CSAH plans regular events and activities throughout the year at various locations throughout the Chicago area. These events include lectures on architectural history, tours of architecturally significant buildings and environments--many of which are not generally open to the public--gallery visits, and an annual holiday Show and Tell at the Cliff Dwellers Club. We welcome your ideas for future meetings.
Membership benefits include regular meetings, a bi-monthly calendar of
Chicago-area architectural events, and an annual membership directory. Some
meetings have a nominal charge for refreshments, transportation, tour access
or facility fees.
For information about joining CSAH, please send email to ChicagoSAH@aol.com
or write to:
CSAH, c/o Burnham Library of Architecture
The Art Institute of Chicago
111 S. Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60603-6110
Calendar for January
- February 2002
Recent News
Once agin, CSAH held a most enjoyable holiday dinner and Show and Tell at The Cliff Dwellers on December 12, 2001. Many thanks to the following members for giving us such interesting presentations:
John Kurtich, AIA - SAH study tour to India
Ted Hild, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency - Cuba: Preview of a trip planned for April 2002
Mili Kirsh - Moshe Safdie's Vancouver Library Plaza
Mary Alice Molloy - I'd Like to Build the World A Home, 1915-1953
Betty Green - Who is Zook?
Joseph DuciBella - The Works of Chicago Architects Fridstein & Co.
Ross Sackett - Louis Sullivan's Adams Land and Loan Co. in Algona,
IA, and Parker Berry's First Interstate Bank in Manlius, IL
Special Request
The three officers of CSAH are looking for two memebrs to join them in
planning programs for 2002. If you would like to support the organization
with a bit of your time, please contact Joan Pomaranc at 312/692-1902 or
jpomaranc@webtv.net.
Lectures and Panel Discussions / Exhibits /
Preservation Alerts / Conferences and Classes /
LECTURES AND PANEL DISCUSSIONS
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Tues., Jan. 8, 5:30 p.m.
"Towards a New Profession: Interior Architecture." Donald
Powell and Robert Kleinschmidt, partners in Powell/Kleinschmidt for 25 years,
will give a lecture announcing the publication of Powell/Kleinschmidt
Interior Architecture which will be available for sale at the event.
Architecture & Design Society of the Art Institute of Chicago. $25 ($15
ADS members and students). Price Auditorium at AIC, followed by a reception
at 6:30 in the Restaurant on the Park. Reservations at 312/443-4751 or archsoc@artic.edu.
Wed., Jan. 9, 12:15 p.m.
Chicago Architecture Foundation Lunchtime Lectures. "Three Acres
on the Lake: DuSable Park Proposal" will be discussed by Laurie Palmer,
School of the Art Institute. Free. Bring your lunch. 224 S. Michigan Ave.
Information at 312/922-3432, x239.
Thurs., Jan. 10, 12:00 p.m.
"University Center of Chicago," a co-op dorm for over 1600
students to be built at S. State St. and Congress Pkwy. by Roosevelt and
DePaul universities and Columbia College, will be discussed by representatives
of the three schools. Friends of Downtown's monthly discussion at the Cultural
Center, 78 E. Washington St., 5th Floor East. Free.
Tues., Jan. 15, 6:00 p.m.
Historian Dominick Pacyga, author of The Chicago Bungalow and
curator of the Chicago Architecture Foundation exhibit of the same name,
will present a slide lecture and sign his book. $15 ($10 CAF members). RSVP
at 312/922-3432, x909. CAF, 224 S. Michigan Ave.
Wed., Jan. 16, 12:15 p.m.
Chicago Architecture Foundation Lunchtime Lectures. "Transform(ing)
Mixed-Income Housing" will be discussed by architects Denise Arnold,
AIA, Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities; Brian Healy, Brian Healy
Architects (Boston); and Doug Garofalo, AIA, Garofalo Architects (Chicago).
Free. Bring your lunch. 224 S. Michigan Ave. Information at 312/922-3432,
x239.
Thurs., Jan. 17, 12:15 p.m.
Preservation Snapshots series of the Landmarks Preservation Council
of Illinois. "Urban Corners," which examines the threats to historic
commercial corner buildings and what can be done to preserve them, will
be presented by Jonathan Fine, AIA, Jonathan Fine and Associates Architects.
Free; lunches welcome. 77 W. Randolph St., Cassidy Theater, 2nd floor. Information
at 312/922-1742.
