Category Archives: Uncategorized

It’s one of Chicago’s most mind-blowing sights – a huge, ornate church with a mighty dome, looking over the freeway, half-glimpsed as one battles through inbound traffic on the Kennedy Expressway. Pity the poor traveler who has never sought out … Continue reading →

Exuberantly ornamented, overloaded with articulation, the gangly, delightful facade of St. Stanislaus Kostka Church has loomed over its stretch of Noble Street for over 140 years – predating even Pulaski Park across the street. St. Stanislaus is the Polish mother … Continue reading →

  Every member of the Trail of Churches is big. But the biggest of all is Holy Trinity Church, 1118 N Noble Street.   Behind that elaborate facade lies a vast sanctuary, clear of any interior columns but over loaded with … Continue reading →

One of my earliest impressions of Chicago, driving in from the north, was the string of grand churches visible from the Kennedy Expressway. I visited a few of them in my early explorations of the city. Then my attention wandered … Continue reading →

Since 1875, St. James Catholic Church has stood watch over this section of the city on the prairie. But the remaining time of its vigil may be measured in mere months. The towering church stands at 2942 S. Wabash Avenue, … Continue reading →

You’d be hard-pressed to miss the news – a massive warehouse on south Ashland caught fire Monday night and erupted into a massive conflagration, closing several blocks of the street. The building’s interior was completely consumed in a glowing inferno … Continue reading →

It’s not terribly uncommon. Get a bunch of apartments together, and there’s enough money left over to decorate them in a royal fashion, a kingly style. Yes, truly, you can make these men’s homes… their castles. Park Castle Apartments – … Continue reading →

In 1926, developer John Mills launched Westwood – an ambitious bungalow development in suburban Elmwood Park, due west of the Loop. Mills & Sons oversaw the construction of homes as well as the improvements to the entire holding, with streets, … Continue reading →

Go to the 3100 block of W. 36th Place – between Kedzie and Albany – and you’ll find a display of public art unlike any other in the city. This elaborately detailed, fantastically complex composition is one of dozens – … Continue reading →