stores.
DOWNTOWN
Locator Map
See Street Finder map 2



3 . Hotel InterContinental Chicago
An eclectic mix of detailing – from
Mesopotamian-inspired carvings to
knights in armor – vie for attention in
this 1929 hotel. It underwent major
renovation in 2013.










2 Tribune Tower
Rock fragments from
N
famous sites around the
O
world, including St. Peter’s
R
T
H Basilica in Rome, are
embedded in the exterior
M
I
of this Gothic-style tower.
C
H
I
G A N
A V
E N
U
E


The Shops at
North Bridge
development
houses shops, 1 Wrigley Building
restaurants, a This structure, one of
movie theater, Chicago’s most beloved,
and several boasts a giant four-sided
hotels. clock and a quiet courtyard,
which is open to the public.
The building is parti cularly
0 meters 200 dazzling at night, when
0 yards 200 it is illuminated.




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64  CHIC A GO AREA B Y AREA


walls, as is a 3.3-billion-year-old
piece of moon rock, collected
by the Apollo 15 mission.

3 Hotel
InterContinental
Chicago
505 N Michigan Ave. Map 2 D5.
Tel (312) 944-4100. q Grand (Red
Line). Open 24 hrs daily. 7 9 0
- h See Where to Stay: p144.
Originally the Shriners’
Medinah Athletic Club, this
The two-part Wrigley Building, to the left of Tribune Tower magnificent building was
renovated at a cost of $130
1 Wrigley Building the 75th anniversary of the million, reopening in 1990 as
Chicago Tribune, the newspaper the Hotel InterContinental
400–410 N Michigan Ave. Map 2 D5.
Tel (312) 923-8080. q Grand (Red whose offices still occupy the Chicago. Designed in 1929
Line). @ 3, 145, 146, 147, 151. North building. Architects were by Walter W. Ahlschlager, it is
lobby: Open 24 hrs daily; South lobby: challenged to create the most topped with a large onion-
Open 7am–6pm Mon–Fri. South beautiful office building in the shaped gilt dome.
building: Closed public hols. 7 world. From 263 submissions, Many of the building’s
∑ thewrigleybuilding.com that of New York firm Howells exterior and interior details
and Hood was chosen. Their reflect the Shriners’ interest in
The Wrigley Building rests on a Gothic design, reflected in all things Egyptian, medieval,
historical site: it was to here that the flying buttresses of the and Renaissance. Ask the
Jesuit missionary Jacques crowning tower, echoes concierge for the free self-
Marquette and explorer Louis France’s Rouen Cathedral. guided tour audiotape, which
Jolliet made their first portage The building’s ornate explains historic features.
west of the Great Lakes in the three-story arched entrance Carved in stone on the
1670s, and here that La Salle is carved with figures from 2nd-floor staircase to the Hall
planted the flag of France (see p17). Aesop’s fables. Gargoyles, such of Lions, two lions guard the
The wealthy chewing-gum as the monkey symbol izing intricate terra-cotta fountain.
manufacturer William Wrigley, Jr. human folly (below the south- Inside the King Arthur Foyer
commissioned the architectural side fourth-floor windows), and Court on the 3rd floor,
firm Graham, Anderson, embellish the facade. More colorful paintings on the
Probst and White to design than 100 rock fragments ceiling beams depict King
the building. The 30-story south from famous sites, including Arthur’s life. On the 5th floor,
tower was built in 1920, the Beijing’s Forbidden City and classical Renaissance paintings
21-story north tower in 1924. London’s Westminster Abbey, adorn the walls of the
They are connected by three are embedded in the exterior Renaissance Room Foyer.
arcades. The circular temple and
cupola rising above a massive
four-faced clock were inspired
by Seville’s Giralda Tower.
Six shades of white enamel,
from gray to cream, were baked
onto the terra-cotta cladding; at
night, it shimmers.

2 Tribune Tower
435 N Michigan Ave. Map 2 D5.
Tel (312) 981-7200. q Grand (Red
Line). Open 24 hrs daily. 7 =
The 36-story limestone Tribune
Tower is the winning design
of a 1922 international
competition sponsored by the
Tribune Company to celebrate The Johnny Weissmuller Pool at Hotel InterContinental Chicago




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NEAR NOR TH SIDE  65


The Spanish Tea Court features 5 Water Tower and 6 Fourth
a fountain lined with Spanish Pumping Station Presbyterian
Majolica tiles. Church
A gem is the 11th-floor 806 N Michigan Ave. Map 2 D4.
swimming pool, named after q Chicago (Red Line). Tower: 866 N Michigan Ave. Map 2 D4.
the swimmer and actor Johnny Tel (312) 742-0808. Open Tel (312) 787-4570. q Chicago (Red
Line). @ 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 151.
10am–6:30pm Mon–Sat; 10am–
Weissmuller. A renovation in 2000 5pm Sun. Closed public hols. Open 9am–6pm Mon–Fri;
created a common entrance for Station: Tel (312) 744--2400. 8am–7:30pm Sun. 5 8am, 9:30am,
the north and south towers, which Open 7:30am–7pm daily. 11am, 6:30pm Sun. 7 via 126 E
were both updated in 2013. Closed Thanksgiving, Dec 25. Chestnut St. Concerts: 12:10pm Fri.
7 station only. - = n ∑ fourthchurch.org
Built just before the The 1871 fire destroyed the
fire of 1871, the Water Tower original Fourth Presbyterian
(1869) and the Pumping Church, at Wabash and Grand,
Station (1866), housing the night it was dedicated.
Chicago’s original The current building is the
waterworks, were two oldest surviving structure
Sign for the giant chocolate store on of the few buildings (after the Water Tower) on
Magnificent Mile in the city to survive Michigan Avenue, north of
the conflagration. the river.
4 Hershey’s Designed by William W. Designed by Ralph
Chocolate World Boyington, these structures Adams Cram, architect of
Chicago look like Gothic castles. The New York’s Cathedral of St.
154-ft (47-m) tower consists John the Divine, the church
822 North Michigan Ave. of limestone blocks rising in is Gothic Revival in style
Map 2 D4. Tel (312) 337-7711. five sections from a square (see p28). Its exposed
q Chicago (Red Line). Open base. The tower originally buttresses, stone spire,
10am–8pm Sun–Thu (to 10pm in housed a standpipe that and recessed main
summer); 10am–10pm Fri & Sat. stabilized the mains window all reflect
water pressure. It is the influences of
When candy-maker Milton now home to a medieval European
Hershey visited Chicago in 1893, City Gallery which churches.
he bought the equipment that specializes in Angels 7 ft
he would use to revolutionize photography. The (2 m) tall stand
the chocolate industry. With mass Lookingglass just below the
production he was able to lower Theatre is also illuminated
the cost of manu facturing milk based here. timber ceiling;
chocolate, once a luxury item, In addition to The Water Tower survived Chicago’s the stained-glass
making it affordable to all. Today, housing a Visitor Great Fire of 1871 windows are
the Hershey Foods Corporation Information magnificent.
is the largest North American Center (163 E. Pearson St.), A covered walkway leads to
producer of confectionary. the Pumping Station fulfills a tranquil courtyard designed
Hershey’s Chocolate World its original purpose, pumping by Howard Van Doren Shaw.
Chicago is a huge themed store up to 250 million gallons Weekly Friday concerts,
located in a Loyola University (946 million liters) of water some including the church’s
building on Magnificent Mile. It per day. magnificent organ, are free.
stocks all the well-known brands
such as Hershey’s, Reese’s, and
Kit Kat, as well as the latest
products and goods unique to
the Chicago store. Sugar-free
versions of the most popular
products are also available. The
store’s interactive “bake shoppe”,
where visitors can customize
cookies, cupcakes, and brownies,
is pop ular with children.
The Chicago store is the latest
addition to the world-famous
chain which includes Hershey’s
Time Square in New York and
the Hershey’s Chocolate World
in Hershey Pennsylvania. The peaceful courtyard of the Fourth Presbyterian Church




064-065_EW_Chicago.indd 65 13/07/16 2:59 pm

66  CHIC A GO AREA B Y AREA

















Upscale boutiques lining Oak Street
7 John Hancock Graham of Skidmore, Owings 8 Oak Street
Center and Merrill and engineer Fazlur R. Between Rush St. & N Michigan Ave.
Khan, the John Hancock Center
875 N Michigan Ave. Map 2 D4. 360 Map 2 D3. q Chicago (Red Line).
Chicago: Tel (312) 751-3680. opened in 1969, and houses See Shops and Markets: pp158–9.
q Chicago (Red Line). offices, condominiums, and
Open 9am–11pm daily. & to 360 shops in 2.8 million sq ft Tree-lined Oak Street at the
Chicago (children under 5 free). 7 (0.26 million sq m) of space. north end of the Magnificent
0 h ∑ 360chicago.com The elevator ride to the top is Mile is home to many upscale
touted as the fastest in boutiques such as
The John Hancock Center North America. At a Prada, Hermès, Sonia
stands out as a bold feature of speed of 20 miles (32 Rykiel, Luca Luca, and
the Chicago skyline. The 100- km) per hour, you reach Jil Sander.
story building has 18-story- the observatory in just Along with its chic
long steel braces crisscrossing 40 seconds. On a clear fashion boutiques, Oak
the tapering obelisk tower like day, you can see for up Street has numerous
stacked Xs. to 80 miles (130 km). art galleries, such as
The center’s major attraction The view is especially the Colletti Antique
is 360 Chicago, formerly known dazzling during the late- Poster Gallery,
as the Hancock Observatory, afternoon when the specializing in original
located on the 94th floor. sun falls on the works from 1880
Here, 1,127 ft (343 m) above downtown buildings. to 1940. Perhaps
the Magnificent Mile, you A wall-to-wall exhibition the grandest one-stop
can actually go outside, in the observatory shop in Oak Street
onto Chicago’s only open-air traces Chicago’s history. is Barneys New York,
(screened) skywalk, or experience The center’s lower The John Hancock which opened its
a physically tilting observation courtyard has several Center spacious store
deck dubbed as the “TILT”. cafés, with patios here in 2009.
Designed by architect Bruce in summer. Luxury brands and Barneys’
in-house label attract
distinguished shoppers.
The 20-story apartment
building (1929) at No. 40
was designed by Ben Marshall,
architect of the Drake Hotel.

