my airplane landing in Sarasota, Florida prior to boarding
The big day is finally here….I kissed my husband and busy Eoin boy at the SRQ airport curb and flew off to Chicago Midway @11.21am, Sunsay, July 12th, 2009……With the one hour time difference. I landed @ 1pm local time. It was a fairly pleasant flight, allowing me to get through another YA novel, Dear Julia by Amy Zemser. The only complaint I have was the foul language of the two teens seated behind me……language which I will not replicate in this posting. My other gripe is the use of the phraseology ” were you at?” When did it become acceptable in modern day society to end a sentence in a preposition? Any how, that is another matter for another day…..
The University Center is very easy to locate, the orange line of the elevated
Chicago Public Library's Owl Gargoyles
train ( commonly known as the “L”) from Midway airport to ….get this…the LIBRARY….yes, if there was ever a signal of good karma in this world, this would be it. The University Center, the place where many of my fellow NEH grant recipients are staying is kitty corner to the main branch of the Chicago Public library. More about this build later this week. from a quick cursory look, I love the simplicity of the outside terracotta cladding, though the roof line sits on a series of glass planes. Each corner is anchored with a patina oxidized gargoyle….which look like perching owls…very Hedwig/Harry Potter in theme, though I am sure that is a coincidence, perhaps more indicative of owls symbolizing knowledge.
View of Downtown Chicago, from the "L"
After dumping my luggage in my room, one of four private rooms in a quad apartment, I marched off to the Santa Fe building, home of the Chicago Architecture Foundation (CAF) for our 3pm meeting. The Santa Fe building , on Michigan Ave is very historic in itself, housing a number of famous architects’ offices, including the company which has designed the Dubai Tower….more about this later on in the week. The CAF is locate across the street from the Chicago Institute of Art and the Milleniuem water front park. We are right downtown in the middle of everything.
After a quiet meet and greet, we listened to an opening lecture delivered by Greg Dreicer, an architectural conservator. Today’s theme is “Skyscrapers as cultural phenomena”. Mr. Dreicer challenged us to question how we see skyscrapers, to look at invention, context and construction of the buildings before us. Skyscrapers tell us about us….how people live, work and play. He defines skyscrapers not by a definitive height or number of stories, but as a tall building, with a skeleton and self supporting walls. Buildings are always changing : interior design and materials and lay out; accommodating new technologies.
While architecture is a large field of study, we will be looking primarily at skyscrapers build between 1880 to 1920 as a historical building used in a commercial fashion.
From there, our group walked over to the Fisher building on State Street South, next to the library. We read Carl Sandburg’s famous Skyscraper poem, written when he lived about 40 blocks away from were we stood. Presumably the Fisher build gave Sandburg inspiration as the it was constructed in the late 1880s and was in place when he lived in the town at the time.
Currently, the Fisher building has been converted from a commercial building
to a residential condo complex. Yet, the exterior remains attractive and intriguing. As a brownish orange terracotta cladding, a number of animals, mythical dragons, frogs, sea shells can be found in the exterior decorative sculpture near the door frames, the bay window frames and under the roof line as a play on words of the owner’s name. The Fisher Building is decorated with a nautical theme ….look closely for the starfish.
Sear's Tower from the sidewalk
From there, we walked to the Sears tower, know known as the Willis tower to travel to the 103 floor. This tower , build in the early 1970s, was once the tallest building in the world. Housing the Sear’s Roebuck corporation’s head quarters, after 16 years, sold their building for 1 billion dollars and moved to the outskirts of Chicago, Hoffman Estates. This move was an attempt to increase efficiency in a company struggling during the mid 80s recession.
While I do not relish in experience high places, I was a tad nervous about reaching the 103 floor. A quick elevator ride was pleasant, yet crowded during the busy summer tourist season. I will admit to being fearful of heights, though felt a tad bit sway-ish. I even was able to look out on the glass platforms, which had been opened only two weeks prior. The weather was sunny and clear, 75 degrees. Thus a clear view of the city and its buildings and the lake beyond stretch for miles from our windows of the 103 floor. Some days, it is possible to have a clear view to 500 miles away.
By 8pm, we were dismissed to go for supper. Many other participants made dinner plans, I , tired, choose to go back to my room, grab a bite to take back to my room to begin this blog. And to sleep amongst the skyscrapers.
