Chicago Architectural Series- Chicago Public Library

The first public library building in Chicago was actually built and designed by a Boston firm, Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge, in 1897.  The ornate interiors feature mahogany doors, bronze railings and framings, pink and green marble, white Carrara marble, intricate tile work, and romanesque touches, and two glass domes.  One of the domes is the largest Tiffany glass dome in the world.  This masterpiece features more than 30,000 pieces of glass covering over 1,000 square feet.  This spectacular dome bathes the Preston Bradley Hall with natural light.  The coffered ceilings, grand staircases, and gleaming marble surfaces make this building a true gem of the architectural world.  The building is now the Chicago Cultural Center, a museum and special events center, as well as a visitor center.

Detail of the Tiffany dome.

This is a detail of the intricate tile work of the Library floor.

Chicago Architecture Series- United Terminal O'Hare Airport

The United Terminal at O'Hare Airport was designed by world-renowned architect Helmut Jahn.  The process of its construction took place from 1985-1988.  The terminal has an airy, open quality that is refreshing, and stands out from the usual claustrophobic nature of many airport interior spaces.  Jahn made great use of functional elements that also stand out as design highlights.  The highlight of the terminal is the long tunnel passengers travel down through a kinetic light and sound sculpture.

Chicago Architecture Series- Union Station

Union Station was first constructed in 1881.  The station in its current state was designed by Daniel Burnham, the noted Chicago architect.  The beaux-arts style new Union Station was opened in 1925.  The centerpiece of the terminal is the 110-foot high "Great Hall."  With ornate flourishes and soaring columns, this space manages to be both intimate and overwhelming simultaneously.  The enormous wooden benches in the Great Hall are a welcome resting spot for the 54,000 weary passengers that pass through Union Station everyday.

Stormy weather...

What a stormy Memorial Day in the Midwest.  Rain here in the Chicago area is putting a damper on the Memorial Day ceremonies and celebrations.  Into each life some rain must fall: and when it does rain, let us appreciate it.  Rain is cleansing.  The washing it provides cannot be achieved any other way- God is so smart.  Nature needs the nourishment the rain provides.  Rain is cooling.  Sitting outside watching the rain fall and enjoying the cool breeze is such a pleasure.  The air hung damp and warm, like a steamy fog.  Still and dense, it was stifling.  Then the wind began to stir, and the harbingers of the approaching thunderstorm began to fall, here and there, on the street and cars passing by.  Soon the skies had opened up, and the thick blanket of stagnant air had been transformed into a vibrant swirl of cooling jets of air, fragrant with the scent of the new rain. 

How I love the stormy times when the thunder cracks like a mighty oak falling down after two-hundred years of growth.  That sound is unmistakable.  Like a giant bull-whip careening through the clouds, lashing out at them and emptying them of their precious precipitation.  The pyrotechnic display of the lightning is awe-inspiring as it races down to scorch the earth and then, just as fast, is gone again leaving only its brilliant outline for us to see.  If the stormy times seem to be an inconvenience, think back to times of drought and famine and imagine how inconveniencing that would be.  If it's storming where you are, don't run inside and ride it out; sit amidst the wonder of the greatest show that the Creator performs for us.  He pours down His blessings, and after He is done, He wraps the sky in colors- a reminder that He will never let the stormy times overwhelm us again.

Memorial Day

Memorial Day is a day that we set aside to honor those veterans who have fought and died in service of their country, those who have fought and lived to return home, and those that are currently fighting.  The ceremonies and parades and tributes we hastily take part in on this day before we hurry off to our barbeques will not mean much unless we live our lives in a fashion that will give meaning to their deaths and sacrifices.  So, before we kick-off our summer season of fun in the sun, let's all take time to contemplate what these brave men and women have provided for us, and at what cost.  And then let us determine to live a life that will honor their actions much more than any solemn ceremony or patriotic parade ever could.

Thank you...

