The Longaberger Company may have gone out of business in 2018 but they left a large reminder of their products just east of Newark, Ohio, in the form of a seven-story version of the Longaberger medium market basket. Not only is the building known as the world’s largest basket, it’s also one of the largest… Read More Sometimes Architecture’s a Picnic (Literally)
Springfield, Illinois, is perhaps best known for its association with President Abraham Lincoln. It is home to Lincoln’s house, office, and tomb. Its historically significant architecture, however, do not stop there. In 1902, just 41 years after Lincoln was elected president and moved from Springfield to Washington, DC, a woman named Susan Lawrence commissioned Frank… Read More Discovering the Dana Thomas House
When it comes to new additions on old buildings, historic preservationists skew into two camps: (1) that the addition should look similar to the historic building, and (2) that the should addition look different. It is a continuum, of course, and many people may find they stand somewhere in the middle. Additions should be compatible… Read More Historic Preservation’s Addition Dilemma
The Robie House, in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood south of downtown, is a Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece and a testament to evolving technology in turn-of-the-century America. It was built in 1910, a crowning culmination of Wright’s Prairie style houses. It also went though a recent restoration and it looks stunning. Being amidst the University of… Read More Restoring Robie: A Window into the Past
Louis Sullivan (1856-1924) is perhaps best known for his grand works in Chicago like the Auditorium Theater (1889), the Carson Pirie Scott Building (1899), and the Stock Exchange (1894) (demolished in 1972, but portions can be seen at the Art Institute). His work is immediately recognizable for its intricate, nature-inspired details, the same details that informed much of… Read More Louis Sullivan’s Architectural Jewel Boxes
Most people don’t go to a natural history museum to see art, particularly if there is a world-class art museum just blocks away. Despite my attachment to the humanities, I come from a family of scientists, and I am an equal-opportunity museum goer. I am always game for a trip to the Field Museum. But… Read More The Art Behind the Science: Artists of the Field Museum
Elisabet Ney (1833-1907) was no stranger to castles, so perhaps it should come as no surprise that when she built a house in Austin, it was a castle. Ney, a German-American sculptor, began her career in Germany where she sculpted the likes of Otto von Bismarck, King George V of Hanover, and Ludwig II of Bavaria… Read More A German Castle in Austin, Texas
Frank Lloyd Wright was an architect amidst a lot of material innovation, and finding new ways to use these materials was one of his strong suits. Just look at all of his work with concrete, from Unity Temple to the fascinating Ennis House in LA. Wright’s early career was developing at the same time as… Read More A Journey in the Art Glass of Frank Lloyd Wright
The three-flat is an iconic building in Chicago: just look down any street between the Loop and the suburbs, and chances are you’ll see one. For today’s post I am excited to collaborate with local artist Phil Thompson of Capehorn Illustration (check out more of his Chicago work here and his Instagram here). His illustrations of Chicago… Read More The Classic Chicago Three-Flat
An hour and a half north of Chicago, in the small town of Racine, Wisconsin, the S.C. Johnson headquarters (originally Johnson Wax) sits mere blocks from the broad, blue expanse of Lake Michigan. With historic neighborhoods and old factory buildings on either side, S.C. Johnson’s iconic research tower is an unusual beacon to visitors: this… Read More S.C. Johnson: the Wright Office Building
Susie Trexler 