Chicago in Detail
After 13 years of living among the stucco houses of Los Angeles, I feel reborn in the midst
of all the brick, terra-cotta, and stone of Chicago.
It's amazing how these materials can be molded and shaped into a seemingly endless
variety of architectural details.
Because of the handiwork of an anonymous 19th-century craftsman, an average, typical
Chicago 3-flat is transformed into something extraordinary. Details like this show up on thousands of buildings all over the city.
The streets filled with an array of architectural styles spanning several design periods,
like the porches of these two houses which sit across from each other on the same city block.
The city isn't an outdoor museum of buildings dating from 1879 to 1910. This home built
in 1998, comes from Japanese architect Tadao Ando, and sits nestled amongst its 130-year-old neighbors. Ando, who has won the Oscar of architecture awards, the Pritzker Prize, was a truck driver and boxer before becoming a self-trained architect. While this severely minimalist structure stands in stark contrast to all the ornament and detail surrounding it, many people feel that there is an elegance in the simplicity of the Ando's signature concrete construction. He turns his back to the street and focuses all his energy on the interior spaces.
Such things as light and wind only have meaning when they are introduced
inside a house in a form cut off from the outside world.
The pattern of button holes in the wall, as well as the undulating surface of the concrete,
could be seen as a form of architectural detailing in the 21st century. Whether you prefer the 19th over the 21st, it all makes for a dynamic urban street scape, and an exciting, vibrant, visually stimulating place to live.
Posted by designslinger at 8/31/2009 2:00 AM 
Categories: Architecture, Architects, Decorative Arts
Tags: Tadao Ando Deming Place Chicago
Categories: Architecture, Architects, Decorative Arts
Tags: Tadao Ando Deming Place Chicago
Nice post as usual. I'm glad you're back in Chicago! And thanks for the photo of the Wrightwood house facade by Ando. I used to look at it a lot. Right now I'm in Osaka, to look at a lot of Ando's work- it's stunning of course. I met with him in his studio a few days ago to talk Olympics. Btw - what a difference in the concrete here and there! it's also interesting here to see how the concrete work in Ando's buildings develops over the years. Best regards, Edward
You are living the life of Riley! Thought it would be nice to show some contrast to the city's vast storehouse of beautiful 19th century housing. I love the Ando residence, and the fact that it sits so majestically among all the decorative, curly-cues of Lakeview. Would love to know Ando's take on the Olympics. Hope you're enjoying Japan.