Thank you.  Such a simple phrase of just two small words, but it conveys so much emotion.  Gratitude is only the first feeling it can begin to convey.  Acknowledgment of the good done by someone else is key to keeping harmony in interpersonal relationships.  No one can grow unhappy as fast as someone who feels unappreciated.  Respect is another element of thank you.  Verbally saying it or taking time to write down words of thanks is a sign of respect towards the other party.  A person who has respect will always be a grateful person.

Honor is something we convey in our expressions of gratitude.  Making sure that anyone who does us a service is a recipient of our honor is a sign of maturity.  Honor is a way of gaining access.  Honor opens doors, not sycophantic brown-nosing, but genuine thoughtfulness.  A wise person will be able to determine who is just a servile flatterer, and who exhibits authentic honor.  Wisdom is also a part of saying thank you.  The great leader was first a great servant.  A great servant is one who can display grace under fire, and heart-felt thankfulness.  Wisdom cannot be achieved without recognition of wisdom in others, and the pursuing of that wisdom.  Thank you opens doors.  Again, thank you is an access granter.  An unthankful person is almost always a foolish person.  Ignorance may cause a lack of recognition, but chronic failure to be thankful is a mark of the fool. 

Maturity can manifest itself in our ability to honor.  A child can show basic thankfulness when something is done for them in an outright fashion.  The ice cream cone, the birthday or Christmas gift, or the new bicycle will all probably cause a reaction of thank you.  However, their limited knowledge and lack of wisdom will fail to see the opportunity for thank you when daddy comes home late from work.  The child will many times only register disappointment that he wasn't there to play catch, and miss that he was providing for them all the while.  How we as mature people must separate ourselves is to be on the lookout for these opportunities.  This will show our wisdom, our honor, our respect, our leadership, our maturity, and our gratitude.

Chicago Architecture Series- Millenium Park

Millenium Park has, in just a few short years, become a Chicago landmark.  Completed in July 2004, construction began in the late 1990's.  The corner that the park now occupies was once an eyesore.  A railyard that lay unused for years would soon become a Chicago icon. 

Millenium Park features some great architecture and landscaping.  The main features of the park mix both modern and classical influences.  Anish Kapoor's Cloudgate sculpture, affectionately called the "Bean" by Chicagoans, is the anchor of the park.  The most popular attraction in the park is a wonder to behold.  Reflecting the city skyline and the surrounding features of the park, the Bean is a gleaming example of a modern-art masterpiece.

The classical element of the park takes its form in the monument at the northwest corner of the park.  The peristyle is a popular place for pictures, and the fountain makes it a beautiful spot.

 

Millenium Park hosts a variety of concerts in the Frank Gehry-designed Pritzker Pavilion.  The sweeping, curving elements of this groundbreaking design capture the attention from anywhere in the park.  The so-called "great lawn" provides the ideal place for picnics and lazy afternoons spent lying on your favorite blanket, reading a book or just soaking up the warm summer sun.

The other fun summertime Millenium Park activity is splashing around in the Crown Fountain.  These towers of refreshment project images of local Chicagoans that change at random.  Children and adults of all ages enjoy the cooling jets of water that shoot out from the "mouths" of the images that appear on the tower.

The serpentine pedestrian walkway over Columbus Drive is another of the sleek, modern elements of the park's design.  The bridge looks like a giant stainless steel snake coiled up over the street and spilling into the park.  This convenient feature provides direct access to the lakefront from Millenium Park.

Christopher Guest Tribute

Christopher Guest is one of the funniest writers, directors, and actors alive.  His creations include This Is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, and For Your Consideration.  He also has written and acted on SNL and for countless other television and movie projects.  Comedians often cite his work as being among the most influential in the last thirty years.  He is the mentor of the hilariously funny Ricky Gervais who created The Office.  Here are some gems from the work of Mr. Guest.

Hair...or...No Hair ???

