This weekend was Chicago Open House, two days when more than 250 buildings are open to the public for a look-see.
Usually, my friend Dan and I go. We hike all over town to see a few of each of our short-listed sites. Last year it was pouring rain, and we concentrated on houses in the Prairie District. This year, Dan is in Spain (!!!) so I headed out alone with a long short-list that would take me from Edgewater to the Loop via Ukrainian Village. I managed to see six of my eight sites–sacrificing two when I dallied a bit longer than my schedule allowed.
Thankfully, the day was sunny, though cold. I laced up my shoes, dressed warm with layers and hit the road for the first of my many CTA bus / train rides of the day. First stop: That pink building along the lakefront in Edgewater…the Edgewater Beach Apartments.
Edgewater Beach Apartments
The apartments (in “sunset pink”) were built in 1928, as part of a resort hotel complex. The apartment building used to touch the beach, but lost its lake shore status when Lake Shore Drive rudely squeezed in between the complex and Lake Michigan. The hotel part of the complex was demolished in the early 70s. Today, the pink building smiles at the edge of the water, and saves an expanse of perfectly green grass for the neighbors to see–but not use.
Garfield-Clarendon Model Railroad Club
Wow. That’s about all I can say. Wow! A room filled with at least a mile of tracks, running a bunch of exact-replica trains, through miniature to-scale villages–and it takes thirty minutes for the train to run the whole track. There are blinking lights, working railroad crossings, train sounds, hills, tunnels, and a bunch of railroad guys making sure it all runs without incident. I couldn’t have been more impressed. And I could have stayed there all day finding all the tiny details–like a truck tire in the midst of being changed, water from the fire department boat, swimmers, rows of farm crops, the Metra clanging sound…wow. Just wow.
Ukrainian Village and the Holy Trinity Cathedral
I made my way to Ukrainian Village for the churches. First up was the Louis Sullivan-designed 1903 church, the Holy Trinity Cathedral. Cathedral was too heavy of a name for this small and elegant space. I loved the scale here: a pew-less church, intimate, with warm light spilling onto the floor, and a dove over the main arch of the entrance. Of course, there were the icons and the candles too. But after sitting absorbing that amazing light, having a lovely conversation about Louis Sullivan and Richard Nickel with a deacon-docent, and watching Sergei pull the rope that rang the bell for me–“in the name of Jesus”–this place found a way into my heart.
Ukrainian Village: St. Nicolas Cathedral
What Holy Trinity had in intimacy, this place had in grandness. The chandelier boasts 480 lights, the gilded altar shines in the front, the stained glass reaches in from 13 onion domes touching the rows and rows of pews. What astounding beauty. So much so that it felt untouchable, and unreachable.
Ukrainian Village: Saints Volodymyr & Olha Ukrainian Catholic Church
If Holy Trinity was too small, and St. Nicolas was too big, was this just right for Goldilocks? This church felt old on the inside, but was only from the 1970s. I was struck by the blues, the stained glass rainbows, and the 50 cent candle votives on either side of the altar…oh, and the incense spoon.
Last stop: The Cliff Dwellers
After my day of seeing out-of-the-way places, it was a bit of a shock to have to wait for 20 minutes to get to the elevators for the Cliff Dwellers site. Yes, it was a great view of the Lake, Grant Park, and the only time I think I’ve had a good idea of the Art Institute’s footprint.
Check out photos from the 2016 Open House Chicago and from the 2015 OHC. One of these days, I’ll post 2017’s Open House. Last year at this time, life was getting mobile. Stay tuned!