This week I’m dedicating this post to my Aunt Frances. She passed away yesterday at age 90. I love and miss her so much, and this morning I realized I especially miss sharing my photos with her. She enjoyed seeing photos of my adventures in Chicago neighborhoods because she loved to wander too, but no longer could. So, this week these photos of Wicker Park Avenue are for her………….
This 2 1/2 story Victorian house located at 2138 West Pierce in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood was built for Hans (John) Runge in 1884-86. The house has intricate wood detailing and a unique mix of wood and brick construction. Hans Runge was a treasurer of a wood milling company, so that may explain the heavy use of wood in the home. In 1902 the house was sold to John F. Smulski. He was a prominent local banker and politician and a leader in the movement to make Poland a free independent state. Through this effort he worked closely with famous Polish composer and pianist Ignance Paderewski. In legend and folklore the house is more commonly known as the Paderewski House or the Polish Consulate House.
In the 1930s Paderewski gave an outdoor concert for the Wicker Park community from the building’s veranda. The Wicker Park District was once known as the Polish Gold Coast.
Wicker Park has been a part of Chicago since it was incorporated as a city in 1837. The furthest northwest part of the city was North Avenue and Wood Street. By 1853 the heart of the Wicker Park District, North, Milwaukee and Damen was populated by homes. The homes on Evergreen Avenue were built mostly in the 1880s with a few as early as the 1870s. The following architectural styles were common on Evergreen: Italianate, Queen Anne, Workers Cottages, Victorian, Gothic, and Romanesque.
Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood is home to a vivid street art scene including many beautiful murals that truly define the neighborhood. Here are just a few.
Preservation Chicago has named the 2020 Chicago 7 Most Endangered buildings/sites. Since 2003, the “Chicago 7 Most Endangered” has sounded the alarm on imminently threatened Chicago historic buildings to mobilize the stakeholder support necessary to save them from demolition. The 2020 sites are: Union Station Powerhouse, Central Manufacturing District, Washington Park National Bank, Roseland Commercial District, Chicago Town and Tennis Club, Thompson Center and Jackson Park and South Shore. Last week I went on a tour with the Chicago Architecture Center (CAC) and Preservation Chicago go five of these seven sites.The only two we didn’t visit were the Roseland Commercial District and the Chicago Town and Tennis Club.Here are some photos and highlights from the tour. For more information visit
www.preservationchicago.org
The Hawthorne Works Museum is located in Morton College at 3801 S. Central Ave. in Cicero Illinois. The museum tells the story of the Hawthorne Works factory. It showcases the Western Electric telephones and other communications products manufactured there over the years. It also delves into local history and the immigrant workforce that was so important to this plant
The Hawthorne Works was a large factory complex of the Western Electric Company. It was named after the original name of the town, Hawthorne. It operated from 1905 through 1983. At its’ height it employed as many as 45,000 people.
The facility is also know for the industrial studies held there in the 1920s; the most famous of which was called The Hawthorne effect. Unfortunately, the Hawthorne Works faced tragedy when 220 employees were killed in the Eastland Disaster in 1915. They were mostly Czech immigrants and were going to a company picnic event.
The Jane Adams Hull House Museum is located at 800 South Halsted Street in Chicago. Hull House was a settlement house that was co-founded by Jane Adams and Ellen Gates Starr in 1889. It was named after the first/original owner Charles Jerald Hull. Hull House served recently arrived European immigrants on the West side of Chicago. Hull House had grown to 13 building by 1911, and in 1912 the Hull House complex was completed with the Bowen Country Club. By 1920 there were almost 500 similar settlement houses in the U.S. Hull House was a pioneer in this movement. In the mid 1960s most of the Hull House buildings were demolished to build the UIC campus. On June 12, 1974 the surviving Hull mansion was designated a Chicago Landmark. It is also a designated National Historic Landmark and is on the register of U.S. Historic places. The Hull House Association continued to provide social services in multiple locations throughout Chicago but ceased operations in January 2012. The Hull mansion and a related dining hall remain open as a museum.
Holy Trinity Cathedral is located at 1121 North Leavitt Street in Chicago’s East Ukrainian Village neighborhood. It was designed by renowned architect Louis Sullivan and the cornerstone was laid in 1902. It was consecrated by Bishop Tithonus in March of 1903. Holy Trinity was designated a cathedral in 1923 and in 1976, the Cathedral and rectory were listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places and received official designation as a Chicago Landmark in 1979. Holy Trinity holds the honor of being the first Orthodox community in Chicago. Holy Trinity offers many community programs such as education and meals. And the church flyer says, “Everyone is invited and welcome to be a part of this parish family.” I took a tour of the Cathedral with Grace. It is a beautiful church and Grace was very welcoming and knowledgeable!
Queen of Heaven Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum is located at 1400 S. Wolf Rd. in Hillside Illinois. It is the world’s largest Catholic mausoleum and is really three mausoleums in one. Queen of Heaven was established in 1956; Queen of Angels in 1961; and Queen of All Saints in 1964. There are over 33,000 crypts, 9,000 of which are still available.
The mausoleum contains an amazing display of artwork. There are 217 stained glass windows, dozens of statues, mosaics, hardwoods and 48 types of maple works.
The Queen of Heaven Chapel (Our Lady’s Chapel) looks like a regular chapel, but on the sides of the chapel are crypts. This type of entombment was favored in early Christian times and it was believed that the closer the body was to the altar, the better the chance the person would go to heaven (because of the prayers by parishioners). The large stained glass window in back of the altar commemorates the Coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven.
As I walked throughout the building, I could feel what a special place this is…………….I’m so grateful that I happened to find this beautiful place with my good friend Carmen while we were visiting her mother’s grave.