A Piece of You

How can you give away a piece
Of something deep within?
A piece of something from a place
Where no one's ever been...
A gift that rare holds power
That when placed in the right hands,
Can make a man fulfilled inside-
Confirm his dreams and plans.
But when that gift is not received
That piece is not the same.
Although you place it back inside,
It's marred by hurt or shame.
The giver is reluctant now
To go back to that place.
It's harder and more painful now
When searching in that space.
Soon time has passed and wounds are healed,
And so you try again
To mine the depths of who you are
And find that place within.
The sacred well of all your love,
Ambitions, goals, and dreams-
To pass that on to someone else
Is harder than it seems.
For only that one person
Will ever truly know
The way to take that piece of you
And see it bloom and grow.

Forgiveness

I've heard folks ask about
The truest feeling
That people on this earth
Can really feel,
Is it friendship and the kinship
Of a brother?
And the bonds you share with them
You know are real.

Or is it just the opposite to loving
Is hatred something from
Down in our core?
Do our prejudices show
Our truest faces?
I'd like to think if we dug
Even deeper
We could come up with a little more...

Forgiveness and the roads
Where it may take you
Will bring you to a place
That's really you
Forgiveness with its grace
And healing comfort
Is the best place you can go
To find what's true

If you can find that place
When you are wounded
Just crawl there and let
Time do all the rest
When challenged with a test
You never asked for
And hearts of those you know
Are on the line
Choose the path that seems
Too dark and daunting
And you'll come out to find
That you've been blessed
With...

Forgiveness and the places
It can take you
Restoring long lost love
And foolish pride
Forgiveness and the chances
That it gives you
To do it all again
And get it right.

So if you overlook those times
Your best friend
Never took the tiime
To speak your name
And not judge those you love
Based on their worst days
Sometimes share half the credit
Or shoulder all the blame
You've known...

Forgiveness and its powers
Of compassion
That knits two hearts
And patches wounded souls
Forgivess is a measure
Of our hearts love
That brings us to a place
Where we are whole.


So, not the best poem ever, but something we all need from time to time. Be forgiving of others, especially those close to you. A perceived slight from a close friend can sting worse than an all-out insult from a foe. So work on letting things "go" with those around you. Thanks for reading!

INSANE hail storm in Oklahoma!

Chicago Architecture Series- Chicago Board of Trade Building

This is my first post in a series of posts that will be dedicated to highlighting some of my favorite buildings in the Windy City.

The Chicago Board of Trade anchors the south end of LaSalle Street in Chicago's financial district.  This canyon of buildings is one of the iconic images of Chicago.  This stretch of architectural heaven has featured prominently in recent Hollywood films such as The Untouchables, Road to Perdition, Batman Begins, and The Dark Knight. 

Construction on the Board of Trade Building began in 1929 and officially opened June 9, 1930.  The Board of Trade has continuously occupied the twelfth floor of the building since its opening.  The famous Chicago firm Holabird & Root handled the design of the building, and made it an art-deco masterpiece.  Total construction costs were 11.3 million dollars.  The building was the first in Chicago to reach a height greater than 600 feet, and held the title as the city's tallest until the Richard J. Daley Center opened in 1965.

Alvin Meyer, the head of Holabird & Root's sculptural department, provided several works that feature prominently in and around the building.  His hooded figures peer down ominously onto LaSalle Street from either side of the thirteen foot diameter great clock above the main entrance to the building.  One is an Egyptian figure holding grain and the other a Native-American holding corn.  The agricultural theme that is carried throughout the property hints at the Board's history of being primarily a commodities exchange.

 

The building itself is capped by a thirty-one foot sculpture of the goddess Ceres.  The aluminum piece weighs over three tons, and is blank faced.  Appearing around the height of about forty-five floors, Meyer thought no one would be able to see the face clearly anyway, so he left it blank.

His twin sculptures Industry and Agriculture also appear on site.

Art-deco detailing in the building's appearance and interiors have made it a true gem of that era.  Listed on the National Register of Historic Places and as a National Historic Landmark in 1978, the Chicago Board of Trade Building is one of Chicago's and America's architectural treasures.