Issue 282 December 1st 2021

The Headlines

At Home in Chicago: A Living History of Domestic Architecture

Looking for the perfect gift for the architecture lover on your holiday gift list? Then pick up a copy of the new book by Patrick F. Cannon and photographer James Caulfield called At Home in Chicago: A Living History of Domestic Architecture, published by CityFiles Press.

In their sixth book collaboration together, Cannon and Caulfield take you into more than fifty of Chicago’s most striking homes. No need to knock or ring. Here’s your chance to take a slow ramble through lavish dining rooms, working kitchens, private bedrooms, and cozy patios of homes that reveal the city’s 184-year history.

This comprehensive look at the city’s most private residences includes some you’ve probably heard of: Frank Lloyd Wright’s sleek Robie House, Mies van der Rohe’s groundbreaking 860-880 Lake Shore Drive, Jeanne Gang’s sublime Aqua Tower. But most are off limits from Chicago’s famous architectural tours.

The authors travel across the metropolitan region to present an eye-opening look at the city’s 200-year history through different home styles. They inspect houses built before the 1871 Great Chicago Fire, walk through the mansions that rose during the Gilded Age, check out the apartments finished before the Depression, and scrutinize mid-century and new-century homes.

It’s a once-in-a-lifetime look at buildings that are alive and well in 2021 Chicago. Never before have you been offered such an intimate view.

At Home in Chicago tells an astonishing story about Chicago. It reveals the city’s history through a chronological procession of dwellings―both big and small. These homes show how we lived and how we continue to live in the place we call home. Find out more and how to get your copy here.

Price Tower Offers Festive December Events

The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Price Tower has a festive slate of holiday activities planned for the community this December for all ages. Of particualr note will be the December 4th “Usonian Gingerbread Class” from 10 a.m. to noon. Families are invited to build their very own Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired gingerbread house using with graham crackers and a little imagination. All supplies, structure and base are included in the $15 kit which can be purchased for individuals or for a family to share with proceeds benefiting Price Tower. Find out more [here.]

Dana-Thomas House Special Evening Holiday Tours

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) today announced special evening tours of the Dana-Thomas House State Historic Site in Springfield are planned on Wednesdays and Saturdays during the holiday season from Nov. 27 to Dec. 18, 2021.

Tours of the historic house, which has been decorated by 35 volunteers from the Springfield Civic Garden Club, will feature an opportunity to view decorations with 90 floral designs, including several wreaths and five trees. The floral designs incorporated more than 40 dried plants that are native to Illinois.

In addition to the regularly scheduled daily tours at 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 3 p.m., the evening holiday tours will be conducted at 4:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays and 4:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m., and 6:30 p.m. Saturdays. More info here.

Wintergreen Ski Resort Near Taliesin Could Have New Life

A long-held dream of Lower Wisconsin State Riverway Excutive Director Mark Cupp has spurred an exciting new initiative. At the Riverway Board’s November 11 meeting, Cupp reported that he had been approached by the Shifflet family about the possibility of the State of Wisconsin acquiring the old Wintergreen ski resort and Taliesin Associated Architects-designed building on the property.

“I’ve had the vision quite a while of a cultural and natural history museum, visitor center, and education center for the Riverway,” Cupp said. “The building on the property was built just before the Riverway law was passed and could not be built today.”

Cupp said the Shifflet family, who recently purchased the 250-acre property, near Taliesin, are interested in seeing the property be publicly owned. They said that their asking price, as a result, would be lower than if they were to sell the property into the private sector.

The property includes about a mile of Wisconsin River frontage, as well as timbered hillsides. The one-story masonry building was constructed in 1989, and is about 20,000-square-feet in size, with a partial, unfinished basement that is about 15,000-square-feet in size. The building is located at the top of the hill, and has beautiful views to the north of the Wisconsin River, bluffs, and the village of Spring Green.

Historically, the property functioned as a downhill ski operation. The ski business was discontinued about 30 years ago, and the building has been used as an event center/banquet hall for hosting weddings, large parties, business meetings and similar events.

The property has been developed with easy-to-navigate trails. The trails take you to the river, where there is ready access to the river.

Cupp told the board that in addition to the museum, he envisions locating the offices of the Riverway Board at the facility. He said that it could also provide office space for DNR staff and possibly for the Friends of the Lower Wisconsin Riverway (FLOW). He said that enlisting the Ho Chunk Nation in the process from the start would be crucial, and envisioned that they might be interested in having office space in the building as well. Read more here.

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