Meeting at Robert Crown Center on Main Street in Evanston 9 AM. I have selected a few locations that I think are interesting: Of these 6 we will choose three or four to visit based on interest or ride leader's choice. There is no planned formal food stop, but we may consider a stop at Misericordia Cafe on Ravenswood Ave if time permits.:
Please send me an RSVP if you choose to ride,
ROGERS PARK / WEST RIDGE
PARK CASTLE CONDOMINIUMS
2442 W. Greenleaf Ave., Apt. 2
Architect
James Denson
Year Completed
1927
Architect James Denson designed this sprawling 1925 double courtyard brick apartment building to look like a castle, with crenelations, turrets and towers. Live swans once graced a moat-like pond. Although this feature is now gone, the bridges and some retaining walls remain. Inside the complex is one of Chicago's best-kept secrets: an extravagant indoor pool that reflects the opulence of the Jazz Age.
CASA BONITA
7340 N. Ridge Blvd.
Architect:tAlexander Capraro & Morris Kome
Year Completed1928
DETAILS:This extravagant Spanish Renaissance Revival apartment building in glistening white terra cotta surrounds a stunning landscaped courtyard. The building’s 66 units share several unusual amenities, including a billiards room, a library and a large indoor pool—one of several found in nearby apartment buildings from this period.
VISITOR EXPERIENCE:Guided tours are mandatory. They include hallways with terrazzo flooring, the party room, game room, children's play room, hobby room and indoor swimming pool. Tours conclude in the outdoor courtyard. Historical info (and lore) are provided along the way.
LOYOLA UNIVERSITY PIPER HALL
970 W. Sheridan Rd.
10am - 4pm
Architect William Carbys Zimmerman
Year Completed 1909
Piper Hall is one of only a few surviving lakefront mansions in Chicago. The 1909 Albert G. Wheeler house, bought by Mundelein College in 1934, became part of Loyola University Chicago in 1991. Meticulously restored in 2005, it is now home to the Gannon Center for Women and Leadership and the Women and Leadership Archives. The exterior is made of statuary marble and is designed in the American Foursquare style. The lavish interior of oak and mahogany is accented with Tiffany-inspired windows and fixtures, original wood flooring and a nature motif running through the plaster, woodwork and windows - all restored and sensitively updated for the house’s academic use.
Visitors can explore the exterior and first floor of Piper Hall at their leisure.
CHICAGO INDUSTRIAL ARTS & DESIGN CENTER
6433 N. Ravenswood Ave.
Built in 1911 with innovative tilt-up concrete construction, this makerspace was an early home of Zenith Electric, known as Chicago Radio Laboratory before it became a global industrial powerhouse. The facility’s history and heft is a perfect match for the work that has gone on here since CIADC opened in 2015. Equipment, workshops and work spaces are offered in casting and molding, metalworking and forging, technology and design and woodworking, with each department given its own floor. CIADC’s goal is to remove the obstacles most people face when creating 3D objects with permanent materials and industrial processes.
Visitors will enjoy a self-guided tour of the historic building and see its current activities as a non-profit industrial arts school offering classes in metal casting, metalworking and forging, CNC technology, and woodworking.
HAITIAN AMERICAN MUSEUM OF CHICAGO
4410 N. Clark St.
SUNDAY
12pm - 4pm
Year Completed
2022
Founded in 2012, the Haitian American Museum of Chicago (HAMOC)'s mission is to promote and preserve Haitian art, culture, history and community in Chicago and beyond. HAMOC is one of two Haitian-specific museums in the United States and the epicenter for Haitian culture in Chicago and throughout the Midwest. In September of 2022, HAMOC moved into a brand new building with over 2,500 sq. ft. of space to showcase its Haitian art and artifact collection. The museum features interactive labels and an oral history touchscreen platform.
Visitors will enjoy an interactive self-guided tour through the museum.
LINCOLN SQUARE / RAVENSWOOD
DANK HAUS
4740 N. Western Ave.
SUNDAY
10am - 3pm
Architect: Paul Gerhardt
1927
DETAILS:
The imposing DANK Haus building was originally home to the Three Links Association, a fraternal order. It was designed by architect Paul Gerhardt, who also designed the historic Cook County Hospital and Lane Technical High School, among other notable local works. In 1967, DANK (the Deutsch Amerikanischer National Kongress) purchased it to house their museum, art gallery, library and language school. Today, it offers more than 150 public cultural programs each year across 77,000 square feet of space. It is known by many Chicagoans for its large fifth-floor ballroom and outdoor terrace, but it contains many other hidden spaces and artifacts of interest.
VISITOR EXPERIENCE:
The 6th floor and terrace will be closed Saturday 12-5pm but open at all other times. The 3rd floor will open after 12:30pm on Saturday. A major plumbing project is in progress and there might be construction debris or certain areas temporarily off-limits. In addition to self-guided tours, a schedule of guided building tours are available (see times under "events"). Make new Friends at the Brauhaus: When the Hofbräuhaus closed in Lincoln Square a few years back, we took the original pieces and brought the bar back to life on our 2nd floor, now called the Brauhaus room! Meet DANK volunteers, friends, and members of the community here for a refreshing drink and to learn more about the DANK's history. Open all day.