Monthly Archives: June 2008

Don’t Fight It

Posted on June 30, 2008 by

I am perpetually amused by buildings whose owners fight against the building’s basic nature. When it happens to great and significant buildings, it’s a tragedy, but when it happens to ordinary and common structures, it can be a bemusing commentary … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Trilla Steel Drum Corp.

Posted on June 25, 2008 by

What the – – what the heck is it? Thus ran my initial reaction upon seeing the building of the Trilla Steel Drum Corporation during a cross-south side bike trip. The company’s low-slung factory and office building sits alongside 47th … Continue reading →

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Casa Bonita condominiums

Posted on June 21, 2008 by

The U-shaped apartment building is a very standard 1920s Chicago development scheme, allowing a tall building with lots of rental units, while still providing each with plenty of natural light. The resulting courtyard can also become an amenity, providing a … Continue reading →

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Louis Sullivan bank in Iowa suffers flood damage

Posted on June 21, 2008 by

A Chicago Tribune blog reports that Louis Sullivan’s Peoples Savings Bank in Cedar Rapids, Iowa has sustained an unknown amount of flood damage, with several feet of water entering the bank. The bank is one of a series of late-career … Continue reading →

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Northerly Island

Posted on June 20, 2008 by

Northerly Island, a peninsula of land on the lakefront at the south end of downtown Chicago, is the perfect example of something hidden in plain sight. Tourists flood the nearby Field Museum, and a steady stream make the trek out … Continue reading →

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Music Box Theatre II

Posted on June 8, 2008 by

I found a moment to stop in to the Music Box Theatre this weekend; the staff graciously allowed me to snap some photos between shows. The main lobby presages what you’ll find within; its upper ceiling is dimly illuminated as … Continue reading →

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The Music Box Theatre

Posted on June 6, 2008 by

We recently caught The Animation Show here at the Music Box Theatre, on Southport Avenue in western Wrigleyville. We had no idea what a treat we were in for. The Music Box is an old-time atmospheric theater, opened in 1929. … Continue reading →

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A sign vanishes

Posted on June 2, 2008 by

This painted sign, for “The Piano Gallerie”, is on a building at the huge and busy intersection of Clark and Hollywood. It was one of those things I didn’t quite know what to think of, till it vanished. Only a … Continue reading →

Posted in demolition | 2 Comments