Thurs., Jan. 17, 5:45 p.m. cash-bar reception; 6:30 dinner; 7:30 presentation
"The Mayan Image in the Morganton (NC) Mind: Work and Immigration
in the Age of Globalization" will be discussed by Leon Fink, University
of Illinois at Chicago, at the Urban History Seminar. $20. Paid reservations
required by Jan. 11 to Luciana Crovato, Chicago Historical Society, 1601
N. Clark St., 60614-6099. Credit card reservations accepted at 312/799-2009.
Sun., Jan. 20, 2:00 p.m.
"The Arts and Crafts Movement: English Continental versus American
Manifestations." Nancy Owen, Professor at Northwester University, will
look at European leaders and centers of the movement and trace the dissemination
of its ideas to America. Glessner House Museum, 1800 S. Prairie Ave. Information
at 312/326-1480.
Wed., Jan. 23, 12:15 p.m.
Chicago Architecture Foundation Lunchtime Lectures. "Biedermeier:
A Step into Modernism" will be discussed by Michelle Miller Bucheit,
director, Rita Bucheit Ltd. Free. Bring your lunch. 224 S. Michigan Ave.
Information at 312/922-3432, x239.
Wed., Jan. 23, 6:00 p.m.
Spanish architect Xavier Vendrell, now living in Chicago, will speak
on "Professionals and/or Magicians" at the opening of an exhibit
of his work. Free. Graham Foundation, 4 W. Burton Pl. Information at 312/787-4071.
Mon., Jan. 28, 6:00 p.m.
"Form Follows Farmworkers " will be discussed by Bryan Bell,
founder of Design Corps (Raleigh, NC), as part of the UIC School of Architecture
Spring Lectures. Gallery 1100, Architecture and the Arts Laboratories, 845
W. Harrison St. Free. Information at 312/996-3335.
Tues., Jan. 29, 7:30 p.m.
"Frank Lloyd Wright and the Book Arts" will be discussed by Don
Kalec, professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, in lecture
sponsored by the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust. Professor Kalec's
visual presentation will explore Wright's interest in graphic design and
publishing as well as his membership in a select group of bibliophiles known
as The Caxton Club. Koehneke Community Center, Room 10, Concordia University,
River Forest. $12 ($10 for Preservation Trust members). Information and
reservations at 708/848-1976.
Wed., Jan. 30 and Tues., Feb. 12, noon
Gallery walk through "Modern Trains and Splendid Stations."
Gallery 200 at The Art Institute. Museum admission. Information at 312/443-3600.
Wed., Jan. 30, 12:15 p.m.
Chicago Architecture Foundation Lunchtime Lectures. "Midway Airport:
The First 75 Years" will be discussed by author Christopher Lynch.
Free. Bring your lunch. 224 S. Michigan Ave. Information at 312/922-3432,
x239.
Thurs., Jan. 31, 6:00 p.m.
Chicago Park District historian Julia Sniderman Bachrach, author of
City in a Garden: A Photographic History of Chicago's Parks and curator
of the exhibit of the same name, will present a slide lecture and sign her
book at an opening reception for the exhibit. Free. RSVP at 312/922-3432,
x930. CAF, 224 S. Michigan Ave.
Wed., Feb. 6, 12:15 p.m.
Chicago Architecture Foundation Lunchtime Lectures. "Brininstool
+ Lynch: New Projects" will be discussed by Bradley Lynch, principal
of the firm. Free. 224 S. Michigan Ave. Information at 312/922-3432, x239.
Wed., Feb. 6, 6:00 p.m.
Architect Robert Gatje will speak on "Remembering Marcel Breuer"
with whom he worked for twenty-three years. Gatje recalls the achievements
and personality of a great man and architect through slides and anecdotes
gathered while doing research for his recent memoir on Breuer. Copies will
be available for purchase after the talk. Free. Graham Foundation, 4 W.
Burton Pl. Information at 312/787-4071.
Wed., Feb. 6, 6:00 p.m.
"The Subject Matter of Design: or why design is not about 'design'
" will be discussed by Clive Dilnot, professor of Design Studies and
Director of Design Initiatives at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
At Archeworks, 625 N. Kingsbury,Chicago. Free but RSVP by calling 312/867-7254.
Thurs., Feb. 7, 12:15 p.m.
Friends of Downtown's monthly discussion at the Cultural Center, 78
E. Washington St., 5th Floor East. Free. Information at 312/543-1051.
Thurs., Feb. 7, 6:30 p.m.
"The Work of Krueck & Sexton" will be discussed by architect
Mark Sexton, AIA, presenting some of the cutting-edge designs for which
his Chicago-based firm is known, from the Herman Miller national showroom
to a new campus for the Christian Industrial League. $15 (CAF members, $10).
