frank lloyd wright – DesignApplause

chicago architecture center presents ninth annual open house chicago.

Oct 17, 2019

the chicago architecture center‘s ninth annual open house chicago is a free public festival that offers behind-the-scenes access to an astonishing 350 venues including soaring skyscrapers, repurposed mansions, opulent theaters, exclusive private clubs, private offices and breathtaking sacred spaces all weekend long. here are a few suggestions…

[ park no. 571 boathouse ] photo below courtesy of studio gang architects
the weather this weekend is perfect to tour a boathouse on the chicago river! one of two boathouses on the chicago river designed by studio gang, the eleanor boathouse at park 571 completed in 2016, creates a crucial access point along the river’s edge. the structure’s shape draws inspiration from rowers’ rhythmic movements.

as the city works to transform the long-polluted and neglected river into its next recreational frontier, the boathouse invites communities on the south side and throughout the city to share in the river’s continued ecological and infrastructural revitalization. 2754 south eleanor street, bridgeport.

[ mccormick place west building rooftop farm ] photo below by garrett karp
the weather this weekend is perfect to tour a rooftop on the lakefront! the largest mccormick place west building spans 20,000 sq ft above chicago. the building, designed by tvsdesign in 2007, was originally intended to have a green roof for environmental purposes. however in 2013, the chicago botanic garden stepped in with the windy city harvest program to transform it into a massive vegetable patch. more than 8,000 pounds of produce are now grown each year for savor…chicago, the food service provider for the convention centre below. the open house chicago tour is focused on biodiversity and growing practices. 2301 south indiana avenue, gate 41, se corner of cermak & indiana.

[ unity temple ] photo below tom rossiter
unity temple, the work of master architect frank lloyd wright first major public building commission and considered to be one of the most important and influential buildings of the 20th century, underwent an extensive $25m restoration and renovation beginning in 2015. the temple re-opened in summer 2017. in summer 2019, unity temple was named a unesco world heritage site, one of eight major works by wright given this honoured distinction. 875 lake street, oak park.

[ stony island arts bank ] photo below steve hall
the stony island arts bank is a hybrid gallery, media archive, library and community center – and a home for rebuild foundation’s archives and collections. designed by william gibbons uffendell and built in 1923, the bank at 68th and stony island was once a vibrant community savings and loan. by the eighties, it had closed and the building remained vacant and deteriorating for decades. reopened in october 2015, the radically-restored building renovated by chicago social practice installation artist, theaster gates, serves as a space for neighborhood residents to preserve, access, reimagine and share their heritage – and a destination for artists, scholars, curators, and collectors to research and engage with south side history. 6760 south stony island avenue, south shore. enter via north door from garden

[ 150 north riverside ] photo below courtesy goettsch partners
audaciously cantilevered out over a new stretch of riverwalk, 150 north riverside commands attention as few recent buildings have. the glassy office tower’s 54 floors, carefully engineered to stand tall above busy rail lines, look down all three branches of the chicago river. the soaring lobby, whose enormous glass wall transparently connects indoors and out, is defined by 150 media stream, a one-of-a-kind achievement in art, architecture and technology. the piece’s 89 led blades, stretching 150 feet long and rising 22 feet high, display ever-changing collaborative artworks developed by local and international established and emerging artists, arts educators, and students.

why doesn’t this building topple over ? the building’s small lot plus the wish for 1.2 million square feet of office space gave the skyscraper an aspect ratio — the building’s height relative to the width of its core — is a breathtaking 20-1. if you ask does the building sway? the answer is you bet!

but not as much as it should because the engineers inserted two enclosed concrete vaults near the building’s top. the water in the vaults, which are called “tuned liquid dampers,” is not for swimming. when the wind pushes the high-rise one way, the water sloshes the other way, damping wind-induced sway.

architects/engineers: goettsch partners, and their structural engineers, seattle-based magnusson klemencic associates, 2017.

[ chicago architecture center ] photo below james steinkamp, courtesy cac
located in the 111 east wacker building, designed by the office of mies van der rohe, 1970. adrian smith + gordon gill architecture designed the new and current space in 2018. the chicago architecture center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring people to discover why design matters. the cac’s new home is a great place for locals and tourists alike to learn about chicago architecture and the pivotal role chicago has played in shaping architecture around the globe. exhibits include an expanded and immersive chicago city model experience, the building tall exhibit featuring large-scale models of notable skyscrapers, and more. 111 east wacker drive.

