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This is the Colvin House. This historic mansion is representative of all the gorgeous houses that used to line North Sheridan Road. It is now one of a handful left standing.
openhousechicago.org/sites/site/colvin-house/
www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20171006/edgewater/colvin-house-t...
Edgewater, Chicago, Illinois.
Sunday, October 20, 2019.
The large scale model of downtown Chicago, at the Chicago Architecture Center museum. Photo taken late November 2019. The museum is located in One Illinois Center (111 East Wacker Drive).
The scale of the model is 1 inch = 50 feet, or 1:600.
Our Lady of Sorrows was raised to a basilica in 1956 for its artistic value and the work of Mother Novena. Dedicated in 1902, construction began in 1890 at 3121 W. Jackson Blvd. The barrel-vaulted ceiling consists of more than 1,100 separate gold-leafed panels. The high altar is built entirely of white carrara marble. It is one of three basilicas in Chicago.
Photographs from Open House Chicago 2018, one of my District Coordinator sites. This is one of the most impressive sites during this and all Open House weekends.
Located at the corner of W. Race and N. Waller avenues on two oversized lots, Harambee Community Garden comprises an allotment garden and community gathering/performance area surrounded by perennial flower beds, shrubs and trees. The site also includes several beehives and hosts goats on its southern portion. Since its creation in 2011 the garden has engaged with surrounding community institutions— a senior home, Douglass Academy High School, St Martin’s Episcopal Church— to create a unique community space out of a nearly 30-year vacant lot. Harambee has served as a venue for community-led programming, hosting activities from numerous community organizations – Glenn Art Farm, Green Community Connections, One Earth Film Festival, Youth Guidance and The Chicago Public Library
Photograph from Chicago Architecture Center Austin walking tour.
Housed in a rare example of a pre-Chicago Fire structure, St. Ignatius College Prep at 1076 W. Roosevelt Rd. celebrates its 150th anniversary this year. Since its founding in 1869 by Arnold Damen, S.J., the fivestory brick edifice with its carved wooden doors and lion heads has welcomed generations of young men and, since 1979, young women. Among the unique spaces is the 1887-1888 Brunswick Room featuring elaborate cabinets and woodwork installed by the Brunswick Company for the school’s natural history museum, the Foglia Library, the “Chicago gallery” of architectural artifacts in the Driehaus building, and Father Damen’s office. The site was made even more interesting by the large number of alumni – many in maroon and gold stripe ties – assisting with the presentations.
The Episcopal Church of the Atonement was founded in 1888 and began worship in this distinctive red stone building at 5743 N. Kenmore Ave. in 1890. Although the building has been expanded twice – to more than double its original capacity – it has always maintained the English Gothic style from its first architect, Henry Ives Cobb. The sanctuary contains a booming pipe organ. A columbarium lies below the floor where the parishioners’ remains rest. The Parish House was added in 1924, and the sanctuary's stained-glass windows were gradually installed from 1929 to 1946.
Photograph at Chicago Architecture Center Open House Chicago 2021
Educational/Cultural Sites
October 2018
Chicago Architecture Center - CAC
Chicago, IL
Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture; Gallagher & Associates
Housed in a rare example of a pre-Chicago Fire structure, St. Ignatius College Prep at 1076 W. Roosevelt Rd. celebrates its 150th anniversary this year. Since its founding in 1869 by Arnold Damen, S.J., the fivestory brick edifice with its carved wooden doors and lion heads has welcomed generations of young men and, since 1979, young women. Among the unique spaces is the 1887-1888 Brunswick Room featuring elaborate cabinets and woodwork installed by the Brunswick Company for the school’s natural history museum, the Foglia Library, the “Chicago gallery” of architectural artifacts in the Driehaus building, and Father Damen’s office. The site was made even more interesting by the large number of alumni – many in maroon and gold stripe ties – assisting with the presentations.
