Monthly Archives: October 2008

Resurrection Mausoleum

Posted on October 30, 2008 by

One of the crowning Midcentury glories of Chicago’s inner suburbs is 1969′s Resurrection Mausoleum, in the small southwestern ville of Justice, Illinois. The colonnaded arcade and white coloration mark it as a product of the New Formalism, a short-lived 1960s … Continue reading →

Posted in Midcentury Modernism | 5 Comments

Hardy Glass Block Company

Posted on October 23, 2008 by

Standing at 711 W. 103rd Street, deep on the south side, the Hardy Glass Block Company‘s building is a weathered time capsule. With a couple of eager companions in tow, I paid a visit last weekend. The exterior sign isn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in industry, Midcentury Modernism, Sculptured glass block | 6 Comments

Louis Sullian bank threatened by flood control plan

Posted on October 22, 2008 by

You might recall that the Louis Sullivan-designed bank in Cedar Rapids suffered flood damage over the summer. Though it survived the floods, it is now threatened with demolition, as part of a flood control program that will also claim numerous … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Grossinger Cadillac

Posted on October 20, 2008 by

At 1233 N. Wells Street stands an old garage building, currently home to Grossinger City Toyota. It’s a strange hybrid, mixing Gothic styling and with Art Deco ornamental detail freely. Some of the ornament is emphatically Art Deco, with geometric … Continue reading →

Posted in Art Deco | 4 Comments

Meet the Sculptured Glass Module

Posted on October 15, 2008 by

It was a Flickr contact’s photo that alerted me to the existence of the Imperial Glass Block Company, up in the inner-north suburb of Niles. Their storefront operation has wall panels displaying different makes of glass block, including a circa-1960s … Continue reading →

Posted in Midcentury Modernism, Sculptured glass block | 4 Comments

Schulze Baking Company

Posted on October 12, 2008 by

Here is a building I have longed to photograph for many months, maybe even years. Today, I finally got my chance. Amid the houses, apartments, and low-grade commercial enterprises along Garfield Boulevard, this gleaming, towering industrial building stands out like … Continue reading →

Posted in industry | 5 Comments

What do they want from us?!

Posted on October 12, 2008 by

The intersection of the lakefront bike trail and Lawrence Avenue bemuses me every time I pass it. The cars have a stop sign. The bikes have a yield sign. But if the cars are stopped, what are we supposed to … Continue reading →

Posted in biking, Life in Chicago | 3 Comments

Finkl Steel

Posted on October 6, 2008 by

As recently as two decades ago, Chicago was famously a steel mill town. Vast south side factories belched smoke and fire by day and night. Those days are gone now, for better or worse; the last of the city’s great … Continue reading →

Posted in industry | 4 Comments

A stormy day by the sea

Posted on October 2, 2008 by

This may not impress you if you live near the ocean. But this Lake Michigan, and one thing I’ve learned in my eight years of living by Lake Michigan, is that Lake Michigan doesn’t do this. Lake Michigan does not … Continue reading →

Posted in biking, Life in Chicago | 1 Comment