Very excited about our trip to Chicago and how this will continue to shape our development of the Open Source Learning Academy.  A few basic things: we are going to be walking…a lot.  Bring shoes you are very comfortable walking in, and note that on Friday you must have close toed shoes.  I do not suggest sandals or open toed shoes for any of the trip.  Len Peterson, a swede and one of four founders of OWP/P where I worked, famously said to me (a Californian working in Chicago): “there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.”   And spring in Chicago, who knows: it could be warm, it could be cold, it likely will rain at some point, or shoot it could even snow (and it DID – 6 inches last week!).

While it looks COLD right now, looks like it will warm up to mid 50’s while we are there, and then low 40’s end of the week.  Looks like rain on Wednesday, so bring an umbrella – we will be walking a lot on Wednesday.  Spring weather in Chicago just doesn’t know what it wants to be.  So dress in layers, and do bring a warm sweater just in case – the weather can drop quickly.  And do check in on the weather forecast next weekend.

…and I highly suggest having a pocketful of granola bars or other snacks.  We can’t stop each time someone in the group gets hungry!

Here is a link to the Chicago CTA and L map.

From O’Hare:  if you are staying at the “studio house”, it is a long way into loop on blue line to then transfer to red line to go north. Will work fine, just take a while (about an hour). However, you can take blue line (from O’Hare) to Addison, and take bus #152 down Addison. If you are not sure where to get off, just get off at Wrigley Stadium.

I am trying to set up a few appointments at the Merchandise Mart, but the following is our confirmed schedule:

Wednesday, April 1st

Walking tour of Michigan Ave and River North, in afternoon tour of UNO Soccer Academies.

9:00 am: JR Thompson Center, (Architect: Murphy Jahn) take RED LINE from Addison Station (from your location) to State/Lake stop.  Wall two blocks west to JR Thompson Center.  I would expect this would take 30-45 minutes from your Housing. Get there early and get a cup of coffee!!  We will meet at street entry level, over looking the large atrium.

  • Marina City: Architect: Bertrand Goldberg
  • Garmin Showroom: 663 N. Michigan Ave (@ E. Erie St.) Opens at 10am.  Architect: Valerio Dewalt Train
  • Hancock Tower: 875 N. Michigan Ave and E. Chestnut Architect: SOM
  • Lake Shore Towers: E. Chestnut at Lake Shore Drive  Architect: Mies van der Rohe
  • Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago, Gratz Center.  Architect: Gensler
  •  Sofitel Hotel: 20 East Chestnut St Architect: Jean-Paul Viguier

11:00am (11:30am) Poetry Foundation: 61 West Superior Street  Architect John Ronan

PLEASE NOTE: The Poetry foundation does not allow large groups. We will go in two groups of 9 at a time, PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL. DO NOT GO UP THE STAIRS.

Lunch: Portillo’s Hot Dogs (cheap): 100 W. Ontario

  • Luminaire (Furniture Store): 301 W. Superior (W. Superior and N. Franklin)
  • The Contemporaine: 516 N. Wells Architect: Perkins and Will (Ralph Johnson)

TIME PERMITTING (and you could lose hours in the Merchandise Mart):

I am considering setting up showroom tours focusing on educational furniture…if time permits.

Herman Miller Chicago Showroom
222 Merchandise Mart Plaza Suite 318, 321, 300 (312 822 8473)

KI, Inc Chicago Showroom
222 Merchandise Mart Plaza Suite 1181 (312 467-6850)

2:30pm SHARP: JR Thompson Center

Orange line to Kedzie (about 30 minutes, trains every 15 minutes)

3:30pm UNO Soccer Academies, 5050 S. Homan Ave

5:30 pm return to loop,

Dinner suggestions: Studio Deep Dish Night?:

1. Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria, 439 N Wells St, (312) 828-9800,

2. Gino’s East, River North.  500 N LaSalle St, (312) 988-4200

3. Monk’s Pub, 205 W. Lake Street.  They were miraculously able to seat our entire group last year, very reasonable prices, and if you don’t want an amazing burger, they have good salads too.  Great place, but not Chicago deep dish.

