Design Inspiration
As we've been wandering the streets of Chicago and taking hundreds of pictures I often
ask myself a question, "Of all the styles in the world to choose from, why did the architect (or builder) pick this one?"
Of course a famous building by a famous architect, will have innumerable resources
explaining all kinds of reasons why "A" was inspired to create "B." Or the designer may have left a record in his or her own words explaining the source of their inspiration.
But what about the hundreds of thousands of buildings you notice and wonder about,
yet aren't listed in guidebooks or mentioned on walking tours? It could be a beautifully carved limestone doorway header, or hundreds of feet of gorgeous terra cotta that catches your eye, but there is no information to be found in the usual places.
It would be impossible to write, or talk about every building in your town, but Chicago
has an online resource that comes close. The city undertook a gigantic project several years ago, a survey of the entire city which lists all the buildings built prior to 1940. You can find out the year of construction, who may have designed it, and the structure's architectural significance. I looked up 451 W. Wrightwood and found out that the apartment tower was designed by Raymond J. Gregori and constructed in 1928. Gregori designed at least 7 other buildings in the area during the 1920s, in a variety of historical revival styles. The survey didn't give me to any clues about his inspiration, nor did an internet search. His name isn't attached to a monograph of work, but he does get a mention here or there, hidden in the text of a book or two.
So why did he pick a pastiche of Venetian Renaissance details with a few ancient Assyrian
accents thrown in? Maybe it was just as simple as a desire to turn a very ordinary apartment building into something a little extraordinary, and have a little fun doing it.
Posted by designslinger at 9/24/2009 2:00 AM 
Categories: Architecture
Tags: Chicago Landmarks Historic Resources Survey Raymond J. Gregori
Categories: Architecture
Tags: Chicago Landmarks Historic Resources Survey Raymond J. Gregori
designslinger: Architectural Private Investigators. Has a nice ring to it, don'tcha think?
That jagged arch is so unusual and so pleasing. I've never noticed any quite like that. Am I just not looking hard enough, or is that a unique decorative element?
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A.P.I.: Chicago. Hm, very interesting. That's the great thing about an architect taking a historical precedent and turning it intp something unique. I'm sure that some where, in some place you might find something similar, but I doubt you'll find anything just like it.
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Thanks for putting your work on the net. As an occupant of 443 W Wrightwood, I appreciated your pix of 451 and info about Raymond Gregori. Good work
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Thanks for the visit and taking the time to write such generous compliment!
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