Slice of Life: The Oriental Consistory

I admit it -- I had to look up the word "Consistory."  I still don't understand how it fits in to this phrase which adorns an arch at the Scottish Rite Cathedral on North Dearborn Street.  I checked the massive Encyclopedia of Chicago, but for some reason the tome has hardly any information on any churches in Chicago.  Not even Holy Name or Old Saint Patrick's warrant coverage in a book that's supposed to be encyclopedic.  I'm not sure how you can do a history of any American city without including something substantial about its faith community.

Slightly further off topic -- the park across the street from the Scottish Rite Cathedral is known by many as Washington Square Park.  But it used to be known as "Bughouse Square" and was named for the nearby mental hospital, or "bughouse" in the parlance of the time.

Chicago Brick of the Day: Boston Avenue Methodist Church, Tulsa

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:

The Boston Avenue Methodist Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

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.

Lake Forest Retail Update

Another update out of Lake Forest.  Lake Forest Food & Wine Specialities is closed, and will remain so until after Independence Day weekend.  There's lots of construction noises to be heard behind the papered-over windows, so hopefully grand things will be in store for the second half of the summer.

TweetEcho - April 12 - April 18, 2009

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

1. Chicago luxury boutique bingo: Hermes is now involved in the Barney's New York shuffle on Oak Street:http://bit.ly/WdNsh9:31 PM Apr 18th from bit.ly
       
2. Architectural review of the new Holocaust Museum in Skokie:http://bit.ly/105p2e5:28 PM Apr 18th from bit.ly
3. A look at the home automation features inside the 50 East Chestnut tower: http://tinyurl.com/dnzc92 (via Yo Chicago)3:44 PM Apr 17th from web
4. Pic of the crowd inside Kate Spade on Oak Street in Chicago yesterday waiting to meet Tim Gunn:http://twitpic.com/3fdht (via @whuddadumbsn)3:28 PM Apr 17th from web
5. @GossipChicago - Tim Gunn was at Kate Spade, not Barney's yesterday. No wonder you missed him.3:22 PM Apr 17th from web
6. The tall ships have started sailing from Chicago's Navy Pier again for the season.3:14 PM Apr 17th from web
7. The Illinois Holocaust Museum (Skokie) opens on Sunday.http://budurl.com/ILHM Keynote Speaker: President Bill Clinton (via @VisitChicago)12:51 PM Apr 17th from Tweetie
8. Giveaway season continues: Starbucks is giving away free samples of VIA coffee in front of Saks Fifth Avenue on Michigan Avenue.12:49 PM Apr 17th from Tweetie
9. WFMT sounds really good in HD. Need WGN to figure out that it's licensed to Chicago and not a downstate bean field and turn its HD on again.7:47 PM Apr 16th from web
10. OK, Twitterers- Tell us what neighborhood (and its buildings) YOU want added to Chicago Architecture Info (http://ChicagoArchitecture.... )3:22 PM Apr 16th from web
11. Overheard: Lots of tourists from Saint Louis in town today. The ones roaming River North all seem to think Chicago is, "awesome."11:13 AM Apr 16th from Tweetie
12. No crowd control needed at the grand opening of the new Barney's New York in Chicago. Only nine people in line in spite of free champagne.9:08 AM Apr 16th from Tweetie
13. Chicago Transit Authority has added status signs to the Addison stop, rapidly caching up to third world subway systems: http://bit.ly/2dBlH6:57 AM Apr 16th from bit.ly
14. Governor Quinn will fix Blagojevich's blunder and reopen Frank Lloyd Wright's Dana-Thomas House:http://bit.ly/pTExU2:08 AM Apr 16th from bit.ly
15. Off topic, I know -- WFMT(FM) is FINALLY broadcasting in HD. Hopefully we'll get some good subchannels since Chicago Public Radio blows.2:03 AM Apr 16th from web
16. Company that owns Water Tower Place, Oakbrook Center, Lincolnshire Commons, Northbrook Court, and more goes bankrupt: http://bit.ly/qds1:26 AM Apr 16th from bit.ly
17. Laid off workers in a small Illinois town are causing a big international trade brouhaha: http://bit.ly/IdBcc1:11 AM Apr 16th from bit.ly
18. A cab plowed into Petterino's (Randolph & Dearborn). No one seriously hurt. No one seriously surprised. http://bit.ly/ccVfa2:19 PM Apr 15th from bit.ly
19. Southwest Airlines is going to fly between Chicago Midway and Boston Logan (or in airplane nerd-speak: WN:MDW-BOS)http://bit.ly/BR4X2:16 PM Apr 15th from bit.ly
20. Chicago's Soldier Field ( http://bit.ly/DIW0 ) could host the 2018 or 2022 FIFA World Cup soccer matches:http://bit.ly/YiTZn2:12 PM Apr 15th from bit.ly
21. Chicagoans like to complain about the CTA, but don't realize how good they have it. Here's a feel-good CTA story:http://bit.ly/G3fe2:04 PM Apr 15th from bit.ly
22. With mass transit ridership in Chicago up 5.8 million rides in three months, the CTA is using the word "surplus":http://bit.ly/KeODn1:44 PM Apr 15th from bit.ly
23. Peter Hanig on the success of his new Michigan Avenue store and being an independent in Chicago's tough retail market:http://bit.ly/Oaei18:25 AM Apr 15th from bit.ly
24. WLS-TV reports that Streetwise may shut down within 45 days due to donation cuts. Streetwise helps the homeless rebuild their lives.5:17 PM Apr 14th from web
25. Frank Lloyd Wright's grandson will speak at the Unity Temple in Oak Park, Illinois on Thursday, April 16, 2009:http://bit.ly/1Yr2CJ9:31 AM Apr 14th from bit.ly
26. WBEZ (Chicago Public Radio) and WTTW (PBS) programs about Burnham past, present, future: http://bit.ly/2BIDuV6:41 AM Apr 14th from bit.ly
27. Nothing makes me appreciate Chicago more than a trip to the suburbs.4:10 PM Apr 13th from Tweetie
28. Wall Street Journal: Chicago's Magnificent Mile Hits a Rough Stretch - http://bit.ly/yUq547:04 AM Apr 13th from bit.ly
29. Here's the Crain's article on Apple's new North & Clybourn store: http://bit.ly/IHc38:34 PM Apr 12th from bit.ly
30. ifoAppleStore cites Crain's as reporting that Apple is moving forward with a huge new store on North and Halsted:http://bit.ly/NcnMv8:18 PM Apr 12th from bit.ly