tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73839208341550897312011-12-07T14:21:58.378-06:00I'm just a girl from Chicago who has always loved the city and its architecture, so when I landed a job at the Chicago Architecture Foundation (CAF) I was thrilled. It wasn't soon after my first day, however that I discovered that despite living here I didn't know as much about my city as I thought. So I came up with this crazy idea that in 2010 I would attempt to take all of CAF's 85 tours. This blog is the record of my journey...Jennifer Lucente, Chicago Architecture Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12487617895331847566noreply@blogger.comBlogger891100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7383920834155089731.post-86009234567176790962011-05-03T11:10:00.000-05:002011-05-03T11:10:25.179-05:00

 That's me Tweeting while on the tour!  The 85th tour. Kind of has a nice ring to it, right? Well, I made it to the 85th tour: Razzle Dazzle—a tour of Chicago’s theatre district led our docent Joan. And what would a tour of Chicago’s theatre district be without a stop at the historic Chicago Theatre? Even if you’re not from Chicago, I know you’ve seen the Chicago Theatre. It’s the one

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First of all, let me say there are no hard feelings. I know all of you have been very concerned that I would be upset that nobody showed up to take the 84th tour of the Around Chicago in 85 Tours challenge with me, but really…I’m ok… But honestly, I can’t blame you. If I wasn’t taking the challenge I probably wouldn’t have gone either. Even though I’d been on tours in torrential rain, blizzards

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Here’s a kicker…the original Palmer House, built as a wedding present from Potter Palmer to his bride Bertha, was completed just days before the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 and was completely destroyed in the disaster. That would probably discourage some people from rebuilding, but not Potter. He began construction almost immediately, opening the second Palmer House in 1873. This was surely

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Every once in a while it’s good to take a step back and look at the “big picture”, right? I don’t think anyone would disagree with that. Now, it may have taken until the final few tours of the Around Chicago in 85 Tours challenge, but I think I found the tour that really looks at the “big picture”: Skyscraper Walk Thru Time.  Skyscraper Walk Thru Time tour group As I’ve taken all these

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It would be impossible to write a blog post about Macy’s on State Street without talking about the incredible Tiffany Dome. Although I’ve visited Macy’s on other tours, the actual Macy’s on State Street tour, led by Barb, really gave an in-depth look at this historic icon of Chicago architecture. As many of you may know, Macy’s was originally Chicago’s flagship department store, Marshall Field

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The Chicago Old and New tour is a little different from other tours at CAF—in this tour we studied different intersections in the Loop. Jill, our docent and the creator of this tour developed the Chicago Old and New tour with a different angle in mind. Instead of looking at individual buildings, this tour looks at how the buildings relate to each other as well as to the people who occupy them.

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 Our tour group By the time I took the Rosehill Mausoleum tour I think I was getting pretty used to cemeteries. Well, maybe "used to" isn't the right phrase. But at least I wasn't getting weepy anymore. The Graceland Cemetery tour on Halloween with that creepy Laredo Taft sculpture really seemed to be a turning point for me. I went from weepy to creeped out. And the creepiness factor 

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 Tour group in front of Alexander Calder's Flamingo Many of us in Chicago pass by world-famous sculpture in the Loop every day without giving it a second thought. Elise, our docent for the Sculpture in the Loop tour was determined to change all that. Some of you may be questioning why the Chicago Architecture Foundation would give tours about public art. Well, there really is a

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 The beautiful Chicago skyline  View along the Chicago River showing Wolf Point where the city was founded The photos above look like postcards, don’t they? I mean, me…the girl with the less than perfect eye for photography somehow managed to get shots like these. Yep, (patting self on back), I’m pretty damn proud of myself. But, of course, I can only take partial credit. After all, it

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Graceland Cemetery tour group I have to admit, one of the challenges of the Around Chicago in 85 Tours Challenge was actually scheduling all the tours. Since some tours are only offered once a year, some once a month, others more frequently…my entire year had to be planned out at the beginning of 2010. Getting that all figured out was certainly a feat. However, there was some thought put into

