Category Archives: Art Deco

A rare bird: the Art Deco church

Posted on August 20, 2012 by

One day last summer I was looking at a map of the city, looking for places I hadn’t been.  I realized I couldn’t remember ever venturing west on Irving Park, so, off I went. I saw lots of neat stuff, … Continue reading →

Posted in Andrew Rebori, Art Deco, Midcentury churches | 6 Comments

301 Taylor – the Union Station Power House

Posted on June 18, 2012 by

In August 1931, preparatory work began for the Union Station power plant building, which stands today 301 S. Taylor Street. Any traveler who has crossed the lengthy Roosevelt Boulevard viaduct south of the Loop has seen this massive Art Deco … Continue reading →

Posted in Art Deco | 1 Comment

St. Joseph Catholic Church, Wilmette

Posted on September 23, 2010 by

A most imposing edifice, towering over the suburban houses and 2-story commercial buildings around it, stands at Lake and Ridge in western Wilmette. St. Joseph Church is that rarest of beasts, a church constructed during the lean years of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Art Deco, Pre-war churches | 2 Comments

Art Deco Moralizing

Posted on August 2, 2010 by

If you’ve browsed the spectacular Unexpected Chicagoland (Camilo Jose Vergara and Tim Samuelson), you surely remember the equally spectacular Laramie State Bank of Chicago (architects Meyer & Cook, with the Northwestern Terra Cotta Company, 1927.) It’s a beauty, one of … Continue reading →

Posted in Art Deco, Egyptian | 1 Comment

Gold-Plated Deco Bits

Posted on July 26, 2010 by

You remember these guys from last week, right? Grand Avenue Devon Avenue I Devon Avenue II The three buildings share more than just a similar design style; they actually have the exact same gold-hued catalog ornament. Grand Avenue Devon Avenue … Continue reading →

Posted in Art Deco | 3 Comments

Round Corner Deco

Posted on July 22, 2010 by

The Streamline Deco style really lent itself to commercial buildings. They could be built with extremely simple designs, and still be considered stylish and modern. 6747 W. Cermak Road, at Oak Park Avenue Bryn Mawr, west of Sheridan 2755 W. … Continue reading →

Posted in Art Deco | 2 Comments

Angley Jangley Deco

Posted on July 19, 2010 by

Two handsome Art Deco specimens from out west. The Medical Arts Building, Oak Park 715 Lake Street is hard to miss if you’ve visited Oak Park; it’s a rare tall building in a low-rise suburb. Architect Roy J. Hotchkiss designed … Continue reading →

Posted in Art Deco | 1 Comment

The Artist Colonies of Old Town

Posted on July 15, 2010 by

Two remarkable enclaves of artistic thought, expression and craft thrived in Chicago’s Old Town neighborhood, starting in the 1920s and peaking in the 1950s. Both sprung from the artistic ambitions of prolific artist Edgar Miller, who spent decades carefully crafting … Continue reading →

Posted in Art Deco, architectural ornament | Leave a comment

Skokie Fairview

Posted on July 1, 2010 by

At the southwestern border of Skokie lies this peculiar little pocket of neighborhood. It is isolated by design, with several roads just not going through to the nearest artierials like Pratt and Niles Center. Thus, it’s a really easy little … Continue reading →

Posted in Art Deco, Midcentury Modernism, Ranch houses | 2 Comments

Double Deco

Posted on May 20, 2010 by

Pure coincidence let me find out about the fantastic Art Deco-facaded building at 6420-6424 N. Western Avenue: the Rogers Park Historical Society was headquartered there in the 1990s, and thus mention the building in their online history. It was designed … Continue reading →

Posted in Art Deco | 4 Comments