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Event
Forgotten Chicago The Overlooked South Loop Walking Tour
Arguably, no other area of central Chicago has changed more drastically in recent decades than the South Loop. Join Forgotten Chicago on Sunday, May 18 for our first-ever tour of this ever-changing neighborhood, about to undergo profound evolution again in 2014 and the years ahead. Construction of the new DePaul University Arena, a new CTA Green Line station at Cermak Road, and new hotels is currently underway or expected to start this year.
We will examine many overlooked aspects of this area, including curious nightlife relics such the former Tiki Room and a prominent and long-closed hospital. Once home to the Illinois Central train station from 1893 to 1974 seen, the South Loop was also once home to Chicago's first post-Great Depression hotel and two Shoreline Motels as examined here.
The South Loop changed drastically at the beginning of the twenty-first century, including the building of a vast array of speculative condominium towers, followed soon after by the bursting of an enormous housing bubble. One of the more architecturally interesting was X/0, designed by Lucien Lagrange. Although this project was effectively cancelled in Summer 2008, the project's parking lot sign still remained onsite in early 2014. We will take a look at the site of X/O, and other not-so-successful condominium projects during this tour.
Our tour will explore overlooked industrial and transportation remnants and how the construction and expansion of McCormick Place since the late 1950s has changed this neighborhood over the years. Additionally, we will take a look at virtually forgotten buildings by architects including Albert Kahn, Holabird & Roche and two extant works by James F. Eppenstein.
The tour will head south and conclude at the campus of the Illinois Institute of Technology, where we will also take a look at the site of the legendary Mecca Flats apartment building, the subject of a remarkable exhibit at the Chicago Cultural Center until May 25. Information on this free exhibit may be found here.
Tour Details:
When? Sunday May 18 at Noon. Rain or shine.
Where? The tour will meet and begin in front of 1150 South Wabash, around the corner from the Roosevelt Red/Orange/Green Line stations. It will conclude at the 35th-Bronzeville-IIT Green Line station.
How Long? The tour will consist of about 3 1/2 miles of walking and will last approximately 2 1/2 hours.
How much? $15. Advance purchase is required. No walk-ups. All sales are final. No refunds or exchanges. If severe weather cancels the tour, credit will be issued for use on a tour of equal value.
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Location1150 S. Wabash (Tour Start) (View)
1150 S. Wabash
Chicago, IL 60605
United States
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