Chicago: Final post

One good thing about architects vs. Washington governors is that, when they offer to host a reception, they pre-slice the cheese so that I don’t have any issues serving myself this plate:

And although the conversation of the esteemed MCHAP Prize architecture panel was generally above my understanding, I did gather something that my Chicago Architecture Center tour guides have been repeating as well: a current theme in modern architecture is adaptive reuse. Chicago is full of adaptive reuse structures and the panel from last night – from Mexico, Brazil, and Spain – stressed that all architects need to be embracing that concept.

Why? The best example was São Paulo, Brazil. Apparently São Paulo has 590,000 empty properties – 20% of all central area buildings are empty.

Chicago has some great examples of repurposed buildings. Here is before and after Cook County Hospital, which sat empty for two decades and has become a Hyatt Hotel:

Here is the interior in 2016 – after 20 years sitting empty:

And here are a couple of interior pictures now, including the same hallway pictured above:

This is the Thompson Center, from 1985, right downtown Chicago:

Here’s the interior, with a 17-story atrium:

I think it’s pretty cool, but the building suffered from extreme heating and air conditioning issues and the interior shape created sound amplification that made it hard to hold a conversation. It was unpopular with employees – who reported summer temperatures of over 100 degrees. Google has purchased the building now and is doing this to the exterior:

And here is their interior plan, with triple-glazed windows to try to address temperature issues:

Here’s the old Crate and Barrel flagship store on Michigan Avenue, made into a Starbucks:

I also spent some time at the Chicago Art Institute. All of you told me I would love it and I should come prepared to spend all day. And I don’t want to sound disrespectful, but I maintain my disdain of extremely large art museums. The more art you offer me, the less I am able to see.

I did try to have a plan. I made my goal simple: Marc Chagall’s America Windows, from 1976:

From the Windows, I didn’t know where to go. To make sure I spent enough time at the Art Institute, I sat on a bench and chatted with Ron at home for a while and listened to what he had for dinner the night before. He is a big fan of a certain salted caramel milkshake and is always happy to discuss this.

Since I am traveling alone and don’t need to negotiate with modern-art-hating Kris, Jim, and Ron, I headed over to that wing. Here’s a sampling, which will serve, as always, to underscore that Ron does not know good art when he sees it. Note in the picture below that these are two entire separate pieces of art and, due to my photography skills, I have managed to capture them in a single shot. Together, they make a strong argument for adaptive reuse of Chicago architecture:

That felt like enough art for me. I did notice – as I exited through the gift shop – that Hokusai’s Great Wave off Kanagawa (from 1831) hangs somewhere in the one million square feet of the gallery space. I weighed heading back into the museum to find it as it’s one of my favorite pictures, but instead, I decided to just enjoy it on a mug in the shop and so I’ll give you that same experience:

I’m mostly done here. I’ve really enjoyed Chicago. I’ve never been able to devote so much travel time to buildings and it’s a reinforcement that this is what I love. From these buildings, I can see catastrophic fire history, economy fluctuations, city planning, and engineering. There’s just no better way to trace history – for me – than to observe the way people lived…their houses, their silverware, their cabinets…within various periods of time.

I was lucky enough to get a Lake Michigan boat ride with some friends and I’ll leave you with my little video of the beautiful skyline. Chicago is a jam-packed city – and I leave with a new appreciation for skyscrapers – their quirks, their artistic flourishes, and the incredible engineering.

Thank you to the people that allowed this trip to happen despite our chaotic medical life, for surrounding Ron with laughs and meals and company – and for giving me a chance to breathe, look around, and linger.