Slice of Life: Heart in His Hands

Written By on October 23, 2009 in art, Union Street, urban decay, West Town

A bridge abutment on North Union Street is the home of this time-worn piece of art.  It’s a depiction of a human heart being cradled in a pair of human hands.  Is it creepy?  Maybe.  Is it a social statement?  Who can say?  It’s always just wonderful to stumble across works of art in unexpected...

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Slice of Life: Shameful Skyline

Written By on August 27, 2009 in Heart of Chicago, slice of life, urban decay

The famous Chicago skyline in the background is eclipsed by a skyline of refuse in the foreground at 2542 South Wood...

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Slice of Life: No Window Unsmashed

Written By on August 26, 2009 in McKinley Park, slice of life, urban decay

A pair of industrial facilities lie derelict on Chicago’s South Side.  Between the two of them, only one window remains intact.  The silos at 2860 South Damen Avenue were built in the...

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Slice of Life: Don’t Cross the Fuller Street Bridge

Written By on August 19, 2009 in Bridgeport, slice of life, urban decay

Don’t cross the Fuller Street Bridge.  Why?  Because it doesn’t exist anymore.  This is the location where the bridge once crossed a portion of the Chicago River, linking homes in Bridgeport to factories on the other side.  It was a center-pivot swing bridge, but exists only in history books...

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Slice of Life: Rats and Rust

Written By on August 17, 2009 in slice of life, urban decay

The Willis Tower peeks through the rusty superstructure of a Norfolk South railroad bridge.  Someone has helpfully spray painted a warning that there are rats nearby.  Or...

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Slice of Life: The Abandoned Damen Silos

Written By on August 11, 2009 in McKinley Park, slice of life, urban decay

A bright, shiny new barge sits in front of the abandoned South Damen Avenue silos.  We haven’t been able to find out much about them, but preliminary research seems to indicate they weren’t for grain — but for sand for some kind of...

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Update: UNStudio’s Burnham Pavilion to Close for Repairs
Aug08

Update: UNStudio’s Burnham Pavilion to Close for Repairs

Written By on August 8, 2009 in Michigan Avenue, Millennium Park, The Loop, tourism, urban decay

Last week in an article titled This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things, I wrote about how tourists and visitors are damaging UNStudio’s contribution to the 100th anniversary of the Burnham Plan for Chicago. Ben van Berkel’s sometimes-called “Light Table” pavilion at Millennium Park (25 North Michigan Avenue) has been scarred by hordes of unruly children and teens who were never taught to respect art or the...

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