A "Chicago in Stone and Clay" Companion, Part US-C: Variations on a Limestone Theme | Union Station (1925)
This series complements my award-winning guidebook, Chicago in Stone and Clay: A Guide to the Windy City's Architectural Geology. Henceforth I'll just call it CSC.
The CSC section and page reference for the building featured here: 9.2; pp. 142-144.
Looking down one of the grand stairways leading from street level down to the Waiting Room.
Here the warmer tones of the Quaternary-age Tivoli Travertine, quarried east of Rome, Italy, are contrasted with the grayer Ordovician-age Holstone Limestone ("Tennessee Marble") of the Waiting Room flooring. More on that anon.
The Tivoli is found in the columns, stair treads and risers, and lower-level walls. On the steps it assumes an uncharacteristic roseate hue because of the overhead lighting.
For more on this site, get and read Chicago in Stone and Clay, described at its Cornell University Press webpage.
The other photos and discussions in this series can be found in my "Chicago in Stone and Clay" Companion album. In addition, you'll find other relevant images and descriptions in my Architectural Geology: Chicago album.
A "Chicago in Stone and Clay" Companion, Part US-C: Variations on a Limestone Theme | Union Station (1925)
This series complements my award-winning guidebook, Chicago in Stone and Clay: A Guide to the Windy City's Architectural Geology. Henceforth I'll just call it CSC.
The CSC section and page reference for the building featured here: 9.2; pp. 142-144.
Looking down one of the grand stairways leading from street level down to the Waiting Room.
Here the warmer tones of the Quaternary-age Tivoli Travertine, quarried east of Rome, Italy, are contrasted with the grayer Ordovician-age Holstone Limestone ("Tennessee Marble") of the Waiting Room flooring. More on that anon.
The Tivoli is found in the columns, stair treads and risers, and lower-level walls. On the steps it assumes an uncharacteristic roseate hue because of the overhead lighting.
For more on this site, get and read Chicago in Stone and Clay, described at its Cornell University Press webpage.
The other photos and discussions in this series can be found in my "Chicago in Stone and Clay" Companion album. In addition, you'll find other relevant images and descriptions in my Architectural Geology: Chicago album.