ZAHA HADID'S MILLENIUM PARK PAVILION. In Honor of Daniel Burnham. 03

Today was that perfect sultry summer afternoon to sit on the Lakefront. And watch the Thunderbirds wake up the sky. Summer has finally arrived (with the Chicago Air and Water Show).

An afternoon like this gives pause to think. Make big plans. Scrap them. Make more. Resdiscover perspective. I remembered that it is my intention to write two Reviews of the the AIC Modern Wing: one praising, one dishing. I think that I can convincingly do both. Though the dish might be more fun. But for now, the THUNDERBIRDS take first place. They skim the Lakefront from Gary to Waukegan.

.

.

And Zaha's embarassing little pavilion, that was to honor the City and Daniel Burnham, (that "ill-fitting brassiere", that " sow's ear", that "illusion of beauty") has already disappeared into Daniel Burnham's much larger scheme of things. Of blue and unbroken green, and summer. And the literally dozens of buildings, just beyond Michigan Avenue's Wall, filled with craftsmanship, tradition, detail, and a quiet poise that honors themselves, us, and the architects who created them.

ZAHA HADID'S MILLENIUM PARK PAVILION. In honor of Daniel Burnham. 02

I received a comment/question inquiring if yesterday's post regarding the Eyewash Station adjacent to Zaha Hadid's Pavilion in Millenium Park was some kind of joke. No, to all, it is not. Please find enlarged image below.

.

There is humor in neither yesterday's post nor today's clarification.

ZAHA HADID'S MILLENIUM PARK PAVILION. In Honor of Daniel Burnham

.

BELOW: THE EYE WASH STATION BELOW: FABRIC CONNECTION DETAIL (TYPE 1)
BELOW: FABRIC CONNECTION DETAIL (TYPE 2)


BELOW: ENTRANCE RAMP DETAIL (OR EXIT, DEPENDING)



BELOW: EXIT RAMP DETAIL (OR ENTRANCE, DEPENDING)



BELOW: ELECTRICAL CHASE DETAIL

I couldn't help but notice ZAHA's glistening vinyl catching the late afternoon sun -- bringing to mind Burnham's white terra cotta at the Insurance Exchange. (See previous post).

THE INSURANCE EXCHANGE. Terra Cotta

No question about it. Peirce Anderson knew terra cotta. And classic details. So well, in fact, that when George Beersman designed the Insurance Exchange addition 16 years after Anderson's original work, he saw little to improve with the primary street level ornament. It matches exactly.

.

Beersman did clip a 45 degree corner here and there, simplify the column details, streamline the glass and find room for creativity at the cornice line. But the line between old and new is barely discernable. Had his plans for a twenty story tower topper been completed (reminiscent of the Straus Bank) his contribution to the project would have been less likely to be overlooked. Instead, twenty years of Depression and War almost allow us to forget that George Beersman knew a little about terra cotta himself. He designed the Wrigley Building for Graham Anderson Probst and White.

THE INSURANCE EXCHANGE. Cast Iron Panels

These elegant cast iron panels are a part of Peirce Anderson's work for D. H. Burnham & Company's 1912 Insurance Exchange at 175 West Jackson Boulevard.

.

.

.

We shouldn't be surprised at the quality. Anderson had already "shown his stuff" in 1902. Take another look (below) at the Marshall Field Clock at State and Randolph. More photos are posted at Chicago Sculpture in the Loop.

Cast Iron. Terra Cotta. Brass. Figural Sculpture. Solid. Void. Interior Public Space. Historical Reference. Architecture as Art was spoken in a different language during the early years of the last century.

.

Hey, BTW, thanks for the good comments, DESIGNSLINGER, the photos were taken with a SONY 4.5-5.6/75-300 Telephoto and a Sony Alpha 700. Click on the Chicago Images slideshow to connect directly with my FLCKR site.

BATCHAWANA BAY. Fog Suite. 08.01.09

.

.

" What I love about language/ is what I love about fog/ what comes between us and/ things/

grants them their shine."

.

Architecture, somehow, seems another country. Credits to Mark Doty's Fog Suite, from FIRE TO FIRE, published by Harper Collins. Highly Recommended.

.

And for the best photography of Lake Superior I've ever seen take a look at this great site by Gary and Joanie McGuffin.

.

Tomorrow I'm back at the Insurance Exchange.

GONE FISHIN'

I will be away for a much needed vacation through August 4.

Notes to self: Research the humoresques at Willoughby Tower to see if they might have something in common at 203 North Wabash. Find original floor plans to compare the progression of atria, elevators, and street access between the Rookery, Masonic Temple, Railway Exchange, Insurance Exchange, People's Gas.

The vacation pic is posted at Chicago Sculpture in the Loop.