Chicago Architecture History Hidden In Plain Sight

There are lots of reasons people avoid hospitals.  Superstition. Fear of illness. Feeling guilty about one's own state of health.  But it should be stated that Northwestern Memorial Hospital's Lakeshore campus is among the most inviting medical facilities I've ever been to.

Even if you're feeling fine, there are still two good reasons to stop by Northwestern's Feinberg Pavilion at 251 East Huron Street.  First, it's because that is the location of the only 24-hour Starbucks in Chicago where you are actually likely to be able to get a seat.  And second, because it contains a hidden museum.

On the third floor of the Feinberg Pavilion is the Florence and Ike Sewell Museum. Or at least that's what a plaque in the lobby claims.  I haven't been up there yet, though it is supposed to be open to the general public.

If, like me, you don't make it past the Starbucks stand, you can still soak in some of Chicago's architectural history while enjoying your iced venti tuxedo.  The panels on the walls of the Starbucks seating area aren't just decorations -- they're artifacts.

The limestone panels are part of the museum's collection, and are all that remains of Passavant Memorial Hospital, named for the Lutheran saint William Passavant who founded a number of hospitals and orphanages across middle-America in the 1800's.

Passavant's Chicago hospital was the one of the predecessors of the medical monster that is now Northwestern.  Passavant Memorial merged with Chicago Wesley Memorial to form Northwestern in 1972.

The 325-bed neo-gothic building was designed by legendary Chicago architecture firm Holabird & Root in 1929 to compliment the design of Northwestern University next door.  It was built at 303 East Superior Street, which is now the location of Northwestern Universtiy's Robert Lurie Medical Research Center.

While the hospital is long gone, the panels remain.  They depict the leaves of the acanthus plant, which is often used in stylized forms for architectural details.  In this case, the panels are installed on the walls of the new hospital where they exist in plain sight, but most people don't realize they're there, or their significance.

Slice of Life: Worst. Parking. Evar.

Remember those films from the 50's and 60's showing hordes of Chinese people flowing through their cities on armies if bicycles? Based on this photograph of the parking situation at Northwestern University, that must be what it looks like just before classes start each morning.

At least the guy who found a convenient spot in the tree used his kickstand to keep the rest of his bike from marring the bark.

Remarkably, this wasn't the only place we saw this on our recent meander around the campus.

Status Update: Northwestern University's Harris Hall

Work continues on the renovation and expansion of Harris Hall (1881 Sheridan Road, Evanston) at Northwestern University.  The building, erected in 1915 is being gutted and retrofitted on the inside, and getting two new expansions on the outside.

The machine you see in the picture was digging a hole, presumably for an expansion foundation, when we snapped this photo.

Work is expected to continue for another year.

Chicago: City of Spires

Prague is often referred to as the "City of Spires."  I've been to Prague , and I think Chicago has it beat.

I started thinking about it a couple of days ago when the Chicago Tribune's architecture critic complained about the spire atop the Trump International Hotel and Tower .  He called it little more than a "toothpick."

I'm certainly not going to disagree.  It's a shame of a structure, and a disgrace that it's not illuminated at night like the spires of the Sears Tower and the John Hancock Center .

But there are many other toothpicks in this city of spires, as the photo above illustrates.  One Prudential Plaza may be the earliest examples of such toothpicks.  But at least at the time it served a purpose -- it was a radio and TV transmission antenna.  Trump serves no such purpose.

Looking out my window, other buildings with toothpicks large and small:

• Two Prudential Plaza 
• AT&T Corporate Center (4)
• Grand Plaza (4)
• The Park Tower (4)
• Northwestern University's Feinberg Inpatient Pavilion (2)

If you can think of any others, post them in the comments section below.

Last Chance To Dance: Lakefront VA Hospital Almost Gone

For the last eight months or so, demolition crews have been very methodically and very loudly disassembling the old VA hospital in the heart of Streeterville .  If you've never seen the X-shaped building or have some attachment to it, better pay your respects soon, before it's too late.

What used to be four wings 15 stories tall is now down to just three, and those won't last long.

The VA sold the hospital for $52 million, and what plans Northwestern University has for the property haven't been disclosed to the public yet.

The best use would be a big fat park, but that won't happen.  You don't pay millions of dollars to house squirrels.  Somehow the owners have to recoup the money spent, and that means building up.

The hospital as demolition was beginning.

Where Northwestern Started

Northwestern University spends a lot of time, money, and effort preserving its old buildings, and none is older than the one known as "Old College."

This apartment complex in Evanston (The John Evans Building, 1600 Hinman Avenue) is actually the location of what was the first Northwestern University building.  It looked a lot like the Addams Family house and was built in 1855 for just under $6,000.

Over the years the building was moved twice and served a number of purposes before being torn down in the 1970.  Wikimopedia has a brief write-up about it, if you're the sort of person who trusts Wikimopedia.