Unity Temple
Frank Lloyd Wright’s first major public building commission, built in 1908, was designed for his own Unitarian Universalist congregation. The icon of modernism pioneered new construction techniques and the use of exposed concrete. After a period of restoration by Harboe Architects from 2015 to 2017, seed funded by the Alphawood Foundation, the building reopened to the public in June 2017. In summer 2019, Unity Temple was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of eight major works by Wright given this honoured distinction. 875 Lake street, Oak Park
McCormick Place West Building rooftop
The largest McCormick Place West Building spans 20,000 sq ft above Chicago. The building, designed by tvsdesign in 2007, was originally intended to have a green roof for environmental puposes. Howeverm in 2013, the Chicago Botanic Garden stepped in with the Windy City Harvest programme to transform it into a massive vegetable patch. More than 8,000 pounds of produce are now grown each year for SAVOR...Chicago, the food service provider for the convention centre below. The Open House Chicago tour is focused on biodiversity and growing practices. 2301 S. Indiana Avenue, Gate 41, SE corner of Cermak & Indiana
Eleanor Boathouse at Park 571
Studio Gang’s
Built in 2016, this striking boathouse is one of two on the bank of the Chicago River designed by Studio Gang. Two buildings, the field house and the boat storage facility, positioned to embrace the site’s turning basin condition connect beneath the rhythmic peaks of the building were inspired by the motion of rowing, while the zinc facade and custom green gradient window screen respond to the river. Commissioned by the Chicago Park District, this project contributes to the city-wide initiative to regenerate the neglected river front socially and environmentally. This boathouse is socially-minded, connecting its communities with mentoring programmes, yoga classes, and public events, in addition to its central role supporting youth and adult rowing teams. Photography: Tom Harris Photography. 2754 S. Eleanor street, Bridgeport
Stony Island Arts Bank
The multi-functioning hybrid of a building is a gallery, media archive, library, community centre and home to Rebuild Foundation’s archives and collections. Originally built in 1923 to a design by William Gibbons Uffendell, the building was formerly a vibrant community savings and loan. In 2015, artist Theaster Gates stepped in to renovate the building that had lay vacant and slowly deteriorating since the 80s. Now, the distinctive South Side cultural landmark is a centre for local residents, international residencies and a research hub, with an engaging programme of exhibitions and events. 6760 S. Stony Island avenue, South Shore
International Museum of Surgical Science
Howard Van Doren Shaw’s lakefront mansion built in 1917 was originally designed for Eleanor Robinson Countiss as a wedding gift from her father, an executive at the Diamond Match Company. The building was an imitation of Le Petit Trianon, a chateau on the grounds of Versailles that Louis XVI gave to Marie Antoinette. In 1954, the house became a museum dedicated to the field of surgery – dedicated with a sculpture by Edouard Chassaing. The Open House Chicago tour brings the chance to see an exhibition on the history of the house, as well as original architectural drawings and historical photographs of the mansion. 1524 N. Lake Shore Drive, Gold Coast
Gateway Theater
Designed by Rapp and Rapp in 1930, the Gateway Theater is one of Chicago’s grandest movie palaces and a flagship for the Balaban and Katz movie circuit for 50 years. One of just four atmospheric originals remaining in the city, the theatre has been preserved by it’s current owners, the Copernicus Foundation, who restored the original interior of the auditorium. There has been plenty of layers of change – the building has been converted into offices and event spaces for the Polish Cultural Center which occupied it in 1981, and in 1985, the ‘Solidarity Tower’ was erected and the exterior was renovated to resemble the Royal Castle in Warsaw. 5216 W. Lawrence avenue, Jefferson Park
