AIA Guide to Chicago

GUIDE TO THE GUIDE

vii gUIDe to the gUIDe The AIA Guide to Chicago is the largest portable source of information on the city’s built environment. The book will serve both as an introduction to Chicago ’s architecture for neophytes and as a sourcebook for those seeking to expand their knowledge beyond the well-documented buildings. The city’s “greatest hits” are included, and many are discussed in essay form; numerous neighborhood buildings are documented in print for the first time. Much information available in other books—biographical, theoretical, statistical, and critical—is deliberately minimized, while details concerning functional requirements , client tastes, and materials are often included. The Guide encourages readers to discover, look at, and appreciate Chicago’s built environment. Genesis of the Book The Guide was originally created for and is intended as a legacy of the 1993 American Institute of Architects/International Union of Architects World Congress , the first national convention of the AIA held in Chicago since 1969. The three sponsoring organizations—AIA Chicago, the Chicago Architecture Foundation, and the Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois—provided the core of the Editorial Committee, which was expanded to include experts from the Chicago Park District, the Commission on Chicago Landmarks, and other groups. The Editorial Committee chose the featured tour areas and selected the bylined essayists. Each tour area had a “chapter captain” in charge of research and recommending entries. One important source of new information was the citywide Historic Resources Survey of pre-1940 buildings, conducted from 1984 to 1992 by the Commission on Chicago Landmarks. Significant additional information was uncovered by the authors and by the dedicated group of volunteer researchers. Many photographs came from architectural firms and their clients, libraries, and other archives. Others were taken by architectural photographers, who, working as volunteers, traveled throughout the city to document neighborhood buildings. Criteria for Inclusion Even at its present length, the Guide is illustrative rather than encyclopedic, presenting a representative selection of buildings in addition to the essential landmarks . The neighborhoods chosen display a range of types, styles, and eras. The criteria for selecting buildings, landscape and park features, bridges, public art, and cemetery monuments included not only the quality of their design but also the degree to which they either exemplified a style, trend, or functional type or stood out as unusual. Other important factors included visibility , historical significance, and the “what the heck is that” curiosity factor. Practical considerations included the geographical fit with the tour itineraries , which were laid out to connect major points of interest. Good examples of common types—the CTA station, the modernized storefront, the public school—on a route connecting featured structures were chosen over those in remote locations. The availability of information also played a part. If dedicated research failed to produce specific data for a post-1870s building, it was likely to be omitted in favor of a better-documented example. Building types were weighted, with criteria varying from one area to another . Houses get more attention than churches in Oak Park, for example, because of the important evolution of residential styles there. The authors’ likes and dislikes were significant factors, and we make no pretense at objectivity. Space limitations mean that many of the city’s prominent In order to view this proof accurately, the Overprint Preview Option must be checked in Acrobat Professional or Adobe Reader. Please contact your Customer Service Representative if you have questions about finding the option. Job Name: -- /359560t viii guidE To ThE guidE but dull buildings are omitted or only briefly noted in favor of the inclusion of a greater range and number of structures. Few buildings of historic rather than architectural interest are included. Organization The Guide is organized by neighborhood chapters, beginning with the central city and radiating outward. Each chapter has a map that displays each building ’s name and entry number. A small inset map locates the area within Chicago . All maps have north at the top. Because of the large areas covered in each chapter, all but the Loop have their entries ordered to facilitate driving tours. Quirks in the numerical ordering usually result from our efforts to accommodate one-way and dead-end streets, railway embankments, and other automotive impediments. Separate maps are provided for groups of entries, such as campuses and cemeteries, that lack street addresses. A chapter introduction outlines each area’s historical development and describes its neighborhoods and prominent demarcations. All neighborhoods are within the city of Chicago except for suburban Oak Park, whose...