Chicago Women's Park and Gardens [Botanical Gardens Fountain]

Botanical Gardens Fountain
By Robinson Iron
It has a shallow copper-coated cast iron urn that gently drips water into lower basin.
Robinson Iron also created:
- Children's Fountain in Linclon Park
- Gurgoyle Founatin in Wicker Park
- Chicago Botanical Garden in Marino Park

Location: Chicago Women's Park and Gardens..
Address: 1800 West Prairie Avenue ..
Opened: 2000
The park was designed by Chicago landscape architect Mimi McKay and architect Tannys Langdon, this 4-acre park park was created to pay tribute to important women in the history of Chicago. The beautiful building in the background is the Clarks House, considered the oldest surviving domestic structure in Chicago..





For more on..
# Chicago Women's Park and Gardens.. click here..
# Clarke House.. click here..
# The Prairie Avenue Historic District .. click here...

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William H. Reid House

William H. Reid House ..
Address: 2013 S prairie Avenue
Completed: 1894
Architects: Beers, Clay & Dutton
the only house on the Prairie Avenue to remain a single-family home throughout it's history.
Note the large palladian window on the third floor..

The Prairie Avenue Historic District .. click here ... has been designated a Chicago Landmark .. The surviving buildings show the style and opulence in which the rich-n-famous of Chicago, lived in the last quarter of the 19th century .. However, there are a few buildings that are not within the boundaries of the Landmark District, but are in the vicinity and reflect the same glory and elegance of the era .. These are:
- Wheeler Kohn Mansion [Chicago Landmark] click here ..
- William H. Reid House
- Harriet F. Rees House .. click here ..

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Harriet F. Rees House

The Prairie Avenue Historic District .. click here ...
has been designated a Chicago Landmark .. The surviving buildings show the style and opulence in which the rich-n-famous of Chicago, lived in the last quarter of the 19th century .. However, there are a few buildings that are not within the boundaries of the Landmark District, but are in the vicinity and reflect the same glory and elegance of the era .. These are:
- Wheeler Kohn Mansion [Chicago Landmark].. click here ..
- William H. Reid House .. click here ..
- Harriet F. Rees House

The above images are of the Harriet F. Rees House ..
Address: 2100 S Prairie Avenue
Completed: 1888
Architects: Cobb & Frost ..

I found it somewhat amusing to see this building standing alone with nothing to complement it .. There was no structure in the immediate vicinity .. wonder how long it will stand alone .. This narrow rowhouse has beautifully executed stone detailing and steeply pitched gable. Other interesting feature is the rounded bay window ..

For more on the Prairie Avenue Historic District .. click here ...

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Wolf Point

WOLF POINT ..
The piece of land jutted out into the river at the junction of the North Branch and the main stem of the Chicago River is called the Wolf Point. It's about 4 acres of land just west of Merchendise Mart ..

Wolf Point gets it's name from a tavern that existed here, with a sign of a wolf on a pole in front. Also "The Wolf" was a native American known to the early settlers ..

"In early days this elbow of land, formed by the junction of North and South branches of Chicago River, was the site of three taverns, Wolf Tavern, `Miller`s,` and the Sauganash."

Site of the Sauganash Hotel/Wigwam .. is designated a Chicago landmark ..
Address: Southeast Corner of Lake Street and Wacker Drive
Year Built: Sauganash Hotel: 1831 (Destroyed 1851)
Wigwam: 1860 (Destroyed ca. 1867)
Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: November 6, 2002 ..

From the city of Chicago Official Website ..
"The Site of the Sauganash Hotel/Wigwam is important in the history of Chicago's early development. Mark Beaubien built the Sauganash Hotel in 1831 at Wolf Point, on the east bank of the south branch of the Chicago River at the "Forks" of the River where the north and south branches meet. It was at the Sauganash Hotel in 1833 that the newly-formed Town of Chicago voted to elected its first town trustees and where many of the town meetings occurred. During a brief period in 1837 when the building was not in operation as a hotel, it served as Chicago's first theater. The Sauganash Hotel remained in almost continuous operation until it burned down in 1851.

The Wigwam, constructed on the same site nine years later, was home to the 1860 Republican National Convention. It was at this historic convention that Abraham Lincoln was nominated as the Republican candidate for president. His nomination and eventual election as the nation's 16th President triggered a series of dramatic events surrounding the abolition of slavery and the secession of several southern states, ultimately culminating in the Civil War. His powerful leadership skills are credited with having led the country successfully through perhaps its darkest time."

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Blast from the past

Chicago History Museum..
Chicago History Museum has a couple of hidden treasures in it's backyard .. In the hedges on the east side of the Chicago History Museum, one can find ...
# A relic from the Great Chicago Fire of 1871
# A Revolutionary War chain..





In these hedges along the semi-circular plaza on the east side of the Chicago History Museum, one can spot:





# This metal blob is the melted remains of a hardware store, destroyed in the 1871 fire..
# A Revolutionary War chain..



Ref: Hidden Chicago ... click here ...

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Hidden Truths .. [ Lincoln Park]

# Couch Mausoleum
# Tombstone of David Kennison..

Lincoln Park was added the National Register of Historic Places in 1994 ..
Interestingly, Lincoln Park began its existence as City Cemetery in 1843. This was subdivided into various cemetaries ... Potter's Field, Catholic cemetery, Jewish cemetery, and the general City Cemetery. These cemeteries were the only cemeteries in the Chicago area until 1859.

In 1864, the city council decided to turn the 120-acre cemetery into a park. To this day, there are some visible examples of it's history as a cemetery..
# Couch Mausoleum
# Tombstone of David Kennison





Couch Mausoleum..
The marker reads..
This stone vault is the oldest structure standing within the Chicago Fire zone. It was erected in 1858 for Ira Couch, a weathly hotelier who died at the age 50 while wintering in Cuba. Though some theories exist, there is no official answer as to why this tomb was left behind on the site of the Chicago City Cemetery. Varying accounts of the number entombed suggest 7 to 13 or merely Ira alone.



On the other side of the above marker is this cemetery map...





Tombstone of David Kennison..
The marker reads..
In memory of David kennison,
The last survivor of the "Boston Tea Party",
who dies in Chicago, February 24, 1852, aged 115 yers, 3 mos, 17 da, and is buried near this spot. This stone is erected by the sons of the Revolution.
The Sons of American Revolution
And the Daughters of the American Revolution..


View Larger Map

Check out..
# Pamela Bannos website Hidden Truths: The Chicago City Cemetery & Lincoln Park .. click here ...
# Map of Lincoln Park .. click here ..

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The Moody Church

The Moody Church
Architects: Fugard and Knapp
Completed: 1925
Location: 1635 North LaSalle • Chicago, Illinois 60614 ..

Styles that influenced the architecture:
- Romanesque [windows and arches] – over 320 doors
- Byzantine [exterior on the Clark Street side]
It is one of the largest Romanesque churches in the US ... a bridge between the Catholic cathedrals and the Protestant churches ..
- Steel superstructures with brick overlay
Originally it was designed to be 20 feet longer to the west, but was cut off because of LaSalle Street expansion ..

I would have loved to go inside, but the door was locked. I've seen photos of the interiors of the church .. it's magnificient.





The information above have been gathered from it's official website, click here ....

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