For once, me and my cadre arrived in Chicago while the sun was still up we had a chance to take a walking tour of Chicago. We were armed.
The tour was led by a docent from the Chicago Architecture Foundation who knew his tour but was much more an enthusiast rather than an expert. He covered the high points and my shutter flew. Chicago is architecturally unique because it needed office space at a time when modern building techniques were being developed. The skyscraper was possible but hadn’t been commodified and land was relatively cheap after the Chicago Fire. This led to frenzied building and a nearly unrivaled mix of styles.
The above building I think holds up the sky.
Chicago buildings also have amazing lobbies as they tend to be more mixed use than say NYC skyscrapers. A Chicago large building will have multiple shops and restaurants or a grand foyer and the actual usage of the building may not be apparent at first blush.
The above is the foyer of the Marquette Building.
I love Art Deco and am curious to know what would have happened to the developing style if WWII hadn’t gotten in the way. Here is an interior that conveys space and a feeling that everything’s worth a million bucks.
The same treatment for a simple hallway:
At the end of the tour, I circled back to get a picture of a Winged Nike of Samothrace replica that had been treated in gold leaf that was inside the lobby of a building. An argument followed with the guard where I claimed as an invitee to do business with the first floor shops I could take a picture. He contented that I couldn’t as there was a sign that said “No Photography Allowed”. I eventually acquiesced and was harangued by Michael and Brad about what I had done. Suzie just smiled.
We met up with Peter, Audrey, and a TI friend and his girlfriend for dinner and the turn around he had made in a year was amazing. A year ago he was bragging about how he was kicked out of military training and how much he could drink and now was leaving dinner early to get to a jazz concert. I hope I can be as nimble when needed.
We returned to Peter and Audrey’s, drank (but me) and called it a night.