Art Nouveau is not the first thing you expect to see in Chicago. Aside from the nature-inspired of patterns by Louis Sullivan, the city broadly leans more in the Miesian direction–linear and glass. The flourishing, nature-inspired art style was not only short lived (it was popular from around 1890-1910), but to me it says “Europe”… Read More A Piece of Paris in Chicago
When you hear glass, you probably first think of plain glass windows. Glass, however, has had a long history of varied uses in architecture. Among them: glass prisms and glass blocks. I had seen glass blocks from the mid-twentieth century (my 1960s era high school featured them in all the stairwells) but it wasn’t until… Read More Five Cool Facts About Glass Block
The Robie House, like many houses designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, looks decidedly modern. It is surrounded by buildings that, while they emulate century-old architecture like Gothic cathedrals, are in fact younger than the Robie House. One neighbor in particular, however, is certainly newer than the Robie House but instead of turning to national trends… Read More The Robie House’s Contemporary Reflection
Susie Trexler 