The Life and Work of Architect Ben Weese
Glessner House Museum
Robert Bruegmann, Art History, Architecture, Urban Planning, University of Illinois at Chicago highlights the career of Ben Weese on his 90th birthday.
Architect Ben Weese, celebrating his 90th birthday on June 4th, initially followed his older brothers into the world of architecture, but soon emerged with an independent identity as both architect and urban planner that focused on his commitment to social responsibility. His works, found throughout the Midwest, include a wide variety of projects for non-profit and educational clients that reflect his sensitivity to the vernacular environment. In the mid-1960s, Ben and his brother Harry worked tirelessly to rescue and successfully save one of Chicago’s most important buildings - Glessner House. A decade later, he rose to prominence as a member of the “Chicago Seven,” a group of young architects that challenged the prominence of the Miesians by reclaiming the legacy of lesser-appreciated architects through writings and exhibitions.
The lecture will be given by author and architectural historian Robert Bruegmann, who is currently writing a book on the architectural careers of Ben and his wife Cynthia. Architect Peter Landon, who worked in the Weeses’ office for ten years, will provide the introduction.
A 90th birthday reception, hosted by the Weese family, will take place from 5:45 to 6:30pm, during which time the house will also be open for complimentary tours.
This lecture is the second offering of the Wilbert R. Hasbrouck Historic Preservation Lecture Series funded through a generous gift from Paul and Margaret Lurie. Hasbrouck, who passed away in 2018, was a distinguished preservation architect and one of a small group of individuals, including Ben Weese, who came together to successfully save Glessner House in the 1960s. The Hasbrouck Lecture will be given each year during Historic Preservation Month.
Belmont Mansion Mansion Museum
The Gist of Freedom, it's production team and guest host travel to Philadelphia to visit with Mrs. Audrey Johnson-Thornton and the Belmont Mansion Museum
[Wikipedia] Prairie Avenue District
The Prairie Avenue District is a historic district in the Near South Side community area of Chicago, Illinois. It includes the 1800 and 1900 blocks of South Prairie Avenue and the 1800 block of South Indiana, and 211-217 East Cullerton. It was the site of the Battle of Fort Dearborn and became the city's most fashionable residential district after the Great Chicago Fire. It was designated a Chicago Landmark on December 27, 1979. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 15, 1972. The John J. Glessner House, designed by Henry Hobson Richardson in 1885–1886 at 1800 S. Prairie Avenue, has been restored as a historic house museum and is open for public tours. In 2006, the Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance, a non-profit organization was formed to provide representation for thousands of South Loop residents, including the Prairie District, Central Station and Museum Park, Motor Row, the South Michigan Ave Corridor, as well as other areas of the Near South Side.
Oldest House In Chicago
The Clarke House
The Clarke House was built by a local carpenter using readily available pattern books or builders' guides. Such publications provided floor plans for Greek Revival and other styles of houses, drawings of moldings, staircases, and additional details, as well as practical suggestions on the use of wood, stone, and other materials. With such guidance at hand, a skilled carpenter could produce a fashionable, well designed home. A.T. Andreas, in the first volume of his History of Chicago (1884) wrote that the Clarke House was built by John Campbell Rye, a carpenter. Nothing further is known of Rye, but he may have been the John C. Rue listed among carpenters working in Chicago in 1839 in the book: Industrial Chicago: Building Interests, published in 1891. The house the Clarkes built, however, is far from a stereotypical pattern book house.
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Frank Lloyd Wright Designed George Smith Home, Oak Park Il.
Oak Park is a small village located on Chicago's western boundry. It is known for having the largest number of Frank Lloyd Wright designed homes in the world. The founder of the prairie school of architecture made his home here from 1889-1909. Most of his homes are located on the north side of town, the wealthy side. One is located south of Lake Street on the poorer side of town.
That is the George Smith home located at 404 S. Home was designed in 1895 as one of a group of low cost houses for architect Charles E. Roberts, that were never built.This was during the period when Wright was moonlighting before he started his own company. It was built in 1898 for Smith who was a salesman for Marshall Field.
ChiTownView has an extensive playlist of videos of Wright designs.
Here is a link to the Frank Loyd Wright Preservation Trust where you can get all kinds of information on tours:
Another ChiTownView produced by Mike Beyer and presented by MindsiMedia.Visit our web portal at
Marshall Field Mansion, Historic Prairie Avenue District
Marshall Field was the founder of Marshall Field Department Store which has been a fixture in the Chicago area for decades built his mansion in the Prairie District just south of Chicago's commercial loop district. Macy's now owns Marshall Fields.
Field Museum Chicago Private Events and Chicago Event Space
Field Museum Chicago Private Event space, Convention Party Venues, near McCormick Place, Chicago Wedding Spaces, Sites, Locations, Special Events, Private Party
Urban Archeology Field School: The Charnley-Persky House Dig
This class digs up Chicago history.
[Wikipedia] Hull House
Hull House was a settlement house in the United States that was co-founded in 1889 by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr. Located in the Near West Side of Chicago, Illinois, Hull House (named for the home's first owner) opened its doors to recently arrived European immigrants. By 1911, Hull House had grown to 13 buildings. In 1912 the Hull House complex was completed with the addition of a summer camp, the Bowen Country Club. With its innovative social, educational, and artistic programs, Hull House became the standard bearer for the movement that had grown, by 1920, to almost 500 settlement houses nationally.
