A Schlacksed Saint
[St. Mary of the Lake Roman Catholic Church (1914) Henry J. Schlacks, architect /Images & Artwork: designslinger]
When the campanile of this highly ornamented church began rising at the corner of
Sheridan Road and Buena Avenue, Henry J. Schlacks was on his way to becoming one of Chicago's great ecclesiastical architects.
[St. Mary of the Lake, 4200 N. Sheridan Road, Chicago /Images & Artwork: designslinger]
Henry had already designed a handful of churches by the time the St. Mary's commission
came along in 1913, and he would go on to design a dozen more before his death in 1938. Not only did Schlacks design a number of buildings with the word saint in front of them, but Henry was also kind of unique in that unlike a lot of architects who desgined church buildings in the U.S., he traveled extensively in Europe and filled sketchbooks with hundreds of drawings which he would then use as the inspiration for his designs. At the time many architects simply turned to pattern books or photographs to use as the starting point for their classical revivial styling.
[St. Mary of the Lake, entry portico /Images & Artwork: designslinger]
On one of his many trips to Italy, Henry did extensive sketches of two churches in Rome
that would become the basis of the St. Mary's design. First St. Prudenziana provided the towering corner bell tower and the door surrounds which sit under the arches of a portico and front facade inspired by
St. Paul's Outside the Walls Basilica.
[St. Mary of the Lake door portal /Images & Artwork: designslinger]
St. Mary was built on a prominent corner in the Buena Park neighborhood, occupied at
the time by the Robert A. Waller residence. Waller's father James had come to Chicago in 1860 and constructed a large home in the middle of the 50 acre section he'd purchased which he called Buena House, that sat diagonally across the street from Robert's large single-family home. Waller the younger died in 1899 at the age of 45, and in 1910 his widow sold the corner lot and house to St. Mary's parish which was located just down Sheridan in a small frame building. Instead of demolishing Robert's house, Schlacks moved the building to the Buena Avenue side of the property and surrounded the front of the mansion with a facade that tied-in with the Italian Renaissance exterior of the adjoining church. The Waller family homestead was demolished a few years after James' widow Lucy died in 1902, and there isn't a shingle remaining.
Posted by designslinger at 9/27/2010 2:49 AM 
Categories: Architecture, Architects, History
Tags: Italian Renaissance Romanesque revival churches Uptown Chicago Henry J. Schlacks
Categories: Architecture, Architects, History
Tags: Italian Renaissance Romanesque revival churches Uptown Chicago Henry J. Schlacks
Many people do not realize that Schlacks was just as well known for his German Gothic churches as for the Italianate churches. To me, the most appealing is St. Martin's, at 59th St. and the Dan Ryan, probably because of the horses mounted on the roof. Others of this genre are St Henry's, on Ridge, and another on Ridge, whose name I cannot recall. Schlacks only did Roman Catholic churches; and his primary competitor was Zachary T. Davis, who also designed the 1910 Comiskey Park. Schlacks also seems to have been the architecture department at Notre Dame. I had a client, who died a few years ago, at close to 100; and he studied with Schlacks, whom he described as a very good teacher. As far as I know, there are only 2 books by Schlacks; but the better books on Chicago churches all have considerable sections on his work. His buildings are well worth a close look.
Wow. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts and info. And how amazing to have met someone almost 100 years old who had studied with him! As we continue our travels around the city we hope to feature a few more buildings in the Schlacks portfolio.
When I wrote my comment on Schlacks, the other day, I could not remember the names of 2 significant German gothic churches he designed, nor could I remember the name of the book on Chicago churches which has most, if not all, of his churches. The churches I was trying to remember are St Henry, at Devon and Ridge, in Chicago, and St. Nicholas, on Ridge, in Evanston. The book is by George Lane and Algimantas Kezys, and is titled: Chicago Churches and Synagogues: An Architectural Pilgrimage. The book is superb. Michael Saper
Both churches are on our list of potential posts for the future, and thanks for mentioning the book. For anyone who is interested, the Chicago Public Library has a bunch of copies available at the main branch downtown and at local branches.
I have what I believe are the only two books Schlacks wrote, though one is a photocopy. If you want to look at them, let me know. Also, about 20 years ago, I was doing some volunteer research for the Chicago History Museum, which was helping Bob Bruegeman on research for his three volume work on Holabird & Roche. In the course of that work, I became friendly with the late Scott LaFrance, who was the curator of architecture at the museum. He and I used to joke that the two of us and my client were the only members of the Henry J. Schlacks Fan Club. Since I am the only one left of the original three, I am taking applications for membership. Michael Saper
And here I am in the midst of re-reading Bruegmann's The Architects and the City, Holabird & Roche of Chicago, 1880-1918. Small world! And who knew there was a Henry J. Schlacks fan club, even if it does only have one member. You know you could grow your fan base with a Henry J. Schlacks website........