9 Drake Hotel
140 E Walton Pl. Map 2 D3.
Tel (312) 787-2200. q Chicago
(Red Line). 7 0 - See Where
to Stay: p144 .
∑ thedrakehotel.com
The essence of the golden age
in the heart of the Magnificent
Mile, the 537-room Drake Hotel
opened in 1920. Designed by
Entrance to the 1920s Drake Hotel Marshall and Fox, and inspired




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NEAR NOR TH SIDE  67


by the Italian Renaissance, museum’s extensive collection
this 13-story hotel is clad of works by internationally
in limestone. acclaimed artists, including
The lobby, paneled in Andy Warhol, René Magritte,
marble and oak, is graced Cindy Sherman, and Alexander
with grand chandeliers, Calder. Don’t miss Richard
elegant red carpets, and a Long’s Chicago Mud Circle
magnificent fountain. (1996), an exuberant app-
The elegant Palm Court, lication of mud on the gallery
in the lobby, offers traditional wall. The museum also hosts
afternoon tea and is also evenings of dance, theater,
a fashionable place for and live music.
refreshing cocktails, with live
jazz Fridays and Saturdays. Tranquil fountains and palms at Navy Pier’s
The Cape Cod Room has an q Navy Pier Crystal Gardens
extensive seafood menu to 600 E Grand Ave. Map 2 F5. w Chicago
choose from. Tel 800-595-7437. @ 29, 65, 66, 124.
The hotel’s splendid piano Open 10am; closing times vary by Children’s Museum
bar, the Coq d’Or, has live day and season. Closed Thanksgiving, 700 E Grand Ave. at Navy Pier.
music every night. When Dec 25. 7 0 - h n Lake Map 2 F5. Tel (312) 527-1000.
Prohibition ended in 1933, cruises. ∑ navypier.com @ 29, 56, 65, 66, 124. Open
this bar served the second 10am–5pm daily; 10am–8pm Thu.
drink in Chicago. Navy Pier is a bustling recreational Closed Thanksgiving, Dec 25.
and cultural center. Designed & (free 5–8pm Thu). 7 = h
0 Museum of by Charles S. Frost, the 3,000-ft- Special activities daily. ∑ chicago
(915-m-) long and 400-ft-
childrensmuseum.org
Contemporary Art (120-m-) wide pier was the
largest in the world when built Chicago Children’s Museum,
220 E Chicago Ave. Map 2 D4.
Tel (312) 280-2660. q Chicago in 1916. Over 20,000 timber piles focusing on activating the
(Red Line). @ 10, 66. Open 10am– were used in its construction. intellectual and creative potential
8pm Tue; 10am–5pm Wed–Sun. Originally a municipal wharf, of children aged 1 to 12, is an
Closed Jan 1, Thanksgiving, Dec 25. the pier was used for naval activity center for the whole
& 7 8 9 - = h training during World War II. family. All exhibits are hands-on.
∑ mcachicago.org After a four-year renovation, Kids can build a fort in the Under
Navy Pier opened in its present Construction exhibit, climb three
Founded in 1967, the incarnation in 1995. stories of rope-rigging on the
Museum of Contemporary Jane Addams Memorial Park Kovler Schooner, or make a flying
Art offers innovative exhibits has a 150-ft- (45-m-) Ferris machine in the Inventing Lab. In
that interpret and present wheel (offering fine lake views the WaterWays, they can channel
contemporary art. Designed in the daytime); old-fashioned water with dams and locks. The
by Berlin architect Josef Paul carousel; outdoor amphitheater; Dinosaur Expedition is where
Kleihues, the sleek building ice skating rink; miniature golf children can dig for bones in an
has four floors of naturally lit course; and IMAX 3D theater. excavation pit. Along with
exhibition space. On display The Smith Museum displays educational exhibits, it is a space
are selections from the stained glass. where kids can simply have fun.

















Chicago Children’s Museum




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68  CHIC A GO AREA B Y AREA

e Marina City and
IBM Building
Marina City: 300 N State St.
Map 1 C5. q State and Lake.
Open 24 hrs daily. 7 0 h IBM
Building: 330 N Wabash Ave.
Map 2 D5. q State and Lake.
Open 24 hrs daily. 7
The two towers of Marina
City pay symbolic tribute
to the Midwest’s farming
economy – they look like
giant corncobs. Designed by
Bertrand Goldberg Associates Shops and galleries lining the streets of the River North Gallery District
and opened in 1967, these r River North
twin circular towers function and banker, this Italian
like a city within a city, with Gallery District Renaissance palazzo
apartments, offices, shops, Between N Wells & N Orleans Sts., was designed in 1883 by
parking, a marina, and even from W Erie St to W Chicago Ave. Map Chicago church-architects
a bowling alley. 1 B4. q Chicago (Brown, Purple Burling and Whitehouse
To the east of Marina City, Lines). 8 (312) 649-0065. See Shops and, after restoration, is
and in stark contrast to its and Markets: pp158–63. now a museum.
organic form, rises the IBM The mansion has 23 rooms
Building, a sleek modern River North is home to more on its three floors, each room
monument. Designed by than 65 art galleries – the seemingly more opulent
Mies van der Rohe (see p32) largest concentration outside than the next. More than 20
with C.F. Murphy Associates New York City. Some of varieties of marble, along with
and opened in 1971, the Chicago’s finest antique and onyx and alabaster, were used
52-story office tower has an home-furnishing shops are to build the main hall and
exposed steel frame and dark also located here. great staircase. Even the ceiling
bronze-tinted glass walls. West Superior Street is the is marble. The largest room is
A small bust of Mies van center of the district. Galleries the first-floor Picture Gallery,
der Rohe, who died before here and on adjoining streets illuminated by a domed,
construction of the building offer a wide range of artwork Tiffany leaded-glass skylight.
was complete, is located in the by both international and Across the street, the Ransom
lobby. In winter, the exterior local artisans. Unusual pieces R. Cable House now quarters
plaza can be quite bleak and by American folk artists, a securities and capital
frigid. There are ropes strung African-American art, glass management corporation.
to prevent people from being sculpture, photography, and Designed by Cobb and Frost,
blown into the Chicago River. contempo rary paintings are the 1886 Richardsonian
just some of the treasures to Romanesque (see p28) mansion
be found. Most galleries are was built for the president of
closed Sundays and Mondays. the Chicago, Rock Island and
Pacific Railway Company.
It features rough-hewn
t Richard H. rusticated masonry. Both
Driehaus Museum houses are designated as
Chicago landmarks.
and Ransom R.
Cable Houses
40 & 25 E Erie St. Map 2 D4.
q Chicago (Red Line); Grand (Red
Line). Nickerson House: Open
10am–5pm Tue–Sun. Cable House:
Closed major public hols.
∑ driehausmuseum.org
The Richard H. Driehaus
Museum offers a glimpse into
the wealthy world of late-
1800s Chicago high society.
Marina City’s twin towers, flanked on the Commissioned by Samuel Charming coach house belonging to the
right by the IBM Building Nickerson, a distillery owner Ransom R. Cable House




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y St. James history. More than 700,000
Episcopal Cathedral pieces of glass are set in
limestone frames. The
65 E Huron St. Map 2 D4. Tel (312) magnificent 50-ft- (15-m-)
787-7360. q Chicago (Red Line). tall limestone altar, adorned
Open for mass only. Cathedral: 5
10:30am Sun; Chapel: 5 12:10pm with sculptures, was hand-
Thu–Fri; 5:30pm Wed. 7 = carved in France.
Concerts. ∑ saintjames
cathedral.org
i Newberry Library
The parishioners of St. James 60 W Walton St. Map 1 C3.
have worshiped at this site Tel (312) 943-9090. q Chicago
since 1857. After their original (Red Line). Open Hrs for lobby, book
building was destroyed in the rooms, and exhibits vary; call ahead.
Great Fire of 1871 (only the Closed public hols. 7 8 3pm Thu;
1867 bell tower survived), 10:30am Sat. = Exhibits, lectures,
architects Burling and Adler Statue of Archbishop Quigley outside concerts. ∑ newberry.org
were hired to design a new Quigley Seminary
building. The St. James At the north end of
Episcopal Cathedral, a Gothic u Archdiocese of Washington Square Park is
Revival (see p28) structure Chicago and the impressive Newberry
of Joliet limestone, was Library. Founded in 1887
completed in 1875. Chapel of St. James by Walter Newberry, a
Inside is a fine example of 835 N Rush St. Map 2 D4. merchant and banker, this
Victorian stencil work (1888), Tel (312) 534-8200. q Chicago (Red independent research library
designed by Edward J. Neville Line). Archdiocese office: Closed to for the humanities – one of the
Stent, a student of British public. Chapel: 8 mandatory: noon, best in the US – opened to the
designer William Morris. The 2pm Tue, Thu–Sat. Concerts public in 1893. Henry Ives
stencils were restored in 1985 Cobb, master architect of the
by the Chicago architects The Archdiocese of Chicago Richardsonian Romanesque
Holabird and Root. is in the process of moving style, was the designer.
The Chapel of St. Andrew into the former Quigley Strengths of the collection
is at the north end of the Seminary, which closed in include cartography, Native
cathedral. Designed by Bertram 2007. Designed by Zachary American history, Renaissance
G. Goodhue in 1913, it is said to T. Davis (architect of Wrigley studies, and geneology. Rarities
be based on a private oratory in Field) and Gustave E. Steinback include a 1481 edition of
an ancient Scottish abbey. The and completed in 1919, this Dante’s Divine Comedy, first
painted-glass windows portray Gothic building has carved editions of Milton’s Paradise
the figures of St. Paul, Mary buttresses and spires. Regained, and the King James
Magdalene, and St. Francis. Ten statues in the niches Version of the Bible.
along the north wall represent Through the triple-arched
saints, such as St. Cecilia, patron entrance, the lobby has
of music, and St. Elizabeth, a grand staircase, terrazzo
patron of pregnant women. flooring, galleries, and
On the spire of the library tower a bookstore.
is a statue of St. George, his iron
spear serving as the building’s
lightning rod. A statue of
Archbishop James E. Quigley
(1854–1915), known for his
commitment to building
Catholic schools in Chicago,
is at the northwest corner of
the grounds.
Also on the site is the Chapel
of St. James, inspired by the
Gothic Sainte-Chapelle in Paris.
The spectacular Rose Window,
28 ft (9 m) in diameter, depicts
the life of the Virgin Mary.
Smaller windows relate stories
from the Bible and the pictorial
The majestic altar and stained-glass scheme represents 245 events Jeweled cover of the first edition of Milton’s
windows in the Chapel of St. James of scriptural and church Paradise Regained




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72  CHIC A GO AREA B Y AREA

o St. Michael’s The bell tower is adorned with
Church a large four-faced clock. Each
of the five bells in the tower
1633 N Cleveland Ave. Map 1 B1.
Tel (312) 642-2498. q Sedgwick. weighs between 2,500 and
5 9am, 11am, 7pm Sun; 5:30pm 6,000 lbs (1,135 and 2,720 kg).
Mon, Wed–Sat. 7 weekends or by By tradition, if you can hear
arrangement. h ∑ st-mikes.org the bells of St. Michael’s, you
are in Old Town.
The original St. Michael’s Restoration of the church
Church was a small brick began in the 1990s. The first
building built in 1852. phase involved removing a
As St. Michael’s small ton of pigeon excrement from
congregation expanded, inside the bell tower.
it outgrew the building. The colorful, vaulted
The cornerstone for a interior features Mayer
new church was laid stained glass, frescoes, 335 Menomonee Street, a wooden cottage
in 1866. In just three and sculptures typical of Old Town
years the building’s depicting the life of p Menomonee
construction, Christ and the Virgin
overseen by builder Mary. The carved Street
August Wallbaum, high altar and its four From N Sedgwick St. to Lincoln Park
was complete. Later, subsidiary altars W. Map 1 B1. q Sedgwick.
the Great Fire of 1871 Angel in St. illustrate St. Michael,
destroyed the roof and Michael’s flanked by the Menomonee Street lies in the
interior of the church. archangels Gabriel heart of Old Town Triangle
However, the thick, brick and Raphael, triumphant Historic District (bounded by
walls survived and remain over Lucifer. Cleveland Street and North
to this day. Located on the church and Lincoln avenues), a
The steeple, added to the grounds is a small memorial delightful area of vintage
bell tower in 1888, rises 290 ft dedicated to Catholic cottages and Queen Anne-style
(88.5 m) above the ground. war veterans. (see p28) row houses settled
in the mid-1800s by working-
class German immigrants.
In the 1940s, community
concern over the area’s falling
fortunes led to one of the
city’s earliest neighborhood
revitalization efforts. Today,
the Old Town Triangle’s narrow
tree-lined streets are home
to picturesque houses and
numerous interesting shops
and restaurants.
Walk along Menomonee
Street to view the residences
that typify mid- to late-19th-
century Old Town. Most of the
original houses in the area
were small cottages built
using the method of balloon
framing, so-called because
such structures were reportedly
as easy to construct as blowing
up a balloon (see p29). The
lightweight wood en frames
provided ample kindling
when the 1871 fire swept
through the area.
The whitish gray clapboard
house at No. 350 is a rare
surviving example of the fire-
relief shanties the Chicago Relief
and Aid Society built for people
The high-domed interior and main altar of St. Michael’s Church made homeless by the fire.
Catalan artist Jaume Plensa’s Crown Fountain in Millennium Park



