It was 27 years ago on Saturday, November 28, 1992, that my family moved to the Chicago suburb of Oak Park, IL, the occasion that truly marks me as an Oak Park resident.
As I celebrate this anniversary, I think about how all the Chicago suburbs in their own special way contribute to the amazing patchwork quilt that makes up Illinois.
One of Oak Park's famed residents was Edgar Rice Burroughs, author of the original Tarzan books, who is #144 on my second Illinois 200 list. A plaque sits outside the home on Augusta Blvd. where he lived.
Richard Sears (#145) moved to Oak Park after he moved his company, Sears*, to Chicago.
To the west of Oak Park is River Forest, and one of its notable residents was Nebraskan Edwin Perkins (#146), who invented Kool-Aid. He lived in River Forest after moving the production of Kool-Aid to Chicago.
Further south along the Des Plaines River corridor is the Village of Riverside (#147), one of the loveliest spots in Chicagoland. The village was laid out by Frederick Law Olmsted as a resort community. The long, winding streets mimic the curves of the Des Plaines River.
Running throughout the suburbs is Salt Creek (#148), from Palatine to near where it empties into the Des Plaines River at Riverside, providing lots of recreational opportunities, including a bike path that I enjoy riding.
Suburban Chicago other wonderful natural offerings, like the fabulous Chicago Botanic Gardens (#149) in Glencoe, at the very northern edge of Cook County.
Over in the western suburbs is the Morton Arboretum (#150) in Lisle.
In nearby Lombard is Lilacia Park (#151).
In Wheaton is Cantigny (#152), a park that was once the estate of Joseph Medill (#153) and his grandson Robert McCormick (#154), both publishers of the Chicago Tribune.
Nearby Lisle is Wheaton College (#155). One of its famed alumni is evangelist Billy Graham (#156). On campus is the Billy Graham Center (#157), which has a museum dedicated to him. One of its early presidents was Jonathan Blanchard (#158), a staunch abolitionist, and it is apt that the building on campus named for him, Blanchard Hall (#159), aptly served as a stop on the Underground Railroad.
Among other important religious institutions is Trinity Christian College (#160) in Palos Heights, where a group gathered for the creation of the New International Version of the Bible.
Lemont has St. James at Sag Bridge Roman Catholic Parish (#161), the oldest continually active Roman Catholic church in Illinois.
White Fence Farm (#162) in Romeoville offers a pretty good fried chicken meal, as does Dell Rhea's (#163) in Willowbrook. Both are along the iconic Historic US Route 66 corridor, astride the portions covered by I-55 and Joliet Road*.
Park Forest (#164) is a community that was laid out after World War II.
Naper Settlement (#165) is a historic area in Naperville that gives visitors a glimpse into life in bygone years, as does the Graue Mill and Museum (#166) in Oak Brook.
The Historic Downtown District of Long Grove (#167) has a collection of shops that retain a sense of old-fashioned charm.
In the northern suburbs is Ravinia (#168), home of a large summer music festival.
Science fiction author Ray Bradbury (#169) was born in Waukegan.
In the southwest suburbs is Argonne National Laboratory (#170), a research facility that was established in the 1970's near Darien.
Evanston has the prestigious Northwestern University (#171). Nearby in Wilmette is the Bahai House of Worship (#172), an amazing work of architecture.
Another stunning house of worship is Annunciation of the Mother of God Byzantine Catholic Church (#173) in Homer Glen. The pastor, Father Thomas Loya, was once a commercial artist, and he did the iconography inside the church sanctuary. On the grounds of the Church is a prairie landscape.
Also up in the northern suburbs is the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary (#175). The seminary and the town are named for George Cardinal Mundelein (#176), the 3rd Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago (#177). One of the biggest events there was the Closing Mass for the 28th Eucharistic Congress in 1926 (#178).
In Des Plaines is the Shrine of Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe (#174), the largest outside Mexico. It draws thousands of pilgrims every year on December 12 for la Virgen's feast.