Most of the Hull House buildings were demolished for the construction of the University of Illinois-Circle Campus in the mid 1960s. The Hull mansion and several subsequent acquisitions were continuously renovated to accommodate the changing demands of the association. The original building and one additional building (which has been moved 200 yards (182.9 m)) survive today. On June 12, 1974, the Hull House building was designated a Chicago Landmark. On June 23, 1965, it was designated as a U.S. National Historic Landmark . On October 15, 1966, which is the day that the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 was enacted, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Hull House was one of the four original members to be listed on both the Chicago Registered Historic Places and the National Register of Historic Places list (along with Chicago Pile-1, Robie House & Lorado Taft Midway Studios). The Hull House Association ceased operations in January 2012, but the Hull mansion and a related dining hall remain open as a museum.
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Chicago Travel Guide
Travel video about destination Chicago.
Sears Tower
Magnificent Mile
Navy Pier
Old Water Tower
Cloud Gate
Buckingham Fountain
John Hancock Center
Grant Park
Chicago River
Millennium Park
Tribune Tower
Shedd Aquarium
Lincoln Park Zoo
Museum of Science and Industry
Union Station
Crown Fountain
Art Institute of Chicago
Marina City
Field Museum
Wrigley Building
Riverwalk
Chicago Theatre
Prairie Avenue Historic District
Aqua
Michigan Avenue Bridge
Merchandise Mart
City Hall
Lincoln Park
Lake Point Tower
Robie House
Oak Street Beach
James R Thompson Center
Chinatown
Dearborn Street Station
Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool Gardens
860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments
Printers Row
333 Wacker Drive
Federal Center
Chicago Temple
University of Chicago
Auditorium Building
Fisher Building
Washington Square Park
The Oliver Mansion
Built in 1895 by South Bend industrialist, JD Oliver, the Oliver Mansion is a 38-room, Romanesque Queen Anne house featuring all original furnishings and items.
To plan your visit to the Oliver Mansion, or to learn more about other exhibits at the Center For History, visit their website: centerforhistory.org.
Motor Row Historic District, Chicago Locomobile, Hudson, Marmon More
It looks like a sad ghost town for the most part as serious redevelopment of this area has yet to take place. That's too bad because the area is full of history beyond that regarding car dealers. Other attractions to area include Prairie St. home to some of the cities oldest mansions and at 2140 Michigan Chess studios.
Here is how one of the markers describes what was the original magnificent mile.
In 1902 there were only 600 automobiles in the Chicagoland area. Within thirty years there were 90,000 cars. The interest in motor vehicles continued to expand rapidly with 300,000 on the road by 1935. Many of the automobiles purchased during this time frame were purchased on Chicago's Motor Row.
A gateway to opulence for the automobile industry was fashioned on south Michigan Avenue. The buildings that served as showrooms for the automobile manufacturers were custom made for every aspect of sales and service. Architects such as Christian Eckstrom, Alfred Alscheuler, Philip Maher, William Holabird, Martin Roche and Albert Kahn crafted these multi-storied structures for the repair, painting, storage and selling of the most modern advance in private transportation: the automobile.
This group of commercial buildings here on the Near South Side of Chicago is considered to be the largest, intact early automobile row in the United States. At it's peak as many as 116 different automobile manufacturers were represented within several blocks of downtown Chicago. Ford, Fiat, Buick, Cadillac, Pierce Arrow, Locomobile, Marmon and Hudson, to name a few, were displayed for the cunsumer's pleasure. The excitment and pulsating atmosphere was matched only by the smooth ride and shiny exterior of a brand new motor vehicle.
This video features four of the buildings.
The Locomobile of America Co. showrooms was at 2000 South Michigan Avenue . Designed by architects Jenny, Mundie & Jensen it opened in 1909. A three-story corner building .. of reinforced concrete trimmed in brick and terra
The Hudson Motor Showroom is at 2222-2228 South Michigan Ave. Architect: Alfred Alschuler designed a richly decorated building with details like; H for Hudson medallions above the Palladian windows, the twisted columns, rope modelling around the windows and more.
The Marmon Co. Showroom at 2232 South Michigan Avenue was designed by architect: Alfred Alschuler and finished in 1922.
This Spanish-revival style building still has the company name Marmon on its terra cotta facade .. It has been renovated and converted in Marmon Grand banquet ..
Trivia: One car in the Marmon line, the Wasp, is the legendary winner of the first Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, in 1911
The Chicago Motor Club building 2400 S. Michigan Ave. Designed by Prairie School architect Philip Maher, opened in 1936.The Chicago Motor Club building was designed and completed within 265 days in 1928 and opened January of the next year. Having been granted National Register status in 1978, the building is widely regarded as one of Chicago's finest Art Deco style skyscrapers.
In 1954 it was sold to the Chicago Defender newspaper in 1954. They filled in the basemant pool, moved in printing presses and operated out of here for forty years. It has stood vacant since 2006 and is looking pretty rundown. It is on the Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois Chicagoland Watch List
There is an extensive post about this building on the Forgotten Chicago site.
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1201 S Prairie Ave #3004, Chicago IL 60605 | South Loop
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The History of the Near South Side of Chicago and the Ethnic Changes Part 1
This is the first part of a documentary video about the history of the Near South Side in Chicago, IL and the ethnic and racial changes that took place over the years, from the mid 1700s to today. The music that was used was from Blizzard's soundtrack, Taverns of Azeroth.
My Chinatown, Stories from Within
Excerpt from the video portion of the My Chinatown object theater first produced for the Chicago History Museum and subsequently adapted for permanent installation in the Chinese American Museum of Chicago.
Old Chicago Water Tower District , video trailer
Chicago Water Landmark
City of Chicago
Washington Township Museum Of Local History
Washington Township Museum Of Local History
Mt. Sterling Community Center YMCA Annual Campaign Video
Blues Kids of America in Chicago (short)
This is a small intro/ teaser for the new Blues Kids of America in Chicago.
Loyola UNIV 101 China town
Three students on a magical adventure exploring a new world immersed in culture.history information:
Demographic facts:
Upcoming events: