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
Come for the animals, stay for the architecture. Lincoln Park Zoo is one of Chicago’s best places. It is an award winning zoo in the heart of one of the city’s most beautiful parks, it is free and open year-round, and it features a handful a carefully crafted, early 20th century buildings. The Zoo’s centerpiece,… Read More The Architecture of Lincoln Park Zoo
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
Above: the ‘Sconset bluff walk As 2018 draws to a close, I’ve been looking back at everything that happened this year. I left my job at the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust (loved it there!) for a position as a historic preservation urban planner that I love even more. I also got married (in a historic… Read More Best of 2018
Edgartown, MA, sits on the eastern coast of Martha’s Vineyard. Its clustered houses all look toward the water and in the center of town you can catch the Chappy Ferry—a “three-car, three-minute” ferry to Chappaquiddick Island. Where Oak Bluff’s is Queen Anne style and colorful (more on that in this post), Edgartown is whitewashed and… Read More Edgartown, MA, and the Blue Porch Ceiling
When I visited Newport a few weeks ago, our main goals were to (1) go sailing and (2) walk the Cliff Walk. What we didn’t know was how many great things we’d find in between! We ended up making an impromptu stop at the Breakers because we wanted to see the view from their back… Read More Ceilings of the Gilded Age
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
You’ve heard of brownstones (hello Boston, New York, and Philadelphia!). What about Chicago’s greystones? I may be late to the game here, but Greystones were a new thing to me when I moved to Chicago last year. They immediately became one of my favorite building types in the city for their distinctive yet stately qualities.… Read More So, What’s a Greystone?
Susie Trexler 