Noting all that is in the Chicago suburbs reinforces the amazing patchwork quilt that Chicagoland is, with plenty to offer those who live, work, and visit.
*There was an error with my second List of 200 Illinois Notables in the blog post "So Much to See Drawn from the Land" which repeated Abraham Lincoln's Home from the first List, so the Sears Company fills in to make up for the repeat. The blog post "Along the Mississippi" skipped #46, so Joliet Road fills in for that spot.
Saturday, November 30, 2019
Thursday, November 28, 2019
Thanksgiving Thoughts 2019
Thanksgiving Day is one of my favorite holidays, because this national celebration in the United States evokes so many themes that align with my sense of faith.
Indeed, this past Sunday, I attended the OPRF Community of Congregations Interfaith Thanksgiving Prayer Service, held at New Mount Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church in the West Garfield Park neighborhood of Chicago. The choir got us started off with an exuberant song, "Enter His Gates", which nearly raised the roof, to mention our mood, based on Psalm 100, which calls us to enter the presence of God with thanksgiving and praise.
Indeed, I enter before God's presence this day with great thanksgiving. Certainly, I feel that once I get started with pondering all I'm grateful for, it's easy to compile a long list, as I'm sure others notice.
Yet on this particular Thanksgiving Day in 2019, I'm especially thankful for two main reasons:
It was 27 years ago this day that my family moved from the North Side of Chicago to Oak Park. Indeed, it was a memorable day that I became a resident of Oak Park, the place I have cherished as home.
And in the midst of all my celebrations of Illinois's Bicentennial, Oak Park has taken on added significance as the place where I've put down roots, so that I can call Illinois my home.
As I've mentioned before, it was great growing up in Oak Park and to have lived here for so long. I enjoy easy access to the amenities of Chicago, while being in a community with its own distinct identity. There's easy access to getting around Oak Park, and this village has much to offer.
Many experiences I've had in my home in Oak Park have shaped me in many profound ways, especially my middle school years at Julian. I also say this about my home parish, Ascension, on Oak Park's South side, which continues to have a profound impact on me to this day.
And the other noteworthy reason that gives me much reason to celebrate today is that 6 years ago on Thanksgiving Day, on November 28, 2013, I served as a Eucharistic minister at Mass for the first time. Having graduated from college a few months prior, I was riding a wave with a vibrant spiritual faith life, and I channeled my zeal by taking on additional opportunities of ministry at Church. and what a great setting to render this ministry service, that day 6 years ago, on a day of Thanksgiving, gathered together at Church to celebrate the Eucharist, which is from a Greek word for "Thanksgiving". It was all the more fitting to serve as Eucharistic minister once again today. (I also note that today is the birthday of my baptismal godmother, my Aunt Terri--yet another reason to celebrate.)
And the Eucharist experience we share as a church community speaks to the way of life God calls us to when we depart from the gathering at Mass, a life of thanks offering. Mass motivates us, as we plead God for His mercy, and then receive instruction from His Word and nourishment from His Body and Blood to live in a way that rightly responds to His goodness.
When we give thanks to God, we behold Who He is, especially as the Source of what we have in life. And our thanksgiving gives way to our response to God, as we live a life devoted to Him, constantly offering Him thanks for all we have by the way we live, sharing with others the goodness He bestows on us day by day.
The goodness I find in the life of faith is something I'm eager to share with my Religious Education students. I've had a great time teaching RE once again this year. I can't help but notice the ways I've connected with the students I have on Tuesday evenings, especially at the end of class when at least one student offers thanks to my co-catechist Nelson and me. While I may not know for certain the specific reasons we get thanks, I sense that the expression of thank you is born from the meaningful experience the students are having each time they are in RE class.
Indeed, it's amazing to behold how we encounter the goodness of God's presence throughout our lives. We encounter it especially in being together and sharing love with one another. It's like what Marcy tells Charlie Brown in A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, about how this holiday is more than just eating, and is about thankfulness for being together. And what a gift it is to respond by offering our thanks and living in a way that shows it day by day.
