Chicago Brick of the Day: David's Tower

In an effort to showcase the magnificent architecture of Chicago's Tribune Tower, and to help people understand just how powerful and influential the Chicago Tribune newspaper once was, the Chicago Architecture Blog presents: Chicago Brick of the Day.

Today's brick is from:

The Tower of David in Jerusalem. 

Each day we'll show a photograph of a rock, brick, or other piece of stonework embedded in the exterior of the Tribune Tower .

If you haven't done it yet, play tourist for a couple of hours and wander around the outside of 435 North Michigan Avenue and marvel at an architectural work that will not be equalled in our lifetimes.

The Mysterious Ladies LaSalle

If you don't spend a lot of time on LaSalle Street, you might not realize that the fair boulevard is graced by a pair of fair maidens.

The baroque beauties represent the concepts of industry and agriculture.  They once stood over the front entrance of the old Chicago Board of Trade Building.  But when the building was demolished in 1929, they mysteriously vanished.

The statues turned up almost 50 years later secluded in a forest preserve in Downers Grove.  The land they were discovered on was once the estate of Arthur Cutten, who was a trader at the Board of Trade at the time 1885-era building was torn down.

Coincidence?  No one's screaming "thief" because really, who among us hasn't made off with a fist full of office supplies every now and then?  Heck, I cobbled together my first computer from Telex telegram machine parts discarded by my parents' offices.  It's not hard to imagine that someone told Mr. Cutten, "If you can move 'em, you can have 'em."

In 2005, the DuPage County Forest Preserve District returned the statues to LaSalle Street.  They now frame the pedestrianized portion of South LaSalle between Jackson and Van Buren.

Chicago Brick of the Day: Fort Santiago

In an effort to showcase the magnificent architecture of Chicago's Tribune Tower, and to help people understand just how powerful and influential the Chicago Tribune newspaper once was, the Chicago Architecture Blog presents: Chicago Brick of the Day.

Today's brick is from:

Fort Santiago in Manilla .

Each day we'll show a photograph of a rock, brick, or other piece of stonework embedded in the exterior of the Tribune Tower .

If you haven't done it yet, play tourist for a couple of hours and wander around the outside of 435 North Michigan Avenue and marvel at an architectural work that will not be equalled in our lifetimes.

Indecision at Bank of America

It's unfortunate, but somewhat understandable, when tourists call the John Hancock Center the "John Hancock Tower."  Names are important because the John Hancock Tower  actually exists... in Boston.

It's more curious when a company gives the same building multiple names.  Such is the case in the heart of Chicago's financial district where 135 South LaSalle is the Bank of America Building .  Or is it?

The building, originally known as the Field Building, was known as the LaSalle Bank Building when Bank of America ate one of Chicago's last hometown banks.  But something has gone amiss in labeling the building.

Witness what is written at the top of the building's retail directories:

So, it's not Bank of America Building, then?  It's Bank of America Center?  Let's consult what's written above the LaSalle Street doors for a second opinion:

Oops!  I guess it's "Building" after all.  It certainly makes sense to go with what's written on the door instead of the header of a glorified mallmanac.  Until you look at the Jackson Street entrance:

We should probably just stick with calling it "135 South LaSalle" until the bank can figure out what it wants to do.

Chicago Brick of the Day: Notre Dame Cathedral

In an effort to showcase the magnificent architecture of Chicago's Tribune Tower, and to help people understand just how powerful and influential the Chicago Tribune newspaper once was, the Chicago Architecture Blog presents: Chicago Brick of the Day.

Today's brick is from:

Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. 

Each day we'll show a photograph of a rock, brick, or other piece of stonework embedded in the exterior of the Tribune Tower .

If you haven't done it yet, play tourist for a couple of hours and wander around the outside of 435 North Michigan Avenue and marvel at an architectural work that will not be equalled in our lifetimes.

Slice of Life: Saluting Silhouettes

An American flag and a Chicago flag are silhouetted in the glare off the stainless steel of the former Inland Steel Building, now known as 30 West Monroe .

Chicago Brick of the Day: Honan Temple

In an effort to showcase the magnificent architecture of Chicago's Tribune Tower, and to help people understand just how powerful and influential the Chicago Tribune newspaper once was, the Chicago Architecture Blog presents: Chicago Brick of the Day.

Today's brick is from:

A temple in the Henan Province of China .