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These one-room structures,
costing the City about $100
each, were transported on
wagons to charred lots,
providing fire victims with
instant lodging.
The shanties were later
replaced with permanent
wooden cottages, constructed
before an 1874 city ordinance
prohibited the building of
wooden structures. The high
basements and raised front
staircases typical of these
cottages were designed
to accommodate the above- The elaborate Queen Anne-style Olsen-Hansen Row Houses
ground sewage system
(see p59). The cottages at Charles Wacker, Frederick’s son The renovation of the
Nos. 325–45, although and the city planner after whom development in the 1940s,
built after 1871, are typical Wacker Drive is named (see p59), led by Crilly’s son Edgar,
of those in the neighborhood remodeled the coach house included closing off alleys
before the ravages of the after moving it to its present behind the residences to
Great Fire. location beside the main create private courtyards
family home. and replacing wooden
No. 1838’s elaborately carved balconies with wrought-iron
a Wacker Houses trim is an excellent example ones, giving the complex a New
of the handcrafted details Orleans-like atmosphere. This
1836 & 1838 N Lincoln Park W.
Map 1 B1. q Sedgwick. on many houses in the Old redevelopment of Crilly Court
Closed to public. Town neighborhood. initiated the renewal of the
Lincoln Park neighborhood.
Both the Charles H. Wacker The Olsen-Hansen Row
House and the Frederick Wacker s Crilly Court and Houses, on West Eugenie Street,
House, designed in the early Olsen-Hansen Row are more elaborate expressions
1870s by an unknown architect, of the Queen Anne style (see
are highly ornate examples of Houses p28). The row houses were
the Chicago cottage style. Crilly Court: north of W Eugenie St. designed by Norwegian-born
Commissioned by Frederick between N Wells St. & N Park Ave.; architect Harald M. Hansen in
Wacker, a Swiss-born brewer, Olsen-Hansen Row Houses: 164–172 1886 for Adolph Olsen. Only 5
No. 1836 was built as a coach W Eugenie St. Map 1 C1. of the original 12 remain.
house but served as the q Sedgwick. Closed to public. Turrets, various window styles,
Wacker’s temporary home until Victorian porches, irregular
No. 1838, a wood-frame Representing two different rooflines, and a mixture of
structure built just before the approaches to Queen Anne- building materials – ranging
ban on wood as a building style row-house design are Crilly from red brick to rough stone –
material, was completed. Court and the Olsen-Hansen give each of the row houses a
Row Houses. distinctive identity. Hansen
Crilly Court was created in 1885 himself lived here, at No. 164.
by real-estate developer Daniel F.
Crilly, when he bought a city
block and cut a north-south
street through it, which he
named after himself. Over
the next ten years, Crilly built
a residential and retail devel-
opment, creating what is
now one of the quaintest
streets in Chicago.
Two columns frame the
entrance to the court. On the
court’s west side are two-story
stone row houses. On the east
side is a four-story apartment
Frederick Wacker House, with its alpine-style building, the names of Crilly’s four Daniel F. Crilly, developer of Chicago’s
overhanging porch children carved above the doors. handsome Crilly Court




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74  CHIC A GO AREA B Y AREA

Astor Street VISITORS’ CHECKLIST

For more than 100 years, Astor Street, named for fur Practical Information
tycoon and real estate magnate John Jacob Astor, has From North Ave. to W Division St.
been the heart of fashionable Gold Coast. Wealthy Map 2 D1–D2.
Chicagoans flocked to the area in the 1880s and built Transport
q Clark/ Division.
over the next 60 years the striking houses in myriad
architectural styles that line the street, though
interspersed today with more modern buildings. Just
six blocks long, the charming Astor Street district,
designated a Chicago landmark in 1975, is ideal for
leisurely strolling.

John Jacob Astor
German-born John Jacob 0 meters 100
Astor (1763–1848) made his 0 yards 100
fortune in the fur trade. In
1808 he chartered the
Chicago-based American
Fur Com pany, creating a
monopoly in the Great
Lakes area. Astor’s
successful fur business
helped fund later, highly
profitable, real-estate
ventures. When he died, he
was the richest man in the US. AST OR STREE T EAST SIDE




0 meters 100
0 yards 100







May House (No. 1443) is a
granite Romanesque Revival- William D. Kerfoot
style mansion designed in This real-estate businessman 1400 Block North Astor Street
1891 by celebrated residential lived at No. 1425. The first The buildings lining this
architect J.L. Silsbee, one of Chicagoan to reopen for handsome block of the Gold
Frank Lloyd Wright’s (see p32) business in the Loop after the fire Coast reflect an eclectic mix of
first employers. The mansion’s of 1871, he posted outside his architectural styles, ranging from a
grand arched entranceway hastily erected shanty a sign the Tudor Revival country-style house
with ornate carving is one of day after the fire: “All gone but at No. 1451 to a Gothic-influenced
its most striking features. wife, children, and energy.” chateau at No. 1449.

John L. Fortune House
(No. 1451)





AST OR STREE T WEST SIDE




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Key East side walking south
SCHILLER STREE T ON T BUR TH NOR VENUE West side walking north

AST OR




k . Edward A g . Residence of
P. Russell House the Roman Catholic
Carvings in a floral motif Archbishop of Chicago
decorate the Art Deco Built in 1880 of red brick,
facade and window this massive Queen
metalwork of this 1929 Anne-style mansion is
Holabird and Root- the oldest home in the
designed townhouse area. Decorative exterior
(No. 1444). features include floral
carvings and lime-
stone trim.



Patterson-McCormick Mansion
(No. 1500; see p78)






















Astor Court
This Georgian-style mansion (No. 1355) was
l . Charnley-Persky House designed in 1914 by Howard Van Doren Shaw
This superb house (No. 1365) is, appropriately, for William O. Goodman, who also commissioned
now the national headquarters of the Society Shaw to design the Goodman Theatre.
of Architectural Historians. The building reflects A decorative iron gate opens to a courtyard.
the architectural styles of its two collaborators, The building now contains luxury apartments.
Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright, and is a
masterpiece of Prairie School design (see p29).


Edwin J. Gardiner
House (No. 1345)










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76  CHIC A GO AREA B Y AREA

d Chicago History on the city, it interprets Chicago
Museum as a dynamic hub of commerce,
industry, and culture that
1601 N Clark St. Map 1 C1. Tel (312)
642-4600. @ 11, 22, 36, 72, 151, 156. shaped modern America. A
Open 9:30am–4:30pm Mon–Sat, centerpiece is Chicago’s first “L”
noon–5pm Sun. Closed Jan 1, car, which transported riders to
Thanksgiving, Dec 25. & (free Mon, the 1893 World’s Columbian
children under 12 free) 7 8 (call for Exposition. As the title suggests,
times). = - h Concerts, lectures. its galleries focus on Chicago
∑ chicagohistory.org first as a crossroads of
commerce and industry, from
Founded in 1856, the Chicago fur to meatpacking. It also
History Museum, formerly portrays Chicago as a city in
known as the Chicago Historical crisis, from the fire of 1871
Society, is the city’s oldest The original, Neo-Georgian entrance to the to the Democratic National
cultural institution. A major History Museum Convention of 1968, and as
museum and research center, a home for many generations
it boasts more than 22 million Philadelphia on July 4, 1776). of every race, ethnicity, and
objects, images, and documents As well, there is a rare copy class; as a breeding ground
relating to the history of of the American Constitution for such innovations as
Chicago and Illinois. first printed in a Philadelphia skyscrapers, the Prairie School,
Permanent exhibits, newspaper, alongside the Bill of Marshall Field’s, Wrigley gum,
supplemented with temporary Rights drafted in 1789. Abraham and Weber grills; and finally,
displays, trace the early recorded Lincoln’s deathbed is also on as a cultural hub, offering
history of the Chicago area, display. The Chicago History baseball to jazz, blues, and
beginning with the expeditions Museum also has a Research classical music.
of 17th-century French Center library, which is open
explorers such as Father for public research.
Jacques Marquette. Along with the fascinating
Among the highlights of exhibits, the building itself is
the collection are the Chicago noteworthy, as it presents two
history dioramas on the first dramatic faces to the world. The
floor. Behind glass in a darkened original Neo-Georgian structure,
room, eight miniature scenes designed by architects Graham,
show Chicago’s rapid growth in Anderson, Probst and White in
the 18th and 19th centuries. 1932, is best appreciated from
The dioramas illustrate great Lincoln Park. The 1988 addition
events, such as the Great Fire faces North Clark Street with a
of 1871 and the 1893 World’s three-story, glass-and-steel
Columbian Exposition, as well as atrium entrance. The most
historic scenes, such as bustling dramatic feature is the curving
LaSalle Street in the mid-1860s. glass section at the south end.
American-history buffs In 2006, the museum
shouldn’t miss the American completed extensive renovations
Wing, on the second floor, and celebrated its 150th
which features 1 of only anniversary with a permanent
23 surviving copies of the exhibit entitled “Chicago: 1550 North State Parkway, once the
Declaration of Independence Crossroads of America.” epitome of Gold Coast luxury
(the version printed in Offering a fresh perspective
f 1550 North State
Parkway
Map 1 C1. q Clark/Division.
Closed to public.
When it opened in 1912,
this apartment building
overlooking Lincoln Park
epitomized the luxury of
the Gold Coast. Designed
by Marshall and Fox (architects
of the Drake Hotel, see p66),
the 12-story Beaux-Arts
(see p29) structure is faced
Depiction of the 1871 Great Fire from the museum’s excellent collection with white terra-cotta.




