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Architectural Treasures

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Archer Avenue, Chicago. A jewelbox of a tavern whose moderne flourish is totally unexpected and out of place
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Abundant Life Mission, Rogers Avenue near Sheridan Road, Chicago. The applique columns and pediment are outstanding examples of make-do church architecture.
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Abundant Life Mission, Rogers Avenue near Sheridan Road, Chicago
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Omega Church of God in Christ, Berwyn and Winthrop, Chicago (church is gone)
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Omega Church of God in Christ, Berwyn and Winthrop, Chicago (church is gone).
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The Art Deco steeple at Queen of Angels Church, Western Avenue at Sunnyside, Chicago
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More deco details at Queen of Angels Church, Western Avenue at Sunnyside, Chicago
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Queen of Angels Church, Western Avenue at Sunnyside, Chicago
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Mikro Kodesh Anshe Tiktin, Foster Avenue near California, Chicago. The synagogue, now razed, was a classic '50s box
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Unexpected architectural fantasy on an ordinary street. An 1890 house remodeled by Bruce Goff in 1948. Winona near Broadway, Chicago
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Winona near Broadway, Chicago
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Winona near Broadway, Chicago
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Winona near Broadway, Chicago
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Winona near Broadway, Chicago
Fantasy in Mansard 1
An ultra-Mansardian fanasty. The window treatments and curves move it beyond mere period piece. Addison at Wolcott, Chicago
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The massively Mansard roof also contributes to this building's exceptional character. There are a handful of similar examples on Chicago's North Side, not all by the same architect. Addison at Wolcott, Chicago
Fantasy in Mansard 2
Addison at Wolcott, Chicago
Mansard Garage
Chicago (Bridgeport neighborhood), 1990s. Brilliant use of Mansard fragments
Mansard Lakewood
Known locally as the "professional building," this was added to the neighborhood long before it achieved National Register status. Lakewood Avenue near Catalpa, Chicago
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This beautifully kept garage is located in a National Register district of homes from the 1890s and early 1900s. Magnolia Avenue near Balmoral, Chicago
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Magnolia Avenue near Balmoral, Chicago
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Park Forest, Illinois. A nicely preserved 1950s suburban classic
1962 PARK FOREST CENTRE ILL
The old Park Forest Plaza and clock tower. The Plaza was a pioneering shopping mall built in the 1950s. Besides creating a new model for retail stores, it also became a prime teen hangout spot in the 1960s and early '70s. Construction of new malls in the 1970s, especially the enclosed Lincoln Mall in Matteson, ultimately put it out of business
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The current tribute to the old clock tower. The plaza fell into decrepitude long ago and went through successive attempts at revitalization. The orginal clock tower is long gone
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Twin Walter Burley Griffin houses on Magnolia in Chicago
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Twin Walter Burley Griffin houses on Magnolia in Chicago
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Trumbull School, Foster Avenue at Ashland, Chicago. A fine example of Dwight Perkins' Chicago school (literally) architecture
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The Chicago skyline is nice, but I love the ancient Illinois Central commuter train station at Roosevelt Road, now replaced
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A holdout whose days were numbered
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Clark Street near Gregory, Chicago. They don't make commercial buildings like this one anymore
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Clark Street near Gregory, Chicago
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Clark Street near Gregory, Chicago
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The entrance to the former Essanay movie studio on Argyle Street in Chicago. Chaplin made movies here in 1915
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Argyle Street, Chicago
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Some nice detailing on an apartment building in my neighborhood
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Erickson Jewelry on Clark Street in Chicago is now closed, one of the last Swedish businesses in Andersonville. Its Vitrolite sign is also one of the last of its kind
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Erickson Jewelry, Clark Street in Chicago
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Erickson's neon is not so bad either. Clark Steet, Chicago
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Crossroads Hotel, Pulaski Road and 53rd, Chicago. I love the variance in this geomatrically symmetrical facade
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Hot Grill Restaurant, Cicero Avenue, Cicero, Illinois

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