Chicago Architecture Today

Up or Coming

The University of Chicago have recently completed a number of building projects. This contemporary structure houses the new South Campus Dining Hall on Ellis Street near 61st Street.

The Next Big Thing!

Every so often an event comes on the scene for which we could never live it down if we missed it. If you love all things architecture - this is that event! This is your one opportunity to see the latest in retail design products, enjoy visual interaction with design professionals and their projects, design competitions, design college reps, innovative seminar topics, tours and more! Check it out via the link above.

Today's Poll Question

City Focus

THINK SPRING!

Chicago winters can be challenging even for the most veteran of locals. But the hope of Spring and warmer temperatures propels us forward especially when our sports teams have long since faded. This April gives us another reason to look forward - The Amazing Architectural Race! Make sure to reserve a spot for your team today. Register on the Contests Page.

In The News...

Local

RESTORED MARQUETTE BLDG OPENS PERMANENT LOBBY EXHIBIT

PRESS RELEASE, CHICAGO JANUARY 24, 2010 – A new website opens the doors of the historic Marquette Building, a Chicago landmark and one of the city’s earliest skyscrapers, to visitors from around the world. The website, www.marquette.macfound.org, highlights the building’s history, architecture, and recent renovations, drawing on the content contained in a free exhibit located in the building’s arcade. The building is owned and was restored by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, which also constructed the exhibit and website.

Named a National Historic Landmark in 1976, the Marquette Building is a classic example of the renowned Chicago style of architecture, which is characterized by steel skeletons holding up facades of brick and ornamental terra cotta. It was designed by Holabird & Roche and built by the George A. Fuller Company in 1894 using steel frame construction. The building is named for French Jesuit missionary and explorer Jacques Marquette. The lobby boasts Tiffany mosaic panels and decorative bronze heads of native Americans, early explorers, and animals.

In 1977, Banker’s Life and Casualty Company acquired the Marquette Building. The Company was owned by John D. MacArthur, one of the wealthiest men in America. After John’s death in 1978, the Foundation he endowed chose the Marquette Building as the headquarters for its philanthropic work around the world. The MacArthur Foundation proudly restored the building to its original glory.

The MacArthur Foundation worked closely with preservation specialists in architecture and engineering to return the building to its original design. The past century had brought non-historical renovations, removal of the cornice, and damage from pollution and the elements. A team of experts thoroughly researched the building’s history, construction, original details, and alterations made over the decades. MacArthur recreated the cornice, a massive, ornamental molding that encircles the top perimeter of the structure, restored the building’s façade, and reconstructed the original windows.

“The story of the Marquette Building is the tale of a landmark preserved,” said MacArthur President Robert Gallucci. “The MacArthur Foundation is proud to have restored this historic building, returning to Chicago one of its true architectural masterpieces. Through the exhibit and now the website, we hope countless visitors will enjoy the building’s history and splendor in person and online.”

The free exhibit in the building’s arcade, just west of the lobby, at 140 South Dearborn Street, is open to the public from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on weekdays and 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on weekends. It features –

· An interactive kiosk with close-ups of some of the building’s key architectural features and its rich décor, including the semi-precious stone and glass Tiffany mosaics in the lobby;

· A scale model of the building to help visitors understand its shape and construction;

· Interviews with experts on the building’s historical significance and its recent restoration; and

· Interactive kiosks that provide information on the MacArthur Foundation’s grant-making.

Comments? Email us at comments@chicagoarchitecturetoday.com

Also in the news locally..

Chicagoans of the year in architecture: [SOM] - Cityscapes

Spanish architect to receive ND's Driehaus Prize - South Bend Tribune

Serta headquarters wins national design honors - Chicago Tribune

New Leadership at AIA Chicago - Architect's Newspaper Blog
Architecture Foundation nearing decision on moving - Chicago Tribune

Hotel Burnham, preservation success story, facing financial troubles - Chicago Tribune

The First iPhone App Series to Profile Significant ... MacMegasite

Nagle Hartray Danker Kagan mckay Penney Architects wins Chicago AIA Firm of ... - Chicago Tribune

Metra on track to rehab and rebuild dozens of stations - Chicago Tribune

Additional stories in Archives.

National

LAS VEGAS ARCHITECTURE GROWS UP

BY HUGH HART

Gehry-designed Cleveland Clinic

LAS VEGAS, NV| DEC 7 ,2009--What the hell is happening to Las Vegas architecture? There’s not a stitch of kitsch to be found in the resort town’s latest iteration of destination buildings. Ignoring Disney-fied theme concepts, the new structures include a shard-shaped shopping mall by World Tower master planner Daniel Libeskind, a pair of pumpkin-toned condos skewed at a five-degree angle and crisscrossed with gleaming blue monorail trams that summon Blade Runner vistas by way of The Jetsons, and a grid-melting exercise in fractal geometry from Frank Gehry, who makes his first Las Vegas appearance with a complex devoted to Alzheimer’s patients. Select link to continue with story

Excerpt from Las Vegas Grows Up: Architecture Review in LA Weekly

Comments? Email us at comments@chicagoarchitecturetoday.com

Also in the news Nationally..

