The last month or so has seen a flurry of behind the scenes activity at the Babuk Report. All for the good. It’s all about Learn About Chicago a venture described elsewhere in this blog.
Learn About Chicago is an initiative that is an extension of the sort of architectural awareness and organization that I’ve done in past. It is a division of Babuk Presentations, Inc.
The major focus of Learn About Chicago targets university students who want to spend an extended period studying Chicago’s architecture. It may be a studio class led a professor from a visiting institution, or it may be a program of presentations and interactive learning experiences that I assemble. I work with the visiting groups to tailor make a Chicago experience that they will take with them, to further their studies at their home collegiate institution. Learn About Chicago can work with many other groups wanting a series of presentations – presentations delivered by myself or others – bundled together into a program that describes Chicago.
Tour About Chicago is another division of Babuk Presentations Inc. Tour About Chicago focuses on delivering articulate and informative presentations about Chicago’s architectural and railroad history. I weave Chicago’s historical sites into captivating and fascinating story lines. Tour About Chicago is much like what I’ve been doing all along. Many of the Tour About Chicago presentations – especially those that describe Oak Park and the near western suburbs of Chicago will be marketed through Visit Oak Park.
Tour About Chicago specializes in the little known parts of Chicago. Quirky history.
Babuk Presentations, Inc. is a new direction within my architectural practice. It specializes in all types of presentations; graphic design, public speaking and the like.
The American Institute of Steel Construction published a story I wrote for their monthly newsletter’s ” Bridge of the Month” feature. The story follows:
Waddell & Harrington, Consulting Engineers of Kansas City, built many of their patented bridges at many locations throughout the U.S. One example is the Hawthorne Bridge in Portland, OR, spanning the Willamette River. This bridge is configured as several individual spans that connect to the vertical lift span. This bridge truss however, is configured as a “four sheave” design with its counterweights concealed within the vertical, tower trusses. The lift span is 250 feet long, and can raise 110 feet for a total clearance of 160 feet above the river. Cables carry two 424-ton counterweights that are adjusted for tension with turnbuckles. The lift span is operated by two 125 hp motors.
The Hawthorne Bridge has been described as the oldest extant example of this type of a four sheave vertical lift bridge in the U.S.
Credit:
Darrel G. Babuk, AIA, MRAIC is an architectural historian who specializes in presentations of early industrial age structures. His presentation topics may be seen at www.learnaboutchicago.com.
Image 1: Photo from Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Historic American Buildings Survey or Historic American Engineering Record, Reproduction Number HAER ORE, 26-PORT, 10-8.
Image 2: Photo from Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Historic American Buildings Survey or Historic American Engineering Record, Reproduction Number HAER ORE, 26-PORT, 10-23.
As a sidenote, Waddell and Harrington designed and built several “Center Lift Span” bridges in the Chicago area, including the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railway, Calumet River Bridge, (1912 – 1913) and the Pennsylvania Railroad Bridge at 18th and Stewart Street (1910).
In response to a recent musing about William McGonagall, friends from Vancouver have since brought to my attention Sarah Binks, the Sweet Songstress of Saskatchewan. A regular feature on a CBC Radio broadcast, her works included poetry like this:
“My Garden”
A little blade of grass I see
Its banner waving wild and free
And I wonder if in time to come
‘Twill be a great big onion
Would anyone be upset if they learned that Sarah Binks was simply a fictitious fabrication of a University of Manitoba professor?
The Firth of Forth Rail Bridge, Queensbridge, Scotland
A recent presentation to the Scottish-American History Club about the Firth of Forth Rail Bridge would not have been complete in historical context without mention of the Firth of Tay Bridge Disaster. One in the audience chuckled, and mentioned a poem composed about the disaster written by William McGonagall.
“…On the last Sabbath day of 1879,
Which will be remember’d for a very, very, very, very, very long time…”.
While Robert Burns wears the honour of Poet Laureate of Scotland, William McGonagall is hailed as the absolute worst poet to have ever come from Scotland, and possibly the worst poet ever in the history of the English language:
Happy New Year. It’s surprising to see that we’re already a decade into the new century.
Previous posts have spoken about vacant storefronts and even vacant buildings, all from the aftermath of the latest economic turn. There is so much vacant space out there that based on current absorption rates, some markets have several years supply of some building types like… condominiums. It could take several years to recover to get back to where we were. This empty space in empty buildings simply sits and waits. No one has really caught on to the idea that this space could be re-adapted to different uses.
In the meantime, one may deduce a similar “oversupply” of the people who design and build. In this case, many of these people have “re-adapted” out of necessity. While this is good for them, it has left an enormous void of talent, skill and expertise that has left the marketplace. A colleague (formerly) in the print publishing business suggested that it may take as long as twenty years for the architectural profession to make up lost ground, lost to a “brain drain” caused by the current economy.
