Local Illustrator Tells the Story of the Chicago Flag Through Art
[The first star on the Chicago flag commemorates Fort Dearborn. All illustrations by Phil Thompson/Cape Horn Illustration used with permission]
Chicagoans are very proud of their city's flag, and this civic pride can be witnessed throughout the city and on peoples' bodies. The Chicago flag is pretty much everywhere in the Windy City. And while Chicagoans and vexillologists love the simple look of the flag, there's more meaning to the flag's design than a few stars and bars. The light blue bars on the Chicago flag represent Lake Michigan and the North and South branches of the Chicago River, while the white sections represent the city's North, West and South sides. Each star commemorates an important moment or structure in the city's history, and each point on each star has a meaning. Local artist Phil Thompson of Cape Horn Illustration has paid homage to the city's flag by creating a new series of images that dives into the history and meaning of each star.
Long Planned Lakefront Tower for Uptown May Finally Rise
[Rendering by Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture of earlier plans for the site, which have been scaled back as part of a recent deal.]
After years of planning, community criticism and TIF funding debates, a luxe high-rise near the lakefront may finally break ground in Uptown. According to DNAinfo, JDL Development struck a deal to move forward with a $200 million-plus high-rise development on the defunct Cuneo Hospital site, last used as the Columbus Maryville Academy Children's Shelter until closing its doors a decade ago. To appease opponents of the plan, the initial layout has been severely scaled back, cutting the umber of units from more than 700 to just 300, while including additional commercial space.
A First Look at the Hotel Allegro's Glitzy Art Deco Makeover
[The grand stairway, featuring original brass railings, leads up to Crescendo and the soon-to-open new lobby.]
With historic hotel renovations occurring on seemingly every block in the Loop these days, it helps to be a building with its own industry backstory. As part of a three-phase renovation that will update the lobby and entrance, the Hotel Allegro at 171 West Randolph aims to reconnect with its own Art Deco past, when the property was known as the Hotel Bismarck. Owned by brothers Emil, Karl, Robert and Max Eitel, the Bismarck, which opened in 1926, was then the latest in a string of successful sibling entrees into the hospitality industry, starting with the Fair Hotel, a guesthouse-turned-hotel near the site of the 1893 World's Columbian Expedition. The "new" Bismarck -- the brothers razed their previous Bismarck Hotel, named after the Kaiser, to make room for the new property -- began welcoming guests at the height of the pre-crash Roaring '20s. Interior designers Simeone Deary Design Group aimed to recapture that era of exuberant design in the second phase of this Kimpton property update.
Creating the Korner's Folly, 'The Strangest Home in the World'
Exterior of the Folly. Photo courtesy of Michael Blevins Photography.
Built in 1880 and once billed as "The Strangest Home in the World,"Körner's Folly in Kernersville, N.C. celebrated its 135th anniversarylast Saturday. But it is not really a home in the conventional sense. Artist, decorator, interior designer, and "Man of a Thousand Peculiarities" Jule Gilmer Körner conceived of this structure as an entertaining space, bachelor quarters, horse stables, studio and—most importantly—showroom for the wares of his Reuben Rink Decorating and House Furnishing Company.
Today, the population of Kernersville is approximately 23,000, but when Körner finished the Folly in 1880, the town was home to 200 people. Heading toward historic downtown Kernersville, you pass the usual suspects of Southern suburban America—CVS, Walmart, Hibachi Grill, Cookout, Biscuitville, and several gas stations—but soon you leave these reminders of the present behind. The Folly is situated right up against South Main Street, as a business would have been in the late nineteenth century, in all its now-anomalous Victorian grandeur.
A Quick Look at the Two Aqua One-Beds That Listed This Week
Lakeshore East's Aqua is one of the city's most architecturally striking towers, and also one that doesn't have a ton of units available at any given moment. The tower has earned Studio Gang Architects numerous awards, and contains apartment units and hotel rooms in addition to condos. This week, two one-bedroom units listed, ranging from $475,000 to $649,000. Both offer incredible downtown views andsuperb amenities, although the units themselves are nothing to get too excited about. It's no wonder that there are almost more photos of the balcony views than the actual units in these listings. Here's a quick rundown on what's available.
The University of Illinois is raising funds to create a new center named after famed film Roger Ebert. Ebert, a U of I grad, spent his entire with the Chicago Sun-Times. In total, the university is looking to raise $5 million, but is already half way to its goal. [Sun-Times]Zumper: Chicago Now Has 7th Highest Rent Prices in Country
Chicago's apartment boom is a real thing, and according to a new report from apartment search website Zumper, Chicago is quickly climbing the ranks of priciest cities to rent in. According to their latestNational Rent Report, Zumper ranks Chicago as the seventh most expensive city for renters in the country, up two places from last month. The report, created using data from listings on Zumper, indicates that the median price for a one bedroom in Chicago is $1,760, while the median price for a two bedroom is $2,370. As fat as individual neighborhoods are concerned, it's about what you'd guess—downtown neighborhoods are by far the priciest in Chicago. Zumper places theNear North Side (River North, Streeterville, Gold Coast) at first place while the Loop and the Near West Side (West Loop) come in second and third place. The data is a little hard to swallow considering that it only takes information found on Zumper into account, and it lumps multiple neighborhoods into one large, super pricey region. However, renters and developers will likely find the information somewhat useful.
