Showing posts with label Chicago Tonight. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chicago Tonight. Show all posts

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Video: More of What's Under Chicago

You don't have to live in Chicago long before you learn about what's under the city.  The subway tunnels, the old freight tunnel network, the multiple levels of streets, the pedway, etc...

But WTTW recently aired a piece of Chicago Tonight showing some other, perhaps less known, tunnels beneath the a local mall.




Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Video: Chicago's Hidden Architecture

It's said that the devil is in the details.  If that's true, it's no wonder that one of the most famous Chicago books is Devil in the White City.  Literature aside, much of the architecture that helped make Chicago great is festooned with details that are often overlooked, even by people trying to look for them.

WTTW's Chicago Tonight program recently aired a piece about the details of Chicago architecture that often go unappreciated.



As an aside -- if you're wondering why there are suddenly WTTW videos on this blog, it's because someone from the station contacted me to encourage me to add them so they can be seen by a wider audience. It's also good because it helps people see the Chicago history and architecture pieces WTTW does without having to wade through things they're not interested in. And considering how frustrating and unreliable Comcast's WTTW on demand service is, this is probably an easier way to see the clips.

Follow-up: The Palmer Castle

Last month we posted a film in this blog that showcased Chicago as it was in 1948. One scene in that film showed an unnamed castle along the city's lakefront.

We now know what that castle was. It was the home of legendary Chicago businessman Potter Palmer, who is responsible for making State Street what it is today.

Sadly, the castle which once overlooked Oak Street Beach is gone, replaced by the sibling apartment blocks known as 1350-1360 North Lake Shore Drive. We have friends who live there, so we won't call the buildings ugly. Whoops.

Recently, the "Ask Geoffrey" segment on WTTW's Chicago Tonight brought up the Palmer Castle and gave some very interesting background information.

Video: New Book About Soldier Field

There always seems to be a new book coming out about Chicago and its buildings.  The latest one focuses on Soldier Field.  It's called Soldier Field: A Stadium and its History. Its author, Liam Ford, was interviewed about it on WTTW's Chicago Tonight program: