Trip 122: The Fat Lady Sang

Date: October 16, 2011
Trip: 122
Landmarks Visited: 4
Landmarks To-Date: 353
Landmarks Remaining: 0!

The fat lady performed on a brisk Fall Sunday morning. Shawn joined me on a trip to see the four last landmarks on my list.

1. Oglesby Cooperative Apartment Building (6901 S Oglesby Avenue)

2. Gwendolyn Brooks House

The poet lived in this small frame house during the early 20th century.

3. Adams House (9326 S Pleasant Avenue)

I did not have a grand plan for the order that I visited landmarks. So I'm pleased that it worked out that a Frank Lloyd Wright design was part of my last trip. Wright was obviously important to Chicago architecture and I was a fan of his work before I even started this project.

3. Oakland District (4100 block of S Berkeley and surrounding historic structures)

My lack of planning worked out well for me again in that my very last landmark was a pleasant surprise. The heart of this district is a block Queen Anne-style cottages designed by Cicero Hine in the late 1800s. I've never seen houses quite like these in Chicago. The block very much has the feel of a German or Dutch village. I especially like the rounded corners of the first floors of some of the cottages, and the larger second floors.

I included a picture of Shawn here because he joined me for more landmark trips than anyone else. Thanks Shawn, I couldn't have done it without you!

Thanks for reading my blog! I hope that you enjoyed it.

Chris

Trip 121: Traffic Jams Can't Stop Me

Date: October 2, 2011
Trip: 121
Landmarks Visited: 4
Landmarks To-Date: 349
Landmarks Remaining: 4

This trip to the southwest side of town was slowed by a major accident on I-90. Police had the road completely closed, but luckily I had decided to exit before traffic came to a full stop. It took about 90 minutes to get to the first landmark. I was tempted to turn-around for the day, but I'm so closed to the end that I stuck it out. And thanks to GPS, getting off the expressway at a random exit is no longer a problem.

1. Waller Apartments (2840-58 W Walnut Street)

This is a relatively small apartment block near the original Sears Tower.

2. Five Houses an Avers District (1942-2102 S Avers Avenue)

This district is five houses in row on Avers. The addresses are deceiving because the houses are all within one block.

3. Iglehart House (11118 S Artesian Avenue)

This farmhouse managed to survive the growth of the city and the construction of an expressway literally next to it.

4. Palliser's Cottage Home No. 35 (2314 W 111th Place)

The landmark plaque explains that the name of this house was taken from the fact that its design appeared on page 35 of a pattern catalog titled "Palliser's American Cottage Homes". This is the only known design by this company built in Chicago.