The Art Institute of Chicago

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The Art Institute of Chicago ..
Address: 111 South Michigan Avenue ...
Completed: 1892
Architects: Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge [Boston firm]

Today, the museum is most famous for its collections of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, and American paintings ...



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A couple enjoying the famous painting "Nighthawks" by Edward Hopper ... in the Modern collection ...

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Swami Vivekanand Way

Swami Vivekanand Way..
The Chicago Art Institute was the venue of the famous Hindu monk Swami Vivekananda addressed the Parliament of the World's Religions in 1893. On September 11, 1995, the Art Institute put up a bronze plaque to commemorate Swami Vivekananda's historic address. The plaque reads:
"On November 11, 1995, the stretch of Michigan Avenue that passes in front of the Art Institute was formally conferred the honorary name "Swami Vivekananda Way"..

Swami Vivekananda at..
The World Parliament of Religions
September 11, 1893, Chicago..
Sisters and Brothers of America,
[The 7,000 people in the audience, according to reports, “went into inexplicable rapture with standing ovation and clapping that lasted for more than three minutes.” He went on...]
"It fills my heart with joy unspeakable to rise in response to the warm and cordial welcome which you have given us. I thank you in name of the most ancient order of monks in the world; I thank you in the name of the mother of religions; and I thank you in the name of millions and millions of Hindu people of all classes and sects.

My thanks also to some of the speakers on this platform who, referring to the delegates from the Orient, have told you that these men from far-off nations may well claim the honor of bearing to different lands the idea of toleration..."

Continue reading..Swami Vivekananda at the World Parliament of Religions..September 11, 1893.. click here...

The World Parliament of Religions was sponsored by the Unitarians and Universalists of the Free Religious Association, and was a part of the greater Columbian Exposition held for several months in 1893, in Chicago, which was attended by over 27 million people.

A very interesting read ...
His [Swami Vivekanand's] passage across the Pacific from Japan was paid for by friends in India, who, having no idea of the cost of living in the New World, provided him with only enough to get him here, and nothing on which to live. He came via Vancouver, B.C. and made his way to Chicago only to find that he was too early. Several weeks would elapse before the Parliament opened. In the meantime he managed with the help of generous strangers to spend this time in New England, in the homes and summer homes of some very distinguished people...
# Continue reading.. Swami Vivekananda at the Parliament of Religions.. click here ..

Check out on You Tube..
Swami Vivekananda Speech at Chicago..click here ..

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Marina City [ Architect: Bertrand GoldBerg]

Marina City..
Completed: 1964
Architect: Bertrand GoldBerg, a student of Mies van der Rohe ..
Marina City is a mixed-use building complex.. combining residential with commercial use. It occupies an entire city block on State Street in Chicago, Illinois. It lies on the north bank of the Chicago River, directly across from Chicago's Loop district. The complex consists of two corncob-shaped 65-story, including 5-story elevator & physical plant penthouse ...

Marina City is a complex of two towers.. The two towers contain identical floor plans.. Its shape was in contrast with the contemporary architectural concepts of straight lines and cubical apartment buildings. The cylindrical shape was used to have less wind pressure. The architect chose reinforced concrete instead of steel as this was the only material in which he could create the petal shapes of the apartments.

The parking facility at Marina City.. The bottom 19 floors form an spiral parking ramp with 896 parking spaces per building. Thse are operated by valet. The 20th floor of each contains a laundry room with panoramic views of the Loop. Upwards from21 through 60 floors contain apartments [450 per tower]. A 360-degree open-air roof deck lies on the 61st and top story.

Marina City apartments are unique in containing almost no interior right angles..

House of Blues ...
At the base of the famous of Marina City buildings, the House of Blues opened in 1996. It is host to a mix of blues, jazz, funk, rap and world musicians who perform here. And is also a popular dining spot.

Bertrand Goldberg [1913-1997]..was born in Chicago..
Perhaps his best-known commission, Marina City in Chicago which completed in 1964.. After this he received many large commissions for hospitals, schools, and other public institutional buildings like
- Prentice Women's Hospital for Northwestern University..
- Science and medical complexes for SUNY Stony Brook..
- River City in Chicago.

River City in south Loop..complted in 1987. It bears a distinct resemblance to the Marina Towers .. Marina City is the first building of its kind.. Before Goldberg, there was nothing like it. Now a lot of architects, look upon him for inspiration..

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333 Wacker Drive [Architect: Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates]

333 Wacker Drive
Completed: 1983Architects: Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates..
This building was the first skyscraper designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, who have gone on to become one of the world's best known designers of tall buildings.

The building makes the northwest corner of Chicago's "Loop", the curved wall of green glass follows a bend in the Chicago River.

The building is flanked on both sides by office towers by the same architects:
# 225 West Wacker to the left, and
# 191 North Wacker to the right.

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Wrigley Building

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Wrigley Building ...
Completed: 1920 ...
Architects: Graham, Anderson and Probst ...



The Wrigley building serves as the headquarters of the Wrigley company ... It was built in 1920 by the company's founder, William Wrigley Jr.