The vaudeville theater, which seated 900, opened at 1050 W. Wilson Ave. in 1909 and was converted into a bank 1919. Henry L. Ottenheimer was the architect. TCF Bank was the last tenant, closing in 2011, and the 15,000 square-foot building was renovated by the new owners, Cedar St. Companies, for special events. A 7-story 102-unit development has been proposed for the empty lot to the east. The Double Door, which closed in Wicker Park, was supposed to be moving into the building but it has since been held up. NOTE: The development at 4600 N. Kenmore Ave. was approved in December 2020, downsized to 5 stories and 62 units. This building is still approved for a theater.
Photograph from Chicago Architecture Center Uptown walking tour.
Housed in a rare example of a pre-Chicago Fire structure, St. Ignatius College Prep at 1076 W. Roosevelt Rd. celebrates its 150th anniversary this year. Since its founding in 1869 by Arnold Damen, S.J., the fivestory brick edifice with its carved wooden doors and lion heads has welcomed generations of young men and, since 1979, young women. Among the unique spaces is the 1887-1888 Brunswick Room featuring elaborate cabinets and woodwork installed by the Brunswick Company for the school’s natural history museum, the Foglia Library, the “Chicago gallery” of architectural artifacts in the Driehaus building, and Father Damen’s office. The site was made even more interesting by the large number of alumni – many in maroon and gold stripe ties – assisting with the presentations.
The Monastery of the Holy Cross is a significant early work of architect Hermann J. Gaul, a renowned ecclesial architect of the early 20th century. Recognized for its complex high-vaulted ceiling, the church was completed in 1909 for the German-speaking "national parish" of the Immaculate Conception. The German Gothic Revival church at W. 31st and S. Aberdeen streets incorporates high-Gothic design elements including a high gabled triple-arch entrance, expressive gargoyles and a 14 Gothic-arched, highly decorated Stations of the Cross. The parish closed in 1990, and the Benedictine monastic community was invited to make the building into a unique urban monastery the following year. While some of the original furnishings were lost after the closure, the monks added several religious treasures, most notably altarpiece icons produced in the traditional Byzantine egg tempera method by iconographer Vladislav Andrejev. It was declared a landmark two days previously.
Photograph at Chicago Architecture Center Open House Chicago 2021.
St. Mary of the Lake was established in 1901, at a time when only six Catholic families lived in the Buena Park area. Construction on the current church building at 4200 N. Sheridan Rd., designed by architect Henry J. Schlacks in the Italian Renaissance style, began in 1913. The church was dedicated in 1917, but work continued for years on the lavish interior containing Carrara marble sculpted in Italy, stained-glass made in Germany and a ceiling painted in gilded gold.
Photograph at Chicago Architecture Center Open House Chicago 2019.
Historic River City Apartments as seen from the river boat First Lady on the Chicago Architecture river boat tour. Iconic Willis Tower (Sears Tower) is in background.
The Monastery of the Holy Cross is a significant early work of architect Hermann J. Gaul, a renowned ecclesial architect of the early 20th century. Recognized for its complex high-vaulted ceiling, the church was completed in 1909 for the German-speaking "national parish" of the Immaculate Conception. The German Gothic Revival church at W. 31st and S. Aberdeen streets incorporates high-Gothic design elements including a high gabled triple-arch entrance, expressive gargoyles and a 14 Gothic-arched, highly decorated Stations of the Cross. The parish closed in 1990, and the Benedictine monastic community was invited to make the building into a unique urban monastery the following year. While some of the original furnishings were lost after the closure, the monks added several religious treasures, most notably altarpiece icons produced in the traditional Byzantine egg tempera method by iconographer Vladislav Andrejev. It was declared a landmark two days previously.
Photograph at Chicago Architecture Center Open House Chicago 2021.
Views from the 42-floor deck of the Loebl, Schlossman, Bennett and Dart condominium at 2650 N. Lakeview Ave. We lived down the street at 2500 N. Lakeview Ave. for 22 years.
Photograph from Open House Chicago 2018.