We are truly connected in thanksgiving.
All my relations.
Thanks be to God.
Indeed, this past Sunday, I attended the OPRF Community of Congregations Interfaith Thanksgiving Prayer Service, held at New Mount Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church in the West Garfield Park neighborhood of Chicago. The choir got us started off with an exuberant song, "Enter His Gates", which nearly raised the roof, to mention our mood, based on Psalm 100, which calls us to enter the presence of God with thanksgiving and praise.
Indeed, I enter before God's presence this day with great thanksgiving. Certainly, I feel that once I get started with pondering all I'm grateful for, it's easy to compile a long list, as I'm sure others notice.
Yet on this particular Thanksgiving Day in 2019, I'm especially thankful for two main reasons:
It was 27 years ago this day that my family moved from the North Side of Chicago to Oak Park. Indeed, it was a memorable day that I became a resident of Oak Park, the place I have cherished as home.
And in the midst of all my celebrations of Illinois's Bicentennial, Oak Park has taken on added significance as the place where I've put down roots, so that I can call Illinois my home.
As I've mentioned before, it was great growing up in Oak Park and to have lived here for so long. I enjoy easy access to the amenities of Chicago, while being in a community with its own distinct identity. There's easy access to getting around Oak Park, and this village has much to offer.
Many experiences I've had in my home in Oak Park have shaped me in many profound ways, especially my middle school years at Julian. I also say this about my home parish, Ascension, on Oak Park's South side, which continues to have a profound impact on me to this day.
And the other noteworthy reason that gives me much reason to celebrate today is that 6 years ago on Thanksgiving Day, on November 28, 2013, I served as a Eucharistic minister at Mass for the first time. Having graduated from college a few months prior, I was riding a wave with a vibrant spiritual faith life, and I channeled my zeal by taking on additional opportunities of ministry at Church. and what a great setting to render this ministry service, that day 6 years ago, on a day of Thanksgiving, gathered together at Church to celebrate the Eucharist, which is from a Greek word for "Thanksgiving". It was all the more fitting to serve as Eucharistic minister once again today. (I also note that today is the birthday of my baptismal godmother, my Aunt Terri--yet another reason to celebrate.)
And the Eucharist experience we share as a church community speaks to the way of life God calls us to when we depart from the gathering at Mass, a life of thanks offering. Mass motivates us, as we plead God for His mercy, and then receive instruction from His Word and nourishment from His Body and Blood to live in a way that rightly responds to His goodness.
When we give thanks to God, we behold Who He is, especially as the Source of what we have in life. And our thanksgiving gives way to our response to God, as we live a life devoted to Him, constantly offering Him thanks for all we have by the way we live, sharing with others the goodness He bestows on us day by day.
The goodness I find in the life of faith is something I'm eager to share with my Religious Education students. I've had a great time teaching RE once again this year. I can't help but notice the ways I've connected with the students I have on Tuesday evenings, especially at the end of class when at least one student offers thanks to my co-catechist Nelson and me. While I may not know for certain the specific reasons we get thanks, I sense that the expression of thank you is born from the meaningful experience the students are having each time they are in RE class.
Indeed, it's amazing to behold how we encounter the goodness of God's presence throughout our lives. We encounter it especially in being together and sharing love with one another. It's like what Marcy tells Charlie Brown in A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, about how this holiday is more than just eating, and is about thankfulness for being together. And what a gift it is to respond by offering our thanks and living in a way that shows it day by day.
We are truly connected in thanksgiving.
All my relations.
Thanks be to God.
Wednesday, November 27, 2019
The Design of Chicago
A little more than a year ago, on Labor Day weekend 2018, the Chicago Architecture Foundation opened a new location beside the Main Branch of the Chicago River, which came with a new name for the organization: the Chicago Architecture Center.
During the opening weekend, I went to visit the new location. I entered a contest as part of opening weekend, and won prizes, including a free one-year membership and tickets for an architectural river cruise.
