Bloomingdale's at Home in Medinah Temple

 
[Medinah Temple (1913) Huehl & Schmid, 600 N. Wabash Street, Chicago, September 7, 2009 /Images & Artwork:
designslinger]

Bloomingdale's Home Store now occupies a space that once contained an auditorium of
4,000 seats for concert goers, political rally participants, Shriners conventioneers and the spectacular spectacle of the annual Shrine Circus. 

 
[Bloomingdale's Home Store (2002) Daniel P. Coffey & Associates, renovations /Images & Artwork:
designslinger]

The former Medinah Temple building was built in 1913 as the local headquarters of the
Shriners, a fraternal membership organization based on the principles of Freemasonry. The group is known for the children's hospitals they fund and support. The old meeting hall was considered so acoustically perfect that the Chicago Symphony Orchestra used to record there.

 
[Medinah Temple details /Images & Artwork: designslinger]

By the time the 1980s rolled around the building was on the chopping block. The Shriners
wanted out and nobody wanted in. There were all kinds of proposals for alternate land-use which required that the building be demolished. The plans were beaten back by a vocal citizenry that was tired of watching great landmarks crumple into piles of dust.

 
[Medinah Temple, terra-cotta detail /Image & Artwork: designslinger]

In 2001, department store chain Bloomingdale's came to the rescue, saving and restoring
the extravagant Moorish-style ornamentation, Arabic calligraphy and onion domes of the exterior. You can still see bits and pieces of the old auditorium inside the Home Store. The proscenium arch that surrounded the old stage is there, as well as the interior ceiling dome. You can walk up to the beautiful art glass windows and get a close-up view of the details. What you can't do is take pictures. There are prominent signs on all the entry doors prohibiting interior photography.
Posted by designslinger at 10/1/2009 2:04 AM
Categories: Architecture, History, Preservation, Interior Design, Furniture, Decorative Arts
Tags: Bloomingdale's Home Store Medinah Temple Moorish-inspired ornamentation
 

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  • 5/21/2010 3:49 AM wrote:
    This building is beautiful! I am always amazed by Chicago architecture, and what people are doing with it. It's the perfect place for a Bloomingdale! I can't wait to visit it :)
    1. 5/21/2010 5:25 AM designslinger wrote:
      And you'll get to see some of the remaining interior details which we weren't allowed to photograph   Thanks for stopping by!


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