Monthly Archives: June 2010

New! Incomparable! Striking! (in every respect.)

Posted on June 28, 2010 by

I haven’t paid much attention to certain segments of Chicago’s Midcentury developments. I tend to focus on the ones with that unique Chicago style. But there are whole neighborhoods in the Chicago suburbs built in Mid-Century idioms that came from … Continue reading →

Posted in Ranch houses | 3 Comments

Franklin Park MCM

Posted on June 24, 2010 by

This towering MidCentury office building, at 9401 Grand Avenue in Franklin Park, looms over the low-rise suburbia and industrial facilities surrounding it. Completed in 1960, it’s a bit of hybrid – a 1950s design with 1960s colors. It was long … Continue reading →

Posted in Midcentury Modernism | 2 Comments

Machines for Living

Posted on June 21, 2010 by

It’s not just that the occupants of this Northbrook home own three vintage cars. Nor is it the fact that all three cars, including a 1964 Imperial, a 1966 Chrysler Newport, and a 1966 Chrysler New Yorker, are operational. No, … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in Chicago, Midcentury Modernism | 2 Comments

Friday Photo Special: The Remains of Bensenville

Posted on June 18, 2010 by

Orchard Avenue, August 2009 Orchard Avenue, April 2010 Orchard Avenue, June 2010 With clearance obtained, the demolition of Bensenville has proceeded with astonishing speed. Two months after the work began, every single house is gone. The only survivors are a … Continue reading →

Posted in demolition | 2 Comments

Capital-M Modernism in Rogers Park

Posted on June 17, 2010 by

Granville Gardens It’s always nice when the AIA Guide to Chicago notes a building I’m interested in, since that means most of the legwork (who, when, what style, original use, for what client) is already done. However, you’d think guys … Continue reading →

Posted in Midcentury Modernism, Pre-War Modernism, Rogers Park | 6 Comments

Chicago Main News Stand

Posted on June 14, 2010 by

The Chicago Main Newsstand in Evanston is a real oddity, a little mutant of a Modern building. At first glimpse, it seems easy enough to suss out — it’s a classically Modern 1950s building, now and perhaps always functioning as … Continue reading →

Posted in Pre-War Modernism | 1 Comment

Friday Photo Special: Greek Statues again

Posted on June 11, 2010 by

Wouldn’t you know it? The very day the post on Midcentury Grecian statues goes up, I happen to make it back out to the O’Hare neighborhood, where the whole thing started. Here’s a few closeups of the strange and intriguing … Continue reading →

Posted in Greek statues sitting in front of 1960s apartment buildings | 1 Comment

Monkey! Monkey! Monkey!

Posted on June 10, 2010 by

A long while back I wrote briefly about the strange Midcentury 3-flats on Kominsky at 55th Street, with their low-relief sculpture panels in place of the usual glass block over the stairwells. I was already aware of another set of … Continue reading →

Posted in Midcentury Modernism, monkeys | 6 Comments

Greece in a Box

Posted on June 7, 2010 by

While photographing the northeast corner of my much-beloved O’Hare neighborhood, I started to noticed something funny. An inordinate number of the 1960s apartment buildings prominently featured a Classical-styled sculpture hanging out in front of them. It was one of those … Continue reading →

Posted in Greek statues sitting in front of 1960s apartment buildings, Midcentury Modernism, O'Hare neighborhood | 3 Comments

Victims of the revolution

Posted on June 3, 2010 by

The behemoth that is O’Hare International Airport has been hungry for land. After a protracted legal battle, it seems its appetite will soon be satisfied, as a large chunk of suburban Bensonville is being torn down to make way for … Continue reading →

Posted in Commercial strips, demolition | 5 Comments