[ stay in the know ]
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tracing / traces: architecture and the archive.

Nov 4, 2017

on saturday, 4 november 2017, readers of mas context will have the chance to get a behind-the-scenes look at selected items from the ryerson & burnham archives located at the art institute of chicago.

five chicago-based architects/offices will select items of the collection and discuss them in relationship to their practice, the discipline, and/or society. nathaniel parks, art and architecture archivist of the ryerson & burnham libraries, will share the history of the same items.

participants include:

stewart hicks and alison newmeyer – design with company
sean lally – sean lally
ann lui and craig reschke – future firm
margaret mccurry – tigerman mccurry
alison von glinow and lap chi kwong – kwong von glinow design

the ryerson & burnham archives’ collections are notably strong in late nineteenth- and twentieth-century american architecture, with particular depth in midwestern architecture. architects such as edward bennett, daniel burnham, bruce goff, bertrand goldberg, ludwig hilberseimer, mies van der rohe, louis sullivan, and frank lloyd wright are represented in a broad range of papers. major architectural events, such as the world’s columbian exposition of 1893 in chicago, the century of progress international exposition of 1933–1934 in chicago, and the world’s fair of 1939 in new york, are also represented in an individual archive.

the event is free with museum admission. please, check coats and bags before entering the library.

a serendipitous moment via moholy-nagy chicago design archive and designer steve liska .

Oct 17, 2017

above> sculpture class in school of design / 610 fairbanks chicago / c 1940

serendipity: the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for…
this article intends to provoke an ongoing conversation re chicago’s design history. let’s begin with a philosophy of “one must look back to move forward” and with elements necessary to this narrative — in chronological order… bauhaus movement, lászló moholy-nagy, new bauhaus in chicago, the chicago design archive, and chicago designer steve liska. an aside, this year, iit institute of design is celebrating the 80th anniversary of its founding as the new bauhaus.

[ bauhaus movement /// weimar/dessau germany ] the historical bauhaus is the most influential educational establishment in the fields of architecture, art and design. founded 1919 in weimar germany by architect walter gropius as a school that combined crafts and the fine arts, it was famous for an approach to design which it publicized and taught. the school closed in 1933 when the nazis came to power in germany.

the bauhaus can still be felt today, essentially characterizing the image of german design abroad. architects, designers and artists associated with the bauhaus include: alvar aalto, josef albers, herbert bayer, charles and ray eames, eileen gray, johannes itten, walter jacobsen, wassily kandinsky, paul klee, le corbusier, laszlo moholy-nagy, george nelson, isamu noguchi, eero saarinen, frank lloyd wright and mies van der rohe.

above> in 1907 belgian architect henry van de velde founded the school of arts and crafts in weimar germany / 1919 he invites walter gropius to move in who starts the state bauhaus

[ lászló moholy-nagy, a new bauhaus school /// chicago usa ] also known as moholy – a hungarian experimental artist, modernist, and former faculty at the parent bauhaus in dessau comes to chicago. in 1937, at the invitation of walter paepcke, the chairman of the container corporation of america, moholy-nagy, moved to chicago to become the director of the new bauhaus. the philosophy of the school was basically unchanged from that of the original.

unfortunately, the school lost its financial backing and it closed in 1938. paepcke continued his own support and in 1939, moholy-nagy opened the school of design. in 1944, the school became the institute of design. earlier in 1939, the institute of design became a part of illinois institute of technology and became the first institution in the united states to offer a phd in design.

below> moholy-nagy on the balcony of the prellerhaus in dessau / 1927 / courtesy of the metropolitan museum of art

[ the chicago design archive and chicago designer steve liska ] liska shares his thoughts with DesignApplause upon discovering his new office was once the home of moholy’s school…

[designapplause] for the past 30 years you have managed to create wonderful office spaces for yourself. your current space may be your best. how did you arrive at this location?

[steve liska] our lease was up, was grumbling about it to a client that just developed the 600 north fairbanks helmut jahn building. he said he had a tenant (the pritzker military library) moving out of his building and i should take a look. it was slightly scary.

[DA] what is your vision of your office spaces? what is your office supposed to do?

[SL] as brand designers- communication is critical. so have always appreciated an open, flexible, collaborative office. our office supports us and gives us a neutral environment to share ideas. and has good coffee.

[DA] what was involved / how did you arrive at the finished presentation of your space?

