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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.
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.
Educational/Cultural Sites
October 2018
Chicago Architecture Center - CAC
Chicago, IL
Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture
Gallagher & Associates
Mies van der Rohe
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.
House with carved-wood pediment, 1890. John Van Osdel was the architect.
Photograph from Chicago Architecture Center Evanston Along the Lake 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.
Goldblatt’s Uptown department store occupied three buildings at 4718 N. Broadway from 1931 until 1998. It was originally the Loren Miller Company Store. Borders was the next occupant in the 1918 building, closing in 2011. The five-story structure to the south now consists to loft condominiums and a health club. The Plymouth Hotel at the south end was acquired by Goldblatt’s and integrated into the store. That section was demolished in the early 2000s.
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.
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 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
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Arts Club of Chicago was founded in 1916 After several locations over the years, it moved to 109 E. Ontario St.in quarters built to specification designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. The gallery was built around Constantin Brâncuși's The Golden Bird, and the stairway was renowned for its simple elegance. The club's move in 1997 to its current location at 201 E. Ontario St. was not without controversy because the club demolished its former interior space designed by Mies van der Rohe and moved only the central staircase to the new gallery space. However, the new space is 19,000 square feet, which is 7,000 square feet larger than the old space.
Photograph from Open House Chicago 2018.
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.
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.
The Arts Club of Chicago was founded in 1916 After several locations over the years, it moved to 109 E. Ontario St.in quarters built to specification designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. The gallery was built around Constantin Brâncuși's The Golden Bird, and the stairway was renowned for its simple elegance. The club's move in 1997 to its current location at 201 E. Ontario St. was not without controversy because the club demolished its former interior space designed by Mies van der Rohe and moved only the central staircase to the new gallery space. However, the new space is 19,000 square feet, which is 7,000 square feet larger than the old space.
Photograph from Open House Chicago 2018.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
The entrance to the converted loft condominiums is around the corner on N. Racine Avenue. The 1918 building was formerly part of Goldblatt's Uptown department store, with the building at the right. The Plymouth Hotel, later acquired by Goldblatt's and connected to the store at the left, was demolished in the early 2000s and replaced with a new building.
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
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 Street and N. Waller Avenue 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.