The only surviving historic mansion on S. Calumet Avenue, the Wheeler Mansion was built in 1870 for Calvin T. Wheeler, a banker and a member of the Chicago Board of Trade. It was designed in the Second Empire style, with influences in the tall third-story mansard roof. Over the years, the mansion has been home to a publishing company, warehouse for the Murphy Butter and Egg Company and others. The current owner acquired the property at 2020 S. Calumet Ave. in 1997 for $10,000, then spent 18 months renovating the vacant and crumbling building. Wheeler Mansion reopened in 1999 as a Bead & Breakfast.
Photograph at Chicago Architecture Center Open House Chicago 2021.
Housed in a rare example of a pre-Chicago Fire structure, St. Ignatius College Prep at 1076 W. Roosevelt Rd. celebrates its 150th anniversary this year. Since its founding in 1869 by Arnold Damen, S.J., the fivestory brick edifice with its carved wooden doors and lion heads has welcomed generations of young men and, since 1979, young women. Among the unique spaces is the 1887-1888 Brunswick Room featuring elaborate cabinets and woodwork installed by the Brunswick Company for the school’s natural history museum, the Foglia Library, the “Chicago gallery” of architectural artifacts in the Driehaus building, and Father Damen’s office. The site was made even more interesting by the large number of alumni – many in maroon and gold stripe ties – assisting with the presentations.
Housed in a rare example of a pre-Chicago Fire structure, St. Ignatius College Prep at 1076 W. Roosevelt Rd. celebrates its 150th anniversary this year. Since its founding in 1869 by Arnold Damen, S.J., the fivestory brick edifice with its carved wooden doors and lion heads has welcomed generations of young men and, since 1979, young women. Among the unique spaces is the 1887-1888 Brunswick Room featuring elaborate cabinets and woodwork installed by the Brunswick Company for the school’s natural history museum, the Foglia Library, the “Chicago gallery” of architectural artifacts in the Driehaus building, and Father Damen’s office. The site was made even more interesting by the large number of alumni – many in maroon and gold stripe ties – assisting with the presentations.
Lagunitas Brewing Company Chicago opened in 2014 and is the California beer giant's second brewery. At 300,000-square feet, it is the largest brewery in Chicago. The space at 2607 W. 17th St. was formerly a Ryerson Steel distribution plant.
Photograph from Open House Chicago 2018. It was one of my District Coordinator sites. I did not have time to take the brewery tour.
NOTE: The company announced in May 2024 it is closing the brewery and taproom - moving them to California - while keeping the warehouse and distribution facility.
Educational/Cultural Sites
October 2018
Chicago Architecture Center - CAC
Chicago, IL
Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture; Gallagher & Associates
This is the Colvin House. This historic mansion is representative of all the gorgeous houses that used to line North Sheridan Road. It is now one of a handful left standing.
openhousechicago.org/sites/site/colvin-house/
www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20171006/edgewater/colvin-house-t...
Edgewater, Chicago, Illinois.
Sunday, October 20, 2019.
Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral is the oldest church edifice built specifically as a Greek Orthodox Church in metropolitan Chicago and serves as the mother church in the area. It was established in 1892 by a Greek immigrant community from Laconia and the Greek Islands. In 1909, the Greek Orthodox community paid $18,000 for the lot of city land on which the cathedral stands today. One year later, the cathedral at 1107 N. LaSalle St. was completed at a total cost of around $100,000. It was built after an Athenian cathedral and is currently the oldest surviving Chicago building in the style of a Byzantine church.
The church edifice is divided into three sections. The narthex is the vestibule area and represents this world in which man is called to repentance. The nave, the central portion of the building, represents the kingdom of heaven and the passage from the narthex into the nave symbolizes the Christian's entry into that kingdom. The soleas, the raised platform between the nave and the sanctuary, is reserved for sacraments and liturgical services. The sanctuary is the holiest part of the temple, and the entire architecture and iconography of the church center attention on the Holy Altar within the sanctuary. The nave is separated from the sanctuary by an icon screen or iconostasis. Gates, called royal doors in the center of the screen, lead into the sanctuary and altar area and are used only by ordained Orthodox clergymen. The Holy Altar holds the tabernacle, Gospels book, candles and holy vessels used during the Divine Liturgy.
Photographs at Open House Chicago 2024, the only site we visited. Having returned from New York City two days prior and a few hundred photographs still to edit, research and post, we took a pass on this year’s OHC.
The Romanesque Revival church at E. 53rd Street and S. Blackstone Avenue was originally organized as the First Presbyterian Church of Hyde Park. The sanctuary, completed in 1889, features large stained-glass windows, a uniquely painted ceiling and a 12-sided dome inscribed with the names of the apostles. An extensive 1924 remodeling added Romanesque arches, pews and a cork floor. The church merged with the Hyde Park Congregational Church in 1930, and its merger in 1970 with the Hyde Park Methodist Church formed the United Church of Hyde Park.
Photograph at Chicago Architecture Center Open House Chicago 2021.
Ebenezer Lutheran Church was organized in 1892. The Swedes who settled in the area completed the sanctuary at 1650 W. Foster Ave. in 1908 (with additions in 1929), and the congregation quickly grew to more than 2,000 members. The sanctuary has beautiful Swedish stenciling along the ceiling, stained glass windows that are the largest of their kind and an intricate altarpiece. A 1987 remodeling carefully preserved the historic elements of the sanctuary. The stairs to the balcony on each side are of different styles; lore has it that the architect, also a prominent local homebuilder, constructed them to show prospective clients two options for staircases.
Photograph at Chicago Architecture Center Open House Chicago 2019.
The building at 10 W. 32nd St., designed by Mies student Myron Goldsmith, was called Engineering 1 when it was completed in 1966. The name was changed to that of a former university president after a renovation in 2015.
Photograph from Chicago Architecture Center Mies & Modernism: The IIT Campus Tour.
The Aragon Ballroom, completed in 1926 at 1106 W. Lawrence Ave., was designed in the Moorish architectural style, with the interior resembling a Spanish village. Named for a region of Spain, the Aragon was an immediate success and remained a popular Chicago attraction throughout the 1940s. A fire at an adjacent cocktail lounge in 1958 forced the Aragon to close for several months. After the reopening, crowds declined significantly, to the point that regular dancing ended in 1964. A succession of new owners used the Aragon as a roller skating rink, boxing venue, and discothèque, among other uses. It continues as a site for concerts and boxing events.
Photograph from Chicago Architecture Center Uptown walking tour.
The Aragon Ballroom, completed in 1926 at 1106 W. Lawrence Ave., was designed in the Moorish architectural style, with the interior resembling a Spanish village. Named for a region of Spain, the Aragon was an immediate success and remained a popular Chicago attraction throughout the 1940s. A fire at an adjacent cocktail lounge in 1958 forced the Aragon to close for several months. After the reopening, crowds declined significantly, to the point that regular dancing ended in 1964. A succession of new owners used the Aragon as a roller skating rink, boxing venue, and discothèque, among other uses. It continues as a site for concerts and boxing events.
Photograph from Chicago Architecture Center Uptown walking tour.
Built in 1901 to add more classroom space, Machinery Hall at 100 W. 33rd St. complements Main Building in design but contrasts it in function. Designed by C. V. Kerr of Patten & Fisher, it was the first Armour Institute building constructed in the 20th century and features ornamental moldings and red brick. Machinery Hall features an arched entryway, round-arched windows and terra-cotta pilasters. Its top floor includes a large room with skylights and arched windows, as well as Classical-style details such as iconic capitals. The Armour Institute initially used the building for classrooms and laboratories for teaching mechanical arts classes. The building was fitted to hold heavy machinery and served as a machine shop, forge, wood shop and foundry for many years.
Photograph from Chicago Architecture Center Mies & Modernism: The IIT Campus Tour.