Art Deco Riverfront Highrise to Get the Sterling Bay Treatment
Chicago-based developer Sterling Bay has made a name for itself in the last few years by acquiring aging buildings, renovating them into the modern loft-style offices, and filling them with high profile tenants. Their work in the Fulton Market area has played a big role in the area's active revitalization, and just this week they sold their Canal Street building for a huge profit after filling it with tech companies who wouldn't have imagined having their offices in the West Loop a few years ago. For their latest project, Sterling Bay has set their eyes on the LaSalle-Wacker building at 121 West Wacker Drive.
As much as an architecture river cruise every day this spring and summer sounds incredible, the Chicago Architecture Foundation's revamped website may be the better bet for a daily fix of architecture and design knowledge. New features of the recently relaunched site include a visual dictionary, updated news feeds and Buildings of Chicago, mobile-friendly stories of Chicago's most significant architecture. [Chicago Architecture Foundation]
POPULAR
Divvy Bike Expansion; Global Cities Forum Coming; More
[photo via the Curbed Chicago Flickr pool/Rick Drew]
·Harrington College of Design to close in 2018 [DNAinfo]
·The dangers of aging gas infrastructure [Fast Company]
·Chicago Forum for Global Cities coming in May [CFGC]
·April Divvy expansion adding 1,750 new bikes [Tribune]
·Could this development transform Devon? [DNAinfo]
·Airbnb drives up rents, says Airbnb study [WSJ]
·Von Stebuen students make 8-bit art [DNAinfo]
·"Grocery stores" in a Chicago food desert [1,001 Chicago Afternoons]
·The dangers of aging gas infrastructure [Fast Company]
·Chicago Forum for Global Cities coming in May [CFGC]
·April Divvy expansion adding 1,750 new bikes [Tribune]
·Could this development transform Devon? [DNAinfo]
·Airbnb drives up rents, says Airbnb study [WSJ]
·Von Stebuen students make 8-bit art [DNAinfo]
·"Grocery stores" in a Chicago food desert [1,001 Chicago Afternoons]
Curbed Chicago is your go-to place for all things real estate and neighborhood news, but did you know we also have a glorious Facebook page and Twitter feed? Head on over to the Curbed Chicago Facebookand Twitter pages to give them a "like" and your social media feeds will magically become filled with awesome Curbed content.Shuttered Lakeview Funeral Home to Become New Apartments
The old Herdegen-Brieske Funeral Home that sits at the Lincoln, Southport and Wellington intersection may soon become a home for the living instead of one for the dead. Developer David Trandel wants to preserve the building's ornate terra cotta facade, but gut the building out to make way for new apartments and retail, the Sun-Times reports. Originally built in 1912, the building has operated as a funeral homesince the mid-'80s. The building was sold recently, and new retail and apartments are planned for the former funeral home. According to the developer, would-be tenants can expect to shell out about $2,500 per month for a one bedroom to $3,300 per month for a two bedroom unit.
·Dying for an apartment in Lake View? Developer of old funeral home hopes so [Sun-Times]
·Developer aims to convert funeral home to retail, apartments[Crain's]
·On Death Row in Lake View: Gothic-Styled Herdegen-Brieske Funeral Home (Updated) [Chicago Patterns]
·Dying for an apartment in Lake View? Developer of old funeral home hopes so [Sun-Times]
·Developer aims to convert funeral home to retail, apartments[Crain's]
·On Death Row in Lake View: Gothic-Styled Herdegen-Brieske Funeral Home (Updated) [Chicago Patterns]
In Joliet, a Perfectly Preserved Mid-Century Time Capsule
Every once in a while you stumble upon one of those homes that just soperfectly encapsulates a time period that you have to wonder if you've somehow ended up in a wormhole. This three bedroom, two bathroom ranch home manages to look like a perfectly preserved time capsule of how it may have looked decades ago, complete with the vintage kitchen and bathrooms. And while it certainly isn't for everyone, vintage lovers will likely dig this home. The $180,000 asking price and retro vibe are perfect, but the only thing wrong with this home is that it's in Joliet.
Cabrini-Green Church to be Resurrected as Residential Project
A fixture in Cabrini-Green is going the way of much of the neighborhood, with new plans in motion to turn the Romanesque St. Dominic's Church on North Sedgewick into a six-story residential building. As reported by Chicago Architecture Blog, the updated plans call for the double-towered brick church, built in 1905 and closed since 1990, to be replaced with a 6-story, 45-unit building designed bySullivan Goulette & Wilson Architects featuring a south-facing, second-floor terrace and enclosed parking for bikes and cars.
Is the Logan Square Dual Tower TOD Proposal a Done Deal?
[Rendering by Wheeler Kearns Architects]
It's not been quite 48 hours since the last community meeting for the two tower transit-oriented development for Milwaukee and California in Logan Square concluded, however for all intents and purposes, the project appears to be moving forward. Along with a number of other proposals for projects throughout the city, the two tower proposal is scheduled to be presented to the Chicago Plan Commission on April 16. Despite earning the support from the Latin United Community Housing Association (LUCHA) and the Greater Goethe Neighborhood Association (GGNA), many attendees of Monday night's meetingexpressed dissatisfaction with the proposal. Among the usual concerns regarding height, density and traffic, new concerns are aimed directly at the alderman and developers for their handling of the meeting.
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