If there's one thing that's worth splurging on in Chicago, it would be a CAC architectural river cruise, which is #90 on my Illinois 200 list.
I had gone on an architectural river cruise before for a field trip shortly before I graduated from OPRF High School, while in Ms. North's History of Chicago class. From the dock at Michigan Avenue, we went west on the Main Branch of the Chicago River to Wolf Point (#91), the "Y" where the North and South Branches meet the Main Branch, and then went on the South Branch to a spot near Adams before turning around and heading back to the Main Branch. Then, we went through the Chicago Lock (#92), and out about 3/4 mile into Lake Michigan.
For my prize of two free tickets for a river cruise, my brother Eric accepted my offer to join me for a nighttime cruise (#93). We went down the South Branch to around Harrison Street, and up the North Branch to near Chicago Avenue, right by the Chicago Tribune Freedom Center, where the Chicago Tribune and other papers are printed. We also went east on the Main Branch to the harbor near Navy Pier. It was fabulous seeing the buildings lit up at night, including the Merchandise Mart (#94) with its new art display (#95) projected in lights on the river-facing side of the building. We also learned about the various efforts to create new developments along the river.
Throughout the past year, I also used my winnings to partake of the CAC's offerings, which include many architectural walking tours.
Soon after getting making my membership prize official, Mom and I went on a tour of the Chicago Board of Trade Building (#96), which included a visit to the vault.
About a week later, I went on a tour of Palmer House Hotel (#97), one of Chicago's most famous and fancy hotels.
Next up was a tour of the Chicago Pedway (#98), particularly the western portions. I've used the pedway many times as a convenient way to escape less favorable weather and the streets above the city as I get around the Loop. We started our tour in the James R. Thompson State of Illinois Center building (#99). Then we went into Chicago City Hall (#100), and went by Cook County Offices, right by the Daley Center (#101).
Next we passed through Block 37 (#102), a commercial establishment, which I remember many years ago was an empty lot with an ice skating rink. It is on the west side of State Street, across from the old Marshall Field's Store (#103).
Next up heading east is an interesting sight, with a swimming pool right off the pedway, connected with a health fitness club.
Then we reached the Chicago Cultural Center (#104), which was built as Chicago's first library. Next door is the Millennium Station (#105), with a sophisticated modernistic design to befit the name of Millennium Park (#106) above it.
We wound our way by the Prudential Building (#107) and ended up at the Aqua Hotel, with a spectacular lobby. I also went with a group that did a post-tour extension walk to the Illinois Center (#108) and the CAC.
It was a rather cold day I went on that tour, so it was great to go on it, since it spends so much time indoors, underground.
A couple days later, I went to see the sights open for Open House Chicago weekend (#109), which I think is one of the best events in Chicagoland, and is totally worth participating in, even for just an hour or two to see a couple of sites.
During my few hours out with Mom, we started at the old Chicago Post Office. Then we visited a number of buildings with great views from high up, some of them with rooftop terraces.
Later, in November, I went on a tour of Chicago Union Station. We had the chance to see some of the lounges located near the Great Hall, and look at the artistic designs throughout the Great Hall.
A few months later, with summer well underway, I went on the Historic Skyscrapers tour. We wound our way around the Loop to look at some of the examples of the earliest skyscrapers that were built in the latter portion of the 19th Century. They include the Auditorium Theater (#110), the Rookery (#111), and the Marquette Building (#112). While no longer present in the Loop, the Home Insurance Building's (#113) influence is still felt, as it was the first skyscraper built in Chicago, the head of the line in pioneers that sought to build onward and upward toward the sky. Buildings could reach greater heights by using a metal skeleton frame. The Home Insurance Building is one example of the work of William Le Baron Jenney (#114). One the site now sits the Field Building (#115), with a swanky Art Deco hallway.