There are fascinating opportunities coming out of all this. While cities that best depicted the late twentieth century – the Sunbelt – have stalled from an oversupply of built space that led to sharp drops in real estate prices; many cities of the early twentieth century – the Rust Belt – are retreating.
It’s like Las Vegas vs. Detroit.
Las Vegas just opened an incredibly huge hotel complex; its economic viability is yet to be seen. Residential housing prices in the Las Vegas area are still depressed, though many feel this reveals some “great buys” in the real estate market that services retirees. The retiree market doesn’t depend on finding employment to sustain housing costs.
Detroit has even better deals – well, lower prices – in residential real estate. At first glance, Detroit may seem to be unsustainable and unaffordable: although prices are low, the potential market is people who work. In a city without jobs, housing at any price is unsustainable and unaffordable.
I’ve heard many a seminar presentation about cities like Detroit recently, and Detroit is the oft-cited example. It was a much larger city in its heyday a few decades ago: having shrunk in population but not geographical area, it’s saddled with much more infrastructure than it needs and can support. Many are projecting Detroit to be a very viable city if it trimmed its infrastructure and broadened its economic base to support a city of its current population levels – still one of the largest cities in the United States. Some are even proposing urban agriculture for Detroit, a very novel “reuse / re-adapt” concept.
Michigan Central Railroad Station, Detroit
Speaking specifically about Detroit as a precursor and example, it has the potential to be a very vibrant smaller city; the buildings that supported a larger city have been left behind. Several buildings buildings have been left in ruin – the former Michigan Central Railroad Station, various hotels and office buildings, even industrial complexes where automobiles were once assembled.
In archaeology, we know of classical ruins, of medieval ruins and the like. Here, we have a new category: modern ruins. Quite fabulous modern ruins, at that.
Regardless, it’s still a decade into the new century. Just as the nineteenth century economy was different than the twentieth century economy that followed; the nineteenth century set up the twentieth century’s economy. The same may be true of the twentieth and the twenty first century’s economies. The economic structure of the new century hasn’t revealed itself.
If the Cook County Treasurer’s display of “Christmas Trees Around the World” wasn’t enough, the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry likewise has a display of “Christmas Trees Around the World”. Unlike the Treasurer’s Office which has table top height trees, the Museum’s trees are full height – well, as full height as one could imagine artificial trees. I gather that they’re more sustainable, and they do make for quite an impressive display.
Canadian Christmas Tree at the Museum of Science and Industry
The Canadian tree was decorated by the Canadian Women’s Club, as was the tree at the Treasurer’s Office. Because the Museum’s tree is much larger, the Canadian Women’s Club used their larger ornaments on this tree, rather than drowning the smaller tree at the Treasurer’s Office in big ornaments. One can only hope that the dolly decorator programs on cable television understand this concept, rather than attempting to inflict oversized ornaments on tiny trees on society as their promotion of a new tasteful norm.
Scottish Christmas Tree at the Museum of Science and Industry
The Scottish tree likewise was decorated by the Thistle and Heather Highland Dancers, who also did the Scottish tree at the Treasurer’s Office. Something about the Scottish trees though, I can never take a photograph of them without the image being wildly out of focus.
Main Christmas Tree at the Museum of Science and Industry
The main tree at the Museum of Science and Industry was bedecked in simple, white lights this year; that in deference to the Museum’s current exhibit of the White House miniature.
Chicago is a city of neighbourhoods, and a city of many ethnic backgrounds and traditions.
Canadian tree (right), Egyptian tree (middle)
Recently, I was invited to attend the Cook County Treasurer’s / Office of Ethnic Affairs Christmas Party of “Christmas Trees Around the World”. Every year, they send me an invite to attend. They know me from the Canadian Club and from the Saint Andrew Society, am never sure what to dress up as. This event coincides with a display of Christmas trees decorated by various ethnic groups in the area, all on display in the same room where one pays property taxes at City Hall.
A Hammond Organ, an Accordion – what more could a Christmas party need?
Last year, the County Treasurer could been seen crooning Christmas carols with the Chairman of the County Board, while the Chairman played a mean Hammond organ. This year, the Chair wasn’t in attendance, but the image from last year made me think that all that was missing was someone playing the accordion, like the parade scene in “Ferris Buehler’s Day Off”. Low and behold, this year –perhaps to make up for the non-appearance of the County Chair – the German American Association of Chicago supplied a rotund fellow with an accordion, leading the crowd in an all German rendition of “Silent Night”. The County Treasurer was positioned at the Hammond organ, though not nearly as theatrical as was the County Chair. It was a very Chicago sort of thing.