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h International
Originally, each of the proof that patients survived
floors comprised a separate Museum of the procedure. Less grisly
apartment with 15 rooms Surgical Science exhibits include a recreation
(5 for servants) and 9,000 sq ft of a turn-of-the-20th-century
(835 sq m) of living space – 1524 N Lake Shore Dr. Map 2 D1. apothecary, complete
more than four times the size Tel (312) 642-6502. q Clark/Division with medicine bottles with
of the average modest home. (Red Line), Sedgwick (Brown and labels claiming to cure
The luxurious apartments have Purple Lines). @ 151. Open May– every ill.
since been subdivided. Sep: 10am–4pm Tue–Fri, 10am–5pm The Hall of Immortals
Sat & Sun (last adm 1hr before
The black grillwork of closing). Closed Mon, public hols. showcases 12 larger-than-
the iron balconies, bowed & (free Tue) = h ∑ imss.org life sculptures of important
windows, and the large urns figures in medical history,
on top of the balustrade are The International Museum such as the earliest-known
all interesting features. of Surgical Science, with its physician, Imhotep (c.2700 BC),
cranial saws and bone crushers, and Marie Curie.
is an unusual museum and An unusual exhibit is the
well worth a visit. Where 1935 Perfusion Pump created
else can one marvel at the by Charles A. Lindbergh and
variety, size, and intriguing Alexis Carrel, a device
shapes of gallstones and that enabled biologists to
bladder stones? keep a human organ func-
Opened to the public tioning outside of
in 1954, the museum is the body.
handsomely lodged in “Beyond Broken
a historic (1917) four- Bones,” presents a
The imposing home of Chicago’s Roman story mansion historical overview
Catholic archbishop designed by Howard of orthopedic
Van Doren Shaw. treatments and
g Residence of the Fascinating exhibits prosthetics with a
Roman Catholic from around the world range of documents
Archbishop of trace the history of and artifacts, from
surgery and related
ancient bone-cutting
Chicago sciences. Some of tools to artificial limbs
the earliest and their histories.
1555 N State Pkwy. Map 2 D1.
q Clark/Division. Closed to public. artifacts are A series of
4,000-year- exhibitions called
Built in 1880 on the site of an old Peruvian “Anatomy on The
early Catholic cemetery, the trepanning tools Gallery” displays
building is home to the used to release contemporary art
archbishop of Chicago’s evil spirits with medically-
Roman Catholic diocese. from the skull. Hope and Help, by Edouard Chaissing, related themes.
Archbishop Patrick A. Feehan Amazingly, at museum entrance The library
was the first resident of this, some of the contains more
the area’s oldest home. trepanned skulls on display than 5,000 books, including
The two-and-a-half-story show bony tissue growth, rare and antique volumes.
Queen Anne-style (see p28)
mansion was designed by
Alfred F. Pashley. Although
not highly ornamented, its
decorative features include
Italianate windows and
19 chimneys rising from a
peaked and gabled roofline,
a landmark of the area.
The property surrounding
the archbishop’s residence was
subdivided in the late 1800s
by the Chicago Archdiocese and
sold to Chicago’s wealthy, who
built their houses on the lots.
Today, the archbishop’s
residence has attractive land-
scaped grounds, complete
with papal flag. Turn-of-the-20th-century apothecary shop, Museum of Surgical Science




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78  CHIC A GO AREA B Y AREA

l Charnley-Persky
House
1365 N Astor St. Map 2 D2. Tel (312)
573-1365. Tel (312) 573-1365.
q Clark/Division. 8 mandatory;
noon Wed, 10am & noon Sat.
Closed public hols. &
Frank Lloyd Wright called
Charnley-Persky House (1892)
“the first modern house in
America.” Two of America’s most
influential architects collaborated
on the design: Wright (see p32),
then a draftsman in the early
stages of his career, and Louis
Sullivan (see p32), known for his
Facade of 1500 North Astor Street, with its Classical detailing architectural detailing. They
j 1500 North in the 1920s and 1930s, the were commissioned by
lumberman James Charnley
Astor Street house is, perhaps, the finest and his wife Helen.
example of this architectural Charnley-Persky House is a
Map 2 D1. q Clark/Division then bus
22, 36. Closed to public. style in Chicago. pivotal work in the history of
Graceful carvings in a modern architecture. Its design
This opulent four-story Italian floral motif decorate the embraces abstract forms, every
Renaissance palazzo was built building’s smooth, white interior view providing a
in 1893 for Chicago Tribune stone facade. These perfectly balanced composition.
publisher Joseph Medill as a carvings are repeated in The house’s relatively simple
wedding gift for his the metalwork on the facade of brick and limestone
daughter. Designed by windows. Although contrasts with the elaborate
McKim, Mead and White, the shapes of the fronts of the exclusive Astor
it is built of orange windows vary, they Street neighborhood.
Roman brick, with all unite to create a An atrium reaching from
terra-cotta trim. harmonious balance. the oak-paneled entry hall
The most impressive The stone on the to a skylight two floors above
feature of this house, townhouse’s facade, is the interior’s focal point.
the largest on Astor which was quarried in Dramatic arches frame the
Street, is the two- Lens, France, is trimmed rooms on the first floor.
story front porch with polished granite. Along with bold geometrical
with Doric and Art Deco window on A subtle three-story forms and organic abstractions
Ionic columns. the exterior of Edward bay of black metal there are surprising details, such
Cyrus Hall P. Russell House embodies the as windows in the closets. One
McCormick II, son of grace and elegance striking feature of the house is
the inventor of the Virginia of this truly refined, much- the elegantly tapering wooden
reaper (see p33), bought the admired, building. screen on the second floor.
mansion in the 1920s. He
then commissioned an
addition to be built at the
north end, doubling the
building’s size. It now contains
luxury condominiums.

k Edward P. Russell
House
1444 N Astor St. Map 2 D2. q Clark/
Division. Closed to public.
A unique, four-story town-
house, the Edward P. Russell
House was designed in 1929
by the architect firm of
Holabird and Root. Designed
in the Art Deco style popular The elegant second-floor stairway screen at Charnley-Persky House




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The Gold Coast skyline from Oak Street Beach
Restored in 1988 by the walkers, and in-line skaters 1,392 ft (425 m) tall, it is a
architect firm of Skidmore, make the broad expanse of Oak significant addition to the
Owings and Merrill, the house Street Beach a lively place to Chicago skyline. It houses shops,
now headquarters the Society enjoy the sun and watch the a hotel, and condominiums,
of Architectural Historians. It waves. At the southern end of breaking the John Hancock
was renamed in honor of the beach is a pleasant Center’s record as Chicago’s
Seymour Persky, who bought promenade and outdoor eatery. tallest residence.
it for the society. To reach the beach, use the Non-residents can enjoy
pedestrian tunnels at Oak or dinner at the hotel restaurant
Division streets. There are on the 16th floor, or the terrace
z Oak Street Beach washrooms at the beach, but lounge. Both offer spectacular
the nearest changing rooms panoramic vistas of Lake
Between E Division & E Oak Sts,
at N and E Lake Shore Dr. Map 2 D3. are at North Avenue Beach. Michigan, the Chicago River,
Tel (312) 742-7529 (Chicago Park and the city.
District). q Chicago (Red Line) then x Trump
bus 36; Clark/Division. @ 145, 146, Inter national Hotel
147, 155.
& Tower
Just steps from Chicago’s 401 N Wabash Ave. Map 1 D5.
Magnificent Mile is the Tel (312) 588-8000. q Grand (Red
fashionable Oak Street Beach, Line). 7 = 0 h See Where to
one of the city’s several beaches Stay: p144.
that together form a sandy
chain along the lakefront. Completed in 2009 as the
As well as providing a great second-tallest building in
view of Lake Michigan, the Gold Chicago after Willis Tower,
Coast, and towering North Side Trump Tower stands sleek and
buildings, Oak Street Beach shiny on the edge of the
presents a good opportunity Chicago River, reflecting the
to don swimsuit and sandals. skyline in its stainless steel and Trump International Hotel & Tower by
Throngs of joggers, cyclists, dog glass facade. At 92 stories and the Chicago River
Old Money
Chicago has a beautiful sound because Chicago means money –
so the late actress Ruth Gordon reputedly said. By the turn of
the century, 200 millionaires flourished in the city. One of the
most prominent was dry-goods merchant and real-estate
mogul Potter Palmer, who with his socialite wife Bertha
Honore, had an enormous impact on the city’s social, cultural,
and economic life. Chicago’s wealthy began to flock from the
Prairie Avenue District, to the Gold Coast after Palmer built, in
1882, his opulent home (since demo lished) at present-day
1350 North Lake Shore Drive. Department-store owner Marshall
Field (see pp52–3), was less ostentatious in his display of wealth.
Although he rode in a carriage to work, he always walked the last
few blocks so people wouldn’t see his transport. Likewise, he asked
the architect of his $2-million, 25-room mansion not to include any
frills. The influential Field also provided major funding to the Field
Marshall Field Museum (see pp88–91) and the 1893 World’s Fair.





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Sights at a Glance
Historic Buildings and Churches
3 Dearborn Station
5 Hilton Chicago
r Glessner House
y Clarke House and Museum
o Pilgrim Baptist Church
a Ida B. Wells-Barnett House
Historic Streets and Districts
2 Printing House Row Historic
District WEST CONGRESS PARKWAY
LaSalle
4 South Michigan Avenue W HARRISON ST Harrison
St
e Prairie Avenue Historic District
u Chinatown EAST BALBO AVE EAST BALBO DRIVE
p Calumet-Giles-Prairie District SOUTH LASALLE ST W POLK ST E 8TH
ST SOUTH COLUMBUS DRIVE GRANT SOUTH LAKE SHORE DRIVE
Modern Architecture PARK
E 9TH ST
1 Chicago Public Library, Harold S FEDERAL PARK TER S PLYMOUTH ST
Washington Library Center E 11TH ST
i Illinois Institute of Technology Roosevelt
Museums, Galleries, and ROOSEVELT ROAD Museum Campus/
11th Street
Aquariums EAST 13TH STREET EAST SOLIDARITY DRIVE
6 Spertus Museum
7 Museum of Contemporary W 14TH ST McFETRIDGE DR
Photography SOUTH CLARK STREET OLD LAKE SHORE DRIVE
0 Field Museum pp88–91 S DEARBORN ST
q John G. Shedd Aquarium pp98–9 SOUTH WABASH AVENUE SOUTH INDIANA AVENUE
w Adler Planetarium pp94–5
t Willie Dixon’s Blues Heaven EAST 16TH STREET E WALDRON DR
Foundation W 17TH ST
Parks and Fountains SOUTH STATE STREET EAST 18TH STREET SOUTH LAKE SHORE DRIVE
18TH DRIVE
8 Grant Park 18th Street
9 Buckingham Fountain W 19TH ST
530 yards
15 •16 EAST CULLERTON STREET
SOUTH MICHIGAN AVENUE
355 yards
EAST 21ST STREET SOUTH PRAIRIE AVENUE
Restaurants pp151–2 355 yards
EAST CERMAK ROAD SOUTH CALUMET AVENUE
1 Acadia
2 Bongo Room
EAST 23RD STREET
3 Buddy Guy’s Legends SOUTH FEDERAL ST WEST McCormick
4 Chicago’s Home of Place
Chicken & Waffles EAST 24TH STREET
5 Eleven City Diner STREET EAST 24TH PLACE
6 Emperor’s Choice 25TH ADLAI E STEVENSON EXPRESSWAY
EAST 25TH
STREET
7 Epic Burger
8 Everest EAST 26TH STREET
9 Gioco SOUTH CLARK STREET SOUTH PRAIRIE AVENUE SOUTH CALUMET AVENUE
10 Hackney’s Printer’s Row S INDIANA AVE E 26 TH ST S EL LIS AVE 27th Street
11 Harold’s Chicken Shack E 28TH ST SOUTH LAKE SHORE DRIVE
12 Kroll’s SOUTH STATE STREET
E 29TH ST SOUTH MICHIGAN AVENUE EAST 29TH STREET
13 Little Branch Café MARTIN LUTHER KING JR DRIVE S VERNON AVE
14 Mercat a la Planxa S FEDERAL ST S LAKE PARK AVE
15 Ming Hin E 30TH GROVE AVE
S COTTAGE
16 Lao Sze Chuan ST
EAST 31ST STREET
17 Phoenix Restaurant
18 The Scout Waterhouse + Kitchen S FEDERAL ST
19 SouthCoast Sushi EAST 32ND STREET SOUTH GILES AVE S RHODES AVE
E 32ND ST
20 Weather Mark Tavern SOUTH PRAIRIE AVENUE SOUTH CALUMET AVENUE
E 32ND PL
21 Yolk E 33RD ST SOUTH INDIANA AVENUE
EAST 33RD PLACE
EAST 35TH STREET S COTTAGE GROVE AVE
E BROWNING 36TH
AVE S VINCENNES EAS T STREET
535 yards AVE
T. Thomas Memorial, Grant Park
S CALUMET AVE
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CHIC A GO AREA B Y AREA  81