St. Mary of the Lake was established in 1901, at a time when only six Catholic families lived in the Buena Park area. Construction on the current church building at 4200 N. Sheridan Rd., designed by architect Henry J. Schlacks in the Italian Renaissance style, began in 1913. The church was dedicated in 1917, but work continued for years on the lavish interior containing Carrara marble sculpted in Italy, stained-glass made in Germany and a ceiling painted in gilded gold.
Photograph at Chicago Architecture Center Open House Chicago 2019.
The store touting "Everything for Men" in a CTA-owned H.W. Rubloff Building at N. Broadway and W. Leland Avenue was constructed in 1922. It closed in 2009 and was gutted and bricked over as part of the Red Line renovation in 2017.
Photograph from Chicago Architecture Center Uptown walking tour.
Statue of Michaelangelo.
A former hotel designed by Walter W. Alhlschlanger opened in 1920 is now a rental building. It's located at the corner of N. Sheridan Road and W. Wilson Avenue. A recent renovation resulted in a beautiful lobby and updated units.
Photograph from Chicago Architecture Center Uptown walking tour.
First constructed in 1875 at 607 Lake St. Cass Chapman was the architect.
Photograph from Chicago Architecture Center Evanston Along the Lake walking tour.
Quinn Chapel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church is the first African-American congregation in Chicago. Formed in 1844 as a seven-person prayer group, the congregation worshipped in several different locations around downtown Chicago. With many abolitionists among their ranks, the church became a station on the Underground Railroad, offering food, supplies and safe haven for fugitive slaves. The congregants purchased the current property at S. Wabash Avenue and E. 24th Street in 1890 and hired architect Henry F. Starbuck to design this rusticated limestone and brick building with Romanesque massing and Gothic details. The building houses community and administrative services on the first floor, with a sanctuary at the second story. The original wood doors and windows survive, as have most of the fixed art-glass lights at the sanctuary level.
Photograph at Chicago Architecture Center Open House Chicago 2021. Because of time constraints and the having attended a Landmarks Illinois presentation three years ago (at which I recommended Quinn Chapel become an Open House Chicago site), I did not take today’s excellent tour.
The Romanesque Revival church at E. 53rd Street and S. Blackstone Avenue was originally organized as the First Presbyterian Church of Hyde Park. The sanctuary, completed in 1889, features large stained-glass windows, a uniquely painted ceiling and a 12-sided dome inscribed with the names of the apostles. An extensive 1924 remodeling added Romanesque arches, pews and a cork floor. The church merged with the Hyde Park Congregational Church in 1930, and its merger in 1970 with the Hyde Park Methodist Church formed the United Church of Hyde Park.
Photograph at Chicago Architecture Center Open House Chicago 2021.
Quinn Chapel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church is the first African-American congregation in Chicago. Formed in 1844 as a seven-person prayer group, the congregation worshipped in several different locations around downtown Chicago. With many abolitionists among their ranks, the church became a station on the Underground Railroad, offering food, supplies and safe haven for fugitive slaves. The congregants purchased the current property at S. Wabash Avenue and E. 24th Street in 1890 and hired architect Henry F. Starbuck to design this rusticated limestone and brick building with Romanesque massing and Gothic details. The building houses community and administrative services on the first floor, with a sanctuary at the second story. The original wood doors and windows survive, as have most of the fixed art-glass lights at the sanctuary level.
Photograph at Chicago Architecture Center Open House Chicago 2021. Because of time constraints and the having attended a Landmarks Illinois presentation three years ago (at which I recommended Quinn Chapel become an Open House Chicago site), I did not take today’s excellent tour.
