Viewing all posts from the South Shore neighborhood

Why save the South Shore Nature Sanctuary?

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South Shore Nature Sanctuary [Eric Allix Rogers/Chicago Patterns]

South Shore Nature Sanctuary [Eric Allix Rogers/Chicago Patterns]

Every inch of Chicago’s lakefront has been shaped by human hands. Transforming a swampy scrub into terrain suitable for a major metropolis is no small project, and the contours of the shore have been aggressively adjusted to make space. Continue reading »


2842 E. 72nd St.

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2842 E. 72nd St. [Eric Allix Rogers/Chicago Patterns]

2842 E. 72nd St. [Eric Allix Rogers/Chicago Patterns]

This South Shore home was built in 1890, during the first wave of development that took place in the neighborhood, near the Cheltenham stop on the Illinois Central South Chicago Branch. It’s a nice Victorian house with an octagonal tower and a terrific arch-enclosed porch.


Preservation Chicago’s 2017 “Chicago 7” Most Endangered List

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2042 W. Madison [Eric Allix Rogers/Chicago Patterns]

2042 W. Madison [Eric Allix Rogers/Chicago Patterns]

Preservation Chicago announced this year’s “Chicago 7” list of most endangered buildings in a press conference today at the Chicago Architecture Foundation. The list is intended to draw attention to the most significant threatened buildings in Chicago each year.

St. Boniface [Eric Allix Rogers/Chicago Patterns]

St. Boniface [Eric Allix Rogers/Chicago Patterns]

Released annually since 2003, the list has led to numerous hard-won preservation successes. Both St. Boniface church and the New York Life Building, included in the inaugural list and several others since, have recently been in the news after efforts to save them ultimately succeeded. Other listed buildings remain in limbo or have gone on to be demolished, but not without a fight.

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Kenna Apartments: Early Modern Architecture in South Shore

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Kenna Apartments. This and other photos by Eric Allix Rogers except as noted.

Tucked away on a dense block of apartment buildings on 69th Street between Paxton and Crandon, the Kenna Apartment building at 2214 E. 69th Street doesn’t immediately call attention to itself. Like many neighboring buildings, it’s three stories tall, made of brick, with a hexagonal bay of windows projecting towards the sidewalk.

But look a little closer and you’ll begin to see that it’s special: the front door is flanked by elaborate stone carvings of a man, woman, and child; the wooden window frames bear intricate carved designs; and the brick corners of the protruding bay are delicately interlocking. Although subtle, these design details hint at the building’s distinguished architectural pedigree. It is the work of Barry Byrne, a student of Frank Lloyd Wright and one of the country’s most significant Prairie Style architects. The Kenna Apartment building is one of South Shore’s many gems, and quietly tells a story of how this neighborhood has nurtured some of Chicago’s best architecture.

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