SOUTH LOOP AND NEAR
SOUTH SIDE

Two of Chicago’s neighborhoods have always World War II, manufacturers left and the area
been areas of diversity, with dereliction and declined. Not until the 1970s did it again
gentrification coexisting side by side. The show signs of prosperity. The Near South Side
South Loop developed as an industrial area in also had cycles of boom and bust. After the
the late 1800s. But after 1871 fire, the city’s elite created a wealthy
enclave here that lasted until the early 1900s.
WEST CONGRESS PARKWAY
LaSalle
St Harrison Decay followed, as brothels and gambling
W HARRISON ST
houses formed the Levee vice district. In the
EAST BALBO AVE EAST BALBO DRIVE 1940s, the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT)
W POLK ST
E 8TH transformed the area yet again. The contrasts
ST SOUTH COLUMBUS DRIVE GRANT SOUTH LAKE SHORE DRIVE
PARK
E 9TH ST remain striking. The oldest residence in the
SOUTH LASALLE ST
city, the Clarke House and Museum, is minutes
E 11TH ST
by car from the sleek IIT campus; the city’s
S PLYMOUTH ST
S FEDERAL PARK TER
Roosevelt
ROOSEVELT ROAD Museum Campus/ teeming Chinatown
11th Street
borders the historic
EAST SOLIDARITY DRIVE
EAST 13TH STREET
Black Metropolis.
McFETRIDGE DR
W 14TH ST OLD LAKE SHORE DRIVE
S DEARBORN ST
SOUTH CLARK STREET
EAST 16TH STREET SOUTH INDIANA AVENUE E WALDRON DR
W 17TH ST
18TH DRIVE
SOUTH WABASH AVENUE
EAST 18TH STREET SOUTH LAKE SHORE DRIVE
18th Street
W 19TH ST
530 yards
15 •16 EAST CULLERTON STREET
SOUTH MICHIGAN AVENUE
SOUTH STATE STREET
355 yards
EAST 21ST STREET SOUTH PRAIRIE AVENUE
See also Street Finder
355 yards
EAST CERMAK ROAD SOUTH CALUMET AVENUE maps 3, 4, 5 & 6
EAST 23RD STREET
McCormick
Place
EAST 24TH STREET
EAST 24TH PLACE
ADLAI E STEVENSON EXPRESSWAY
SOUTH FEDERAL ST WEST
25TH STREET
EAST 25TH
STREET
SOUTH CLARK STREET EAST 26TH STREET SOUTH PRAIRIE AVENUE SOUTH CALUMET AVENUE E 26 TH ST S EL LIS AVE 27th Street
E 28TH ST
S INDIANA AVE
E 29TH ST SOUTH MICHIGAN AVENUE EAST 29TH STREET MARTIN LUTHER KING JR DRIVE S VERNON AVE SOUTH LAKE SHORE DRIVE
SOUTH STATE STREET
S FEDERAL ST
E 30TH GROVE AVE S COTTAGE S LAKE PARK AVE
ST
EAST 31ST STREET
EAST 32ND STREET SOUTH GILES AVE S RHODES AVE
E 32ND ST 0 meters 500
S FEDERAL ST
E 32ND PL
E 33RD ST SOUTH INDIANA AVENUE 0 yards 500
EAST 33RD PLACE
SOUTH CALUMET AVENUE
SOUTH PRAIRIE AVENUE
EAST 35TH STREET S COTTAGE GROVE AVE
E BROWNING 36TH
AVE S VINCENNES EAS T STREET
535 yards AVE
S CALUMET AVE
For keys to symbols see back flap
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82  CHIC A GO AREA B Y AREA

Street-by-Street: South Loop

Just south of downtown, the South Loop has changed
dramatically in recent decades, from a run-down industrial
area to a residential and retail neighborhood. With the 1970s
conversion of the district’s derelict warehouses to fashionable
lofts, businesses sprang up as Chicagoans took advantage of
the area’s proximity to downtown. Today, the South Loop’s
diversity is evident in its industrial heritage, the green 1 . Harold Washington
expanse of Grant Park, and the lively retail scene next door Library Center
to several outstanding museums. Dominating the South Loop is
the world’s largest public library
building, artwork displayed
2 . Printing House throughout.
Row Historic District
Many of this area’s
historic warehouses,
built for the printing
trade, have been
converted into
fashionable apartments,
with numerous shops
and cafés at street level.






The Transportation D E A R B O R N S T
Building was one of
the earliest buildings
in Printers’ Row to P K W Y
be converted to
residential use
and helped start C O N G R E S S
the area’s revival.
H A R R I S O N S T R E E T






The Lakeside
Press Building, at
731 S Plymouth Street, C L A R K S T R E E T
has details that are
typical of the rich
decoration of buildings
P O L K
in this area. L A S A L L E S T R E E T








The Second Franklin Building S T R E E T
Handsome tilework illustrates the history of printing 0 meters 100
over its entranceway. 0 yards 100




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SOUTH L OOP AND NEAR SOUTH SIDE  83

6 . Spertus
Museum
This world-
renowned
SOUTH
collection of LOOP AND
NEAR
Judaic art SOUTH
highlights SIDE
decorative objects
7 Museum of Contem porary
Photography and religious artifacts
Focusing on American that span centuries Locator Map
photography produced since of Jewish history. See Street Finder maps 3 & 4
1959, the museum presents
selections from its extensive
collection and excellent Key
temporary exhibitions.
Suggested route
4 South Michigan Avenue
Featuring a spectacular row
M I C H I G A N A V E N U E
of historic buildings, this is
one of Chicago’s grandest
streets, an excellent place
from which to admire the
varied architectural styles
for which the city is famous.



8 T H S T R E E T
W A B A S H A V E N U E

S T A T E S T R E E T







5 Hilton Chicago
Decorated in the French Renaissance style,
this 25-story building is one of Chicago’s most
opulent hotels and was the largest in the
world when it opened in 1927.



Buddy Guy’s Legends
This club presents both
big-name and local
blues acts. Proprietor
and blues legend
Buddy Guy can often
be found among
its patrons.
3 Dearborn Station
Chicago’s oldest surviving passenger train
station building, an 1885 Richardsonian
Romanesque design, has been converted
into a multi-use building. Its square clock
tower is a local landmark.




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84  CHIC A GO AREA B Y AREA


artist Heap of Birds. On
the ninth floor is the
beautiful light-suffused
Winter Garden.

2 Printing House
Row Historic District
S Federal, S Dearborn, & S Plymouth
sts.; between W Congress Pkwy
& W Polk St. Map 3 C3. q Harrison.
By the mid-1890s, Chicago
was the printing capital of
the US. The majority of this
industry centered in a two-
block area now known as
Printing House Row Historic
District. Nearby Dearborn
Street railroad station (see p85)
facilitated rapid industrial
development in the
neighborhood. However,
by the 1970s, when the
station closed, most of the
printing companies had already
moved out of the area.
Harold Washington Library Center’s ninth-floor Winter Garden Many of the massive, solid
buildings erected to hold heavy
1 Chicago Public great horned owl with a 20-ft printing machinery remain
Library, Harold (6-m) wingspan grips a book in today. Their conversion
Washington Library its talons. The library into stylish
holds close to two
condominiums
Center million books and and office lofts
400 S State St. Map 3 C2. Tel (312) periodicals on has led to the
747-4300. q Library. @ 2, 6, 29, 36, its 90 miles revitalization
62, 146, 147, 151. Open 9am–9pm (145 km) of Carved detail on façade of the of the neighbor-
Mon–Thu; 9am–5pm Fri–Sat; 1–5pm shelving. Artwork historic Lakeside Press Building hood and
Sun. Closed major hols. 7 call (312) is displayed an influx of
747-4136. - = Exhibits, lectures, throughout the building, commercial activity.
films. ∑ chipublib.org/locations/15 including work by Cheyenne The landmark Pontiac Building
(542 South Dearborn Street;
This, the largest public library 1891) is the oldest surviving
building in the world, was Holabird and Roche (see p29)
designed by Thomas Beeby – building in Chicago. Several
winner of a competition voted other noteworthy buildings
on by Chicagoans – and line South Dearborn Street.
opened in 1991. It is named The 1883 Donohue Building
in honor of Chicago’s first (Nos. 701–721) has an im pres-
black mayor. sive arched entranceway,
Inspired by Greek and Romanesque Revival styling
Roman structures – with (see p28, and a birdcage elevator
five-story arched windows, in the lobby. The Rowe Building
vaulted ceilings, and (No. 714, c.1882) houses the
decorative columns – the excellent Sandmeyer’s
design also pays tribute to Bookstore, specializing in
many of Chicago’s historic local authors and travel
buildings: the rusticated literature. The Second Franklin
granite base recalls the Building (No. 720) is significant
Rookery (see p42), for example. for the ornamental tilework
Perched on each roof corner gracing its facade. Above
is a gigantic sculpted barn the entrance is a delightful
owl representing wisdom; Rowe Building on Dearborn Street, in the terra-cotta mural of a
over the main entrance, a Printing House Row District medieval print shop.




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SOUTH L OOP AND NEAR SOUTH SIDE  85

3 Dearborn Station
47 W Polk St. Map 3 C3. Tel 554-4408.
q Harrison. Open 7am–9pm Mon–
Fri; 8am–5pm Sat. Closed major
public hols. 0 -
Dearborn Station, built in
1885, is the oldest surviving
passenger railroad station
building in Chicago, and
is a monument to the historic
importance of the nation’s
coast-to-coast rail system.
By the turn of the century,
more than 100 trains
(from 25 different railroad South Michigan Avenue, looking north
companies) and 17,000 4 South Michigan
passengers passed through 5 Hilton Chicago
the station each day. Avenue 720 S Michigan Ave. Map 4 D3.
Designed by Cyrus L.W. S Michigan Ave. from E Madison Tel (312) 922-4400. q Harrison.
Eidlitz, the station features St. to E Balbo Ave. Map 4 C2–C3. Open 24 hrs daily. 7 0 h See
masonry walls and terra-cotta q Madison. Where to Stay: p144.
arches in the Richardsonian
Romanesque style (see p28). South Michigan Avenue is When it opened in 1927,
A 1922 fire destroyed the roof, the place to revel in the this 25-story hotel had 3,000
attic, and upper story. The clock monumental solidity of late rooms, a rooftop 18-hole
tower was rebuilt and stands 19th- and early 20th-century miniature golf course, its own
today as the striking terminus architecture. This historic hospital, and a 1,200-seat
of Dearborn Street, visible from street has been described theater. After the owner went
the northern Loop. variously as a “cliff” and a “wall.” bankrupt in the mid-1930s,
The station closed its Be warned: you may strain the World War II Army Air
passenger service in 1971. your neck gazing up to the Corps purchased the Holabird
After a period of neglect, in tops of these massive and Roche-designed redbrick
1986, amid much controversy, structures. The longest span building, converting the
the building’s train shed was of pre-1920 buildings in grand ballroom to a
demolished. The building was Chicago, South Michigan mess hall.
subsequently converted into a Avenue contains numerous In 1945, Conrad Hilton
dynamic shopping mall and architectural styles, from acquired the building,
office complex, which helped the Gothic-inspired (see p28) reopening the hotel in 1951.
to revitalize the area. Today, Chicago Athletic Association Further renovations from 2000
many of its original features Building (No. 12) to the to 2004 secured the hotel’s
have since been restored. Chicago School (see pp28–9) reputation for opulence. Its
Gage Building (No. 18), one lofty centerpiece is the
of three buildings making up ballroom, a space decorated
the Gage Group. The Gage in the French Renaissance style,
Building was designed by featuring mirrored doors and
Holabird and Roche; Louis walls, arched windows, and
Sullivan designed the terra- huge crystal chandeliers. The
cotta facade. hallway is equally ornate, with
At Nos. 24 and 30 are striking fluted columns, a marble
examples of Chicago windows stairway, and a cloud mural
(see p29), which allowed in plenty painted on the ceiling.
of light and air for the milliners,
who once worked here.
The School of the Art
Institute of Chicago residence
(No. 112) contains a frieze
of the Greek god Zeus
overseeing athletic games,
a decorative detail that
reflects the original 1908
purpose of the building as
The former Dearborn Station’s the home of the Illinois Marble fountain, lobby of
high-ceilinged atrium Athletic Club. the Hilton Chicago