Each day we'll show a photograph of a rock, brick, or other piece of stonework embedded in the exterior of the Tribune Tower .

If you haven't done it yet, play tourist for a couple of hours and wander around the outside of 435 North Michigan Avenue and marvel at an architectural work that will not be equalled in our lifetimes.

Slice of Life: Where the Mother Road Begins

Most people know the famous Route 66.  Many people know from the song that "it winds from Chicago to L.A."  But not everyone realizes that there's an actual location in Chicago where Route 66 officially begins.  It's Adams Street at Michigan Avenue.  Traveling northeast from Los Angeles, Route 66 ends at Jackson and Lake Shore Drive.

Chicago Brick of the Day: Dublin General Post Office

In an effort to showcase the magnificent architecture of Chicago's Tribune Tower, and to help people understand just how powerful and influential the Chicago Tribune newspaper once was, the Chicago Architecture Blog presents: Chicago Brick of the Day.

Today's brick is from:

The Dublin General Post Office .

Each day we'll show a photograph of a rock, brick, or other piece of stonework embedded in the exterior of the Tribune Tower .

If you haven't done it yet, play tourist for a couple of hours and wander around the outside of 435 North Michigan Avenue and marvel at an architectural work that will not be equalled in our lifetimes.

Slice of Life: Reflections of Chicago

The Chicago skyline is reflected in the new Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Chicago Brick of the Day: Beijing Winter Palace

In an effort to showcase the magnificent architecture of Chicago's Tribune Tower, and to help people understand just how powerful and influential the Chicago Tribune newspaper once was, the Chicago Architecture Blog presents: Chicago Brick of the Day.

Today's brick is from:

The Winter Palace in the Forbidden City in Beijing .  Again, this artifact was added to Tribune Tower before the name of the city changed from Peking to Beijing, though Peking is still widely used in parts of China.

Each day we'll show a photograph of a rock, brick, or other piece of stonework embedded in the exterior of the Tribune Tower .

If you haven't done it yet, play tourist for a couple of hours and wander around the outside of 435 North Michigan Avenue and marvel at an architectural work that will not be equalled in our lifetimes.

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.

Chicago Brick of the Day: Forbidden City Temple

n an effort to showcase the magnificent architecture of Chicago's Tribune Tower, and to help people understand just how powerful and influential the Chicago Tribune newspaper once was, the Chicago Architecture Blog presents: Chicago Brick of the Day.

Today's brick is from:

The Forbidden City in Beijing, which was still known in the west as Peking at the time this artifact was added to the tower.

Each day we'll show a photograph of a rock, brick, or other piece of stonework embedded in the exterior of the Tribune Tower .

If you haven't done it yet, play tourist for a couple of hours and wander around the outside of 435 North Michigan Avenue and marvel at an architectural work that will not be equalled in our lifetimes.

McCormick Sans Tribune

It's a sign of the times.  The area in front of the Art Institute's new Modern Wing is called "Brooks McCormick Court."

In the six short years I've been in and blogging about Chicago, it's become habit to always write "McCormick" followed by "Tribune."  But with Tribune as a brand teetering on the edge of extinction, it's not surprising to see other alliances made.

Skating at Millennium Park is still in the "McCormick Tribune" rink, but who knows for how long.  The McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum is gone.  And although the web address is still http://www.McCormickTribune.org/, I can't help but notice that the official name of the charity is now the "McCormick Foundation" with no trace of Tribunicity.

Whether the Chicago Tribune survives as a newspaper or not, it appears that Tribune, as a brand, is going the way of Marshall Field's, Sears, Frangos, and other Chicago labels that have either disappeared, or been co-opted by bigger organizations.

Full disclosure: I am a former Tribune employee.

Chicago Brick of the Day: Haghia Sophia

In an effort to showcase the magnificent architecture of Chicago's Tribune Tower, and to help people understand just how powerful and influential the Chicago Tribune newspaper once was, the Chicago Architecture Blog presents: Chicago Brick of the Day.

Today's brick is from:

The Haghia Sophia in Istanbul , a church that was turned into a mosque and is now a museum.  The church of Saint Sophia's engraving is marked "Constantinople" because it was added to the Tribune Tower before 1930 when it became Istanbul .

Each day we'll show a photograph of a rock, brick, or other piece of stonework embedded in the exterior of the

In an effort to showcase the magnificent architecture of Chicago's Tribune Tower, and to help people understand just how powerful and influential the Chicago Tribune newspaper once was, the Chicago Architecture Blog presents: Chicago Brick of the Day.