Now about what to show up as: in panning both Canadian and Scottish organizations to see who would be making an appearance, the Canadian Club were planning a good showing, the Scots were lacking, so I dressed up in full highland garb. The Canadians were impressed. A lady from a Scandinavian consulate likewise appeared to be impressed though I may never know, as she only spoke to me in a language that I couldn’t understand. She did seem to be chuckling as she spoke, however.
The Scottish tree, immediately prior to a group of ladies asking me to pose beside it
On that note however, and in response to the Germanic rendition of “Silent Night”, I attempted to get a French rendition of “Jingle Bells”, or rather “Vive la Vente” without success. They only others in attendance who could speak French were a group of people from Cameroon, and I think that the whole “snow” concept may have been a bit of a novelty.
A recent editorial cartoon depicted Illinois as an airport. In the departures gate were the 2016 Olympic Games, a variety of major trade shows that recently announced leaving Chicago, and Oprah Winfrey. In the arrivals gate were prisoners being transferred from Gitmo. Much of this is directed at Chicago specifically: the “departures” noted are all from the city of Chicago, while the “arrival” denotes a town downstate.
Throughout mankind, cities have come and gone. Only a few – Rome and Athens come to mind – have endured the Millennia. Now I’m not advocating a viewpoint that Chicago has completely folded and turned into a pile of ashes, far from it. As for this economic doldrum – maybe it can resurrect from the “ashes”? Let’s take a look….
This is a vibrant – dare I say global – city. Chicago is located in a commanding geographical position that as long as North America is populated, it will never go away.
However, I’ve always thought of Chicago as being the epitome of the twentieth century – the early twentieth century. It embodied the Industrial Revolution in the United States: its economy was a product of mechanized industry. Yes, Chicago’s industry produced machines which created a sizeable market in itself. Chicago’s machines cultivated an agricultural industry which was brought to the city’s markets by machines produced in Chicago. The city’s physical layout – the skyscrapers and garden city suburbs fed by transportation devices – were shaped by machines. The transportation devices brought people to Chicago; it became a crossroads of the world – a title that still holds true today. Machines and industry brought people in Chicago together to socialize and do business – it became an organism of interurbanity.
The latter part of the nineteenth century put the foundations in place for the twentieth century. Chicago’s economy truly made it the epitome of a twentieth century city. For the first half, anyway.
To zero in on the garden city suburb reveals a clue as to what happened in the latter twentieth century. The garden city suburb worked best when people moved back and forth between city and suburb by mass transit. When the automobile supplanted mass transit, people didn’t socialize as they once did. Further, by that time, GI’s returning from the Second World War had been exposed to warmer climes with beaches. Those returning GI’s migrated to and established homes in places like… the Los Angeles Basin.
So, Los Angeles – built around freeways that serviced suburbs and all of the same kinds of inventions that built Chicago in addition to a new industry of motion picture entertainment – came to be one endless suburb. Decidely individual, built to control and even limit social interaction. Not what the garden city suburb had intended, but then, the garden city suburb never realized the extent of proliferation of individual motorcars.
So Chicago became old hat. All at once. Chicago was left to be an absolutely fabulous living museum of the early twentieth century.
Los Angeles eventually outgrew its own makings as well. For quite some time, I was quite determined to believe that the prototypical US city of the twenty-first century was going to be Las Vegas – completely manmade and artificial; exceptionally self indulgent to boot.
The current real estate bust may not support the notion of Las Vegas becoming much more than an overgrown gambling and retirement mecca.
Which brings us back to Chicago. It has the infrastructure to pick up where it left off and grow back. One may even compare Chicago to Detroit, a city that has become a “doughnut” with very little left in its core. Detroit has left behind some fabulous ruins in its wake.
The “Roundhouses of the World” exhibit that has been on display at the Hanna Public Library is closing this week. In a way, it still lives on.
The Oak Park Architectural League is having its Bi-Annual Members Show this month at the Oak Park Public Library in Oak Park, Illinois. Being a member, my contribution to the OPAL exhibition is a condensed version of the “Roundhouses of the World” exhibit. This exhibit depicts a bit of the work to date associated with the Hanna Roundhouse.
Using Prince Phillip’s musing of the studio cottages of the Banff Centre of the Arts “I gather that it’s my duty to declare this facility much more open than it previously has been”; although the OPAL exhibition is currently open to the public, the grand opening, if you will, will be held on Wednesday, December 9 at 630PM. I have been asked to say a couple words about the Hanna Roundhouse.
The Oak Park Architectural League exhibit will remain on display in the Art Gallery of the library until December 29.
The last month or so has seen a flurry of behind the scenes activity at the Babuk Report. All for the good. It’s all about Learn About Chicago a venture described elsewhere in this blog.
