Chicago Model City Exhibition Extended Through November 2010

Chicago Model City Exhibition Extended Through November 2010 Chicago Architecture Foundation Enhances Detailed Model of Chicago Chicago Architecture Foundation Media Release Photos courtesy Chicago Architecture Foundation (click to enlarge)

Chicago – November 5, 2009 – The Chicago Model City exhibition has drawn a vibrant band of locals and tourists who linger over the city in “miniature” every day since it opened in June. Originally scheduled to close in November, the exhibition has been extended through November 2010 with some upgrades and additions.

Free and open daily, Chicago Model City, is at the Chicago Architecture Foundation, 224 S. Michigan. New additions to the exhibition will include an audio tour, an expanded schedule of free bi-weekly gallery talks, new adult and family programs, family programs, and a Flickr page where visitors share photos of the model and exhibition. “The popularity of Chicago Model City demonstrates the desire for greater understanding of Chicago and all cities,” said Lynn Osmond, Chicago Architecture Foundation President and CEO. “Many people recognize that the design of architecture and infrastructure is key to achieving livable communities.”

The centerpiece of Chicago Model City is the first and only large-scale city model fabricated using the cutting-edge rapid prototyping manufacturing process called stereolithography.

Chicago Model City appeals to all ages by allowing visitors to get up close to the model which spans four sq. miles from Lake Michigan to Halsted and from Oak Street to 16th Street . It has 1000 highly detailed buildings in 400 city blocks.

The scale is 1 inch to 50 feet, making the Sears Tower nearly three feet tall! The lighting simulates June 21st, the longest day of the year, going from morning to night every 15 minutes.

“This exhibition really ties into the Chicago Architecture Foundation tours,” said Jason Neises, Chicago Architecture Foundation VP of Tours. “People like retracing their steps and can really see the path of the river cruise and many of our walking tours.” Chicago Model City explores how a region as vast and complex as Chicago takes shape. The exhibition highlights the goals of the people who influence urban life, and it examines the intended and unintended consequences of their actions. By focusing on landmark planning events that have been adopted or avoided in cities everywhere, the exhibition explores why Chicago is a model city.

Chicago Model City encompasses five sections: Beautiful City Plan of Chicago To planners, beautification is a way to achieve wealth, efficiency, and harmony.

Global City O’Hare International Airport International transportation networks are the foundations of Chicago ’s financial and creative wealth. Connected City The ‘L’ Chicagoans’ ability to travel throughout the region encourages urban growth; drives real estate development; and contributes to the quality of life.

Green City Chicago Climate Action Plan Chicago’s dense population, commerce and industry, and complex infrastructure are ingredients for a green or a dirty city. How will planners tip the balance in favor of a productive and healthy environment? New City Remaking the South Side Some planners’ solution is to demolish neighborhoods and build anew. The Chicago model will be a permanent legacy for the city.

The Chicago Architecture Foundation plans to continue enhancing and expanding the model, which will become the focus of its new facility, planned for 2012. Corporations including DSM Desotech, Baxter International Inc., and Molex Incorporated worked with Columbian Model & Exhibit Works by donating staff, technology, and materials to fabricate the model. Leading support was provided by Baxter International Inc., DSM Desotech, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity / Bureau of Tourism, Allstate Corporation, Bank of America, The Burnham Plan Centennial, Feldco, Molex Incorporated, Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust, and Structural Engineers Association of Illinois. Additional support was provided by Altman Lighting, Chicago Bears Football Club, Chicago Sun-Times, Color Kinetics, HOK, Intelligent Lighting Creations, Inc., Illinois Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Lightswitch Architectural, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, and Zumtobel Lighting, Inc.

The Chicago Architecture Foundation (CAF) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing public interest and education in architecture and design. The Chicago Architecture Foundation pursues this mission through architecture tours, exhibitions, panel discussions, and youth and adult education programs.

Photo du Jour 13 March 2009

The Carbide and Carbon Building, 230 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago. I took this photo on May 23, 2008. This is one of my favorite buildings in Chicago. Dark green in color (often mistaken for black), with genuine gold leafing. Construction completed in 1929, it stands just south of the Chicago River, a stone's throw south of the Chicago Tribune Tower. Read more about the building at ChicagoArchitecture.info. Chicago News Bench RSS Feed Cool Stuff...

Taliesin in Trouble

Frank Lloyd Wright's home in Spring Green, Wisconsin (sorry Oak Park and Chicago, you don't count; Spring Green was the old man's base of operations) is in bad shape. Taliesin lies just outside of the little village of about 1,500 people, about 40 miles due west of Madison. It sits on a bit of a hill, next to the Wisconsin River in a picturesque setting. Preservationists are worried that the complex is literally falling apart. According to the Wisconsin State Journal (Madison), "In the 20 years since preservationists sounded the alarms about the dire condition of the six main buildings at Taliesin, $11 million has been spent on them." Full article... So they're working to fix it up. It is worth preserving. I personally don't like Wright architecture; most of his houses were notoriously drafty, roofs often leaked, and the spaces inside are cramped. There are exceptions, of course, but generally that's the rule. Growing up in Madison as I did, many of my friends lived in Wright houses. I attended nursery school at the Unitarian Church on that Wright built on University Avenue. My mother grew up in Spring Green, and she often played on the grounds of Taliesin. Her mother, and other ladies of Spring Green, worked as servers and kitchen help when the Wrights threw big parties. Frank gave my grandmother a beautiful set of exquisite china as a token of his appreciation for her years of helping out around the sprawling grounds. Whenever we would visit Grandma in Spring Green, we'd drive out to Taliesin. The old Dutch Kitchen Restaurant, no longer there, I'm told, would have a lot of old timers who knew Wright and his wife. Photos of Wright and his buildings were on the walls of a lot of businesses on Main Street. By the time I was 12 years old, I was burned out on Anything Frank Lloyd Wright. Been there, done that. Nevertheless, my biases aside, the influence of Wright is far reaching and undeniable, and so from a purely historic perspective, anything Wright should be preserved. Taliesin in Spring Green is stunning to see. The first time you approach it you gasp. When you consider the way that Wright's genius still influences architects worldwide, you realize that little Spring Green was once a bright star in the universe of architecture. It would be a shame to see the distant, tell tale light of that now far off star extinguished.

Charnley House Worth a Look

I've taken a recent interest in the famous James Charnley House at 1365 North Astor Street in Chicago's Gold Coast. It's a beautiful building, one that I've walked past many times. But only recently have I looked into the story behind this unusual residence. "While many have ascribed the scheme to Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis Sullivan's chief assistant at the time, this book sheds new light on how the house relates significantly to the work of both master and apprentice." [Source] If you love landmark buildings as I do, read more about it... For more info see: Charnley-Persky House by Keith Morgan Chicago Landmarks Charnley House SAH.org - Society of Architectural Historians Urban Remains Chicago

Reflecting on Chicago's Lakefront

The new Information Commons building on Loyola University's Lakeshore Campus is nearly complete. Scheduled to open this spring, it is a stunning visual complement to both the lakeshore and to the campus.
The building captures elements and the essence of the older architecture surrounding it, even as it presents ultramodern glass and steel walls.

The reflection of the sky and water plays off the lake side to the east. On the western side of the building, the older structures are reflected. Beautiful.



Just one possible problem, however. One of the construction workers said that the building "leaks like a sieve" and will be "a greenhouse in the summer."