Grand Stairway, Chicago Public Library/Chicago Cultural Center
The crown jewel of a glorious mess, the grand stairway at the Chicago Cultural Center is an incredible celebration of the written word.
Chicago
G.A.R. Memorial Hall, Chicago
The grandiose relic of an awkward compromise.
Polish National Alliance HQ / Studio Gang Architects, Chicago
Once the HQ of one of the most influential ethnic fraternal organizations in the US and now home to one of Chicago’s most famous architecture firms in Studio Gang, the old Polish National Alliance HQ is a dignified bit of Depression Deco.
Outer Drive Bridge and MS Chicago Tribune, Chicago
There’s so much here I don’t know where to begin, so I’ll start with...
...the boat?
Blackhawk Restaurant, 139 N. Wabash, Chicago
A post-fire building by Chicago’s first recognized architect, the first national bowling tournament, big band jazz in the 1930s, prime rib and spinning salad restaurant, gutted in a facadectomy that left the shell as a liner for the parking podium of a condo tower.