[SL] the building is almost 100 years old, very solid and concrete loft-like. my friends at gary lee partners helped us plan for all the previous tenant demo- we removed walls, office and lots of strange old equipment. then they helped configure the space, basically made it happen.

[DA] tell us about some back stories to this building.

[SL] it was built almost a 100 years ago as a bakery (the horn and hardart automat company). it has been a us post office, housed hugh hefner’s first playboy office, the chez paree nightclub in the 50s, home to joe sedelmaier, shel silverstein, dingbat’s disco (mr. t!) and of course the school of design. lots of history, stories and a few cool ghosts.

[DA] what did you know and what did you learn about moholy?

[SL] it took a while to learn about the school and moholy-nagy from our new landlord, but once we did- we were fanatics. he actually taught in what is now our space. we have a great old photo of a sculpture class in our office from the late 40s. i have always been a fan of everyone from the bauhaus, but the more i researched moholy-nagy – the more obsessed i became. such a renaissance man.

[DA] tell us about the facade presentation.

[SL] many years ago the building’s owners hired an artist to decorate the front of the building with a huge mural of moses. not sure why moses, but it was quirky and interesting. the building was undergoing surface repair- so moses was going to be painted over. we talked to our landlord about replacing it with something related to moholy-nagy and the school of design. we eventually found a little 2 1/4 inch square photo at moma that we thought was a good evolution from moses. our landlord agreed- they ended up hiring the same artist to paint the mural based on that photo. a year later- the traveling moholy-nagy show was announced.

the best part is watching all the tourists who take photos from across the street. they don’t exactly know what the mural is all about- and that is good.

[DA] is this your final location in a perfect world?

[SL] no that would be costa rica or paris. but for now- this is pretty good.

[DA] as long as we have you, what kind of things are you working on?

[SL] a lot of real estate work, some educational institution branding, and ongoing work for a lot of existing clients. (liska.com)

[DA] i’ve been to your offices many times and we have run into each other pitching work. i don’t recall you wearing anything but a white shirt and tie. and now that you’ve aged a bit you remind me of the design community in the late 60s early 70s. very serious looking. thoughts?

[SL] i’m glad you think i am serious looking. like most things in fashion- it comes back over and over again. i count on that. i do own 2 blue shirts. seriously.

[DA] want to say something we haven’t talked about?

[SL] no, done for now. have to go pick out tomorrow’s tie.

above> liska’s office on 610 north fairbanks today / a mural of moholy over the entrance

the chicago design archive (2002-present), is a permanent and exclusive online record of chicago-related experiential, graphic and product design. the mission statement is simple – to share the best of chicago design. originally hosting only graphic design, experiential and product design work is now being collected. the cda founding board recently added a graphic design advisory and a curatorial board. it goes without saying that this dedicated team feels the burden of preserving and growing the cda, afterall, it’s only chicago’s design heritage. we asked advisor, steve liska, if we could meet at his office. entering his office building we all notice the plaque below. we didn’t know…

above> steve liska

{ bauhaus dessau ] [ bauhaus movement ] [ moholy-nagy chicago design archive ] [the charnel-house / moholy-nagy ] [ liska + associates ]

below> video trailer of ‘moholy-nagy: future present’ produced by and exhibited in chicago in 2016. other usa venues included the guggenheim, and most recently lacma

john ronan on transcending pragmatism: searching for a new chicago. chicago architecture biennial.

Sep 21, 2015

Architect John Ronan speaks at the Chicago Architecture Biennial’s opening weekend
Chicago architect John Ronan FAIA discusses his views on the direction of Chicago architecture and practicing within its building culture. Ronan holds degrees from the University of Michigan and Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. In addition to being recognized by Chicago’s Graham Foundation, the Architectural League of New York, the Art Institute of Chicago, and being the subject of a Princeton Architectural Press monograph, Ronan is best known for his Poetry Foundation building in Chicago (2007), which garnered one of his firm’s two prestigious AIA Institute National Honor Awards. Ronan is Professor of Architecture at Illinois Institute of Technology College of Architecture. [ @chicagobiennial ]

john ronan / john ronan architects

event> transcending pragmatism: searching for a new chicago.
date: sunday, october 4, 2015
time: 2 pm
location: preston bradley hall, chicago cultural center, 78 east washington street, chicago
admission: free. reservations required

emil bach house by frank lloyd wright celebrates 100.

