Story by Barbara Penny Angelakis
Photography by Manos Angelakis and Barbara Penny Angelakis
 

Chicago
City Of Dreams And Towering Edifices

I have always taken the aeolian epigram for Chicago “the windy city” to literally mean that the wind frequently and forcefully flying off Lake Michigan creates an atmospheric condition; but au contraire, as I learned during my recent visit. The term actually was coined for something entirely different, i.e. the volumes of verbally charged air that politicians of the late 19^th century expelled lobbying for the 1893 Worlds Fair to be held in Chicago. And since it worked, the label stuck.

The 1893 World’s Colombian Exposition introduced the first rotating ride designed by George Washington Gale Ferris. Mr. Ferris naturally called his remarkable engineering feat after himself and it eventually became the emblem for the fair. It was in fact Chicago’s answer to the Eiffel Tower constructed for the Paris Exposition of 1889 and like Eiffel, Ferris was ridiculed and attacked for proposing a structure that would surely collapse under its own weight – it was designed to hold 2,000 people - additionally it was agreed by one and all to be an eyesore. So much for the nay sayers since for 120 years the Eiffel Tower has stood as a symbol of Paris and a major tourist attraction and the Ferris wheel led to an explosion of fun family rides that till this day thrill and terrify all comers.

Eons before the Exposition, the area at the base of Lake Michigan was covered by a vast glacial lake which, when it retreated, left a swampy area that Native Americans called Chicagou, possibly after the wild onions that grew abundantly, or for the swamp gas rising out of the ooze… the true reason – and thankfully it’s smell - has been lost to history. By the time Chicagou was explored by Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet in 1674, its potential for connecting the Atlantic Ocean via inland waterways and the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico was apparent.

The city became known as the Golden Funnel providing a natural watery link from the east coast towards the west coast and down the Mississippi to New Orleans, and was well on its way to being a major crossroads when the biggest tragedy that could happen to any city at that time occurred… FIRE!

Mrs. O’Leary’s cow may not have literally kicked the bucket, but there is no doubt that the fire began in her cow’s barn at 1237 De Koven Street at 9 P.M. on Sunday October 8, 1871. The city was burned to the ground suffering an enormous loss of life. But this tragedy was also a gift to those that survived because it allowed the city to be rebuilt according to a comprehensive plan rather then the haphazard warren of dark, narrow streets and ramshackle buildings that existed prior to the fire. The timing was also advantageous as the industrial revolution was just gaining speed, permitting the city to be rebuilt taking full advantage of the new technology. As a consequence the world’s first modern skyscraper designed by William Le Baron Jenney was constructed in 1885 in Chicago using a structural iron-and-steel frame support over which a thin outside skin was applied. Chicago was rebuilt fast… perhaps too fast, which resulted in the pollution of the city’s drinking water issuing from Lake Michigan. The solution was to undertake an ambitious engineering project that would reverse the river’s flow using gravity and set the stage for greater development and growth.

The top architects of the day; the brightest engineers; the most creative designers; all converged on Chicago, drawn by the vacuum created by the fire and encouraged by the 1909 city plan laid out by the architects Daniel Burnham and Edward Bennett.  Thus began a tradition that continues to this day.

Chicago is a beautiful city - thanks to the Burnham plan - and is currently home to three of the world’s ten tallest buildings with dozens of examples of award-winning schools of architecture lining its pavements. Prime structures of Classical, Beaux-Arts, Art Deco, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie School, Modern, and my favorite, Chicago Contextual. This unique expression allows the architect to play with design elements while taking into consideration the context of the building’s placement. An example is the concave or convex shape of buildings overlooking the bend in the Chicago River which is copied and whose reflection is mirror-imaged on the surface of the glass, stone and/or marble exterior.  Or, to “borrow” details from surrounding buildings in order to pay homage to their designers, or add humorous elements that turn their buildings into a living mosaic of innovation, humor and sycophantic fawning to the creative geniuses  of the past… but always with an eye towards the future.  Many of the buildings are open to the public and can be seen in numerous architectural walking, bus and river cruise guided tours.

But Chicago is far more than a city of broad avenues and innovative architecture, its home to the blues and the music that rode up the Mississippi from New Orleans. Its theaters and comedy clubs have given many of our most beloved comics their start. The subterranean Billy Goat Tavern on Hubbard Street, just under Michigan Avenue and the strikingly beautiful Wrigley Building, is still home to the character-esque short order cook that provided inspiration for John Belushi’s Saturday Night Live “cheezborgers, cheezborgers, chips, no Pepsi... Coke” skit that added to his fame more than 30 years ago and still greets you upon entering this hangout for journalists from the nearby Tribune Tower. And no one visiting Chicago should leave without having tasted deep-dish or as locally called “stuffed pizza”. We stopped at Giordano’s and trust me; this is pizza worth writing home about.

Of course there are the big art museums, and the shop-till-you-drop Magnificent Mile stores, and the sand beaches along Lake Shore Drive, and the neighborhoods to explore; Little Italy, Ukrainian Village, Chinatown, Greektown, to name just a few, and the 360 degree view from the John Hancock Center or the death defying see through ledge on the Sears Tower Skydeck. There is a lot more to see and do in Chicago and for information and trip planning assistance call 1.877.CHICAGO (1.877.244.2246) or visit www.explorechicago.org

© September 2009 LuxuryWeb Magazine. All rights reserved.