Category: Architecture
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Canadian Architects of the Chicago School 1880 – 1935
A striking feature of Chicago that amazes visitors and newcomers alike is the ability of taxi-cab drivers to identify city landmarks by their architect. The Thompson Center? – why that’s Helmut Jahn. The Loop Post Office? – it’s Mies van der Rohe. The Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park – Frank Gehry! The part of the…
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Darrel Babuk presented with Visit Oak Park Award
At the Annual Meeting of Visit Oak Park (formerly known as the Oak Park Area Visitor and Convention Bureau), Darrel Babuk was presented with the “New Member of the Year Award”, in recognition of the Babuk Presentations, Inc. initiative. Though Darrel Babuk is a practicing architect – having completed various project and program management projects…
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It’s a New Year – 2011!
As I keep reminding people, any good Canadian Prairie Kid can tell you that there’s a good three or four days left to celebrate Christmas… In exchanging Seasons Greetings with my colleagues, the universal response has been something to the effect that “2011 will definitely be better than 2010 because it couldn’t get much worse”. …
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An Expanding Role for Babuk Presentations
The relationship enjoyed by Canada and the United States is a model to be envied around the world. While the cross border relationship thrives in many ways, the intertwined nature of both countries’ economies is fascinating: not only are both countries each others’ largest trading partner, but the value of exports from one virtually equals…
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It’s been a while, folks….
…and a whirlwind of activities it has been. Just to name a few of the distractions that came over me: Leading a program for the National Meeting of the Society of Architectural Historians that was held in Chicago. Delivering a presentation of “Canadian Architects of the Chicago School 1884 – 1935” to the National Festival…
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The North Avenue Architecture Photo Party
North Avenue, the border between the north side of Oak Park and the Galewood neighborhood of Chicago, is relatively newer than many surrounding neighborhoods. While the buildings along North Avenue post date Frank Lloyd Wright, he golfed here with friends and clients. Many used the area as a place to get away and hide from…
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Lessons Learned From Both of the Post-war Development Periods
The changing economy and its effects on the retail streetscape may be best studied in the pre-war and post-war streetscape: pre and post First World War. This particular timeframe holds fascination as it depicts a landscape before and after the automobile’s influence. Oak Park offers another excellent set of examples: it has both types of…
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Canadians in the Chicago School 1884 – 1935 Presentation
The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada holds a national convention every year, entitled the “Festival of Architecture”. This year, the Festival is being held in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and its theme will be “Sounds Like Architecture”. Proudly, I will be delivering a talk “Canadians of the Chicago School 1884 – 1935” at this year’s Festival, on June…
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So, what was that you wanted to know?
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…
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Mechanized Bridges in Portland
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…