Elevated Architecture
Artwork: designslinger]
At the intersection of LaSalle and Van Buren, Chicago's elevated Brown Line train
stops at the heart of the city's historic futures trading district. Selling wheat, corn and soy beans before they are even grown is the bread and butter of a futures trader's livelihood, and way beyond the scope of this blog, so read about what it all means here.
1980 /Images & Artwork: designslinger]
When you get off the train you might be blinded by the shimmering light of all the
reflective surfaces surrounding you. The buildings that have caught your eye form the core of the trading futures activity in the city. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill designed the 44,000 sq.ft. trading floor of the Chicago Board Options Exchange without any windows so that the traders wouldn't be distracted by el trains rumbling past the building. The silver and black glass, Deco inspired motif of the building on the right, comes from architect Helmut Jahn. This structure is an addition to the Chicago Board of Trade building which was built with stunning Art Deco detailing in 1930, and the source of Jahn's inspiration.
Chicago, Harry Weese & Associates, 1975 /Images & Artwork: designslinger]
The LaSalle Street stop provides a great example of architectural contrasts. The detail on
the left comes from the old Fort Dearborn Hotel which was built in 1914. The photo on the right is the Chicago Metropolitan Correctional Center, a fancy name for a prison. Designed by Chicago architect Harry Weese in 1975, this building has left more people scratching their heads trying to figure out what in the world it is, than any other building in the city. Instead of steel barred windows on the upper floors where the prisoners are housed, Weese provided 5 inch wide openings, the maximum allowed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, when you don't have bars. However, the slits have not prevented inmates from escaping through the narrow openings. Oh, and the very top of the building houses an outdoor prison yard, where you can see inmates occasionally leaning up against the fencing in the long, rectangular opening near the roofline.
Here is a photo of the Old Colony undergoing a much needed cleaning. The dark color
at the far left side of the building is 100 years accumulation of dirt and soot on the surface. We think the air we breathe today is dirty, well the Old Colony changed from a light, to a dark colored building in less than 20 years. Coal was once used as the major source of power in the city, and soot permeated the surfaces of Chicago's great buildings, as well as the lungs of its citizens, coating the porous materials with black dust. The contrast is amazing, and kind of scary if you consider the damage done to the brick and imagine those same particles in the air people were breathing. The facade of the Old Colony is once again seeing the light of day after 90 years layered in grime.
This view isn't exactly pretty, but it captures the character of a downtown Chicago that
I remember well, and seems to be disappearing. I love the textures of the buildings, their height in relation to the street, and I think there is something quite beautiful in their utilitarian yet functional design. In the 1970s and 80s, the core of Chicago's commercial district was going down the tubes, even that famous Great Street, State Street was suffering. This little block brought me back to those old days, but Chicago isn't the same place it was back then, and lets face it neither am I, we've both improved with age.
Posted by designslinger at 8/24/2009 1:29 AM 
Categories: Architecture, History
Tags: Chicago el Brown Line futures trading Chicago Board Options Exchange Chicago Board of Trade
Categories: Architecture, History
Tags: Chicago el Brown Line futures trading Chicago Board Options Exchange Chicago Board of Trade
Although I do appreciate the newer architecture in the city, I would much rather see the older structures and buildings be maintained. I think that's what keeps Chicago looking unique and historical.
And, even when you think a building is safe, beware, even a landmarked building can be demolished if you have a determined developer ready to fight in court, with deep enough pockets to pay for all the lawyers.
thanks for sharing those pics!
It's pretty helpful to me and i have taken these points into consideration....
HarryDsouza
Thank you for visitng. Glad to know you've found our posts helpful.
Love the Metropolitan Correctional Center building. It always looked to me like someone dropped a giant punch card into downtown. I'd be interested to know more about Weese and how the heck he cooked this up. Brilliant architecture. And a little eerie too, when you see it in person.
A post for the future?? Hope you've been enjoying life. We've missed you, and hope you decide to come back again.
Lovely pictures, awesome these are looking so interesting, professional and artistic pics.
Thanks so much!