RSVP at 312/922-3432, ext. 910. Chicago Architecture Foundation, 224 S.
Michigan Ave.
Mon., Feb. 11, 6:00 p.m.
"Towers: Before and After 9/11 " will be discussed by Joseph Burns,
AIA (Thornton-Tomasetti Engineers), as part of the UIC School of Architecture
Spring Lectures. Gallery 1100, Architecture and the Arts Laboratories, 845
W. Harrison St. Free. Information at 312/996-3335.
Wed., Feb. 13, 12:15 p.m.
Chicago Architecture Foundation Lunchtime Lectures. "From Empty
Lots to Rooftops: Gardens in the City" will be discussed by Ken Dunn,
Chicago Resource Center, and Suzanne Malec, Chicago Dept. of the Environment.
Free. 224 S. Michigan Ave. Information at 312/922-3432, x239.
Mon., Feb.8, 6:00 p.m.
"Propaganda and Decoration" will be discussed by Christine Tarkowski,
visiting artist from MIT Visual Arts Program, as part of the UIC School
of Architecture Spring Lectures. Gallery 1100, Architecture and the Arts
Laboratories, 845 W. Harrison St. Free. Information at 312/996-3335.
Tues., Feb. 19, 6:00 p.m.
A panel discussion on "Mies and His Legacy" at the Museum
of Contemporary Art. Panelists will discuss the Miesian tradition as practiced
and transformed by contemporary architects such as Josef Paul Kleihues,
who designed the MCA, as well as contemporary efforts to defy the rigidity
created by the Miesian grid. Speakers include Thomas Beeby, FAIA, Hammond
Beeby Rupert Ainge; Beatriz Colomina, Professor of History and Theory of
Architecture, Princeton University; Carlos Jimenez, principal at Carlos
Jimenez Studio, Houston, and Professor at Rice University; David Van Zanten,
Professor of Art History at Northwestern University; and moderator Franz
Schulze, Professor of Art at Lake Forest College, author of definitive biographies
of Mies and Philip Johnson, and editor of key scholarly works on Mies. Free
with museum admission. Space is limited. Reserve tickets by calling 312/397-4010.
MCA, 220 E. Chicago Ave.
Wed., Feb. 20, 12:15 p.m.
Chicago Architecture Foundation Lunchtime Lectures. "Egyptian Revival
Design in Chicago" will be discussed by University of Chicago Egyptologist
Michael Berger. Free. 224 S. Michigan Ave. Information at 312/922-3432,
x239.
Wed., Feb. 20, 6:00 p.m.
Architect Maurice Cox will speak on "A View from the Grassroots."
He explores how one rural, poor, African-American community on the Eastern
Shore of Virginia was empowered to use a participatory design process to
found an influential grassroots organization, Bayview Citizens for Social
Justice, Inc. Cox will present the innovative design process and architectural
strategies that are leading to this extraordinary community's renewal. Co-sponsored
by UIC School of Architecture. Free. Graham Foundation, 4 W. Burton Pl.
Information at 312/787-4071.
Thurs., Feb. 21, 12:15 p.m.
Preservation Snapshots series of the Landmarks Preservation Council
of Illinois. "Stained Glass," n armchair tour of some of Chicago's
most stunning stained glass will be presented by Rolf Achilles, curator
of the Smith Museum of Stained Glass. Free; lunches welcome. 77 W. Randolph
St., Cassidy Theater, 2nd floor. Information at 312/922-1742.
Thurs., Feb. 21, 5:45 p.m. cash-bar reception; 6:30 dinner; 7:30 presentation
"An Oral History of Literacy and Citizenship in Chicago's Hull
House Neighborhood" will be discussed by Bridget O'Rourke of Elmhurst
College, at the Urban History Seminar. $20. Paid reservations required by
Jan. 11 to Luciana Crovato, Chicago Historical Society, 1601 N. Clark St.,
60614-6099. Credit card reservations accepted at 312/799-2009.
Sun., Feb. 24, 2:00 p.m.
"Consuming Visions: Reflecting on the Glessner Collection."
Joan Hansen will highlight the values the governed the goods purchased by
the Glessners and the way they bequeathed them. Glessner House Museum, 1800
S. Prairie Ave. Information at 312/326-1480.
Wed., Feb. 27, 12:15 p.m.
Chicago Architecture Foundation Lunchtime Lectures. "Chicago's
Murals" will be discussed by author Mary Lackritz Gray. Free. 224 S.
