Month: December 2018

The City of Aurora Illinois has some great street art. Here is just some of it. Enjoy!

*Note – Some of the art is seasonal and some is permanent (displayed year round).

St. Hyacinth Basilica is a Roman Catholic church located at 3636 West Wolfram Street in the Avondale neighborhood in Chicago. It is a member of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago. It was founded in 1894 by The Congregation of the Resurrection. It is dedicated to Hyacinth of Poland. It was dedicated October 16, 1921. Since the time it was dedicated St. Hyacinth served a primarily Polish immigrant population in Avondale, known as Jackowo.

St. Hyacinth church was designed and built by architects Worthmann and Steinbach as a basilica in the Classical Revival style. It is an example of the “Polish Cathedral Style” of churches because of its grandiose beauty and large size. Its ornate interior is of the Baroque style and has paintings by renowned artists Zukotynski and Stanisia. Renovation of the interior started in the 1990s and has largely been completed with some work still being done. What I like the most about St. Hyacinth’s is that everything there has meaning. It all symbolizes something important and is preserved. It is too much to mention it all here, but one example is the 121 relics of the Saints of the Catholic Church that are viewable on All Saints Day. And something that is viewable at any time is the dome mural of over 150 saints, clergy and laity. And of course the beautiful stained glass windows prepared by Meyer Co. of Munich Germany and later ones by the Zettler Co. of New York.

The church also has a beautiful courtyard with statues of Jesus and the Virgin Mary with Jesus as a boy. There is also a separate area outside that has monuments to Pope John Paul II, Father Jerzy Popieluszko and memorials to parishioners who served in the Blue Army during World War I. It is called the “Garden of Memory.”

Since it is a center for the Polish population in Chicago, St. Hyacinth’s has been visited by prominent leaders of the church, as well as politicians reaching out to Polish Americans. Former President of Poland Lech Walesa attended. Pope John Paul II attended prior to becoming Pope and President George H.W. Bush attended as Vice President and while campaigning for President. Mayor Rahm Emanuel has also spoken there.

I hope you enjoy the photos of this beautiful church as much as I enjoyed visiting the church. Seeing the care that was taken to preserve this beautiful church and its artifacts gave new meaning to my life.

Farnsworth House was designed and constructed by architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe between 1945 and 1951. It’s located in Plano Illinois in a rural setting right by the Fox River. The steel and glass house was built in the International and Modernist style. 

The floor to ceiling glass design of the house opens the interior to the beauty of its natural surroundings and becomes one with nature. The minimalist design of the interior and furnishings add to this openess. 

It was commissioned by and built for Dr. Edith Farnsworth who was the original owner of the property. She used it as a retreat away from the city. In 1972 the property was sold to Peter Palumbo; an art collector. While he owned the property he had a sculpture garden on the grounds, which includede antique phone booths (these are shown in one of the photos below). 

In December 2003 the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Landmark Illinois purchased the property and it is now operated as a house museum open to the public through tours. The Farnsworth House is listed in the National Register and was designated a National Historic Landmark. I enjoyed the tour of the Farnsworth House in Winter, but also vowed to return in Spring when the tulips and other flowers will be in bloom!

*Note – Thanks to Denny for the old black and white photos.

Block 37 located at 108 N. State St. is more than just a mall. It is called Block 37, because that was it’s designated number as one of the original blocks of the City of Chicago going back to 1829 when the survey and plat of the town of Chicago was developed. 

The block has a long history dating back to pre Chicago fire with many changes along the way. Initially it was home to one of Chicago’s largest theaters; then tall office buildings in the rest of the 19th century; then by 1970 it had 11 buildings including theaters, offices and retailers. 

Block 37 was largely demolished by the city in 1989 in order to build a multi-use skyscraper. The skyscraper was never built due to funding and other issues and Block 37 was an almost completely vacant city block from 1989 through 2005. Gallery37 operated there in 1991. It was a part of the After School Matters. 

Today Block 37 is a shopping mall and urban shopping, entertainment and dining experience second to none! It offers AMC Dine-in Theatres, Latinicity Food Hall, First Ascent Climbing and Fitness and stores such as the Disney Store, Anthropologie, Banana Republic, Zara, and Sephora just to name a few.  

Block 37 is definitely a shopping, entertainment and dining experience that shouldn’t be missed!