Today's brick is from:

The Haghia Sophia in Istanbul , a church that was turned into a mosque and is now a museum.  The church of Saint Sophia's engraving is marked "Constantinople" because it was added to the Tribune Tower before 1930 when it became Istanbul .

Each day we'll show a photograph of a rock, brick, or other piece of stonework embedded in the exterior of the

In an effort to showcase the magnificent architecture of Chicago's Tribune Tower, and to help people understand just how powerful and influential the Chicago Tribune newspaper once was, the Chicago Architecture Blog presents: Chicago Brick of the Day.

Today's brick is from:

The Haghia Sophia in Istanbul , a church that was turned into a mosque and is now a museum.  The church of Saint Sophia's engraving is marked "Constantinople" because it was added to the Tribune Tower before 1930 when it became Istanbul .

Each day we'll show a photograph of a rock, brick, or other piece of stonework embedded in the exterior of the Tribune Tower .

If you haven't done it yet, play tourist for a couple of hours and wander around the outside of 435 North Michigan Avenue and marvel at an architectural work that will not be equalled in our lifetimes.

Status Update: The Legacy at Millennium Park

Once again, we're checking in with what we think is one of the great overlooked skyscraper projects in Chicago.  The Legacy at Millennium Park is using a narrow footprint to not only achieve great heights, but to help clean up what used to be a seedy stretch of Chicago's Loop.

As you can see, the glass has come quite a way since our last update .  Because of its location, it will likely become one of the great icons of the Chicago skyline.

Chicago Brick of the Day: Forbidden City Temple

In an effort to showcase the magnificent architecture of Chicago's Tribune Tower, and to help people understand just how powerful and influential the Chicago Tribune newspaper once was, the Chicago Architecture Blog presents: Chicago Brick of the Day.

Today's brick is from:

The Forbidden City in Beijing, which was still known in the west as Peking at the time this artifact was added to the tower.

Each day we'll show a photograph of a rock, brick, or other piece of stonework embedded in the exterior of the Tribune Tower .

If you haven't done it yet, play tourist for a couple of hours and wander around the outside of 435 North Michigan Avenue and marvel at an architectural work that will not be equalled in our lifetimes.

Status Update: Zaha Hadid's Light Table

OK, so "Light Table" isn't the official name for the Zaha Hadid's new structure going up in Millennium Park.  But so far, organizers of the special temporary architecture exhibit have only called it an "eco pavilion" which is more of an adjective than a proper noun.

While the merits of the design and its eco-friendliness have been debated for the last few months, that's not what we're here for.  We're just showing you that the project in Chase Pavilion South is moving along and starting to look something like the finished product:

Chicago Brick of the Day: Birecik

In an effort to showcase the magnificent architecture of Chicago's Tribune Tower, and to help people understand just how powerful and influential the Chicago Tribune newspaper once was, the Chicago Architecture Blog presents: Chicago Brick of the Day.

Today's brick is from:

Birecik, Turkey .

Each day we'll show a photograph of a rock, brick, or other piece of stonework embedded in the exterior of the Tribune Tower .

If you haven't done it yet, play tourist for a couple of hours and wander around the outside of 435 North Michigan Avenue and marvel at an architectural work that will not be equalled in our lifetimes.

TweetEcho: May 10-May 16, 2009

For those of you who don't subscribe to our Twitter feed , here are the things we tweeted in the last week:

