Despite knowing about the perils of global warming for decades, many cities are proving to be woefully unprepared. Many solutions are based on time-tested design principles. Here are five things cities are doing right now to combat rising temperatures.
Architecture
The Commission on Chicago Landmarks voted unanimously Thursday to grant preliminary landmark status to a pair of early 20th century skyscrapers slated for demolition by the federal government.
The move is the latest development in a fight over historic preservation and courthouse security. The government has also been pushing to demolish the Century and Consumers buildings, two early 20th century skyscrapers located to the east of the Dirksen Federal Building.
The ‘Birthplace’ of House Music Makes Preservation Chicago’s Most Endangered Buildings List for 2023
“The Warehouse should be protected as a symbol of the rich history of Chicago’s LBGTQ+ African-American community, the incredible story of house music and the groundbreaking impact that Frankie Knuckles had on the sound of modern music today,” Preservation Chicago said.
There’s more to Chicago’s architectural legacy than its gleaming downtown skyline. All throughout the city, there are buildings that inspire — you just have to know where to look.
The fate of a pair of endangered 20th century State Street skyscrapers remains up in the air after the Commission on Chicago Landmarks punted during its monthly meeting Thursday when it came time to decide whether to afford the Century and Consumers buildings landmark status.
The Hetherington family of architectural designers worked on more than 100 homes in Beverly, Morgan Park and Mt. Greenwood. A new tour is highlighting some of the homes and some of the fascinating residents.
The 1913 Consumers Building at 202 South State St., and its neighbor, the 1915 Century Building, were designed by two of Chicago’s most storied architecture firms. But multiple federal agencies have concluded the towers’ locations just east of the Dirksen Federal Building render the country’s largest federal courthouse vulnerable to attack and pose too much of a security risk to keep.
"Energy Revolution," a new exhibit at the Chicago Architecture Center, looks at climate change through the lens of architecture, with an emphasis on energy consumption. When it comes to energy efficient insulation, less is not more.
The building, 410 S. Michigan Ave., opened as the Studebaker Building in 1885 as a showroom and assembly plant for carriages. Thirteen years later, it was remodeled and repurposed as the Fine Arts Building.
Preservation Chicago has announced its annual list of most endangered buildings and landscapes, representing pieces of the city’s history most threatened with imminent erasure.
Some photographers explore cities through their neglected places. At personal risk and sometimes legal jeopardy, they look for beauty in forgotten and faded locales. Meet Jerry Olejniczak, one such photographer in search of “Abandoned Chicagoland.”
Jeanne Gang’s Studio Gang firm is one of three finalists competing to design the Teddy Roosevelt Presidential Library in North Dakota. The firms just unveiled images of their proposals.
Details on how a proposed Trump administration order could limit the design of future federal buildings.
“It is with great joy that our family welcomes you to the White House this holiday season as we celebrate the Spirit of America,” President Donald Trump, the first lady and their son, Barron, say in the signed introduction to a souvenir book visitors will receive as a holiday keepsake.
In his new book, architecture critic and photographer Lee Bey highlights visually striking and culturally significant sites on Chicago’s South Side that have gone mostly overlooked, he says.