Habitat for Humanity aims to erect one-room houses in Haiti - Atlanta

0 designers or firms want Arch project - St. Louis
Latest Expansion on Michigan's "Medical .. - Grand Rapids

Community Design Center Project Among Winners of Top American Architecture Award - Fayetteville

The Wright Opens at the Guggenheim - New York

Perkins Eastman Celebrates the Groundbreaking of New High-rise Building for Seniors - Milwaukee

Does the Freedom Tower still stack up to 1776 feet? - New York

Additional stories in Archives

International

SOM'S HAJJ TERMINAL WINS

PRESTIGIOUS AIA 25 YEAR AWARD

JANUARY 29, 2010 (CHICAGO, IL) PRESS RELEASE– Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) is pleased to announce that the King Abdul Aziz International Airport - Hajj Terminal received the 2010 American Institute of Architects (AIA) Twenty-Five Year award.

The award jury commented, “This project exemplifies the power of a clear idea. With a very simple bay repeated quite beautifully, they set the standard for many airports since….The architects created a highly sustainable project well ahead of the green movement….The terminal presents a sense of place, ecology, economy of means, and culture – not imposing on but learning from the local culture and environment.”

Designed by SOM’s Chicago and New York offices and completed in 1981, the Hajj Terminal in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia becomes a temporary city for Muslims who decamp from planes and await transportation to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina during the six weeks of the Islamic faith known as Hajj. SOM created a series of tent-like structures which shelter up to 80,000 pilgrims at a time. The 120-acre terminal consists of two identical roofed halves separated by a landscaped central mall. The first half of the terminal contains air conditioned buildings; the second half is a vast, open-sided temperate waiting and support area. The visually arresting Teflon-coated fiberglass roof structure consists of 10 modules of 21 semi-conical fabric roof units. Each module is supported by 147-foot tall steel cables along the rooftop. Nearly 40 million travelers have passed through the Hajj Terminal since its completion.

Jeffrey J. McCarthy, AIA, Partner in SOM’s Chicago office commented, “On behalf of all of the SOM partners, we are honored to receive this prestigious award from the AIA. It is an award that we value above all others. However, it is a gift of legacy that we inherit from those that worked before us. We graciously accept this in their honor.” The original team included Gordon Bunshaft, FAIA, Gordon Wildermuth, FAIA, and structural engineer Fazlur Khan.

Comments? Email us at comments@chicagoarchitecturetoday.com

Also in the news Internationally..

Renzo Piano themes for cities Veteran Italian architect remains popular worldwide - Italy

A fine future may be brewing for Molson site - Edmonton

Dubai Tower to Open On January 2010 - Burj Dubai

Into China's smog, a green giant rises - China

China Holdings, Inc. Announces Contracting Perkins Eastman Architect for Its ... - China

The International Architecture Awards - Europe

Sexy architecture alive and well in Mideast - Abu Dhabi

224-story skyscraper would be high point for architect- Abu Dhabi

Bono's Home Designer Ando Plans Art Center at Provence - France

Pritzker Prize winner compares work to love affair - Argentina

Additional stories in Archives...

Firm Foundation

Faro Monarca Tower

Medellin, Colombia

YAS Architecture, LLC specializes in architecture, interior design and urban design and within those program parameters, divides its work equally between both public and private sectors. With over 18 years of experience in the upper echelons of Chicagoland’s professional design community, YAS Architecture, LLC has developed a reputation for innovation and bold movements into contemporary interpretations of today’s design challenges.

Click here for the full profile and others on our

Firm Foundations Page.

Quad Connection

This month Chicago Architecture Today highlights

CORNELL UNIVERSITY

College of Architecture Art & Planning

Cornell University

College of Architecture

129 Sibley Dome

Ithaca, NY 14853

www.cornell.edu

Cornell University has one of the oldest and most respected schools of architecture in the United States. The architecture department is within the College of Architecture, Art, and Urban Planning (AAP). The department has about 315 undergraduate students, 50 graduate students, a 30 person full-time resident faculty, and usually 6-10 visiting faculty. It is a five-year Bachelor of Architecture program. The curriculum emphasizes theory, history, technology, and structures, as well as design.

More on Cornell and other area architectural institutions of higher learning in

Quad Connection

On Location: Chicago

MICHAEL SCHNEIDER, VARIETY, CHICAGO, IL, JANUARY 11, 2010 -- Fox has given a green light to the Shawn Ryan pilot "Ridealong."

Fox had earlier handed a put pilot order to the Chicago-set cop show (Daily Variety, Aug. 10). Project's a personal passion project of Ryan's, who grew up in nearby Rockford, Ill. "Ridealong" will center on three groups of police officers --ranging from uniformed beat cops to the female chief of police. Ryan wrote and exec produces the hour-long drama, which comes from 20th Century Fox TV.

