Thursday, October 13, 2016

October 13, 1952 -- The Funeral of Seely De Golyer



October 13, 1952 – Funeral services for architect Robert Seely De Golyer are held in the First Methodist in Evanston.  De Golyer attended public school in Evanston and went on to earn degrees from Yale University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  De Golyer is largely forgotten these days, but a ride down Lake Shore Drive from the north to the south side will take you past close nearly a dozen great residential buildings that he designed.  Perhaps most notable are his Barry Apartments at Barry Avenue and Sheridan Road, the Ambassador East Hotel on North State Parkway, and the Powhatan on Chicago Beach Drive.  During the Depression when construction came to a virtual halt in the country, the federal Public Works Administration chose the De Golyer to head a group of 15 architects as they designed the Julia C. Lathrop Homes at Diversey Parkway and the Chicago River, a huge complex that is currently in the midst of a plan for revitalization.  De Golyer also was a principal architect in the planning of the Pentagon.  The photo above shows the meticulous design of De Golyer, this detail at the entrance of 3100 Sheridan Road, The Barry.

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