Michigan Ave. Information at 312/922-3432, x239.
Thurs., Feb. 28, 7:00 p.m.
"Public Space and Public Art." Mike Lash, director of public
art for the City of Chicago, leads a panel discussion of artists and others
about the history and future of public art in Chicago. Chicago Historical
Society. Information at 312/642-4600.
EXHIBITS
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At The Art Institute of Chicago
"Modern Trains and Splendid Stations" explores the latest
developments in the design of trains and the architecture of new train stations
in the U.S., Europe, and Japan. The exhibition examines the state-of-the-art
of architecture and design for passenger train travel, comparing and contrasting
the approaches that have been taken in different countries around the world.
The installation was designed by architects David Childs and Marilyn Taylor
of the New York office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP. In Gallery
227 through July 28. "Chicago Architects" continues in Gallery
24. Michigan Ave. at Adams St.
At Chicago Architecture Foundation
"The Chicago Bungalow" continues through January 15 in the
Atrium Gallery. The best entries from the recent CHA competititon "Transform(ing)
Mixed-Income Housing" continues through February 28 in the Lecture
Hall Gallery. A model of "Dearborn Center" will be on display
through January 31 in CitySpace. "City in a Garden: A Photographic
History of Chicago's Parks" opens January 31 in the Atrium Gallery.
This exhibit contains both historic and contemporary images, forming the
first official history of the Chicago Park District. Through March 31. 224
S. Michigan Ave. Information at 312/922-3432.
At Chicago Historical Society
"Udderly Suite: Art on the Street." This exhibit, produced
in conjunction with the Chicago Dept. of Cultural Affairs, looks at Chicago's
history of public art exhibits, starting in 1893. Clark St. at North Ave.
Information at 312/642-4600.
At Graham Foundation
The exhibition "Xavier Vendrell: Retrospective Thoughts on Work
in Progress" will run from January 23 to March 14. 4 W. Burton Pl.
Information at 312/787-4071.
At Museum of Contemporary Art
"Mies in America" opens February 16. One of the most important
architects of the twentieth-century, the work of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
elevated technology into an art form. Highlighting his process of creation,
this exhibition connects Mies's investigations and philosophical foundations
with the visual art of his time. Organized by the Canadian Centre for Architecture
in Montreal, this exhibition features drawings, scale models, photographs,
and a series of specially commissioned projects by contemporary video and
photographic artists inspired by Mies's use of texture, the manipulation
of light, repetition, reflection, and movement, and the spatial excitement
of his transformative works. 220 E. Chicago Ave. Through May 26.
PRESERVATION ALERTS
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Latest news about Farnsworth House: from the Chicago Tribune, December
28, 2001:
House on the river is still on the bubble
by Blair Kamin
Feb. 28: "A Mies van der Rohe masterpiece on the Fox River goes on the block. What a difference a season or two can make. Last winter, the future seemed uncertain for Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's Farnsworth House, the famous steel-and-glass home in the far southwest suburbs that seems to levitate above its riverfront site. Its owner, British real estate tycoon Peter Palumbo, had put it up for sale and there was the danger that it could fall into the wrong hands -- those of someone who might cancel the public tours Palumbo welcomed, or even move the legendary house altogether.
Then in early June, things started looking very good for what is widely considered to be one of the greatest houses of the 20th Century. Illinois lawmakers voted to set aside about $7 million of the state's record $53 billion budget to buy Farnsworth House and make it a public attraction.
But now, largely because of a $500 million state budget shortfall, it is unclear if the state of Illinois will actually purchase the house as planned.
"I think Gov. [George] Ryan's still looking for the money," said former Gov. James Thompson, who led the lobbying effort for the state to buy the house. "I have not been told whether it's going to happen or not going to happen."
Designed by Mies as a weekend retreat for the late Dr. Edith Farnsworth, a Chicago nephrologist, the Farnsworth House is one of the finest realizations of Mies' philosophy that less is more -- a one-story pavilion, raised on white piers that frame a single room sheathed almost entirely in glass.
The house is located along the Fox River outside the small Kendall County town of Plano, 58 miles southwest of Chicago.
After Palumbo announced that he planned to sell the house, civic leaders including Thompson and Sara Lee Corp. Chairman John Bryan urged the state to buy the structure, arguing that a failure to act could open the door to a private buyer who might deny the public's access. About 5,000 people a year visit the dwelling.
The idea was that the state would keep the place running and, as at other historic houses owned and operated by the state, such as Frank Lloyd Wright's Dana-Thomas House in Springfield, there would be no admission charge.