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Tour group on L platform By the time I got to take the Elevated Architecture tour led by Kent I had already taken 70-something tours. And while I had found 99.9% of the tours fascinating, I have to say my enthusiasm for taking tours at that point had somewhat diminished. Hey, I’m human. So, if you haven’t guessed by the title of the tour and the photo above, the Elevated Architecture tour

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 Our huge tour group One thing that has taken some getting used to during the Around Chicago in 85 Tours Challenge is how many people have been willing to open up their home to our tour group. Not only do I think that is incredibly generous, but I also think it’s a testament to how passionate we are in Chicago about our architecture. Hey, if we have a cool, architecturally-significant

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Trump Tower Chicago In Chicago we can be very passionate about some things: our sports teams, our food, and of course our architecture. And when a new skyscraper goes up in the city of skyscrapers, you can bet people will be talking. Now I know some people aren’t fans of Trump Tower, but I am. To me it fits with the skyline—it’s elegant yet modest, strong yet subtle. But I’m no architecture

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Just starting the Highland Park tour I grew up in the Chicago area and I have to admit, I couldn’t imagine what could possibly be so interesting in Highland Park that the Chicago Architecture Foundation would have a tour there. I mean, it’s just a suburb, right? Well, yes…it’s a suburb. It’s a suburb with Frank Lloyd Wright homes, a home designed by W.W. Boyington (who was also the architect

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I think as Chicagoans we often take our lakefront and Michigan Avenue for granted. During the city’s growth spurt of the late 1800’s, city leaders did not opt to use the lakefront as a dumping ground. Ok, maybe I should backpedal a bit here. I don’t mean to say that at that time they tried to keep the Lake pristine. The lakefront was dirty and the river was filthy. However, city leaders had the

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 Ganz Hall The Temples of Culture tour includes a Chicago gem that you might not otherwise see—Ganz Hall in the Auditorium Building. I didn’t really believe our docent Paul when he told me that I’d see something on the Temples of Culture tour that I won’t see on other tours. I mean, at that point I had already taken 70-something tours…what more could I possibly see…especially in the

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 Kenilworth North tour group One of the most interesting architects I’ve learned about during the Around Chicago in 85 Tours Challenge has been George Washington Maher. Not that I’m anti-Wright or anti-Mies or even anti-Jeanne Gang…I just find Maher intriguing, especially for his time. In the late 1800s, early 1900s, Maher was considered a leading Prairie School architect. Much of his work

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My favorite part of the Parks and Boulevards: Lincoln and the West Parks tour was visiting the Garfield Park Conservatory. What an amazing place…and what an amazing history to go along with it. As our docents Maurice and Nancy explained, Garfield Park Conservatory—designed by the famous landscape architect Jens Jensen—was revolutionary at the time it opened in 1908. While other conservatories

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After about a minute of contemplation I decided that although we saw many wonderful sculptures on the Sculpture in Lincoln Park tour, the one I’d like to focus on in this post is the most striking of them all—Augustus Saint-Gaudens “Abraham Lincoln”, also known as “The Standing Lincoln”. The Standing Lincoln It might be difficult to appreciate now, but as Dick, our docent for the tour told

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Travel south down LaSalle street and you can’t miss the anchor building of Chicago’s financial district—the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT). Established in 1848, it is the oldest futures and options exchange in the world. I actually used to work for a clearing firm here in Chicago—I won’t get into the gory details—and I have always found the industry fascinating. Naturally, the CBOT building was

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Printer's Row tour Deep breath…I’m just going to get this right out into the open. Ok, so you might remember in other posts I’ve mentioned that I was an English lit major in college. Well…here’s my confession…I’ve never been to the Printer’s Row Book Fair. Gasp! Egads! Yikes! Blasphemy! The annual Printer’s Row Book Fair, started in 1985, is one of the largest in the country (check out

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In an earlier post I mentioned how the Riverwalk 1 and Riverwalk 2 tours are like walking versions of parts of the River Cruise…and I still think that’s accurate. But today a colleague and I were talking and he asked me why someone would want to walk the route instead of cruise along on a boat. That’s a valid question, and here’s the answer: on the Riverwalk tours you get a more in-depth look at