Jun 4, 2015

photo courtesy of claudiu voichin

Sitting on a small lot several blocks north of Loyola University in Chicago, sits a gem of a large house in an unlikely urban setting surrounded by high-rises. At first glance it looks like a Frank Lloyd Wright knockoff, but it’s the real deal.

Working in the brickyard with his four brothers, Emil Bach had breathing problems which, according to his grandson, Owen, he treated by walking out to his back porch down to the lake every day and swimming. At the time of construction, there were two mansions on either side and no structures between the house and the lake.

photo courtesy of claudiu voichin

This richly conceived yet intimately scaled residence was built in 1915 for Emil Bach, president of Chicago’s Bach Brick Co. A modification of Wright’s design for “A Fireproof House for $5000,” published in Ladies Home Journal in 1907, the Bach House was executed between Wright’s return from Europe in 1911 and his departure to Japan in 1916 to oversee construction of the Imperial Hotel. It’s regarded as one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s last Prairie style houses.

photo courtesy of harboe architects

photo courtesy of harboe architects

photo courtesy of james caulfield

Designed with a very compact plan of under 2,000 square feet with three small bedrooms and a sun deck on the second floor. Over the years the sun deck and porch were filled in to increase the year round living space along with a number of other changes. Recently the entire interior of the house was carefully restored by the previous owner. The significance of the Bach House is demonstrated by the fact that it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 and named a City of Chicago Landmark in 1977.

photo courtesy of james caulfield

photo courtesy of james caulfield

photo courtesy of claudiu voichin

above is the earliest photo of the house c 1920. the house was situated on the north lot line which provided the maximum distance and privacy for the bach family from the existing home to the south.

Chicago-based Harboe Architects has been engaged by the current owner to complete the exterior restoration of the house as well as the replication of missing art glass windows and the installation of a geothermal heating and cooling system. The exterior restoration will include the removal of the later changes to the sun deck and porch so that the house will regain its original design integrity. Other work will include exterior masonry, concrete and stucco restoration as well as the rebuilding of retaining walls and other site work.

1915 – 2015
This year the house is celebrating 100 years. Last year the house was opened to allow design aficionados and visitors an opportunity to experience the style of the celebrated architect. The private residence currently serves as a luxury vacation rental and event space and stands to be one of only a handful of Wright homes available for overnight guests. The Emil Bach House is a Stone Heritage Property & Tawani Enterprises Project.

venue> 7415 north sheridan road chicago
information> rental information and historic inquiries | 312 994 4000

important design auction. wright.

Dec 11, 2014

nuage bibliothèque | charlotte perriand | ateliers jean prouvé for galerie steph simon | c. 1956

this is a great offering. important design is among wright’s most exclusive auctions of the year. the most celebrated designers of the 20th century are represented in this auction, including paul evans, charlotte perriand, ron arad, harry bertoia, george nakashima, pierre jeanneret, max ingrand and gio ponti.

highlights of the sale include a selection of designs by frank lloyd wright, such as a pair of lounge chairs from the clarence sondern house in kansas city, and a desk from the impertial hotel, tokyo. also outstanding in important design is a mesa coffee table designed by t.h. robsjohn-gibbings, a pair of prefacto chairs by pierre guariche, an iconic wonderlamp by verner panton, and a studio-made general motors firebird iii model designed by the legendary harley j. earl.

big easy volume 2 for 2 | ron arad | ron arad associates | 1989

welded front cabinets, pair | paul evans | paul evans studio | 1969

chandelier, model 1441 | max ingrand | fontana arte | c. 1954

grande compass table from the electricité de france, marcoule | jean prouvé | ateliers jean prouvé | c. 1954

nocturne radio, model 1186 | walter dorwin teague | sparton corporation | 1936

[ important design design ] includes many works of exceptional design. each item will be featured in our award-winning, full-color auction catalog as well as presented in our online preview at [ view lots ] | 1440 west hubbard street chicago | 312 563 0020 [ auction / chicago ]

auction > 11 december 2014 | 12 noon cst

mad architects unveil design concept for lucas museum of narrative art.