Next up, I went on the North Side Elevated Art with Mom. It was fascinating to stop at various stations along the Brown Line corridor from the Loop up to Belmont to see the artwork in the stations (#116).
Later, on a very hot day in July, Mom and I went to the Chicago Riverwalk to hear talks from CAC docents about how the history of the Chicago River, including the engineering work done on the waterway, and the buildings that went up along it.
I went to tour the Merchandise Mart, which is along the Chicago River, later in July.
Then, in August, I went on the Millenium Park tour. Ever since the summer before I was in 8th grade, when it opened, I've been rather fascinated by the park. It has great amenities and very notable architecture, like the Pritzker Pavilion (#117), the BP Bridge (#118) going across Columbus Drive, the Lurie Garden (#119), the Crown Fountain (#120), Harris Theater (#121), and Cloud Gate (#122), also known as the Bean. Notably, there's a waterway in the Lurie Garden with walls that mimick the limestone wall design of the Illinois and Michigan Canal (#123).
Later in August, I went on the Loop Elevated Architecture tour. We stopped at various stations to look at the architectural elements of note, starting with one of the newest CTA stations, Washington/Wabash (#124). We got off by the Harold Washington Library (#125) to view the building and station there. Subsequently, we got off at Quincy to view the classy olden architecture of that station (#126). And our final stop was at Clinton, just outside the Loop, to view the sights around there.
I also took advantage of the Frank Lloyd Wright (#127) tour, in my own neck of the woods during Labor Day weekend 2019. Starting at his home and studio along Chicago Avenue (#128), we walked around the nearby neighborhood, mostly along Forest Avenue, to view houses he had designed, which represent the Prairie style of architecture that he developed (#129). A truly lovely spot in that area is the block along the short stretch of Elizabeth Court (#130). Also of note is a ticket booth from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in the yard of the Hills-DeCaro House next door to the Nathan G. Moore House, with Tudor architecture.
I had the chance to visit another lovely neighborhood, for the first time, when I joined the Beverly South architecture tour, in the South Side neighborhood of Beverly (#130). One landmark of note is the Glivins Castle (#131). There are also many fine homes, representing a great variety of architectural styles. There's even a Wright-designed American System-Built House (#132).
Later in September, my parents and I went on the Oakwoods Cemetery (#133) tour. Among the notable people buried there include athlete Jesse Owens (#134), Ebony magazine founder John J. Johnson (#135); Bishop Henry Louis Ford (#136), a Chicago religious leader whose name is on the Bishop Ford Expressway on I-94 south of 95th Street; activist Ida B. Well-Barnett (#137), and Harold Washington (#138), Chicago's first African-American mayor.
At the start of October, I went on the Chinatown (#139) tour. We walked up and down Wentworth Avenue to view the architecture of the buildings, many of which house businesses. We also stopped by St. Therese Church (#140), once built as a parish for Italian immigrants, and it still retains Italian architectural elements, even as it's outfitting with Chinese architectural touches and now serves Chinese-Americans. We also went inside the Chinatown Branch of the Chicago Public Library (#141), with a very distinct architectural design of a round building and glass all over. We ended our tour at Chinatown Plaza (#142), a newer commercial development along Archer Avenue.
Later in October, I enjoyed OHC again, with plenty more great rooftop views, particularly at the Prudential building overlooking Millenium Park, as well as 1 N. Dearborn, a commercial building at Dearborn and Madison, which contributed significantly to the thriving business activities in the Loop business district.
I have to give a lot of credit to the CAC for its many wonderful offerings that allow people to take in the sites of Chicago, and appreciate the architectural elements. It's a great way for people visiting Chicago to see what's here.
But I've enjoyed it as someone who lives in this area, because it's an opportunity for me to appreciate what's in my own neck of the woods by spending time visiting what's here.
And I have to hand it to the amazing group of CAC docents (#143), who, through a very involved training process, know so much about Chicago's architecture, and can help anyone who lives near or far away, embrace the architecture that's here and why it's significant.
During the opening weekend, I went to visit the new location. I entered a contest as part of opening weekend, and won prizes, including a free one-year membership and tickets for an architectural river cruise.
If there's one thing that's worth splurging on in Chicago, it would be a CAC architectural river cruise, which is #90 on my Illinois 200 list.
I had gone on an architectural river cruise before for a field trip shortly before I graduated from OPRF High School, while in Ms. North's History of Chicago class. From the dock at Michigan Avenue, we went west on the Main Branch of the Chicago River to Wolf Point (#91), the "Y" where the North and South Branches meet the Main Branch, and then went on the South Branch to a spot near Adams before turning around and heading back to the Main Branch. Then, we went through the Chicago Lock (#92), and out about 3/4 mile into Lake Michigan.
For my prize of two free tickets for a river cruise, my brother Eric accepted my offer to join me for a nighttime cruise (#93). We went down the South Branch to around Harrison Street, and up the North Branch to near Chicago Avenue, right by the Chicago Tribune Freedom Center, where the Chicago Tribune and other papers are printed. We also went east on the Main Branch to the harbor near Navy Pier. It was fabulous seeing the buildings lit up at night, including the Merchandise Mart (#94) with its new art display (#95) projected in lights on the river-facing side of the building. We also learned about the various efforts to create new developments along the river.
Throughout the past year, I also used my winnings to partake of the CAC's offerings, which include many architectural walking tours.
Soon after getting making my membership prize official, Mom and I went on a tour of the Chicago Board of Trade Building (#96), which included a visit to the vault.
About a week later, I went on a tour of Palmer House Hotel (#97), one of Chicago's most famous and fancy hotels.
Next up was a tour of the Chicago Pedway (#98), particularly the western portions. I've used the pedway many times as a convenient way to escape less favorable weather and the streets above the city as I get around the Loop. We started our tour in the James R. Thompson State of Illinois Center building (#99). Then we went into Chicago City Hall (#100), and went by Cook County Offices, right by the Daley Center (#101).
Next we passed through Block 37 (#102), a commercial establishment, which I remember many years ago was an empty lot with an ice skating rink. It is on the west side of State Street, across from the old Marshall Field's Store (#103).
Next up heading east is an interesting sight, with a swimming pool right off the pedway, connected with a health fitness club.
Then we reached the Chicago Cultural Center (#104), which was built as Chicago's first library. Next door is the Millennium Station (#105), with a sophisticated modernistic design to befit the name of Millennium Park (#106) above it.
We wound our way by the Prudential Building (#107) and ended up at the Aqua Hotel, with a spectacular lobby. I also went with a group that did a post-tour extension walk to the Illinois Center (#108) and the CAC.
It was a rather cold day I went on that tour, so it was great to go on it, since it spends so much time indoors, underground.
A couple days later, I went to see the sights open for Open House Chicago weekend (#109), which I think is one of the best events in Chicagoland, and is totally worth participating in, even for just an hour or two to see a couple of sites.
During my few hours out with Mom, we started at the old Chicago Post Office. Then we visited a number of buildings with great views from high up, some of them with rooftop terraces.
Later, in November, I went on a tour of Chicago Union Station. We had the chance to see some of the lounges located near the Great Hall, and look at the artistic designs throughout the Great Hall.
A few months later, with summer well underway, I went on the Historic Skyscrapers tour. We wound our way around the Loop to look at some of the examples of the earliest skyscrapers that were built in the latter portion of the 19th Century. They include the Auditorium Theater (#110), the Rookery (#111), and the Marquette Building (#112). While no longer present in the Loop, the Home Insurance Building's (#113) influence is still felt, as it was the first skyscraper built in Chicago, the head of the line in pioneers that sought to build onward and upward toward the sky. Buildings could reach greater heights by using a metal skeleton frame. The Home Insurance Building is one example of the work of William Le Baron Jenney (#114). One the site now sits the Field Building (#115), with a swanky Art Deco hallway.
Next up, I went on the North Side Elevated Art with Mom. It was fascinating to stop at various stations along the Brown Line corridor from the Loop up to Belmont to see the artwork in the stations (#116).
Later, on a very hot day in July, Mom and I went to the Chicago Riverwalk to hear talks from CAC docents about how the history of the Chicago River, including the engineering work done on the waterway, and the buildings that went up along it.
I went to tour the Merchandise Mart, which is along the Chicago River, later in July.
Then, in August, I went on the Millenium Park tour. Ever since the summer before I was in 8th grade, when it opened, I've been rather fascinated by the park. It has great amenities and very notable architecture, like the Pritzker Pavilion (#117), the BP Bridge (#118) going across Columbus Drive, the Lurie Garden (#119), the Crown Fountain (#120), Harris Theater (#121), and Cloud Gate (#122), also known as the Bean. Notably, there's a waterway in the Lurie Garden with walls that mimick the limestone wall design of the Illinois and Michigan Canal (#123).
Later in August, I went on the Loop Elevated Architecture tour. We stopped at various stations to look at the architectural elements of note, starting with one of the newest CTA stations, Washington/Wabash (#124). We got off by the Harold Washington Library (#125) to view the building and station there. Subsequently, we got off at Quincy to view the classy olden architecture of that station (#126). And our final stop was at Clinton, just outside the Loop, to view the sights around there.
I also took advantage of the Frank Lloyd Wright (#127) tour, in my own neck of the woods during Labor Day weekend 2019. Starting at his home and studio along Chicago Avenue (#128), we walked around the nearby neighborhood, mostly along Forest Avenue, to view houses he had designed, which represent the Prairie style of architecture that he developed (#129). A truly lovely spot in that area is the block along the short stretch of Elizabeth Court (#130). Also of note is a ticket booth from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in the yard of the Hills-DeCaro House next door to the Nathan G. Moore House, with Tudor architecture.
I had the chance to visit another lovely neighborhood, for the first time, when I joined the Beverly South architecture tour, in the South Side neighborhood of Beverly (#130). One landmark of note is the Glivins Castle (#131). There are also many fine homes, representing a great variety of architectural styles. There's even a Wright-designed American System-Built House (#132).
Later in September, my parents and I went on the Oakwoods Cemetery (#133) tour. Among the notable people buried there include athlete Jesse Owens (#134), Ebony magazine founder John J. Johnson (#135); Bishop Henry Louis Ford (#136), a Chicago religious leader whose name is on the Bishop Ford Expressway on I-94 south of 95th Street; activist Ida B. Well-Barnett (#137), and Harold Washington (#138), Chicago's first African-American mayor.
At the start of October, I went on the Chinatown (#139) tour. We walked up and down Wentworth Avenue to view the architecture of the buildings, many of which house businesses. We also stopped by St. Therese Church (#140), once built as a parish for Italian immigrants, and it still retains Italian architectural elements, even as it's outfitting with Chinese architectural touches and now serves Chinese-Americans. We also went inside the Chinatown Branch of the Chicago Public Library (#141), with a very distinct architectural design of a round building and glass all over. We ended our tour at Chinatown Plaza (#142), a newer commercial development along Archer Avenue.
Later in October, I enjoyed OHC again, with plenty more great rooftop views, particularly at the Prudential building overlooking Millenium Park, as well as 1 N. Dearborn, a commercial building at Dearborn and Madison, which contributed significantly to the thriving business activities in the Loop business district.
I have to give a lot of credit to the CAC for its many wonderful offerings that allow people to take in the sites of Chicago, and appreciate the architectural elements. It's a great way for people visiting Chicago to see what's here.
But I've enjoyed it as someone who lives in this area, because it's an opportunity for me to appreciate what's in my own neck of the woods by spending time visiting what's here.
And I have to hand it to the amazing group of CAC docents (#143), who, through a very involved training process, know so much about Chicago's architecture, and can help anyone who lives near or far away, embrace the architecture that's here and why it's significant.
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