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Wicker Park tour My head was spinning at the end of the Wicker Park tour. Wow…what a neighborhood. The thing is…I wasn’t too surprised that there is so much unique history to Wicker Park. I’ve always been intrigued by the neighborhood, and I was always suspicious that it had a rich history, but I never knew for sure. Ted, our docent for the Wicker Park tour, confirmed my suspicion. Wicker

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First of all, before I get to the reason I got the “church giggles”, let me just tell you a little bit about the uniqueness of the Churches by Bus tour. This is a once-a-year tour that visits five different churches in one day. Every year it’s a different set of churches. And it’s not just one bus of tour-goers…it’s FIVE. And as you can imagine, putting this all together is a huge logistical feat

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Mies van der Rohe coined the phrase “less is more”, is a founder of modernism, and even though part of his life became tabloid fodder, (see my blog post http://bit.ly/aXCZpu), his design—dominated by steel and glass—is known for its simplicity and straight-forwardness. Today, many of us look at the steel and glass behemoths that puncture city skylines without a second thought. They are

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Not only was John Alexander Logan a Civil War hero, Illinois State Senator, Congressman, U.S. Senator, and the founder of Memorial Day (yea!), he is namesake to one of Chicago’s most interesting neighborhoods—Logan Square. Which is why I was really excited to take the Logan Square tour led by our docent, David. The tour took us down Logan and Kedzie boulevards which have retained their

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Check this out! The Around Chicago in 85 Tours Challenge and yours truly were featured as a special segment on Fox News Chicago this week. They dubbed me the "Angel of Architecture"...wow... But seriously, you have to see it...it's pretty cool. And watch for the dancing sausage. http://bit.ly/cboBiu See you on the next tour! Jennifer

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I knew when I started the Around Chicago in 85 Tours Challenge that I’d see things in the city that I’d never seen before…but it never ceases to amaze me how many hidden gems are located just around the corner or right down the street. This was the case when I recently took the Kenwood tour. Now, I admit…I hadn’t heard of Kenwood up until a couple of years ago when one of its residents became

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The one thing that I should know as a Chicagoan is that summers in the windy city always go by way too fast. And this summer was no exception. After taking sixty-something tours I suddenly realized that it was September and I hadn’t yet taken the Chicago Architecture Foundation’s world-famous River Cruise. Whoops… So after a quick call to our tour department I was booked for a Thursday 5:30

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Ok, I’ll admit it…before I started working at the Chicago Architecture Foundation I hadn’t heard of William LeBaron Jenney. I know…GASP!! However, it didn’t take long before I learned that Jenney is considered to be the “father of the skyscraper” …and with good reason, too. I was thrilled to see that the Jenney: Father of the Skyscraper tour was being led by Barbara, who was also the docent for

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The Jeweler's Building By the time I’m writing this post I’ve already taken both the Riverwalk 1 and the Riverwalk 2 tours. And here’s the cool thing about both of these tours…they are like walking versions of parts of the River Cruise. Marie, our docent for the Riverwalk 1 tour, was great. She explained how the city developed around the river, the different buildings that emerged, and how the

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Part of our tour-going group I think my favorite thing about the Pilsen and the Lower West Side tour was not a particular building, but rather a street—18th street. While many other roadways around the city are host to big box stores or franchise coffee houses and sandwich shops, 18th street has remained (mostly) loyal to local entrepreneurs. (I think I may have spotted one Payless on 18th

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Flooded park What a day to go on the Parks and Boulevards South tour. The night before we had torrential rain in the area and the parks were literally turned into ponds. It was unbelievable to see. Check out the photo above. You can clearly see that the area in the foreground is flooded, but check out the background. What looks like a lake is actually a HUGE flooded soccer field. Thankfully,

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Studying a house on West Jackson Boulevard On the Jackson Boulevard tour we visited a block of West Jackson Boulevard that seems to have defied logic. Through all of its ups and downs over the past 100-plus years, all but three of the original homes on this block have survived, making it the only block that remains nearly intact north of the Eisenhower Expressway. Like much of Chicago, Jackson

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Don’t be fooled. The Old Town Triangle is NOTHING like Chicago’s notorious Viagra Triangle at State/Rush/Division. In fact, the Old Town Triangle is like your cool eccentric relative with a colorful past who tells you stories about their hippie days—while the Viagra Triangle is like the creepy older guy/gal who keeps ogling you from afar trying to woo you over with their winks, nods, and cheesy

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There is a certain irony about Farnsworth house. Here is this home, located in a beautiful, peaceful area on the Fox River. It has a clean, straightforward, no-frills kind of design. Its beauty lies in that it shows you what it is without drama, without hidden doorways or passages, multiple rooms or intricate ornamentation. Yet, the drama behind the design of this home and the two main

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When you think of Louis Sullivan one of the first things you probably think of is the Sullivan Center (a.k.a. the old Carson Pierie Scott department store) at Madison and State. Recently uncovered after undergoing extensive restoration, the iron ornamentation around the corner entrance is spectacular. The detail is absolutely amazing. However, while part of the Louis Sullivan Lost and Found

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Recently I had the pleasure of meeting Deborah Douglas—Chicago Sun-Times writer and editor, media consultant and professor—for the highly-anticipated Uptown tour. Check out her phenomenal blog post below. “Want some McDonald’s! Want some McDoooooonald’s! Want some McDooooonalds!” a kinky-haired homeless man pressed anyone who passed, his hand out at Wilson and Sheridan. The hunger in his voice

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I’ve never really understood the point of Segways. It always seemed like it would be more of a hassle to transport yourself via Segway than on your own two feet. But when it comes to touring—especially in a city like Chicago—this is a really cool way to do it. Like the Bike the Lakefront tour, the Segway on the Lakefront tour allows you to cover more ground and see more “off the beaten path”

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I think I’ve found a new group of favorite tours: the Happy Hour tours. And why not, right? Meet up with some friends, see some pretty cool architecture, learn about the city, and then relax with a beer afterwards? It’s a PERFECT way to wrap up a weekday. Anyway, a few Tweeters joined me when I took my first Happy Hour tour of the Around Chicago in 85 Tours Challenge: Millennium Park Revealed.

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A couple of weeks ago the Around Chicago in 85 Tours Challenge welcomed celebrity guest blogger, Steven Rosengard. As you may know, Steven is a brilliant Chicago designer and contestant on Season 4 of Project Runway. You have got to read his post below…I laughed…I cried…it’s great... I was recently asked go on the Gold Coast: Astor Street tour, and despite it being one of the hottest July

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In the late 1800’s Chicago, as a city, was teetering between two very different “personalities”. On the one hand, it was this dirty, grimy, hog-slaughtering, mucky, murky, swampy, and violent city…and on the other hand it was a thriving, ambitious, hard-working, classy, determined, optimistic, bold and confident up-and-coming major metropolis. And then came the tipping point: Chicago was awarded

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There’s this building in the Gold Coast neighborhood at Dearborn and Goethe that I have always wondered about. It has been a mystery to me since I moved into the area and I’ve always felt silly when out-of-town guests would ask me about its purpose and I’d have to shrug my shoulders and admit that I had no idea. Well, my questions were answered thanks to the Gold Coast: Dearborn tour. It is the

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I knew this was going to be a fun tour when a fireball exploded from our docent’s hand during his introduction. I’m not kidding. Ok, it was a magic trick, but with that, Don, one of our docents really got everyone’s attention and broke the ice for what turned out to be a spectacular tour. (Oh, and the fireball appeared—appropriately enough—when Don talked about the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.)

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After a couple of Frank Lloyd Wright tours, I thought I’d seen it all from the legendary Prairie School architect. Well, I was wrong. Turns out I saved the best for last. Frank Lloyd Wright by Bus is truly a comprehensive tour of Wright’s work in the Oak Park, including a tour of Wright's amazing Home and Studio. What makes this tour different from the Chicago Architecture Foundation’s other

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When I took the first of the two CAF bungalow tours (Bungalow Belt by Bus: South), I really couldn’t believe that there were two separate tours of bungalows. I had no idea that people were so passionate about this style of home. Well, let me tell you…they are. And I can see why. These homes are inviting, the perfect size, solid, and very Chicago. What’s not to love? Needless to say, I was hooked

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And not only have I been to the Inland Steel Building, but so has Dave Cantor from TimeOut Chicago. Dave joined me on the Chicago Architecture Foundation's inaugural tour of this iconic building as a guest blogger for the Around Chicago in 85 Tours Challenge. Click the link attached to this post to check out Dave's incredible piece about the Inland Steel Building...and what it's like to tour

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I think the saying goes, “Behind every great man, is an even greater woman”, right? Well, that was certainly the case when it came to the ladies we talked about during the Women of Influence tour at Graceland Cemetery. By the way, we took the tour on my birthday…because, I as well, am a woman of influence, right? I’m just going to pretend that all of you are enthusiastically nodding your heads (

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Some tours I’ve been excited to take because we learn some of the history of the city…some tours I’ve been excited to take because of a particular building on the route…and then there are the tours I’m excited to take because I want to see the houses. But not only that…I want to dream that I live in those houses. For me, that tour was the Evanston Along the Lake tour. One of the first houses we

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First off, let me just give you a couple of tips on touring in Chicago during the summer months. Wear good walking shoes, sunblock, sunglasses and/or hat, and most of all, bring water. I swear I was so hot during the Sheffield Historic District tour I wanted to hop through every lawn sprinkler I saw. I know I wasn’t the only one though. Bette, our docent, was keen to the fact that everyone was

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When John, our docent for the Lights, Camera, Architecture tour started out by making sure than we were not easily offended by jabs at local politics, I knew this was going to be a great tour. The history of movie making in Chicago is fascinating. Everything from local shady politics, greedy businessmen, finicky celebrities, notorious gangsters and unpredictable weather played a role in both

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Doesn’t the word “bungalow” just sound nice? To me it sounds like a home I’d like to live in. It sounds cozy, friendly, familiar. Forget McMansions, chateaus, or palaces…give me a bungalow any day. The Bungalow Belt by Bus (South Route) gave me a further appreciation for the style that’s become so “Chicago”. The name “bungalow” is derived from the Indian word, Bengal, which is used to describe a

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I don’t know if I should take cemetery tours anymore. The Lake Forest Cemetery tour was only the second one I’ve been on so far for this challenge but, just like with the Oak Woods Cemetery tour a couple months ago, I cried on the way home after the tour ended. Not because it was a bad tour, of course, but cemeteries, for obvious reasons, tend to make me sad. Just thinking about our mortality and

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Secrets of Grant Park—I’m not sure there could be a better name for this tour. One of the big “secrets” of Grant Park is that it wouldn’t have existed were it not for one of the authors of the 1909 Plan of Chicago. If you’re thinking Daniel Burnham, well…you’re wrong. Actually, if it was up to Burnham there would have been grand buildings in Grant Park, with the Field Museum being where

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Whether you call it E-town, Heavenston, or the City of Churches you’re going to love downtown Evanston. Even though it was raining and gloomy when I took the Evanston Downtown tour last week, you can tell that it is a “happy” place. People seemed to just enjoy being there…and who can blame them?? Evanston is one of those places that's beautiful, interesting, worldly and quaint all at the same

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The National Historic Landmark, Orchestra Hall—which is part of the Symphony Center—may not have existed without the dogged determination of a Chicago businessman of the late 1800’s named Charles Norman Fay. Mr. Fay was keenly aware that in Chicago it was all about who you know if you want something done, and he was set not only on establishing Chicago’s own orchestra, but creating a beautiful

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I love the Rookery! Here's a unique photo of the atrium that you aren't likely to see anywhere else. Really cool! http://www.goto2040.org/blogs/blog.aspx?id=20184&blogid=618 And like it says in the goto2040 blogpost, we offer a fantastic tour of the Rookery. You even get to go into Burnham & Root's library where they worked together up until Root's death just before the 1893 World's Fair. You