Nov 4, 2014

the eagerly awaited design concept of the new lucas museum on chicago’s lakefront presents a taller than expected, futuristic and organic shapliness that makes an eloquent counterpoint to nearby man-made chicago architecture.

here’s what the 39-year-old architect, ma yansong of beijing says on mad’s website:

the architectural concept for the lucas museum of narrative art explores the relationship between nature and the urban environment. inspired by the work of frank lloyd wright and mies van der rohe, the design integrates the natural beauty of the park and lake michigan with the powerful man-made architecture of chicago. the design furthers the museum’s mission to be a place of education, culture, and inspiration.

the lucas museum design is both futuristic and timeless. its continuous undulating organic surface blurs the line between structure and landscape. as the harbor rises up to the land, it merges with stone surfaces that reach up to the sky and ultimately crescendos into a “floating” disc. the museum is not an isolated object, but a spatial experience that is defined by the people who occupy and interact with it. its uninterrupted stone surfaces are as primitive as it is futuristic, evoking the great achievements of architectural history. it is a place to discover and explore, to communicate and contemplate. more than a building, it is an urban vista for social interaction, bringing people closer to each other and to nature.

the seven-level, 110-foot-tall, 400,000-square-foot museum will occupy the southern half of a 17-acre site offered to lucas by mayor rahm emanuel. emanuel depicts the museum as a fitting statement to complete chicago’s museum campus, an array of three natural history museums: the adler planetarium, the field museum and the shedd aquarium.

[ main elements of the proposal] > visitors could park in an existing nearby waldron parking deck. a new pedestrian bridge would bring visitors to the museum’s main entrance facing lake michigan.
> that entrance, outdoor plazas and an amphitheater occupies the museum’s second level. the design includes a goodly addition of green space to the museum campus. “the whole idea of the building is to be part of nature, part of (the) landscape,” the architect said.
>the lucas team will work hard to accommodate bears fans at nearby soldier field.
>the building is comprised of three levels of exhibition space organized in continual loops. the white conical mass is topped by an elevated disc at the peak, which is to contain an observation deck offering 360º views toward the city and adjacent lake michigan.

1> field museum
2> shedd aquarium
3> adler planetarium
4> northerly island
5> lucas museum of narrative art

it comes as no surprise in chicago that the project has its detractors for building on the lakefront. the chicago plan commission will be among the city bodies reviewing the lucas museum’s plans. there’s a 1973 lakefront protection ordinance to contend with, which calls for chicago to protect the shoreline’s open character.

[ mad architects ] ma has won international recognition for his undulating museums in china and the shapely “marilyn monroe” residential towers near toronto. mad architects is joined by local firms studio gang and voa associates. for more details on the museum and its project team, see designapplause’s previous article.

[ lucas museum of narrative art ]

ArchiTech gallery: Frank lloyd wright prints. Designer gifts 2013.

Dec 13, 2013

©Pedro E. Guerrero
“The Pencil Sharpener, Looking Down” 1947
Gelatin-silver numbered (12/120) exhibition print
Neg: 1947 Print: circa 1980s
11 1/2 x 9 1/4 inches

Open now until Saturday December 21st. Frank Lloyd Wright Prints and Drawings (Exhibition)

[ architech gallery ] 730 north franklin, suite 200 | 312.475.1290 | noon > 5p wed > sat | or by chance on other days
[ facebook page | (see other images in the guerrero album) ]
[ you can also order the Alfonso Iannelli book ]

Alfonso iannelli: modern by design. Architech gallery.

May 10, 2013

click > enlarge

Design for George Rogers Clark War Memorial (unbuilt)
In collaboration with John Lloyd Wright
Graphite pencil on toned posterboard, 1931
18 1/2 x 13 3/4 inches

Born in Italy, Alfonso Iannelli came to America in 1898 and discovered both art and design. His visual art, sculpture and design was influenced by European Modernism and working with Frank Lloyd Wright. He collaborated with Wright to produce Midway Gardens in 1914, Wright’s masterpiece of public architecture. See his work and others at little gem, ArchiTech Gallery extended to 24 August 2013.

ArchiTech Gallery | 730 north franklin street suite 200 chicago | 312.475.1290 | ArchitechGallery@earthlink.net
hours wednesday > saturday – noon > 5p or by chance or appointment on Monday or Tuesday

The masters: jean nouvel project. Milan 2013.

Apr 28, 2013

French designer Jean Nouvel tells an intriguing story with his Office for Living Project. 30 years from now if we look back at today’s office we will be stunned to find them — unlivable. In this installation there are several components. One is ‘il maestro’ a tribute to the masters amid a rejection of corporate environments.

standard desk, metropole chair n 308 | jean prouvé | 1943/50