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86  CHIC A GO AREA B Y AREA


promote contemporary
photography, the Museum
of Contemporary Photography
is the only museum in the
Midwest devoted exclusively
to this medium. Housed in
the college’s historic 1907
building, the wide-ranging
provocative and innovative
exhibitions change regularly,
as do selections from the
collection of more than 5,000
American photographs
produced since 1945.
Interior of the Museum of Contemporary Photography Temporary exhibitions
explore photography’s
6 Spertus Museum and a tenth-floor sky garden many and varied roles:
offer sweeping views. The as artistic expression, as
610 S Michigan Ave. Map 4 D3.
Tel (312) 322-1700. q Harrison. second-floor Wolfgang Puck documentary chronicler,
Open 10am–5pm Sun–Wed (to 6pm café is the only kosher café in as commercial industry,
Thu, to 3pm Fri). Closed Sat, major downtown Chicago. On the and as a powerful scientific
public and Jewish hols. & (free first floor a gift- and bookshop and technological tool.
10am–noon Tue, 3–7pm Thu). 7 8 offers items created by some The Midwest Photographers
= Concerts, lectures, films. of Israel’s hottest designers. Project, which contains work
∑ spertus.edu The Feinberg Theater provides by regional photographers,
programs of performance, rotates annually.
Spertus Museum, Chicago’s film, comedy, as well as
Jewish museum, is in the lectures by today’s leading
superb Spertus Institute of thinkers, writers, and scholars. 8 Grant Park
Jewish Studies building. From Randolph St. to Roosevelt Rd.,
Designed by Chicago 7 Museum of between Michigan Ave. & Lake
architects Krueck and Sexton, Contemporary Michigan. Map 4 E2–E4. Tel (312) 742-
it opened in 2007. This 7648. q Randolph; Madison; Adams.
innovative facility features a Photography _ See Through the Year: pp34–7.
10-story faceted window wall 600 S Michigan Ave. Map 4 D3.
that stands out among the Tel (312) 663-5554. q Harrison. Grant Park is the splendid
masonry-faced buildings @ 1, 2, 3, 3L, 4, 6, 10, 14, 29, 127, centerpiece of the 23-mile-
surrounding it. The building 130, 146. Open 10am–5pm Mon–Sat; (37-km-) long band of green
contains interlocking interior 10am–8pm Thu; noon–5pm Sun. stretching along the Lake
spaces and offers spectacular Closed major hols, Dec 25– Michigan shoreline from the
views of Chicago’s skyline, Jan 1. 7 1st, 2nd floors only. city’s south end to its northern
Grant Park, and Lake Michigan. Lectures, films. ∑ mocp.org suburbs. Although bisected
Highlights of the museum by busy streets, the park
include a unique visible Founded by Columbia offers a tranquil retreat from
storage depot that showcases College Chicago in 1984 noisy downtown, serving
its world-class collection of to collect, exhibit, and as Chicago’s playground,
art and artifacts, including
ritual objects, textiles, and
jewelry; changing special
exhibitions that explore
identity and contemporary
culture; site-specific
installations of work
commissioned from inter-
national artists; an innovative
Children’s Center designed
with Redmoon Theater’s
artistic director Jim Lasko;
and a resource center for
parents and teachers.
The institute also contains
the research facilities of the
Asher Library and Chicago
Jewish archives. A green roof The main entrance to Grant Park, Ivan Mestrovic’s Bowman to the right




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SOUTH L OOP AND NEAR SOUTH SIDE  87


Fountain, culminating
dramatically in a spray 150 ft
(45 m) high. The fountain’s
one-and-a-half million gallons
(5.7 million liters) of water
recirculate through a computer-
operated pumping system at
a rate of 14,000 gallons
(53,000 liters) per minute.
Hundreds of spotlights
hidden within the fountain
are used to create a dazzling
show of colored lights. The
20-minute shows, set to music,
are held from dusk to 10pm
every hour on the hour, from
April to October.
Financed by Kate Sturges
Buckingham (1858–1937) in
honor of her brother, Clarence
(1854–1913), a trustee and
benefactor of the Art Institute
of Chicago, the fountain was
Grant Park, looking north designed by Marcel Francois
Loyau (sculptor), Jacques
garden, promenade, and plantings, sculptures, and the Lambert (engineer), and Edward
sculpture park all in one, and central Buckingham Fountain. H. Bennett (architect).
hosting summer concerts A noteworthy footnote The design, based on the
and festivals. is that the park was the site Latona Basin in the gardens of
The park is built on landfill of the 1968 Democratic Versailles but twice the size of
and debris dumped after the Convention riots, when that fountain, incorporates a
1871 Fire. Originally called Lake anti-Vietnam War protesters ground-level pool 280 ft (85 m)
Park, it was renamed in 1901 clashed with police. wide, with three concentric
for the 18th US president, basins rising above. In 1927, it
Ulysses S. Grant, who lived in 9 Buckingham was dedicated as the world’s
Galena (see p136). In 1893, the largest decorative fountain.
World’s Columbian Exposition Fountain Constructed of pink marble,
was held in the south end of In Grant Park, east of Columbus Dr., at the Beaux-Arts fountain
the park. the foot of Congress Pkwy. Map 4 E3. symbolizes Lake Michigan.
Although the park was Tel (312) 742-7529. q Harrison. The four pairs of 20-ft- (6-m-)
intended as public ground, tall seahorses diagonally
free of buildings, various Throughout the summer one across the fountain from each
structures were erected. Not of the showiest and most other represent the four US
until 1890, when businessman impressive sights in Chicago is states bordering the lake:
Aaron Montgomery Ward the water shooting from the 133 Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana,
initiated a series of lawsuits jets of Grant Park’s Buckingham and Michigan.
which dragged on for more
than 20 years, was the pre-
servation of Grant Park for
public recreation secured.
Daniel H. Burnham and
Edward H. Bennett’s 1909 Plan
of Chicago (see p32) envisioned
the park as the “intellectual
center of Chicago.” The
renowned landscape-
architecture firm Olmsted
Brothers designed the park
in a French Renaissance style
reminiscent of the gardens
at Versailles. The symmetrical
layout includes large
rectangular “rooms,” grand
promenades, formal tree Buckingham Fountain, with sculpted seahorses in the foreground




086-087_EW_Chicago.indd 87 13/07/16 2:59 pm

88  CHIC A GO AREA B Y AREA

0 Field Museum

The Field Museum is one of the world’s great natural history
museums, with a collection of over 25 million objects (just
under one per cent are displayed). Following the success of
the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, a group of prominent
Chicagoans decided to create a museum with objects from
the fair. With funding from Marshall Field (see p79), they
opened, in 1894, the Columbian Museum of Chicago in
Jackson Park’s Palace of the Fine Arts, one of the fair’s . Crown Family Playlab
finest buildings. This lodging soon proved too small for A miniature interactive world of
the museum. In 1921, its current home – a white-marble art, music, science, and nature.
Neo-Classical structure designed by Daniel H. Burnham –
was built, and The Field Museum, with its celebrated
collection of anthropological, botanical, zoological, and
geological objects, opened to the public.


Egyptian Mummy Mask
This decorative linen-and-
plaster burial mask encased
a mummified child.
















Key to Floor Plan
Animals, plants, and ecosystems
Rocks and fossils
Ancient Egypt
Americas
Pacific cultures
Special exhibits
Nonexhibition space Ground Level


Museum Guide
The museum has three levels: ground, main, and
upper. Most of the exhibition galleries are on the
main and upper levels. Each level has east and
west wings; those of the main and upper are
bisected by a large central hall. The upper level Lions of Tsavo
features exhibitions on nature (plants and earth The two lions that, in 1898,
sciences), dinosaurs, and Pacific cultures. Exhibits terrorized a Kenyan outpost,
on the main level focus on animals, birds, and consuming 35 workers before
American Indians. The highlight of the ground being shot, are on display in the
level is the Underground Adventure exhibition. Mammals of Africa gallery.




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FIELD MUSEUM  89

Hall of Jades
This impressive collection of VISITORS’ CHECKLIST
over 500 jade artifacts includes
items from Neolithic burial Practical Information
sites, the Chinese Dynasties, 1400 S Lake Shore Dr. Map 4 E4.
and the early 20th century. (312) 922-9410. Open 9am–5pm
daily (last adm. 4pm). Closed Dec
25. & Check website for free
days. 7 via east entrance. 8
Upper Level
11am, 2pm Mon–Fri. 0 = h
Lectures, films, special events.
∑ fieldmuseum.org
Transport
q Roosevelt then free trolley.
@ 12, 146. £ Roosevelt then
free trolley.


. Pawnee Earth Lodge
The only precise
recreation of a fully
furnished Pawnee earth
lodge, this interactive
exhibit showcases
traditional artifacts used
by 19th-century Great
Plains Indians.


Main Level











. Sue
The original bones of Sue, the world’s
largest Tyrannosaurus rex, are on
Field Museum Store display in the Stanley Field Hall. Other
spectacular fossils can be seen in the
Dino Zone on the upper level.

Egyptian Mastaba is a
reconstruction incorporating
two rooms from a 4,400-year-
old tomb. Visitors can roam
through it, as the deceased’s
spirit was meant to.
Main Entrance


African Elephants
These bull elephants are 1905
specimens from Kenya. One
bull is poised to plunge its only
tusk into the other as it rears.




