Riverwalk complete but far from done
As regular readers of this column know, I'm a big fan of the Chicago Riverwalk. At once urbane and relaxed, this linear public space along the Chicago River's south bank...
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Celebrating a rousing year, from public spaces to preservation
Even without the global spotlight that accompanied last year's first edition of the Chicago Architecture Biennial, 2016 was rousing year for the art of architecture in Chicago. Among the highlights:...
Gang to design Arkansas Arts Center
Chicago's Studio Gang Architects, headed by Jeanne Gang, has won its first art museum commission, an expansion of the Arkansas Arts Center. The project will further enlarge a facility in...
Union Station slowly moving into 21st century
Chicago's Union Station is an iconic but creaky machine for moving people — equal parts Roman grandeur and rat maze. From crowded train platforms to foul-smelling air, the station regularly...
New Illinois license plate is busy and banal
If architecture is the inescapable art, then license plates are the inescapable graphic art. You see these small rectangles everywhere. And you see them every day. Some, like the green-and-white...
Chicago’s Trump Tower unlikely to get name change
"Have you seen this?" a friend tweeted Wednesday. She was referring to a CBS News report headlined: "Three New York buildings to ditch Trump name." The implication was obvious: Trump...
Wicker Park aging landmark buildings get inspired transformations
For years, the deteriorating Northwest Tower, a wafer-thin Art Deco skyscraper that soars above North Milwaukee Avenue's storefronts, was shrouded in scaffolding — physically present but aesthetically obscured. No more....
New South Side pedestrian bridge spanning Lake Shore Drive a striking design
Sometimes, a bridge is more than just a way to get from Point A to Point B. It can be a landmark or form a gateway. It can elevate the...
Jenga architecture trend works in new Hyde Park apartments
Ever play Jenga? If you have, you know it challenges players to pull a wood block from a tall stack of such blocks, then shift the removed block to the...
Memory machine: How Wrigley’s architecture engages mind, touches heart
Shortly after the Cubs won Game 2 of the World Series in Cleveland on Wednesday night, I posted a few words on Facebook: "Wrigley Field is a vessel for treasured...