Open House Chicago afternoon

Our friend Betsy had a family emergency and had to leave town but Tim met us for lunch at D'Agostino's and to continue our Open House Chicago tour with an itinerary Betsy put together for us. Slice of pizza and a beer for $9. That's a deal these days. Now, let's explore Ukranian Village.

Stop No. 5 - Intuit Art Museum, 756 N. Milwaukee Ave. - Intuit Art Museum (IAM) champions the diverse voices of self-taught art.

Have to say I wasn't impressed with this stop.

Stop No. 6 - Kenar Studio, 1007 N. Wolcott - Kenar Studio is the private studio of renowned artist Jerzy S. Kenar, who specializes in interactive installations and sculpture. The studio, established in 1980, serves as a showroom for many of Kenar's unique pieces. His work appears locally at Harold Washington Library and O'Hare International Airport, as well as in many locations and private collections around the world.

Well, unique is a word for it.

It was interesting to hear from Kenar (at right) discuss the art that was on the patio and the meaning behind it.

Stop No. 7 - Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral, 1121 N. Leavitt St. - Holy Trinity is one of just two churches designed by Louis Sullivan. It is the oldest Orthodox parish in Chicago, founded in 1892, and the Cathedral for the Orthodox Church in America: Diocese of the Midwest. Holy Trinity was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 and named a Chicago Landmark in 1979.

Pretty church but I had to agree with Tim - we didn't see much Louis Sullivan.

I love when churches have candles for parishioners to light.

Stop No. 8 - St. Nicholas Ukranian Catholic Cathedral - 835 N. Oakley Blvd. - The parish, founded in 1906, quickly outgrew a small wooden church. The current building was modeled after the 11th-century St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, Ukraine. The edifice has 13 green cupolas topped with gold crosses rising 167 feet into the sky, representing Christ and his 12 apostles. St. Nicholas is recognized for its magnificent icons, mosaics and stained-glass windows designed by Munich Studio of Chicago. Hanging from the highest dome in the center of the cathedral is a brilliant nine-tiered golden chandelier from Greece equipped with 480 lights.

Wow.

Beautiful window.

More candles.

Stop No. 9 - Sts. Volodymyr and Olha Ukranian Catholic Church - The Church of Sts. Volodymyr and Olha in Chicago is built in a pure Byzantine style. It was the only eastern rite church chosen for WTTW "Most Beautiful Places in Chicago" special. Its shape, its emphasis is on rounded arches and domes, and even the fact that it faces East has meaning.

So pretty. Just one vlock from themother Catholic Ukranian church we visited.

The dome was amazing...

as were the windows.

Stop No. 10 - Ukranian National Museum, 2249 W. Superior - The Museum was founded in 1952 and stands as one of the finest achievements of the Ukrainian American community. Its exceptional collection of folk art, fine art, and extensive archival materials bring broad appeal for diverse audiences.

This was another unexpected stop but when we walked out of the church, it was right across the street. These tools, used to make pysanku, the Ukranian eggs, was donated by a woman, Vera Samycia, who I interviewed when I worked in Pioneer Press' Park Ridge office. She gave me an egg at the end of the interview, which I keep in my little china cabinet. It's one of my favorite feature stories.

A collection of Vera's eggs.

Stop No. 11 - St. Helen Roman Catholic Church, 2315 W. Augusta - This Polish parish was formed in 1913, and in the early 1960s commissioned the present church building which blends Art Deco, Modernism and traditional styles with a Biblical fish motif. The spacious interior and ceiling are designed to draw all eyes to the altar, which is illuminated by light coming through slits in the walls. The stained glass contains mostly geometric patterns in small fragments of bright, unfiltered colors.

Very modern for a Catholic church. Those triangles on the ceiling represent the 12 disciples.

Interesting to see stained glass windows that don't depict Bible scenes.

More candles.

The baptismal area had its own little chapel. The font is shell-shaped and the water theme carries into the floor with fish depicted in the tile.

We did so much walking and took a few wrong turns along the way. There was another stop on the itinerary Betsy made for us but we were tired. We had a drink at Fatpour and called it a day.