The calm, cool blue of the
Chicago Patrolman's Federal Credit Union emerges at its
new location at 1407 W. Washington Blvd. The completed
facility will include meeting rooms, 5 drive thru lanes,
and an underground parking garage. It's scheduled to
open in September.
Today's Poll
Question
City Focus
THE BURNHAM PLAN
CENTENNIAL
1909 - 2009
The Burnham Plan
Centennial Celebrates the Bold Plans and Big Dreams that
shaped metropolitan Chicago for the past century and
challenges our region's communities, leaders and
institutions to build on the success of the Burnham Plan and
act boldly together to shape our future. For more info on
this summer's celebration visit
The Burnham Plan Centennial
Daniel Burnham
is best known for his admonition to “make no little plans.”
He studied the great cities of the world and developed an
approach to urban planning that was distinctive in being
comprehensive, systematic and regional.
In The News...
Local
MODELING CHICAGO'S
PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE
CHICAGOJUN 15, 2009-–
After observing the child-like twinkle in the eyes of
various on-lookers of the Chicago Architecture Foundation's
Chicago Model City in the atrium of the historic Santa Fe
building, I left feeling this surely looks to become one of
its most successful exhibitions to date.
This perspective is in addition to my own love of
finely-crafted scaled models and the difficulty I
experienced trying to tear myself away from this giant-sized
one. One comment overheard from a college student was, "I
was I could grab some "Hot Wheels" miniature-sized cars to
roll down the streets of this thing." The 25-foot by 35-foot
model is one of the centerpieces of city's celebration of
its 1909 Plan of Chicago by architect and visionary Daniel
H. Burnham.
Although
the Foundation has always featured a similarly-scaled model
of Chicago in its visitor's center at 224 S.
Michigan,
this new updated offering boasts approximately 400
blocks of over 1000 highly detailed buildings achieved
through a laser-cutting process.
In
addition to the large-scaled mono-chromed model city (its
Sears Tower stands almost 3-feet tall), kiosks surround its
perimeter recounting Chicago's historical emergence as a
global city. Some of the themes throughout include Chicago
as the Beautiful City, Global City, Connected City, Green
City and New City. Several other smaller models also
tell the story of where the city is now and where its going
as they highlight current major urban re-development
projects.
From the
constancy of photography and the ease at which various
locales and landmarks were being pointed out within the
model's environs, Chicago Model City is off to a rousing
start. It appears to be effective in tying together our
past, present and future with clarity and visual substance
allowing the average patron to make a comfortable approach
and eventual connection with it all. The
exhibition is free and open to the public until November
20th.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK | JUN 15, 2009--
The
Onion Online has imagined what could be the next
illogical step in contemporary sports facilities design. In
recognition of the new Yankee Stadium quickly followed by
Citi Field - home to the New York Mets - what might perk
today's over-paid athletes want in the way of unique venue
accommodations?
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA
| JUN
16, 2009
|
The Chicago architecture firm of Goettsch Partners have been
selected to design a 5-star, 17-story business hotel complex
in the King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh, Saudi
Arabia. The $130 million project will be a LEED certified
Wyndham development featuring multiple sustainable
strategies. According to
Hospitality Design Magazine, Goettsch
is planning a prism-shaped tower with a nine-story opening
that separates programmatic functions and allows for views
and light to penetrate the mass of the building. The podium
structure houses the hotel amenities and conference
facilities and links the building to its surroundings at the
pedestrian level. The podium incorporates a multipurpose
hall, restaurants, a spa, outdoor gardens and a rooftop
terrace. The building's semi-transparent aluminum and glass
curtain north facade will be an undulating faceted design
constructed with two layers of concrete frits which creates
a moiré' effect. The project is scheduled for completion in
2011.
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.
Chicago is a living laboratory for contemporary art,
architecture, and design. The city is a center of
active architectural discourse and a lively and
successful furniture design community.
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago's
department of architecture, interior architecture
and designed objects explores new fields
of design activity which cross the boundaries of
traditional design disciplines: ecological design,
design ethics and user-center design;
interaction/interface design; design for emerging
technologies; and design for new materials. The
unique structure of design pathways at SAIC enables
students to combine their interests in the fine
and/or media arts—painting, performance, sculpture,
film, video, and new media—with their primary
studies in design. Offering master degrees in
architecture and design, SAIC can be a fresh and
exciting approach to positioning yourself toward a
promising career in this global industry.