The Monastery of the Holy Cross is a significant early work of architect Hermann J. Gaul, a renowned ecclesial architect of the early 20th century. Recognized for its complex high-vaulted ceiling, the church was completed in 1909 for the German-speaking "national parish" of the Immaculate Conception. The German Gothic Revival church at W. 31st and S. Aberdeen streets incorporates high-Gothic design elements including a high gabled triple-arch entrance, expressive gargoyles and a 14 Gothic-arched, highly decorated Stations of the Cross. The parish closed in 1990, and the Benedictine monastic community was invited to make the building into a unique urban monastery the following year. While some of the original furnishings were lost after the closure, the monks added several religious treasures, most notably altarpiece icons produced in the traditional Byzantine egg tempera method by iconographer Vladislav Andrejev. It was declared a landmark two days previously.
Photograph at Chicago Architecture Center Open House Chicago 2021.
H. H. Richardson's last surviving work in Chicago was commissioned by John and Frances Glessner. The Glessner House’s radical design perplexed neighbors but was quickly embraced by architects for its innovative floor plan. With principal rooms facing inward toward a light-filled private courtyard, it helped create a new American style of residential architecture. Its collection of original furnishings features pieces representing the Aesthetic, Modern Gothic and Arts and Crafts movements of England and the United States. The residence at 1800 S. Prairie Ave. was saved from demolition in 1966, thanks to efforts that resulted in the creation of both Glessner House and the Chicago Architecture Center.
Photograph at Chicago Architecture Center Open House Chicago 2021.
Designed by Mies van der Rohe in 1956, S.R. Crown Hall at 3360 S. State St. represents his architectural concepts and theories in their most complete and mature form. The building houses IIT's school of architecture. The two-level building is configured as a pure rectangular form, 220 ft. by 120 ft. by 18 ft. tall. The enclosed space is column free with four six-foot steel plate girders welded to eight H-columns. These girders suspend the roof in a single plane to form a primary structure. While the lower level consists of compartmentalized rooms, the upper level occupies almost half of the building’s total area, but only includes one large, open classroom. A major renovation completed in 2005 enhanced its accessibility and functionality, improved overall energy and environmental performance and restored Crown close to its original appearance.
Photograph from Chicago Architecture Center Mies & Modernism: The IIT Campus Tour.
St. Ita Parish was founded in Edgewater in 1900. The current French Gothic church, which opened at 5500 N. Broadway in 1927, was the highlight of architect Henry Schlacks’ distinguished career as a church architect. The open tower contains 1,800 tons of Bedford limestone and rises to 120 feet in height. Elaborate Gothic detailing marks the altar, but the medallion windows containing more than 200,000 pieces of stained glass, designed by Schlacks, highlight the interior. The sanctuary seats 700.
Photograph at Chicago Architecture Center Open House Chicago 2021.
Our Lady of Sorrows was raised to a basilica in 1956 for its artistic value and the work of Mother Novena. Dedicated in 1902, construction began in 1890 at 3121 W. Jackson Blvd. The barrel-vaulted ceiling consists of more than 1,100 separate gold-leafed panels. The high altar is built entirely of white carrara marble. It is one of three basilicas in Chicago.
Photographs from Open House Chicago 2018, one of my District Coordinator sites. This is one of the most impressive sites during this and all Open House weekends.
The only surviving historic mansion on S. Calumet Avenue, the Wheeler Mansion was built in 1870 for Calvin T. Wheeler, a banker and a member of the Chicago Board of Trade. It was designed in the Second Empire style, with influences in the tall third-story mansard roof. Over the years, the mansion has been home to a publishing company, warehouse for the Murphy Butter and Egg Company and others. The current owner acquired the property at 2020 S. Calumet Ave. in 1997 for $10,000, then spent 18 months renovating the vacant and crumbling building. Wheeler Mansion reopened in 1999 as a Bead & Breakfast.
Photograph at Chicago Architecture Center Open House Chicago 2021.
Solon Beman, who designed several Chicago Christian Science churches, is the architect for the 1918 building at 1490 Chicago Ave. It closed in the early 2000s and is now Nichols Concert Hall.
Photograph from Chicago Architecture Center Evanston Along the Lake walking tour.
