
The library of the Poetry Foundation, featured during the Chicago Architecture Foundation’s Open House Chicago.
Note: The Poetry Foundation was one of 200 fascinating architectural specimens open for tours during the 2015 Open House Chicago presented by the Chicago Architecture Foundation. We thought a poem might help drive home the point, after walking through this classy joint.
Over on Superior,
If you’re feeling inferior
Step inside 61 west,
And be our guest
Try out oration,
At the Poetry Foundation
The John Ronan design,
Will blow your mind
The style is modernist,
But with just a twist
There’s no need to squeal,
‘Cause the acoustics are ideal
It’s got layers of spaces,
And intimate places
This building of glass,
That’s full of class
From the outside looking in,
No, that’s not tin
Now don’t make a stink,
It’s a cladding of zinc
You can feel imaginary,
In the garden sanctuary
And a double-height library,
Big enough to lose a canary
It’s a bastion of tranquility,
And sustainability,
Now don’t be snide,
It’s LEED certified!