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Bridgeport, on Chicago’s South Side, has a very interesting history. One of the oldest neighborhoods in the city, it was settled by mostly Irish-American working class who came to the area for work digging the Illinois and Michigan canal in the 1830s. This was a tough place to live. Men came to Bridgeport alone. They would leave their families for work and often wouldn’t be heard from again—dying

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Want to be totally immersed in the work of Frank Lloyd Wright? Have I got a tour for you: Frank Lloyd Wright Neighborhoods. You’ll travel to Oak Park and River Forest where the largest concentration of Wright homes exist. What you really have to keep in mind when touring Frank Lloyd Wright homes is that these houses are all around a hundred years old. It’s easy to forget that Wright was born in

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Ever heard of Lake Chicago? Neither had I. But that’s the question Chuck, our docent, asked when he began the Beverly 1: Elegance on the Ridge tour. Turns out that roughly 12,000 years ago the glaciers that covered the area melted, created Lake Chicago, then the water receded, and the area that we now know as Beverly was left. If you’ve ever been to Beverly, you have undoubtedly traveled over the

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It’s no secret that Mayor Daley wants to make Chicago the greenest big city in the US…and it’s no secret that he’s made major strides in accomplishing that goal. During a recent press conference on Earth Day, Daley noted many of the city’s successful green initiatives including: Chicago’s ranking in the top five cities in total number of EnergyStar-rated buildings; the city’s position leading the

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Yes, it has a reputation of being the wealthiest community in the Midwest...yes, it's zip code is rated the 11th most affluent in the US...yes, Forbes magazine listed Kenilworth in a three-way tie for the richest zip code in America in 2007...and yes, even though it is only 0.6 square miles with a population of just over 2,400, Kenilworth is home to some of the most incredible homes.   Bobbie,

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I am one of those people who has a super-soft spot in her heart for animals. I can barely stand to hear about animal abuse…I close my eyes and plug my ears if I think an animal is going to be “hurt” in a movie or on TV…and I still haven’t been able to bring myself to read Marley & Me. I know the dog dies in the end…and I know I’d be a blubbering mess on the train or bus or wherever I am when I

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I don’t know about you, but I really wasn’t sure about taking a cemetery tour. I know people do it and I know it can be quite popular, but a cemetery tour never really jumped out to me as something I just had to do. But, of course, the Around Chicago in 85 Tours Challenge comes along, and now I’m taking cemetery tours. The first one up was Oak Woods Cemetery. I quickly learned that there are

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If you’ve never heard of Chicago’s Alta Vista Terrace, you’re not alone. I grew up in Chicagoland and never heard of it before I started working at the Chicago Architecture Foundation. Even my parents who are born and bred Chicagoans—mom from the south side, dad from the west and then north side—had never heard of Alta Vista Terrace. With all the tours I’ve taken so far (23? 24?) the Alta Vista

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There’s a black sheep in every family, right? Maybe they didn’t write a single word on their entrance exam for college despite months of tutoring…maybe they up and moved cross-country on a silver-mining expedition that never panned out…maybe they decided to run for a seat in the Senate only to be shut out in the election…or maybe, like Daniel Burnham, they did all three. The Daniel Burnham:

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Like many Chicagoans, one of my favorite books about local history is the Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. The dualities of good and evil, Chicago’s rise from the ashes of the Great Fire, the breathtaking White City, and the emergence of the nation’s first serial killer make for a captivating story. What makes it even more remarkable is that it is all true. While I was thrilled to take

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I have to confess, I wasn’t a “modern architecture” kind of gal...never was. So I knew that the Modern Skyscraper tour would be a challenge for me. How was I going to walk around the city for a couple of hours looking at buildings that I honestly didn’t find very appealing, and then come back and write about them? Panic began to set in as we started out on the tour. Writing about this tour in

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Eccentric, opinionated, charismatic, brash, revered, brilliant, egotistical, and charming, Frank Lloyd Wright was a fascinating character. The work he created during his Oak Park years—while Wright was in his 20s and 30s—are excellent examples of his growth as an architect. On Sunday we all met at the Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio to begin our Frank Lloyd Wright in Oak Park tour. Before I

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Ok, I’m not going to lie…it was COLD out there on Saturday. But is that going to stop a Chicagoan from taking a walking tour of the Loop? Well…in many cases it probably would. But in addition to having that basic instinct which makes us stay indoors during a blizzard, Chicagoans are also a determined bunch, so if we say we’re going to take a tour, we’re taking a tour, damn it. And that’s how it

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Let’s pretend that you’ve never read the Devil in the White City…you don’t know anything about the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago…you’ve never heard of Daniel Burnham or John Wellborn Root. Let’s pretend—and this is a stretch here—that you are completely oblivious to the fact that Chicago is home to some of the most amazing architecture in the world. Let’s pretend all this were true—I still

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Talk about the stories behind the skyscrapers! The Historic Downtown (north): Treasures tour is packed full of interesting historic nuggets behind some of the most fascinating buildings in Chicago. Tom, our docent, was a wealth of knowledge and treat to have as a guide. The tour took us through the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Chicago when the second generation of Chicagoans was coming

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It was one of those moments where you remember exactly where you were when you heard the news: the Sears Tower would no longer exist. At least it was that kind of moment for me. In one swift naming-rights-buying maneuver, it was renamed the Willis Tower and Chicagoans everywhere mourned the loss of its tallest, most symbolic, and most recognized skyscraper. And then we got over it. Ok, most of

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Tour #15--Tiffany Treasures When we began the Tiffany Treasures tour, our docent Pris, posed a question. She asked us to consider whether what we saw on the tour was beauty for beauty’s sake, beauty to show off, or beauty for good business. In the 1890’s and early 1900’s the second generation of Chicagoans was coming into their own. They were born into wealth and they liked to enjoy their

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First off, I think Clark and Randolph might be the most powerful intersection in Chicago…at least in government. With City Hall, Daley Center, and the Thompson Center at three different corners of those cross-streets, a lot of very important decisions are being made right here every day that affect all of us. The Seats of Power tour is an examination of these three buildings—each of which are

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I have walked into the Santa Fe Building approximately 400 times since I started working at the Chicago Architecture Foundation and today’s tour gave me a new appreciation for the building where I spend so much of my time...no...where I love spending so much of my time! The Santa Fe building was designed by Daniel Burnham’s firm, D. H. Burnham and Company, and completed in 1904. Originally

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You would never have believed that it was a bleak February afternoon in Chicago if you were on the Modern Wing of the Art Institute tour yesterday. Architect Renzo Piano seems to have created a bit of a sanctuary here in the city that can lighten the spirits of Chicagoans even on the greyest of days. In the late 1800’s, the Art Institute was built in part to improve the status of the city.

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As I approached the Monadnock building for Friday’s tour I tried to imagine what it would have been like to see this building after it was constructed in 1891. At that time it was the tallest building in the world and must have been a marvel to see. Even now, as it is dwarfed by the super-skyscrapers around it, the Monadnock is an amazing sight. The Monadnock is the last building designed by

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Woohoo! Tenth tour! I've reached a milestone—75 more tours to go. Although it already seems like it's going by way too fast. Anyway, guess what one of the really amazing features was in the Marquette Building? You got it...the elevators. More on that later in this post. The Marquette Building is another amazing structure. Designed by Holabird and Roche, the Marquette Building is an excellent

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If you want to get a feeling of what Chicago was like in the late 1800's, you definitely need to take the Fine Arts Building tour. Originally built for the Studebaker Carriage Company in 1885, it was designed to be the company headquarters including a showroom, warehouse, and factory for the carriages. When the Studebaker Company decided to move their operations, the original architect—Solon

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Ok, if you live, work, or visit Chicago and have not gone on a lunchtime building tour yet, I’m telling you, you have got to do it. These tours are fascinating and today’s tour of the Sullivan Center was no exception. Louis Sullivan came to Chicago after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871--a prime time for architects as the city looked to rebuild itself bigger and better than before. Located at the

Jennifer Lucente, Chicago Architecture Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12487617895331847566noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7383920834155089731.post-74098222779241121842010-01-28T15:19:00.001-06:002010-03-22T09:54:34.757-05:00

