Waterman presentation at Ridge Historical Society on Fri. 3/7

This Friday 3/7 at 7 pm, there will be a presentation on architect H.H. Waterman, who designed many buildings (mostly homes) in Beverly and Morgan Park.

Tim Blackburn, Mati Maldre and Carol Flynn will talk about Waterman's story and development as an architect, while Mati Maldre will discuss photos of Waterman's work and Carol Flynn will share stories of Waterman's early clients on the Ridge.

Get tickets here: https://bit.ly/RHSwaterman1

OR RSVP: ridgehistory@hotmail.com 773.881.1675

Members: $10 | Non-members: $20 | Students under 18: $5

You can view the exhibit "Harry Hale Waterman: Unique in any Style" after the program, or Tuesdays and Sundays from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m., or by appointment, through at least May 2024.

Open House Chicago today and tomorrow

 Open House Chicago is back in neighborhoods across the city, plus Evanston and Oak Park, on 10/15-10/16.  You can get an app for your smart phone to make it easier to navigate and get info on the fly.

 Some locations are available by reservation only or have other requirements. If you see a site you really want to visit, it pays to check out the details in advance.

 

Photo by Eric Allix Rogers

 More info here, including sites listed by neighborhood with hours for each site. OHC is always a cool experience and a chance to learn about parts of the city we might not usually get to see.

Open House Chicago featuring Beverly and Morgan Park sites

Open House Chicago is an amazing opportunity to see many buildings that we might not otherwise get the chance to visit.

Among the neighborhood sites featured in this year's event are Ridge Park and its Vanderpoel Art Gallery, Optimo Hats, Ingersoll-Blackwelder House and Wild Blossom Meadery.

Sites in many other Chicago neighborhoods, as well as Oak Park and Evanston, are featured in this year's event. It's a nice event to do by bike and transit.

Blue Island historical architecture walking tour

There are some amazing old houses in Blue Island. If you've never seen them, this tour sounds like a great excuse to explore.

The Blue Island Historical Society will offer a historical architecture walking tour on Sun. 10/18 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. It starts at BIHS/Albee House, 13018 Maple Ave., Blue Island. You can buy tickets ($10) at the Blue Island Public Library, 2433 York St., or call 708-371-8546.

a visual feast for architecture buffs

The Art Institute of Chicago recently opened an exhibit of Louis Sullivan drawings and architectural artifacts, beautifully complemented by photos of his work.

Another Sullivan exhibit just opened at the Cultural Center, right up the street. It includes drawings, photos, models, and artifacts. I think this would make an amazing double header with the Art Institute exhibit. If I did them together, I think I'd check out the Cultural Center exhibit first.

If you really wanted to geek out on Sullivan, you could take a tour of the Auditorium Theater, too. If you've never been, it's a phenomenal tour, well worth a visit.

another exciting project in the pipeline

Construction of the Ford Calumet Environmental Center has been delayed a bit after the winning proposal was chosen back in 2004, but it's finally in the construction pipeline.

2009/09/27 Ford Calumet Environmental Center
27,300-square-foot museum, $17 million
13400 S Torrence Ave, Chicago, IL 60633

This architectural gem will be a stunning highlight in the relatively unknown Hegewisch Marsh, a 120 acre wetland which has undergone a lengthy clean-up after years of neglect, thanks to a conservation grant from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. It has the potential to boost environmental tourism to the city. The southeast corner of the city and northwest Indiana feature interconnected wetland areas, which attract many species of migrating birds.

Last fall I went to a tree planting workday at Hegewisch Marsh and was amazed by the extent to which nature has rebounded in this area of the city as heavy industry has decreased. I look forward to returning to the site to see how our little oak trees have grown.

More links:
City of Chicago page from when contest was started in 11/03.
Plusmood architecture and design blog

when green is not so green

Using more glass to let in more light has become a popular design feature in green buildings. However, it can have some unintended consequences.

silver lining

I've noticed one silver lining in the clouds of this economic downturn: Sam Zell's plans to butcher the elegant Art Deco Daily News building and plaza are put on hold.

a different shade of green

Today's San Francisco Chronicle ran a story about a new green building that has the potential to give green architecture and construction a major boost.

landmark idol

If you have an interest in architectural landmarks and would like to see your favorite landmark win a generous preservation grant, check this out. It's an interesting list of landmarks. Vote early and often! You can vote once per day until October 10th.