Frank Lloyd Wright: New UNESCO World Heritage Site

This weekend, a selection Frank Lloyd Wright’s buildings joined the Unesco World Heritage List. The listing, named the 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright, includes eight buildings across the United States: Unity Temple (Oak Park, IL) Robie House (Chicago, IL) Taliesin (Spring Green, WI) Herbert and Katherine Jacobs House (Madison, WI) Fallingwater (Mill Run, PA) Hollyhock House (Los Angeles,… Read More Frank Lloyd Wright: New UNESCO World Heritage Site

July 8, 2019July 7, 2019 Susie2 Comments

Oak Park’s Tile Stop Signs

I recently came across one of Oak Park’s tile stop signs and quickly discovered that they are several scattered throughout the village at the ends of alleys. So what’s the story? The signs were likely installed in the 1930s-40s to remind drivers to stop before exiting alleys. As the village does not have right-of-way in… Read More Oak Park’s Tile Stop Signs

May 20, 2019May 19, 2019 Susie2 Comments

Restoring Robie: A Window into the Past

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

April 8, 2019April 7, 2019 Susie5 Comments

The Architecture of Lincoln Park Zoo

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

April 1, 2019March 31, 2019 Susie3 Comments

The Chicago River: Frozen Music

“Music is liquid architecture; architecture is frozen music.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe During the polar vortex, the Chicago River froze solid. Needless to say, I did not take my hands out of my pockets on those -20-degree days! But I found myself on the river walk a day later and ended up walking a… Read More The Chicago River: Frozen Music

February 18, 2019February 17, 2019 Susie4 Comments

Heart Bomb 2019: Harley Clarke Mansion

Happy Valentine’s Day week! I had fun joining Landmarks Illinois this weekend heart-bombing the Harley Clarke Mansion in Evanston, Illinois. Thanks in part to the hard work of Save Harley Clarke (now Friends of Harley Clarke), this beautiful lake-front mansion will go on to serve a new life. An adaptive reuse plan for the building… Read More Heart Bomb 2019: Harley Clarke Mansion

February 11, 2019February 10, 2019 Susie3 Comments

The Art Behind the Science: Artists of the Field Museum

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

January 28, 2019January 28, 2019 Susie2 Comments

Best of 2018

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

December 31, 2018December 30, 2018 Susie7 Comments

December Decor in the Gold Coast

Happy Holidays! In honor of the season, I’m sharing some photographs from the Gold Coast neighborhood in Chicago. It’s one of my favorite neighborhoods for exploring architecture. It is home not just to the National Historic Landmark Charnley-Persky House (above), but the entire Astor Street Historic District. The Gold Coast sits between Lincoln Park and Streeterville,… Read More December Decor in the Gold Coast

December 24, 2018December 23, 2018 SusieLeave a comment

Art Moderne on State Street

In Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood, just down the street from a historic wood alley, is a rare example of design from another time period: the Art Moderne style Fisher Studio Houses. The building, built in 1936, is an example of pre-World War II modernism and is compromised of 12 residential unites on a interior courtyard.… Read More Art Moderne on State Street

December 3, 2018December 2, 2018 SusieLeave a comment