It consists of 2 sections: the tallest, 30 story southern building has a 121 meter high tower and was completed in 1921. The largest, 21 story northern section was completed in 1924. The 2 structures are connected by an open walkway on street level and 2 elevated walkways on the 3rd and 14th story ... Between the two structures is the small Wrigley plaza ...

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Tribune Tower

Tribune Tower..
Address: 435 N. Michigan Ave.
Completed: 1925
Architect: Raymond M. Hood and John Mead Howells..
Designated a Chicago Landmark: February 1, 1989...

The Tribune Tower is the headquarters of Tribune Company, founded in 1847. The Tribune Tower was erected in 1925. The Tower design was the result of an international competition for "the most beautiful office building in the world," held in 1922 by the Chicago Tribune newspaper. Tribune offered $100,000 in prize money [$50,00 for first place, $20,000 for second and $10,000 for third] In all, 263 designs were received from the United States and 22 from other countries. Entries were presented anonymously. The winning design was of a soaring Gothic skyscraper awarded to New York City architects John Mead Howells and Raymond M. Hood.

The Tower's frame is made of steel, fireproofed with concrete. The outer walls are Indiana limestone in variegated shades of gray. The Tower's Gothic design emphasizes the vertical lines, creating the illusion that the building soars well above it's 36 stories.



The plaque reads..
Chicago Landmark..
Tribune Tower
John Mead Howells and Raymond Hood, architects
1925..
This design was the result of an international competition for the most beautiful office building in the world, held in 1922 by the Chicago Tribune. The competition proved extremely influential for the development of skyscraper architecture in the 1920's. The crowning tower, with it's flying buttress, is derived from the design of the French cathedral of Rouen and gives the building a striking silhouette.
Designated in Feb.1, 1984
Richard M. Daley, Mayor
Commission on Chicago Landmarks..



Hall of Inscriptions...
The soaring entrance area is known as the Hall of Inscriptions. Carved into the walls are famous quotations expressive of ideals and obligations of the press. Inscriptions record the words spoken by visionaries and great leaders such as Patrick Henry, Voltaire and Benjamin Franklin.
# For more.. click here..



Aesop's Stone Screen..
By Rene Paul Chambellan..
The three-story arched entrance is so overlooked. The detailed stone screen depicts characters from Aesop's fables.. Like Crow and the Pitcher, Wolf & the Crane.. Something that I read, but could not figure out [still worth mentioning here].. The screen has figures of Robin Hood and Howling Dog, which are visual allusions of the architect's names.. [Hood and Howell]
# For more.. click here..



Stones and Artifacts...
The Tower's exterior limestone walls are studded with more than 150 pieces stones and artifacts from around the world. It includes fragments of Abraham Lincoln's original tomb, India's Taj Mahal and China's Forbidden City. Some of Tribune Tower's Stones are from structures that predate the Christian era, such as the Great Pyramid of Cheops in Egypt or the Great Wall of China. Others like the Berlin Wall is of recent history. Every state in the nation has at least one bit of natural or man-made wonders here.
# For more.. click here..



Grotesques & Gargoyles..
Designed by Rene Paul Chambellan..
The sculptural ornamentation is worth stopping and taking a second look! Its gargoyles and corbels are some of the most amusing that I've seen.. The details are not to be missed.. If only I knew what they stood for.. Or does anyone has any information?
# For more.. click here..



Gargoyles ["News" & "Rumor"]
Designed by Rene Paul Chambellan..
At the Michigan Avenue entrance, just above the arched doorway are two allegorical gargoyles.. "News" and "Rumor"...
# For more.. click here..



Nathen Hale Lobby..
To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Chicago Tribune in 1997, the Tower's Nather Hale lobby was renovated and inscriptions were added to include words of Abraham Lincoln, playwright Arthur Miller and former Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.
# For more.. click here..

Check out more posts on the Tribune Tower..
# Tribune Tower: Hall of Inscription..
# Tribune Tower: Aesop's Stone Screen..
# Tribune Tower: Stones and Artifacts..
# Tribune Tower: Grotesques & Gargoyles..
# Tribune Tower: Gargoyles [News & Rumor]..
# Tribune Tower: Nathan Hale Lobby..

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Tribune Tower : Hall of Inscriptions and Aesop's Stone Screen

Hall of Inscriptions..
The soaring entrance area is known as the Hall of Inscriptions. Carved into the walls are famous quotaions expressive of ideals and obligations of the press. These record the spoken words of leaders like Votaire, Benjamin Franklin, Milton.. The Nathan Hale lobby has words of Abraham Lincoln, Arthur Miller and Thurgood Marshall..

On the walls are inscribed words by famous leaders ..
Give me liberty to know, to utter and to argue freely accoring to my conscience, above all other liberties.. - Milton..

I do not agree with a word that you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.. - Voltaire..

Aesop's Stone Screen..
By Rene Paul Chambellan
The three-story arched entrance is so overlooked. Over the doorway of the main lobby is this carved stone screen. It bears symbolic imagery of Aesop's fables. One can see cartouches surrounded by animals, acanthus leaves, scrolls and ribbons..

Crow and the pitcher..

Wolf and the crane..

Fox and the sour grapes..

RELATED LINK:
# Tribune Tower

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