Slice of Life: Invisible Nuclear History

It looks like just another athletic field now, but this was the location of one of the most important events in human history.  Some liken it to the development of speech, or the discovery of fire, or the invention of the wheel.

I'm no scientician, so I'll quote the Manhattan Project entry from Wikimopedia:

The first major scientific hurdle of the project was solved on December 2, 1942, beneath the bleachers of Stagg Field at the University of Chicago, where a team led by Enrico Fermi, for whom Fermilab is named, initiated the first artificial self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction in an experimental nuclear reactor named Chicago Pile-1. Compton reported the success to Conant in Washington, DC by a coded call, saying, "The Italian navigator [referring to Fermi] has landed in the new world, the natives are friendly."

There's supposed to be a marker around here somewhere making note of the event, but I haven't been able to find it yet.

Update

One of our readers posted a response below letting us know where the marker is.  Unfortunately, instead of being friendly and helpful he decided to be rude and insulting, so his comments have been deleted.

But the upshot is that there is a marker.  It is on Ellis Avenue, south of East 56th Street.  Sadly, such an important monument is not noted on the University of Chicago's campus maps.

The reader incorrectly claims that Stagg Field no longer exists, though it is clearly labeled on U of C's campus maps.  As colleges are always evolving, it is likely that Stagg Field was once larger, or in a different location, or both.  But it certainly exists.

Slice of Life: Where Dragons Perch

I ran into a graduate of the University of Chicago School of Business in Seattle recently.  We got to talking, and he couldn't say enough good things about the UofC's campus architecture.  I made the observation that parts of the campus are like going to school at Hogwarts.  He looked at me like I had two heads.

Maybe he just takes for granted that there are dragons and griffins and nymphs and architectural gingerbread at the University of Chicago.  I went to two colleges, both on the East Coast, and both crappy. The buildings were brick, and constructed like army barracks.

So, here's a picture of one of those University of Chicago dragons.  If you go to UofC, take some time to appreciate the effort that went into making your campus both beautiful and interesting.  If you don't go to UofC, take a day to walk around and marvel at what can be done when people design and decorate buildings for long-term benefit, and not just with an eye on the next quarter's financial forecast.

Slice of Life: Slices of Sidewalk

Has the grass been punctuated by the sidewalk, or is the sidewalk being violated by the grass?  Either way, it's an interesting way of adding both function and visual interest to what would otherwise be a boring walkway.  This photo was taken outside the Ratner Athletic Center at the University of Chicago.

Slice of Life: Grotesque in Hyde Park

A griffin stands guard at the apex of a gate on the campus of the University of Chicago in Hyde Park.  Around it, various grotesques writhe and cling to the rampart.

Status Update: University of Chicago New Hospital Pavilion Project

A crane towers over Hyde Park as it assembles the University of Chicago's New Hospital Pavilion Project. Hopefully that's a temporary name.  The 10+1-story project designed by Rafael Viñoly Architects & Cannon Design should be done in 2012, and will add 1.2 million square feet of space to the medical campus.