The Romanesque Revival church at E. 53rd Street and S. Blackstone Avenue was originally organized as the First Presbyterian Church of Hyde Park. The sanctuary, completed in 1889, features large stained-glass windows, a uniquely painted ceiling and a 12-sided dome inscribed with the names of the apostles. An extensive 1924 remodeling added Romanesque arches, pews and a cork floor. The church merged with the Hyde Park Congregational Church in 1930, and its merger in 1970 with the Hyde Park Methodist Church formed the United Church of Hyde Park.
Photograph at Chicago Architecture Center Open House Chicago 2021.
Ebenezer Lutheran Church was organized in 1892. The Swedes who settled in the area completed the sanctuary at 1650 W. Foster Ave. in 1908 (with additions in 1929), and the congregation quickly grew to more than 2,000 members. The sanctuary has beautiful Swedish stenciling along the ceiling, stained glass windows that are the largest of their kind and an intricate altarpiece. A 1987 remodeling carefully preserved the historic elements of the sanctuary. The stairs to the balcony on each side are of different styles; lore has it that the architect, also a prominent local homebuilder, constructed them to show prospective clients two options for staircases.
Photograph at Chicago Architecture Center Open House Chicago 2019.
St. Ita Parish was founded in Edgewater in 1900. The current French Gothic church, which opened at 5500 N. Broadway in 1927, was the highlight of architect Henry Schlacks’ distinguished career as a church architect. The open tower contains 1,800 tons of Bedford limestone and rises to 120 feet in height. Elaborate Gothic detailing marks the altar, but the medallion windows containing more than 200,000 pieces of stained glass, designed by Schlacks, highlight the interior. The sanctuary seats 700.
Photograph at Chicago Architecture Center Open House Chicago 2021.
The Monastery of the Holy Cross is a significant early work of architect Hermann J. Gaul, a renowned ecclesial architect of the early 20th century. Recognized for its complex high-vaulted ceiling, the church was completed in 1909 for the German-speaking "national parish" of the Immaculate Conception. The German Gothic Revival church at W. 31st and S. Aberdeen streets incorporates high-Gothic design elements including a high gabled triple-arch entrance, expressive gargoyles and a 14 Gothic-arched, highly decorated Stations of the Cross. The parish closed in 1990, and the Benedictine monastic community was invited to make the building into a unique urban monastery the following year. While some of the original furnishings were lost after the closure, the monks added several religious treasures, most notably altarpiece icons produced in the traditional Byzantine egg tempera method by iconographer Vladislav Andrejev. It was declared a landmark two days previously.
Photograph at Chicago Architecture Center Open House Chicago 2021.
Located at the corner of W. Race and N. Waller avenues on two oversized lots, Harambee Community Garden comprises an allotment garden and community gathering/performance area surrounded by perennial flower beds, shrubs and trees. The site also includes several beehives and hosts goats on its southern portion. Since its creation in 2011 the garden has engaged with surrounding community institutions— a senior home, Douglass Academy High School, St Martin’s Episcopal Church— to create a unique community space out of a nearly 30-year vacant lot. Harambee has served as a venue for community-led programming, hosting activities from numerous community organizations – Glenn Art Farm, Green Community Connections, One Earth Film Festival, Youth Guidance and The Chicago Public Library
Photograph from Chicago Architecture Center Austin walking tour.
Ebenezer Lutheran Church was organized in 1892. The Swedes who settled in the area completed the sanctuary at 1650 W. Foster Ave. in 1908 (with additions in 1929), and the congregation quickly grew to more than 2,000 members. The sanctuary has beautiful Swedish stenciling along the ceiling, stained glass windows that are the largest of their kind and an intricate altarpiece. A 1987 remodeling carefully preserved the historic elements of the sanctuary. The stairs to the balcony on each side are of different styles; lore has it that the architect, also a prominent local homebuilder, constructed them to show prospective clients two options for staircases.
Photograph at Chicago Architecture Center Open House Chicago 2019.