Before yesterday I’d been in the Merchandise Mart just a handful of times. As I’m getting further into the Around Chicago in 85 Tours Challenge I’m realizing just how tunnel-visioned I’ve been in regards to the buildings around me. And the Merchandise Mart is another example of a building I’ve looked at a million times before…but really saw yesterday. When the Merchandise Mart opened in 1930 it

Jennifer Lucente, Chicago Architecture Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12487617895331847566noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7383920834155089731.post-82242488384739016742010-01-27T14:22:00.001-06:002010-03-22T09:54:51.472-05:00

The story of the John Hancock building is not just the story of the structure itself but also of its neighborhood, Streeterville. As legend has it, in the 1880’s George “Cap” Streeter and his wife Maria sailed out onto Lake Michigan en route to Honduras to become gunrunners. When their boat hit a sandbar during a terrible storm, Streeter decided that they would live on the stranded boat and

Jennifer Lucente, Chicago Architecture Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12487617895331847566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7383920834155089731.post-85529649404696681342010-01-23T11:48:00.002-06:002010-03-22T09:55:06.232-05:00

Highlights by Bus: Robie House was packed with information, covered many architectural styles, and showcased a ton of amazing buildings. What was really special about this tour is that we were able to really get into the neighborhoods and we could really get up close to the buildings. Although called the Highlights by Bus tour, you would be mistaken to think that you’re just sitting on a bus the

Jennifer Lucente, Chicago Architecture Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12487617895331847566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7383920834155089731.post-37327001980493845132010-01-20T16:30:00.001-06:002010-03-22T09:55:19.845-05:00

     The Reliance Building (Hotel Burnham), built 1890-1895, has a rich history full of colorful characters and fascinating stories. Originally designed to house offices and shops it is currently a boutique hotel that has been lovingly restored with careful attention to detail. Ok, I know it doesn’t look too pretty outside in this photo—it’s January in Chicago, after all—but the Reliance

Jennifer Lucente, Chicago Architecture Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12487617895331847566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7383920834155089731.post-81592824410640319732010-01-20T10:06:00.003-06:002010-03-22T09:55:32.577-05:00

Chicago was—and is—a city that continues to challenge itself architecturally. Tuesday’s Historic Downtown (south): Rise of the Skyscraper tour showcased the city’s pioneering spirit, ingenuity, and ability to adapt. After the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, Chicagoans banded together not only to rebuild the city but to rebuild the city even bigger and better. To get an idea of how the city began to

Jennifer Lucente, Chicago Architecture Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12487617895331847566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7383920834155089731.post-67793433322055108452010-01-15T13:26:00.001-06:002010-03-22T09:55:51.212-05:00

Thursday’s Downtown Deco tour proved that you never know what hidden treasures are secreted away in (and even on) the buildings that we pass every day. Art deco was a unique international art movement from 1925 through the 1940’s that influenced the design of everything from ashtrays, furniture, and jewelry to vehicles and architecture. The style was a mixture of futuristic, classic and modern

Jennifer Lucente, Chicago Architecture Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12487617895331847566noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7383920834155089731.post-82987363551821304202010-01-13T16:50:00.003-06:002010-03-22T09:59:42.172-05:00

Today’s Chicago Board of Trade building tour was a perfect kick-off for the challenge. This iconic building not only helps to define the LaSalle street canyon but is also a great example of Art Deco architecture. Cool thing I learned on this tour? The Art Deco style included a mixture of several different early 20th-century popular interests. At the CBOT we saw the use Egyptian themes and

Jennifer Lucente, Chicago Architecture Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12487617895331847566noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7383920834155089731.post-27347220273475256902010-01-05T16:19:00.000-06:002010-01-05T16:19:58.025-06:00

The countdown has begun! In only 8 days my Around Chicago in 85 Tours Challenge begins. The first tour is going to be at the Chicago Board of Trade on Wednesday, January 13th at 12:15pm. If you can't join me for that tour, don't worry, there are going to be plenty more throughout the year! I'm excited to begin this challenge and to report back to you on all the tours. I look forward to your

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