Open House Chicago

Andy did the first shift of donuts this morning and we still managed to get to nine Open House Chicago sites. No suburban sites this year (boo!) so we went into the city and saw places in the Lincoln Square, Avondale and Albany/Irving Park neighborhoods.

1. Our first stop was DANK Haus, a German American cultural center. From the Chicago Architecural Association page: The imposing DANK Haus building was originally home to the Three Links Association, a fraternal order. (Also known as the Odd Fellows). It was designed by architect Paul Gerhardt, who also designed the historic Cook County Hospital and Lane Technical High School, among other notable local works. In 1967, DANK (the Deutsch Amerikanischer National Kongress) purchased it to house their museum, art gallery, library and language school. Today, it offers more than 150 public cultural programs each year across 77,000 square feet of space.

Andy talking to a member of the Schlaraffia Club, a German-speaking men's-only club.

This was their meeting room with lots of owls. The embodiment for wisdom, humor and Schlaraffia’s values is the eagle owl (Bubo bubo). Right at the entrance of each meeting place stands a stuffed specimen or carved statue of an eagle owl as the symbol of Schlaraffia. Before the members enter the meeting place they bow to this symbol. But be sure, they are not praying to an owl, they are not worshipping a stuffed bird. They bow before entering their friends’ playing sphere and the desire of all the others present for a meeting full of joy amongst friends. With a winking eye, they say: I am ready, let’s play!

This is where their Oktoberfest party happens. Prost!

2. Second stop was Luther Memorial Church. Luther Memorial Church began in 1897 as Ravenswood English Lutheran Church, one of the first English-speaking congregations in the area. Renamed to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, the cornerstone for a new building was laid in 1918. A larger building was required less than ten years later. Designed by the architectural firm of E.E. and E.C. Roberts, a father-son duo best known for their work in Oak Park, the Indiana limestone building is in an English Gothic style. The original building at this site, referred to as the parish house, was also remodeled at that time, and again in 1955. In 1966, hand-made contemporary stained-glass windows by Richard R. Caemmerer, Jr. were installed.

This one shows the church worshiping, a person tending to the sick and people enjoying a meal together.

The windows were beautiful. A member told us that the Brown Line el train is in one of the windows. Searching for items helps keep kids quiet and busy during worship.

3. Third stop was All Saints Episcopal Church: Chicago's oldest wood-frame church was built just one year before the city annexed the Ravenswood community. Stick Style architecture was very popular in late-19th-century America, but it is extremely rare in Chicago because the city outlawed such wood-frame construction within city limits after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. All Saints' Episcopal Church has survived expansions, renovations, fire and near-demolition. The original wood exterior and iconic tower have been uncovered and beautifully rehabilitated after decades hidden under layers of stucco. The church's interior, configured for intimate worship services in the round, is brightly lit by colorful stained-glass windows.

It was interesting how the pews were in a circle. The minister stands at the podium under the green cloth. The church was dedicated as a Chicago landmark in 1982.

4. Timed our fourth stop, Ravinia Brewing, just in time for lunch. Located in the former Diversey Metra train station, Ravinia Brewing Company has been in operation since 2016 and opened its brewpub in 2021.

Inside, the classic Brunswick Triple Arch bar was originally built in the 1920s and stood at an unknown location in Lincoln Park until it was shipped out to a Wisconsin bar in the 1990s. It has a bullet hole rumored to come from the gun of John Dillinger. Ravinia Brewing salvaged the bar in 2019 and brought it back home to Chicago.

We enjoyed tacos and a beer on the rooftop patio area. Such a perfect fall day with not a cloud in the sky.

The stairs leading to the patio are the only part left of what was a Metra train stop.

5. All-Star Press, a screen printing was our fifth (and lamest) stop. Not much to see here except some posters. They lured us in by saying there would be goody bags handed out but we didn't see any.

6. Avondale Bowl was a cool stop. Original bowling alley (Court Recreation) opened in the 1930's, 2nd rendition (Northwest Bowl) operated from the mid-50's to the early 90's, we opened the doors to Avondale Bowl in January 2020. Loved the Art Deco 1930s vibe. There was even a couple bowling, keeping score the old-fashioned way.

Interesting that the bowling alley is on the second floor of a building. Have you ever seen bowling balls organized by color?

And the bar was the most well-lit bar of any bowling alley I have ever seen. Kind of odd.

7. Then we went to Albany/Irving Park and stopped at Carl Schurz High School, a Chicago public school built in 1910 and designated a Chicago landmark in 1979. It was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 2011. Among the many Prairie Style masterpieces in the Chicago area, the dramatic Schurz High School is a rare standout. As the Prairie Style is usually found in suburban residences, it is rare to see it applied to large institutional structures. Dwight Perkins--a major proponent of the Arts and Crafts movement--was the chief architect for the Chicago Board of Education and designed a number of public school buildings. This eye-catching orange and brown behemoth features intricate two-tone brickwork and a severely-angled overhanging gabled roof--a nod to the East Asian influences on Prairie Style designs. The school's outstanding interior spaces include an exquisite and soaring domed library with murals created by the architect’s wife Lucy Perkins.

This library and its murals (the original auditorium) were absolutely beautiful.

It wasn't at all what I expected to see.

The bust of Schurz decorated for Halloween. This tells you all about Schurz.

Times have changed since I was in high school.

A student led us from the library to this huge auditorium. It seats 1,700. It's neat that the school is so old and still in use but I'm sure they'd like some upgrades. The school is a block long and sits on eight acres.

8. Can't do Open House Chicago without visiting a Catholic church so we stopped at St. Edward Catholic Church. This parish traces its roots back to 1899. Plans to build the current St. Edward Church began around 1926. Construction of the lower level was completed, but the work was halted because of the Depression. The upper church was eventually completed in 1940. It features a unique timber truss ceiling, and the exterior is mostly clad in Chicago common brick, a marker of the frugality with which it was built. Today, St. Edward Parish serves 1,300 families on Chicago's Northwest Side.

The altar up-close.

Beautiful windows.

Holy water if you need it and containers to go. They had a whole cooler to fill these little bottles. This was in the baptistry.

I always like the candle area. I think they had three different ones. Pay $3, light a candle and say a prayer (I think).

And so many statues.

We also went in the chapel.

9. I had high hopes for our ninth and final stop, the Irish-American Center, but it was kind of a letdown too. The Irish American Heritage Center is the city’s home of Irish music and arts and a year-round hub for Irish culture, hosting numerous programs and festivals. It houses a huge pub with a cozy fireplace known as the Fifth Province, as well as a library, ballroom, 658-seat theater, art gallery and museum. The Center is located in a former Chicago Public Schools building dating to 1927, restored and converted in the late 1980s. Enjoy preserved architectural elements from the original building, complemented by Celtic art painted throughout.

We did hear an Irish band perform.

And I saw these Mother Jones items and a picture of the Miners Cemetery in Mt. Olive. Funny how I grew up near there and didn't realize how famous the cemetery is. Small world.

Neat bar/meeting room. Pretty floor pattern. I wanted to go see some Ukranian churches but Andy was too tired to continue so maybe next year. And he hurt his back (uh-oh) at donuts, claiming he was just standing around and it started hurting. Had to get him home so he could nap.