CHICAGO | JUNE 28, 2009 -
The Taste of Chicago wasn't the only focal point of
activity in the city the weekend of June 27-28. For a
few days in June, Chicago was the center of the BMX
freestyling universe as Grant Park provided the urban
vibe for the Dew Tour: Nike 6.0 BMX Open. Hundreds of
area enthusiasts were treated to some of the tour's best
competing in vert, street, park and dirt. The previous
rainstorms proved quite a challenge for venue installers
who had to alter their course because 12" mud pools.
throughout the grounds. The buildings along Michigan
Ave. and Randolph St. framed the high-flying acrobatic
exhibition in such a memorable way for television that
the Chicago stop on the tour will doubtless be the first
of many to come. Check out our photos of the setup on
our Flickr page!
Johnny Depp and
Christian Bale will share the silver screen together
for the first in Public Enemies which recounts
the story of one of Prohibition's most notorious
gangsters - John Dillinger. Shot on location in several
parts of the city and suburbs, Public Enemies
will open July 2nd in most theaters.
*
*
*
Michael Keaton
stars in his directing debut in "The Merry Gentleman."
This film was released a couple of months ago, but
seemingly in limited outlets, The film by two
Chicago-based
producers – Steven A. Jones and Paul Duggan is about a
woman who leaves an abusive relationship to begin a new
life in a new city, where she forms an unlikely and
ironic relationship with a suicidal hit man (unbeknownst
to her). Enter a worn, alcoholic detective to form the
third party in a very unusual triangle as this story
begins to unfold. Fleeing her abusive husband, Kate
Frazier travels to Chicago to start a new life. But upon
fatefully disrupting remorseful hitman Frank Logan's
suicide, she becomes intertwined in the lonely killer's
life and that of the sullen detective attempting to
track him down.
Michael Philips of
the Chicago Tribune commented in his April 30th
review: "I like
the way Keaton handles Chicago in melancholy winter: The
locations include Welles Park and the exterior of
the Music Box Theatre."
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?
There’s food for everybody’s taste at
the annual Taste of Chicago where you’ll find
more than 200 menu items at over 50 restaurants.
Local musicians take centerstage
at the Taste Stage located at the south end of
Taste including The Counting Crows, The
Lovehammers, Augustana, The Wallflowers, Ne-Yo,
Barenaked Ladies, and Buddy Guy.
As part of a WTTW series
on Chicago's lakefront and its link to the historic
Burnham Plan, Geoffrey Baer gives us a brief
overview of a vision which has had a major impact on
the city's landscape after 100 years.
"I love the duality of the architecture here," he
says. "They maintained the Art Deco-style buildings,
which makes it easy to transform the place into the
1930s."
Actor
Christian Bale on his appreciation for Chicago' s
architecture while here filming the
upcoming Public Enemies,
A comprehensive guidebook for
architects, planners, urban designers, and developers that
illustrates how existing suburbs can be redesigned and
redeveloped. The authors, both architects and noted experts
on the subject, show how development in existing suburbs can
absorb new growth and evolve in relation to changed
demographic, technological, and economic conditions.
Undoubtedly, Chicago's new
Modern Wing is this summer's talk of the town. What better
place to flash the latest affordable fashion wear seen
around the Second City?
Chicago is
recognized as one of the nation's leading "green" cities so
it is fitting that owners of the Hotel Felix, the city's
first hotel designed to achieve a Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED®) Silver rating from the U.S.
Green Building Council, announce the property's opening
during Earth Month. Originally designed in 1926 by Chicago
architecture firm Levy and Klein, the former Hotel Wacker, a
single room occupancy property, closed for redevelopment in
2007. Hotel
Felix now provides an innovative, eco-friendly boutique
hotel with efficiencies and key design elements that lessen
the environmental impact of a newly built property.
This
Old House has researched a few "Best of" lists in
line with their fixer upper personality. One of
these lists is the "Best neighborhoods for old
houses." See what area communities made the list.
.JPG)
