Judge Tree's Studios
[Tree Studio Building (1894) Parfitt Brothers, architects /Image & Artwork: designslinger]
Judge Lambert Tree was a member of an old Chicago family. As a matter of fact he built this building on the west lawn of the Tree homestead, which had been in his wife's family, the Magie's, since 1840.
[Tree Studio Building, State and Ontario Streets, Chicago /Images & Artwork: designslinger]
The Judge and Mrs. Tree were on their way to Egypt in 1894 with a stop-over in New York when they saw a building on Madison Avenue and 56th Street built to house artist's studios. It made quite an impression on the couple. They were both big supporters of Chicago's Art Institute and partons of the arts, so the Judge got in touch with the architectural firm Parfitt Brothers and told them to draw-up plans for a similar building that the Trees would construct back home.
[Tree Studio Building, window details /Image & Artwork: designslinger]
The Tree property filled one square city block and their large, red sandstone mansion stood at the eastern edge. So the Judge divided the plot of land in half from north to south and at the western edge built the Studio Building. It would have two-story loft spaces on the second floor with large windows facing the street and skylights to capture the sun's north light with retail establishments on the ground floor catering to the arts community. He also set-up a trust which would help defray the cost of the upkeep of the building in an attempt to keep rents low for his almost perpetually, financially struggling, artistic tenants.
[Tree Studio Building and Annex (1912) Hill & Woltersdorf, architects /Image & Artwork: designslinger]
When the Judge died in 1911 his house was demolished and the eastern portion of the plot was sold to the Shriners fraternal organization. They built Medinah Temple, a large meeting hall/auditorium right up to the north/south dividing line that divided the Tree property in two. The trustees of the Tree estate filled in the space behind the original Studio Building to the Temple's back wall with an annex on Ohio Street in 1912 and Ontario Street in 1913. The annexes created a private courtyard which became a little green oasis in a neighborhood that was changing from a quiet residential neighborhood to a busy, noisy, congested commercial and retail district.
The Shriners took an option on the purchase of the Studio in 1920 but let it lapse. Then in 1956 the organization finally purchased the Studio and Annex Buildings in order to maintain control over the old Tree city block. By 1998, with membership falling, the Shriners put the block on the market and for a while it looked like the Studio Building would be demolished for a high-rise residential building replacement. The preservation community waged battle, and after the Mayor made it known that he wanted Medinah Temple spared, a deal was reached with developer Albert Friedman and the buildings were saved, rehabilitated and painstakingly renovated under the supervision of Friedman and Coffey & Associates architects. The Tree subsidies ended decades ago, so although the studios are still available, the market rate rentals are beyond the means of many a struggling artist.
See a related post: Bloomingdale's at Home in Medinah Temple.
Posted by designslinger at 7/22/2010 1:50 AM 
Categories: Architecture, History, Art, Preservation
Tags: Daniel P. Coffey and Associates Hill and Woltersdorf Lambert Tree Parfitt Brothers art studios
Categories: Architecture, History, Art, Preservation
Tags: Daniel P. Coffey and Associates Hill and Woltersdorf Lambert Tree Parfitt Brothers art studios
You've put together an amazing website. I'm impressed by the amount of research you do. I have one minor correction for the post about the Tree Studios. Your write up says that the studios were built on the site of the Tree homestead which the family had occupied since the 1840's. However, Lambert Tree didn't move to Chicago until 1855. In 1859 he married Ann Magie the daughter of H.H. Magie, a Chicago pioneer and real estate investor. I'm not certain, but it's possible that Judge Tree received the land from his father-in-law. And regarding H.H. Magie, it appears that one of his buildings still exists at 70 W Hubbard
Thanks! We've edited the opening paragraph a little to reflect the issue you've raised in your comment, hoping to help clarify who owned what and when. You're right about the Magie's. The property had belonged to Judge Tree's father-in-law since 1840, and Tree referred to the his homestead as having been "in the family" since that date. Hope the re-wording of the opening helps clear things up a bit. Thanks for pointing it out!