But the state's fiscal picture has worsened dramatically because of the recession and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Massive Medicaid cuts have been announced, for example, that may endanger health care for the poor and put a financial squeeze on Illinois hospitals. No easy solutions are in sight. And so, the Farnsworth House has entered a kind of official limbo.
"Our main concern is dealing with more pressing budget issues," said Ryan's spokesman, Dennis Culloton. "The Farnsworth House is sort of on a slower track. [A state purchase] is not out of the realm of possibility but we've got a lot of questions about the budget picture right now."
Asked if Ryan remains committed to the purchase, Culloton replied: "He's aware of the case made by Gov. Thompson and others. Right now, we have more pressing budget issues to deal with."
Thompson is urging Ryan to stay the course -- much as Thompson did in the 1980s when, as governor, he pushed through a state purchase of the Dana-Thomas House despite criticism that were more pressing needs during a recession.
"You'll recall," Thompson said, "that we bought the Dana-Thomas House in the midst of a worse recession than this."
Palumbo, whose offices are in London, could not be reached for comment.
A spokesman for the Friends of the Farnsworth House, a non-profit group
that advocated the state purchase of the house, said that Palumbo and the
state "have been in very solid negotiations."
CONFERENCES and CLASSES
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Saturday, January 19, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
"Tiffany, Sullivan and Chicago." A study day at The Art Institute
of Chicago includes morning lectures in Fullerton Hall, with its newly restored
Tiffany dome, by Vincent Michael, Director of historic Preservation at the
School of the Art Institute, and Professor Martin Eidelberg. In the afternoon,
after lunch on your own, architectural historians Kathleen Cummings and
Jane Clarke will lecture in the same space. Afternoon tea will be served
in the Stock Exchange Trading Room to conclude the day. $55 ($45 for AIC
members. Reservations at 312/443-3680.
In conjunction with "Mies in America," the Museum of Contemporary Art is offering three classes that start in February: Introduction to Modern Architecture; Modern in the Making: Bauhaus Influences on American Design; Drawing Interior Spaces. Contact MCA for details at 312/397-4010 or www.mcachicago.org.
The MCA is also sponsoring a symposium titled "Technology, Craft, Art: Constructing Mies in America."
Architecture has often advanced at moments when new technologies have allowed architects to realize their dreams. In this day-long symposium, technology's relationship with the art and craft of building will be examined in relation to contemporary architectural practice and scholarship. The symposium will examine the links between technology and architectural innovation, referring to the exhibitions Mies in America (on view at the MCA) and Mies in Berlin. Architects and historians will discuss the development and influence of Mies's intellectual production and design work and compare the technology and ideas of his German and American periods.
Friday, March 8, 3:00 to 7:00 p.m., Crown Hall, Illinois Institute
of Technology
An afternoon session (3 to 5:30 p.m.) feature the following speakers:
Clive Dilnot, Professor of Design Studies and Director of Design Initiatives,
The School of The Art Institute of Chicago; Elizabeth Gamard, Associate
Professor and Dean, School of Architecture, Tulane University; Detlef Mertins,
Associate Professor and Coordinator of Graduate Studies, University of Toronto;
and Francesca Rogier, Assistant Professor, College of Architecture, University
of Kentucky. The session will end with a keynote address (6 p.m.) by Stanford
Anderson, Head, Department of Architecture, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Registration not required.
Saturday, March 9, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., MCA Theater, 220 E. Chicago
Ave.
The morning session (10 a.m. to noon) will feature these noted architects
and historians: Frank Barkow, Architect, Barkow and Leibinger; Christiane
Ern, Assistant Professor, Bauhaus, Weimar; Edward Ford, Professor, College
of Architecture, University of Virginia; and Wallis Miller, Associate Professor,
University of Kentucky. The afternoon session (1 to 3 p.m.) includes Michael
Bell, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and
Preservation, Columbia University; Reinhold Martin, Assistant Professor,
Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, Columbia University;
Wilfried Wang, Visiting Professor, Graduate School of Design, Harvard University;
and Claire Zimmerman, City University of New York. The day will end with
a roundtable discussion (3:30 to 5 p.m.) including George Danforth (invited),
Joseph Fujikawa, Ben Nicholson, Franz Schulze, Gene Summers, and others.
Registration required at 312/397-4010.
Editor's Note: Send information to 1068 South Plymouth Court,
Chicago, 60605-2006; phone 312/692-1902; pomarancj@aiachicago.org.
©2002 Chicago Society of Architectural
Historians
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Updated January 17 2002