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90  CHIC A GO AREA B Y AREA


Exploring the Field Museum
With its encyclopedic collection of cultural objects and biological
specimens from around the globe, the Field Museum warrants
many trips. More than 40 permanent exhibitions are
supplemented with fascinating temporary shows. Particular
strengths of the museum are dinosaur fossils – highlighted by
the exhibit on Sue, the most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton
ever found – American Indian artifacts, botanical specimens,
and displays relating to mammals and birds. Major crowd
pleasers, especially for children, are Underground Adventure,
which explores the rich diversity of life in the soil, and Inside The monumental Neo-Classical entrance to
Ancient Egypt, focusing on that civilization’s funerary practices. the Field Museum

Rocks and Fossils
leaves in the diorama is cast
Animals, Plants, and separately from a real one. Two of the 12 Martian
Ecosystems
The main-level galleries in the meteorites on display in
One of the museum’s missions west wing provide an overview museums around the world
is to encourage prudent of animal biology, behavior, and are here at the Field Museum.
stewardship of our environment. habitats, with samples from the You can touch non-Martian
This theme is highlighted in the museum’s 17 million zoological meteorite pieces on the upper
animal, plant, and ecosystem specimens. Outstanding floor, in the Earth Sciences
exhibits, which emphasize the exhibits are Mammals of galleries. Other fascinating
interconnectedness of all life on Asia and Mammals of Africa. and beautiful rocks in the
Earth. The Messages from the Suspended from the ceiling in 500-specimen display are a
Wilderness gallery is a good the World of Mammals gallery is topaz the size of a pear, in
place to start your exploration. the massive skeleton of a Right the sparkling Grainger Hall of
Eighteen wilderness park whale. The museum’s collection Gems, and a 312-lb (142-kg)
settings, from the Arctic to of birds is also particularly block of lapis lazuli, one of
Argentina, incorporate strong, with its informative Bird the largest ever found and
representative mammals Habitats, World of Birds, and its origin still a puzzle.
and their habitats. North American Birds galleries. The museum has a renown-
Also here is the Local A popular attraction is ed collection of dinosaur
Woodlands Four Seasons Bushman, a lowland gorilla fossils. The centerpiece,
Diorama, completed in 1902 brought from West Africa to displayed in the Stanley Field
by taxidermist Carl Akeley, who Lincoln Park Zoo in the 1920s. Hall, is 67-million-year-old Sue,
transformed the way museums So beloved by Chicagoans that the largest, most complete
displayed animals. For Akeley, the mayor gave him a voter’s Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton ever
habitat accuracy and the registra tion card, Bushman died in found. It was discovered near
authenticity of background 1951. He was then moved to the the Black Hills of South Dakota
details were equally important. museum where, preserved, he in 1990 by fossil-hunter Sue
Thus, each of the 17,000 wax continues to delight visitors. Hendrickson. The restored
Opened in 2011, the Field’s newest skeleton, the skull alone
permanent exhibition “Restoring weighing 600 lb (270 kg),
Earth” uses photographs, videos was unveiled in 2000.
and hands-on learning tools to Interactive exhibits tell the
immerse visitors in adventures
with museum scientists as they
promote conservation in various
parts of the world.
The museum’s 2.6 million
botanical specimens encompass
all major plant groups and every
continent. Particularly rich in
flowering plants and ferns of the
Americas, this is the world’s largest
museum exhibit dedicated
exclusively to plants. The tropical
aerial garden has remarkably
A golden eagle clutching its prey, by lifelike reproductions made from A collection of marine skeletons,
taxidermist Carl Akeley wax, glass and wire. exoskeletons, and fossils




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FIELD MUSEUM  91


development of intricate
pharaonic tombs. Here, the
remains of a 5,500­year­old
woman are displayed, along
with items such as pottery
jars thought to be needed
in the afterlife. A partial
recon struction of a mastaba,
a multiroom “mansion of
eternity,” features a false
door at which the earth­
bound and the wandering
spirits meet.
Other extraordinary artifacts Ceremonial dance mask worn by Alaskan
include the fully preserved inner Eskimo shamans
coffin of Chenet­a­a, a woman
who lived between 945 BC and ceremonies of this Pacific
712 BC. It is not known what is Northwest tribe. Panels on the
A gargantuan Apatosaurus inside the coffin since it has mask are opened and closed by
dinosaur skeleton never been opened or X­rayed. the dancer wearing it to show
various faces.
story of its discovery. Scientists
now know that Sue was 28
years old at the time of her Pacific Cultures
death. By counting the rings The highlight of the Pacific
in one of her rib bones, they cultures exhibits, with a section
determined Sue went through on headhunting and a
a teenage growth spurt re­creation of a Tahitian market,
between the ages of 14 and is the sacred Maori
18, during which she gained meetinghouse, Ruatepupuke II.
4.6 lb (2.1 kg) each day. Built in 1881 in New Zealand, it
The Hall of Jades displays was acquired by the museum in
jade artifacts along a 1905. The 55­ft­ (17­m­) long,
chrono logical story line beautifully carved house
from Neolithic burial sites symbolizes the body of the
through the Bronze Age, Maori ancestor Ruatepupuke,
the Chinese Dynasties, and credited with sharing the art of
into the early 20th century. wood carving with the world.
A 300 lb (136 kg) jar that A Pacific Coast Indian carved figure, once a The house’s ridgepole
once stood in the Imperial house entranceway represents his spine, the rafters
Palace of Emperor Qianlong his ribs, and the expansive roof­
is a highlight of the exhibit. boards his arms, open in
Americas greeting. It is the only Maori
The museum’s holdings of meetinghouse in the western
artifacts from North American hemisphere and remains
Ancient Egypt
Indian tribes reflect one of governed by Maori customs.
The museum’s Ancient the Field’s main missions:
Egyptian holdings consist of to encourage improved
more than 1,400 rare artifacts, understanding among
including statues, hiero­ cultures. Ceremonial objects
glyphics, and mummies. and splendid totem poles –
The predynastic burial exhibit two Haida examples rise to
reveals Egypt’s intriguing the ceiling of Stanley Field
burial practices before the Hall – are just some of the
treasures in this exhibit.
The Pawnee Earth Lodge, a
life­size reproduction, was built
in conjunction with the Pawnee,
a group of American Indians
based in Oklahoma.
The 19th­century cedar
Kwakiutl transformation masks
Isty’s Book of the Dead, an ancient are colorful and vivid. Such Spirit mask from Papua
papyrus scroll masks are often used during the New Guinea




090-091_EW_Chicago.indd 91 13/07/16 2:59 pm

92  CHIC A GO AREA B Y AREA

q John G. Shedd
Aquarium
See pp98–9.

w Adler Planetarium
See pp94–5.

e Prairie Avenue
Historic District
Prairie Ave., from 18th to Cullerton sts.
Map 6 D1. q Cermak-Chinatown
then bus 21. 8 Jul–Sep: 2pm
2nd & 4th Sun; call (312) 326-
1480. & The imposing Richardsonian Romanesque façade of Glessner House
When the city of Chicago (plaques along Prairie Avenue r Glessner House
was incorporated in 1837, mark the sites of demolished 1800 S Prairie Ave. Map 6 D1.
the area now known as the houses), but those that remain Tel (312) 326-1480. q Cermak-
Prairie Avenue Historic District offer a glimpse into its Chinatown. 8 mandatory: 1pm, 3pm
was not much more than a 19th-century splendor. Wed–Sun (except public hols). &
strip of sandy prairie bordering Along with Glessner House, (free Wed). = Lectures.
Lake Michigan. Its fortunes highlights of the district ∑ glessnerhouse.org
changed dramatically when include the Kimball House
the 1871 fire destroyed the (No. 1801). This mansion, The only extant residential
city center. Chicago’s wealthy, designed by Solon Spencer design in Chicago by Boston
including George Pullman Beman in 1890, is one of architect Henry Hobson
(see p121) and Marshall Field the best remaining examples Richardson, whose signature
(see p79), moved to the Near in the US of the Chateauesque style became known as
South Side, building their style. Clarke House, the Richardsonian Romanesque
grand mansions along Prairie oldest house in Chicago, (see p28), Glessner House
Avenue. It remained a mecca was moved to its current helped change the face of
for the city’s socialites until location on Indiana Avenue in residential architecture.
the late 1800s and early 1900s, 1977 to provide an additional Commissioned by farm-
when the rapidly growing attraction for the district. machinery manufacturer John
Gold Coast area superseded Elbridge G. Keith House J. Glessner and his wife, Frances,
Prairie Avenue as the address (No. 1900) is the oldest extant in 1885 and completed in
of choice. Many mansion on Prairie Avenue. 1887, the two-story house
mansions fell to Built in 1870, it was designed by represented a radical departure
the wrecker’s ball John W. Roberts in the Italianate from traditional design and
style (see p28). created a furor in the exclusive
At 1936 South Michigan Prairie Avenue neighborhood.
Avenue is the magnificent George Pullman is said to have
neo-Gothic Second proclaimed: “I do not know
Presbyterian Church, what I have ever done to have
designed by James that thing staring me in the
Renwick in 1874. face every time I go out of
Inside are 22 stained- my door.”
glass windows by A fortress-like building
Louis C. Tiffany and of rough-hewn pinkish gray
2 windows painted granite with three modified
by British Pre-Raphaelite turrets, the house dominates
artist Edward its corner site. The main
Burne-Jones. rooms and many of the large
The district windows face a southern
is reputedly close courtyard. The striking
to the site of a grim simplicity of the design is
event: the 1812 perhaps best reflected in the
massacre of settlers main entrance arch, which
fleeing Fort Dearborn frames a heavy oak door
Elbridge G. Keith House on Prairie Avenue (see p17). ornamented with grillwork.




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SOUTH L OOP AND NEAR SOUTH SIDE  93


The beautifully restored display, from Chuck Berry
interior boasts a world-class to The Rolling Stones, who
collection of decorative art recorded there.
objects. Most were purchased The real reason to visit the
or commissioned by the Blues Heaven Foundation is
Glessners, who were keenly the tour guide: often Alex
interested in the British Arts Dixon, the grandson of Willie
and Crafts movement of the Dixon, who is happy to offer
late 19th and early 20th story after story of his
centuries. Adherents of the grandfather’s recording streaks
philosophy that everyday alongside blues greats such as
objects should be artistically Howlin’ Wolf, Etta James, Muddy
crafted, they filled the house Wates and more.
with tiles, draperies, and
wallpaper designed by William y Clarke House
Morris. Handcrafted pieces,
from furniture to ceramics, and Museum
by American designer Isaac 1827 S Indiana Ave. Map 6 D1. The dining room in the Clarke House
E. Scott grace the rooms. Tel (312) 326-1480. q Cermak- and Museum
Chinatown then bus 21. 8 manda-
t Willie Dixon’s tory: noon, 2pm Wed–Sun (departs Four Roman Doric columns
Blues Heaven from Glessner House). Closed public mark the east entrance to the
house. Solidly constructed of
hols. & (free Wed). 7 ∑ clarke
Foundation housemuseum.org timber frame, with a white
clapboard exterior, the two-
2120 S Michigan Ave. Map 6 D1.
Tel (312) 808-1286. q Cermak- Built in 1836, Clarke House story house was damaged in
Chinatown then bus 21. @ 1, 3, 4. is Chicago’s oldest surviving a 1977 fire. It has now been
Open 11am–4pm Mon–Fri, noon– building, a Greek Revival-style painstakingly restored, even
2pm Sat; call ahead (mandatory). house constructed for adhering to the original color
Closed Sun & public hols. & 7 8 merchant Henry B. Clarke and scheme, which researchers
(for groups). - = his wife Caroline. The house determined by delving under
originally stood on what is 27 layers of paint.
Mississippi native Willie now South Michigan Avenue Now a museum showcasing
Dixon was one of the but was then an old Indian an interior reflecting the period
most prolific American path. When the house sold in 1836–60, Clarke House offers a
blues legends alongside 1872, the new owners moved fascinating glimpse into early
Muddy Waters. He set up it 28 blocks south, to 4526 Chicago domestic life. It is so
the non-profit Blues Heaven South Wabash Avenue. In historically accurate that the
Foundation in the 1980s to 1977, the City purchased the first-floor lighting simulates gas
promote the musical genre, house and then, in a feat of lighting, and the upper floor has
and financially support blues engineering, hoisted the no artificial lights. A gallery in
musicians in need. 120-ton structure over the the basement documents the
The Blues Heaven Foundation 44th Street “L” tracks, moving history of the house.
is located in the former Chess it to its present location one Behind the house is the
Records Office and Studio, was block southeast of the Chicago Women’s Park and
declared a Chicago Landmark original Clarke property. Garden (see p190).
in 1990, and has been
protected ever since. Slowly
but surely the building is
being restored to the glory
of its mid-century heyday.
Public hours are limited so
it is important to call ahead
before visiting. For other than
die-hard fans of the blues,
there may not be much of
interest apart and beyond the
hour-long documentary about
local blues history.
There are, however, several
rooms (the former Chess
offices) which have framed
photographs of famous
musicians and bands on The Greek Revival facade of the Clarke House and Museum




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94  CHIC A GO AREA B Y AREA

w Adler Planetarium

The Adler Planetarium has one of the finest astronomical
collections in the world, with artifacts dating as far back as
12th-century Persia. It also has the world’s first virtual-reality
theater. Spectacular sky shows complement displays
on navigation, the solar system, and space exploration.
State-of-the-art technology enables visitors to explore . Definiti Space Theater
exhibits hands-on. The world’s first digital theater
When the Adler opened in 1930, it was the first modern offers an unrivaled virtual-reality
planetarium in the western hemisphere. Businessman Max environment in which visitors can
Adler funded the 12-sided, granite-and-marble Art Deco participate in a journey beyond
the solar system.
structure, designed by Ernest Grunsfeld. This original building,
with its copper dome and a bronze depiction of a sign of the
zodiac on each of the 12 corners, is now a historical landmark.






















