Please Do Not Feed, Lincoln Park

Balance, 111 S Wacker

Ten Taxi's, Gold Coast

Roosevelt University's Glass Tower, 400 S Wabash

I new skyscraper is rising in the Loop along 400 S Wabash.  When it is completed in 2012, the Roosevelt University high rise will become the 2nd tallest academic building in the country behind the University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning.  Imagine your dorm and classroom within the same building - inside a towering glass high-rise at that.  The zigzag design is a definite head turning piece of architecture and a nice addition to the Chicago skyline.

The Towers of Merch Mart, River North

Pools are Closing, River North

Since it is now officially the fall season, I'm sure most area pools are closing for the year.  This pool is located on top of the 28-story EnV residential high-rise - as in the envy of Chicago - located in the River North neighborhood.  Views of the Loop, River North, Chicago River, and Wacker Drive can be seen here.  A friend of mine lives in the building and I was able to photograph a series of images from the rooftop a few weeks back.  You can see the rest of the images in a portfolio on my website.

Slow Day at Deloitte, 111 S Wacker

Waiting Around, Michigan Avenue

Cultural Background, Illinois Street

Gibson's, Viagra Triangle, Gold Coast

Reading on the Edge, Michigan Avenue

Photo Op, Forever Marilyn, Pioneer Court

Jack Brickhouse and Marilyn Monroe, Pioneer Court

Background Story, Rush Street

There's a short background story to yesterday's photo "Texting."  In the center of the image there is a man on a bike on Rush Street.  The woman was actually attempting to open here video app on her phone to record the biker doing a flip.  The couple on the horse paid him to perform for them.  I initially shot the photograph of the horse and carriage at the top.  As I was walking, the biker approached the couple and set the scene that you see here.  Unfortunately he was too fast for me and my camera, I missed the flip.  I've seen him around before, so maybe I'll catch him again down the road.

 

Texting, Rush Street

Cedar Hotel, Gold Coast

676, Omni Hotel, Michigan Avenue

Ridin', Lake Shore Trail

Chicago Remembers September 11th

Chicago Remembers September 11th

Steel Symbols, Ground Zero, July 2010

New York Crane, Ground Zero, July 2010

Progress, Ground Zero, July 2010

Reconstruction, One World Trade Center - Freedom Tower, August 2011

Through a Second Story Window, Ground Zero, August 2011

On September 11, 2001 I was a 21 year old college student living in my hometown of Fort Wayne, Indiana.

I woke up to a phone call from a friend of mine a little after 9:30a.  He told me two planes hit the Twin Towers in New York.  A few weeks earlier myself and two buddies of mine moved in to house that we were renting for a year.  The cable had not been hooked up yet and the regular network stations on the TV had horrible reception.  Luckily I had a radio on my CD player, so I immediately turned it on.

I learned of the events of 9/11, as most Americans learned of the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 – listening to the radio.  I remember being extremely moved by the voice and words of Peter Jennings as he was reporting the events live.  I also remember experiencing feelings and emotions that I had never felt prior to that day.  I think it was the feeling of uncertainty that I felt on that day that still resonates with me. 

To view some extraordinary images from September 11^th and the days that followed, please visit the websites of Photojournalist Peter Turnley and FEMA Photographer Andrea Booher.   

Photographer Mark Faram photographed the attack on the Pentagon on 9/11.  The New York Times has put together a slideshow from the memorial of the victims of Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Elevated Shadows, West Loop

Chicago Cultural Center

 

Over the summer I was able to photograph the Chicago Cultural Center, a truly remarkable building.  Here’s a bit a history on the one of Chicago’s architectural marvels.

The Chicago Cultural Center is a landmark building located at 78 E Washington Street at Michigan Avenue in the Loop.  Designed by architect C.A. Collidge and Robert C. Spencer, construction began over 115 years ago in 1893 and was completed in 1897 for the cost of 2 million dollars.  The building was originally home to the Chicago Public Library and Grand Army of Republic Museum.  The massive building has a neoclassical style with Italian Renaissance elements in its symmetry and proportion cladded with Indiana limestone.  The marble on the inside features mosaics and ornate bronze balusters.  Up the stairs a stained glass Tiffany dome, 38 feet in diameter, highlights the center.

Chinatown

Prentice Tower, Streeterville

It is still up in the air on whether Northwestern Memorial Hospital's Prentice Building will receive the old wrecking ball.  Plans for a new tower have not been funded and preservationists are working with city officials to save the building from demolition.  The National Trust for Historic Preservation has named the Prentice Building one of the 11 most endangered historic places in the nation.  While preservationists have succeeded at creating some attention, it does not mean the building will become a Chicago landmark which would guarantee its survival.  The question that I have is whether the building is worth saving?  Any thoughts?

Bike Lanes, Kinzie Street