1. Just finished touring Chicago's new Modern Wing of the Art Institute. The NY Times was right: architecturally very safe.about 21 hours ago from Tweetie
2. Fall Out Boy at the John Hancock Center Best Buy store.about 23 hours ago from Tweetie
3. A new handbag store opened today at 900 North Michigan:http://bit.ly/H4x0u3:49 PM May 15th from bit.ly
4. Demolition is already underway at Michael Reese hospital:http://bit.ly/dFci52:54 PM May 15th from bit.ly
5. @Chicagoist Re: Farmer's Markets: You can download iCal calendar files of Chicago neighborhood farmer's markets here: http://bit.ly/TSLcW2:34 PM May 15th from web
6. Inside Chicago's new Michigan Avenue Best Buy store before it opens - pics and review: http://bit.ly/AKO5U2:25 PM May 15th from bit.ly
7. Community cleanup and planting Sat, May 16 8am-2pm at Chicago's Lakeshore East Park. Pizza and drinks provided.11:55 AM May 15th from web
8. We now have an address for the new Apple Store in Chicago: 801 West North Avenue: http://bit.ly/lLxpH8:53 AM May 15th from bit.ly
9. Photos and thoughts from the Art Institute of Chicago's not-quite-done Modern Wing, which opens to the public tomorrow: http://bit.ly/DOYHe8:31 AM May 15th from bit.ly
10. The Art Institute of Chicago has been forced to roll back its price hike from $18 to $16. It was free a few years ago.http://bit.ly/xZFYX3:01 PM May 14th from bit.ly
11. Construction is underway on Chicago's first Zara store, which signifies the official death of the Chicago Place Mall:http://bit.ly/18ismn2:57 PM May 14th from bit.ly
12. Independent contest to design Apple's new Chicago store at North & Clybourn; with $100 prize: http://bit.ly/IosAb7:22 AM May 14th from bit.ly
13. Puma is going to open a store in 108 North State/Block 37 in addition to the one on Rush Street in Chicago:http://bit.ly/cXiv7:05 AM May 14th from bit.ly
14. Another boutique hotel will open in Chicago's Loop financial district: http://bit.ly/Yfnlo11:46 AM May 13th from bit.ly
15. A new Aldi will open on Clybourn just north of North:http://bit.ly/5hEXe11:45 AM May 13th from bit.ly
16. Another Swarovsky is coming to Chicago's Michigan Avenue. This one will take some space now occupied by Kenneth Cole: http://bit.ly/ZA4al11:42 AM May 13th from bit.ly
17. @DinkyShop You assume u know what I think regarding taxes. You don't. Use of "trickle down" betrays your politics in a non-partisan issue.8:08 AM May 13th from web in reply to DinkyShop
18. RT @randolphmarket: 10 days to Randolph Street Market opener in West Loop! Antiques & Indie Fashion Designers:www.randolphstreetmarket.com.3:28 PM May 12th from web
19. @DinkyShop Re:Todd Stroger. You fail to see the forest for the trees. As a business owner, I'm surprised that you don't see it hurting you.3:26 PM May 12th from web in reply to DinkyShop
20. Five of 6 men have been found guilty of plotting to bomb Chicago's Sears Tower: http://bit.ly/jQ2qi3:21 PM May 12th from bit.ly
21. Lake Point Tower showcases its window views with a new YouTube video. http://bit.ly/JzvEp . (via @LakePointTower)1:23 PM May 12th from Tweetie
22. Calendar of all the Chicago farmers markets across the city to view, download, or subscribe: http://ical.me.com/artefaqs...9:49 AM May 12th from web
23. Pictures of the first Chicago farmers market of the season:http://blog.chicagoarchitec...9:48 AM May 12th from web
24. Trump Tower Chicago's spire called little more than a "towering toothpick" by the Tribune: http://bit.ly/5C3vx7:15 AM May 12th from bit.ly
25. First Chicago farmers' market of the year is today! Going on now until 3:00pm at Federal Plaza. Thursday 7a-3p at Daley Plaza.7:10 AM May 12th from web
26. Free food and T-shirts for those who volunteer at Chicago's Taste of River North. E-mail: info@rivernorthresidents.com6:57 AM May 12th from web
27. @Agent_Luke How funny! Right after the movie I went to HWLC and walked right past that display. The originals are on MeTV or MeToo also.6:46 AM May 12th from web in reply to Agent_Luke
28. Chicago remains the laughing stock of the nation's business community. Thank you, Todd Stroger.8:04 PM May 11th from Tweetie
29. Don't bother paying extra to see Star Trek at Chicago's Navy Pier's IMAX. It's letterboxed, so it's the same size as a regular theater.1:48 PM May 11th from Tweetie
30. Another step forward for Chicago's revitalized Wabash corridor: The Tilted Kilt Irish pub is opening at 17 North Wabash: http://bit.ly/UBmzk7:32 AM May 11th from bit.ly
31. Two new barber shops are coming to The Loop. Well, they're called "men's spas" now, but they're the same thing:http://bit.ly/FxN577:24 AM May 11th from bit.ly
32. The Wit is going to take outdoor dining in Chicago to a new level. Forget sidewalk cafes. It's going 27th floor:http://bit.ly/N7A7e7:22 AM May 11th from bit.ly