Thursday, April 2nd

8:45am: Valerio Dewalt Train500 N Dearborn, Take RED LINE to GRAND Exit.  Walk One block west.

WAIT OUTSIDE, NOT IN TINY LOBBY, UNTIL WE ARE ALL TOGETHER. DO NOT RING BUZZER.

10:30 am-1:30pm: Cannon Design225 North Michigan Ave, Suite 1100
Chicago, Illinois 60601
T 312.960.8025

Cannon Design firm tour, OSLLab informal pin-up and reviews, discussion on integrated design.

NOTE: we will not eat until 1:30 pm or so on Thursday, so a good day to have a snack in your pocket!  

Loop walking tour, and South Loop Historic Printer’s Row. Will add detail.

3:30pm: Wheeler Kearns Architects, 343 South Dearborn Street (suite 200)

5:00pm Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies (Library opens at 4pm, librarian Kathy Bloch expecting us), 610 S. Michigan Avenue Architect: Krueck and Sexton

Chicago Architecture Foundation, 224 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60604

The CAF has guided tours on Saturdays – you can see what they have if you are interested.

Dinner suggestions:

1. Live Large: Have dinner at Terzo Piano at Art Institute, reservation recommended

2.Miller’s Pub, others I will work on….

Evening: Millenium Park and Art Institute of Chicago 5-8pm on Thursday Night: 111 S Michigan Ave

AIC free entry with Illinois zip code.

Millenium Park

  • Cloud Gate (aka The Bean): Artist Anish Kapoor
  • Band Shell: Frank Gehry
  • Lurie Garden: Landscape Architect Kathryn Gustafson

Friday, April 3rd

9:00am: Meet at corner entry at 1 S. State Street, (Red Line stop is Monroe)

now Target, formerly Carson Pirie Scott (1899) Architect: Louis Sullivan

Hopefully we will be able to get to some of these places on Thursday afternoon, as this will be a very quick walking tour.

  • Sullivan façade at S. Wabash (around corner from Carson Pirie Scott)
  • Reliance Building (1890-95), 1. W. Washington, Architect: Burnham and Root
  •  Palmer House Hilton, Lobby
  •  Monadnock, 53 W. Jackson, Burnham and Root
  •  Rookery, 209 S. La Salle (oldest high-rise still standing, steel frame, brick façade)
  • Burnham and Root, Light Court FLW (need to pay for a tour to see, arg!)
  •  Auditorium Building (1889), Congress at Michigan Ave, Architect: Adler Sullivan
  •  Second Leiter Store, S. State Street, William Le Baron Jenney
  •  Inland Steel Building (1957), 30 W. Monroe, Bruce Graham and Walter Netsch of SOM
  •  Federal Center (1959-1973), 230 S. Dearborn, Mies van der Rohe, Alexander Calder “Flamingo” in Plaza

We will meet at location TBD, and take Green Line toward Bronzeville / IIT

9:45am (TBD):  IIT Student Center, (McCormick Tribune Campus Center) Architect: OMA

  • Crown Hall, Mies van der Rohe
  • Student Housing, Murphy Jahn

10:30am SHARP: Train to University of Chicago

Robie House, 5757 South Woodlawn Avenue, Architect: FLW

Booth Business School, Architect: Rafael Vinoly

12:30 PM Mansueto Library Tour

This is a special tour with permission only, I have never gotten access before.  Woohoo!

2:00pm University of Chicago Lab Schools, founded by John Dewey in 1896.

Meet with Lab School Director Robin Appleby

3:00pm Shapiro Hall, Lab Schools, Architect: Valerio Dewalt Train

4:00pm Gordon Park Construction Visit, Lab Schools, Architect: Valerio Dewalt Train

Closed toe shoes and PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) REQUIRED.  I will gather construction vests, and protective eyewear.  Hopefully they will have enough hard hats.

5:30pm Logan Center for the Arts, Architect: Tod Williams Billie Tsien

There is a cafe in the entry, I suggest we get something to eat there!!  Then explore this magnificent building.

Return to loop around 7:30 or 8:00pm.