In August, Ryan said he hoped to shoot the skein in Chicago, which he has made a major part of the show. "It's a city I'm very familiar with, and one I haven't seen photographed much, at least on TV," Ryan said at the time, adding that he thought Chicago had become "the center of the universe." "When I pitched it to the people at Fox, (Chicago was) the first character I described," Ryan said. "It's a gorgeous town and is the most interesting architectural city in America."

Complete article at Variety.com

* * *

CHICAGO, IL, DECEMBER 28, 2009 -- Chicago public television station WTTW (Channel 11) will air the first television broadcast of a new documentary, “Celebration of Light: Restoration of the Chicago Cultural Center’s Tiffany Dome,” on January 3, 2010 at 5:30 p.m.

“Celebration of Light” chronicles the history of the world’s largest Louis Comfort Tiffany art glass dome and its recent restoration. The exquisite dome caps the largest of two rotundas in the splendid Beaux Arts building, fittingly known as the “People’s Palace” when it opened in 1897 as Chicago’s first permanent public library.

The documentary features the designers, artists and craftspeople who were involved in restoring the dome (including Wight & Company, Holabird & Root, Botti Studio of Architectural Arts Inc., the Kokomo Opalescent Glass Co., Restoric LLC, and Historic Surfaces). It shows in painstaking detail how they were able to realize the intent of its original designer, Jacob A. Holzer, Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company’s chief mosaicist.

* * *

ARCHIMEDIA WORKSHOP PREMIERES MAKE NO LITTLE PLANS:

DANIEL BURNHAM AND THE AMERICAN CITY

CHICAGO, IL, DECEMBER 9, 2009 --- The Archimedia Workshop announces the theatrical premiere of “Make No Little Plans: Daniel Burnham and the American City,” Sunday, December 13 at 3:00PM at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago. Three-time Oscar nominated actress Joan Allen narrates the film. Allen has received three Academy Award nominations; she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for "Nixon" (1995) and "The Crucible" (1996), and for Best Actress for "The Contender" (2000). More on the Events Page.

Arch Quiz

Which athletic venue was recently stripped of its national historic landmark designation?

A) U.S. Cellular Field

B) United Center

C) Macy’s/ Field’s

D) Soldier Field

Are you ready to test your knowledge about Chicago's architecture?

Take The Quiz Now!

Community Events

2010 DUPAGE AREA

ENGINEER'S WEEK

EXPO

Saturday, February 20, 2010

IIT-Rice Campus, Wheaton, IL

This year's E-Week Expo theme is "Engineering Today's Play into Tomorrow's Careers." Join us for great demos and presentations that will provide fun and education to the whole family, Saturday, free, 11:00-3:00, Illinois Institute of Technology, Rice Campus, 201 E Loop Road Wheaton, IL

Check out more on our

Upcoming Events Page!

Today's Video Pick

THE ARCHITECTURE OF

NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY

Northwestern University's campuses in Evanston and Downtown Chicago are loaded with a diversity of traditional and contemporary structures of architectural interest. This video is a nice photographic representation of many of those fine buildings.

Check it out in

Sightlines

Quote of the Week

"Following the example of the U.S. General Services Administration’s Design Excellence program, which has brought in top architects like New York’s Richard Meier and Chicago’s Thomas Beeby to design everything from federal courthouses to border stations, the stations should be shaped by the best and the brightest architects, not politically-connected hacks."

Quote by Chicago Tribune Architecture Critic Blair Kamin

From his article commenting on the need for functional and eye-pleasing infrastructure to accompany the plan for high-speed rail service

January 31, 2010

Good Reads

BECOMING AN ARCHITECT

LEE W. WALDREP

John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

December 2009

ISBN: 978-0-470-37210-4

Paperback 352 pgs $39.95

At the risk of sounding redundant about a newly released Wiley reference-based publication, I must admit that if were in a classroom environment, at least 2 copies of Becoming an Architect would be made available to my students. Once again, Wiley Press has hit the bullseye in producing textual material designed to comprehensively inform a segment of the industry seeking to make educated choices about their career direction.

More on this book and others on our

Good Reads page

Inside Today

WHEATON, IL

The timeless flagstone facades of Wheaton College, the eclectic Gothic look of the Theosophical Society, or the monumental feel of the Old County Courthouse have set the standard for architecture in Wheaton. In the 1950’s, during the population boom, the streets of Downtown Wheaton were adorned with charming storefronts and terracotta facades. Beautiful homes, ranging from Victorian to Tutor styles, surrounded Downtown Wheaton. See the past and present in a visual panorama in Sightlines!

Check it out

Sightlines

Preservation Station

CHICAGO'S EAST VILLAGE

The North Side neighborhood bounded by Division to Chicago from north to south and between Damen and Hermitage from east to west has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places.



YOUR FIRST SOURCE FOR ARCHITECTURE IN CHICAGO ONLINE