Archer Avenue, Chicago. A jewelbox of a tavern whose moderne flourish is totally unexpected and out of place |
Abundant Life Mission, Rogers Avenue near Sheridan Road, Chicago. The applique columns and pediment are outstanding examples of make-do church architecture. |
Abundant Life Mission, Rogers Avenue near Sheridan Road, Chicago |
Omega Church of God in Christ, Berwyn and Winthrop, Chicago (church is gone) |
Omega Church of God in Christ, Berwyn and Winthrop, Chicago (church is gone). |
The Art Deco steeple at Queen of Angels Church, Western Avenue at Sunnyside, Chicago |
More deco details at Queen of Angels Church, Western Avenue at Sunnyside, Chicago |
Queen of Angels Church, Western Avenue at Sunnyside, Chicago |
Mikro Kodesh Anshe Tiktin, Foster Avenue near California, Chicago. The synagogue, now razed, was a classic '50s box |
Unexpected architectural fantasy on an ordinary street. An 1890 house remodeled by Bruce Goff in 1948. Winona near Broadway, Chicago |
Winona near Broadway, Chicago |
Winona near Broadway, Chicago |
Winona near Broadway, Chicago |
Winona near Broadway, Chicago |
An ultra-Mansardian fanasty. The window treatments and curves move it beyond mere period piece. Addison at Wolcott, Chicago |
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 |
Addison at Wolcott, Chicago |
Chicago (Bridgeport neighborhood), 1990s. Brilliant use of Mansard fragments |
Known locally as the "professional building," this was added to the neighborhood long before it achieved National Register status. Lakewood Avenue near Catalpa, Chicago |
This beautifully kept garage is located in a National Register district of homes from the 1890s and early 1900s. Magnolia Avenue near Balmoral, Chicago |
Magnolia Avenue near Balmoral, Chicago |
Park Forest, Illinois. A nicely preserved 1950s suburban classic |
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 |
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 |
Twin Walter Burley Griffin houses on Magnolia in Chicago |
Twin Walter Burley Griffin houses on Magnolia in Chicago |
Trumbull School, Foster Avenue at Ashland, Chicago. A fine example of Dwight Perkins' Chicago school (literally) architecture |
The Chicago skyline is nice, but I love the ancient Illinois Central commuter train station at Roosevelt Road, now replaced |
A holdout whose days were numbered |
Clark Street near Gregory, Chicago. They don't make commercial buildings like this one anymore |
Clark Street near Gregory, Chicago |
Clark Street near Gregory, Chicago |
The entrance to the former Essanay movie studio on Argyle Street in Chicago. Chaplin made movies here in 1915 |
Argyle Street, Chicago |
Some nice detailing on an apartment building in my neighborhood |
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 |
Erickson Jewelry, Clark Street in Chicago |
Erickson's neon is not so bad either. Clark Steet, Chicago |
Crossroads Hotel, Pulaski Road and 53rd, Chicago. I love the variance in this geomatrically symmetrical facade |
Hot Grill Restaurant, Cicero Avenue, Cicero, Illinois |