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| Kent Bloomer Owl & The Old Colony (JWB Photo) |
One of the owls,
just a portion of the 100 tons of aluminum that make up the ornamental acroterion
of the Harold Washington Library (Hammond, Beeby and Babka, 1991), looks toward
the east façade of the forlorn Old Colony Building (Holabird and Roche,
1894). The ornament atop the library is
described by the fabricator, Kent Bloomer Studio, as “a fantastical environment
of swirling seedpods, feathered helixes, and Greek palmettes. All elements are made from standard plate
aluminum, although the standard stock has been cut, rolled, welded and painted
to create exuberant and flowing forms that evoke the legacy of Louis Sullivan.”
The Old Colony
Building, looking quite the worse for wear in this photo, taken before an
exterior cleaning a few years back, is being repurposed as a residential
building, serving college students. CA
Ventures plans 111 units in the building, along with a second floor lounge and
a rooftop deck, a makeover that is expected to cost in excess of 25 million
dollars.
It’s great to see
the re-make in this great old building, at the time of its completion the
tallest building in Chicago. Almost 15
years ago the Chief Engineers Association of Chicagoland said of the Old
Colony, “A look at any class schedule for any school in the Chicago area will
show the abundance of history courses being taught our children. The Old Colony Building can give our children
what book learning cannot – a chance to view history in the here and now. Chicago is proud to lay claim to a part of
history. Let’s hope the Old Colony is
around long enough for our children’s children to experience the beauty and
wonder of an era gone by.” For this
excellent article on The Old Colony look here.
It looks as if,
when the renovation of the building is complete, our students will not just be
learning about history. They will
actually be living in a building where that history was made with a
three-minute walk to the largest public library in the country.
Good deal.
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