. Atwood Sphere
Step into North America’s only
walk-in planetarium, built in 1913.
Light enters through the 692
holes in the surface of this huge
metal ball, representing the stars
in Chicago’s night sky. The “stars”
move across the “sky” as the
sphere, powered by a motor,
slowly rotates.



Lower Level


Key to Floor Plan
Universe in Your Hands
Landmark exhibition space Learn about a time when
Sky Pavilion exhibition space people believed that Earth
Sky Pavilion special exhibits was the center of the
universe. Astrolabes,
Grainger Sky Theater
armillary spheres, and
Definiti Space Theater sundials illustrate medieval
Nonexhibition space conceptions of the world.



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SOUTH L OOP AND NEAR SOUTH SIDE  95

The Adler
Planetarium VISITORS’ CHECKLIST
building
The first modern Practical Information
planetarium in 1300 S Lake Shore Dr.
the western Map 4 F4. Tel (312) 922-7827.
hemisphere, is Open 10am–4pm Mon–Fri;
now a historical 10am–4:30pm Sat–Sun
landmark. (to 6pm daily in summer).
Closed Thanksgiving, Dec 25.
& see website for various free
days (though there will still be
Our Solar System separate adm to theaters). 7
Investigate through interactive 8 - = h Lectures, films,
exhibits the worlds that orbit the light shows.
Sun, and program a computer- ∑ adlerplanetarium.org
activated Rover to move
across simulated Transport
q Roosevelt then 10 minute
Martian terrain.
walk. @146.





. Milky Way Galaxy
Immerse yourself in a 3-D,
computer-animated trip
through the Milky Way.


Middle Level







Upper Level

. Shoot for the Moon
Stories of space exploration and
future plans to return to the moon
are covered in this exhibition. It
includes the fully restored Gemini
12 spacecraft.



Grainger Sky Theater is one
Main Entrance of the most technologically
advanced theaters in the
world, with 20 different
projectors making one
Sky Pavilion seamless image.
A stunning view of the city’s
skyline can be seen from Galileo’s
café, in the Sky Pavilion. This two-
story addition to the east side of
the landmark building also
houses exhibition space and the
Definiti Space Theater.




094-095_EW_Chicago.indd 95 13/07/16 2:59 pm

96  CHIC A GO AREA B Y AREA


technology, and architecture.
The main campus is an
outstanding example of the
work of influential architect
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
(see p32), who was hired by
architect John A. Holabird to
direct the Armour Institute’s
architecture school and design
the new campus.
In the campus plan, along
with the 22 IIT buildings he
designed, Mies expressed his
modernist view that form
follow function. Geometric and
A Chinatown grocery shop unadorned glass-sheathed
curtain-wall structures
u Chinatown Wentworth Avenue) was epitomize Mies’ International
originally the On Leong style. One of Mies’ master-
S Wentworth Ave., north & south of
Cermak Rd. Map 5 B1–C1. Tel (312) Chinese Merchants’ Association pieces is the S.R. Crown Hall
326-5320. q Cermak-Chinatown. _ Building; it is now a cultural (1956). This glass-walled
See Where to Eat and Drink: p146. center. Sculpted lions at the pavilion is an early example of
∑ chicagochinatown.org doorway guard its street-level a large clear-span structure,
shops; terra-cotta ornaments the four exterior columns
A red and green gateway bedeck the walls. Modern supporting the girders from
decorated with Chinese Chinatown Square Mall which the roof is hung. The
characters inscribed by (Archer, Cermak, 18th, building appears to float in
Dr. Sun Yet-Sen, and Wentworth) space. Of it, Mies said: “This
founder of the quarters shops is the clearest structure we
Republic of China, and a plaza have done, the best to express
arches over surrounded by our philosophy.”
Wentworth Avenue zodiac sculptures Alumni Memorial Hall, Mies’
just south of and a mosaic mural. first classroom building on the
Cermak Road. It Annual Chinatown campus, is another notable
marks the entrance Detail of decorative tile on celebrations example of structure also
to the largest the Chinese Cultural Center include the Dragon functioning as ornament. The
Chinatown in the Boat Races in the steel grid of the curtain wall
Midwest. A lively area full summer and the Moon Festival suggests the steel structure
of Asian grocery and herbal in September. within. In Wishnick Hall, the
shops, bakeries, and curtain wall stops short of the
restaurants, this densely i Illinois Institute corner to reveal the load-
packed neighborhood of bearing column.
approximately 10,000 residents of Technology St. Saviour’s Chapel, known
has been home to Chicago’s 31st to 35th sts, between Dan Ryan waggishly as the “God box,”
highest concentration of Expy & S Michigan Ave. Map 5 C4–D4. is believed to be Mies’ only
Chinese people since just Tel (312) 567-3000. q Sox-35th; church design.
before World War I. 35-Bronzeville-IIT. @ 29, 35. The campus is also home to
Traditional Chinese ∑ iit.edu the magnificent redbrick
architecture is evident Richardsonian Romanesque
throughout the colorful The Illinois Institute of Main Building. Designed by
streetscape. The temple-like Technology (IIT) is a world Patten and Fisher (1891–3), it is
Pui Tak Center (2216 South leader in engineering, IIT’s most visible landmark.











S.R. Crown Hall on the Illinois Institute of Technology campus




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SOUTH L OOP AND NEAR SOUTH SIDE  97


There are two complexes has been set for its reopening
of note. The McCormick to the public.
Tribune Campus Center,
designed by Rem Koolhaas, p Calumet-Giles-
features a sound-buffering,
concrete and steel tube that Prairie District
encloses the “L” tracks passing Calumet to Prairie aves, from
directly over the building. 31st to 35th sts. Map 6 D4.
A residence hall complex q 35-Bronzeville-IIT.
designed by Helmut Jahn
consists of terrace-topped This small enclave of restored
buildings joined by glass walls Victorian houses was granted
that muffle train noise. A map national landmark status in
of the campus is available from 1980. Of particular interest is
Hermann Union Hall. Joseph Deimel House (3141
South Calumet Avenue),
o Pilgrim Baptist designed in 1887 by Adler and
Sullivan and the only remaining
Church residential commission by the
firm in this area.
3301 S Indiana Ave. Map 6 D4. Office.
q 35-Bronzeville-IIT. Closed until The Joliet limestone row Ida B. Wells-Barnett House
further notice. houses (3144–8 South Calumet a Ida B. Wells-
Avenue), built in 1881, are a
This landmark building fine example of Victorian Barnett House
was built in 1890–91 and row-house architecture. 3624 S King Dr. Map 6 E5.
designed by Adler and However, only three of q 35-Bronzeville-IIT.
Sullivan for Chicago’s oldest the original eight houses Closed to public.
Jewish con gregation, are still standing.
Kehilath Anshe Ma’ariv. It A block to the south are the Civil rights and women’s
then became the Pilgrim only row houses Frank Lloyd suffrage advocate Ida B. Wells
Baptist Church from Wright designed (1894) – (1862–1931) lived in this house
1926 until January the Robert W. Roloson with her husband from 1919 to
2006 when it was Houses (3213–19 South 1930. Born a slave in Mississippi,
destroyed by fire. Calumet Avenue). Wells became a teacher at age
The magnificent Like Robie House (see 14 but was dismissed for
arched doorway was pp104–105), Wright used protesting segregation.
the only surviving Roman bricks for the Wells’ work as a columnist for
example of an walls, here decorated Memphis Free Speech brought
ecclesiastical arch by with terra-cotta panels her to Chicago in 1893 to report
Adler and Sullivan and between the upper- on the lack of African-American
reflected the strong story windows. repre sentation at the World’s
masonry forms of A trio of Columbian Exposition. She
the exterior. Terra- Victory monument in the Richardsonian moved to Chicago in 1895
cotta panels of Calumet-Giles-Prairie District Romanesque (see and married Ferdinand
foliage designs p28) townhouses Lee Barnett, the founder of
provided ornament. Plans in sandstone, greenstone, and Chicago’s first black newspaper,
have been drawn up for limestone are found at 3356–60 the Conservator.
its renovation but no date South Calumet Avenue. Playing a key role in the
1909 founding of the National
Association for the Advance-
ment of Colored People, Wells
is perhaps best known for her
anti-lynching campaign, which
brought national attention to
the issue.
The house, designed in
1889 by Joseph A. Thain in a
hybrid style of Romanesque
and Victorian Gothic style, was
designated a national historic
landmark in 1973 in Wells’
honor. An interesting feature
is the corner turret made of
Facade of the Pilgrim Baptist Church, with its distinctive doorway pressed metal.




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98  CHIC A GO AREA B Y AREA

q John G. Shedd Aquarium

Nearly 32,000 saltwater and freshwater animals, representing
1500 species of fish, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates,
birds, and mammals, live at the John G. Shedd Aquarium.
Named after its benefactor, an influential Chicago
businessman, the aquarium opened in 1930 in a
Neo-Classical building designed by the firm Graham, The John G. Shedd Aquarium, with
Anderson, Probst & White. The Abbott Oceanarium and Grant Park beyond
its magnificent curved wall of glass, face out to Lake
Michigan. This pavilion showcases beluga whales
and dolphins while Wild Reef recreates a coral reef,
and houses sharks and other large predators.















. Abbott Oceanarium
Beluga whales, Pacific white-sided
dolphins, Alaska sea otters, tidal-pool
creatures, and other marine animals
live in this gigantic saltwater habitat,
which seems to extend into Lake
Michigan, a dramatic effect created
by the stunning 475-ft- (145-m-) long
glass wall. Watch dolphins and
whales during daily aquatic shows,
or come face to face with them
in the Polar Play Zone with
underwater views.






A nature trail leads visitors along
winding paths through a re-created Sea Otter Cove
Pacific Northwest coastal forest, features informal chats
complete with streams and replicas about these smallest of
of 70 species of plants. marine mammals.



Key
Beluga Whales
Aquarium Several whales live
Oceanarium in the Abbott
Oceanarium’s
Animal underwaterviewing
Secluded Bay, some
Special exhibits of which were born
Nonexhibition space at the aquarium.



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