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Illinois Tourist Attractions No One Knows About

Illinois Tourist Attractions No One Knows About
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  • Post #151 - September 24th, 2012, 4:14 pm
    Post #151 - September 24th, 2012, 4:14 pm Post #151 - September 24th, 2012, 4:14 pm
    Cathy2 wrote:In East Chicago, there is another factory-developed community named Marktown designed by Howard Van Doren Shaw (who designed Lake Forest's Market Square).


    As long as you brought up both the Pullmans AND Howard Van Doren Shaw, let me humbly submit Historic Second Presbyterian Church. Although the building was originally designed by James Renwick (Smithsonian Castle, St. Patrick's Cathedral in NYC), a 1900 fire destroyed the interior and the congregation hired Shaw to redo the interior, which he did, in full arts and crafts style.
    Image
    Howard Van Doren Shaw's Arts & Crafts Interior.

    Although the renovation brought the seating up to 1200, within 20 or 30 years, much of the congregation had moved away from the Prairie Avenue area, leaving the building to be preserved by benign neglect. As a result, for example, it still has the 1901 carpeting.

    Although the Shaw design is the main reason it is on the National Register of Historic Places, it also has nine Tiffany stained glass windows, including a stunning one that is believed to have been designed by Agnes Northrup, Image
    Tiffany window detail--Pastoral window

    Even more beautiful, and certainly rarer, are two gorgeous windows by Edward Burne-Jones of the William Morris studios. Like the Tiffanys, they are almost at eye level, so you can really appreciate them.

    Image
    More beautiful than ever.

    Open for tours every Wednesday afternoon (same time as the nearby Glessner House) 1-3, every Saturday afternoon (ditto) and every Sunday after church.

    As is probably obvious, I'm a docent there and I am sad to report that many Saturdays we're lucky to get four or five people visiting. It's practically downtown, practically free ($5 donation suggested on Saturdays but lots of people, I'm also sad to report, don't even do that), and fascinating. If you come when I'm giving tours, I'll show you Mrs. Pullman's pew slip and then we'll go sit in her pew to look at the window she endowed in honor of her mother before we start off on our tour. Image


    Please visit!
    Historic Second Presbyterian Church
    1936 S. Michigan
    http://www.2ndpresbyterianfriends.org/
  • Post #152 - September 25th, 2012, 6:31 am
    Post #152 - September 25th, 2012, 6:31 am Post #152 - September 25th, 2012, 6:31 am
    There are occasional architectural tours of Pullman where you learn a lot about the overall design, which administrator lived where, the bachelor quarters, worker's homes and the social set up.


    Not the same tour, but really interesting nonetheless....fun to see both preservation and modern renovations in these homes.

    39th Annual
    Historic Pullman House Tour
    October 13 & 14, 2012
    Homes open 11:00am - 5:00pm

    Co-sponsored by the
    Pullman Civic Organization
    and the
    Historic Pullman Foundation
    One weekend each year, Pullman residents open their homes to the public for the annual Historic Pullman House Tour. These 120-year-old landmark homes range from executive mansions to 14-foot wide worker's cottages to multi-unit apartments, all with a charm and uniqueness that is part of the Pullman experience.

    Tour homes are chosen to present a cross-section of the different types of housing in Pullman and the many ways that homeowners blend the past and present in their historic homes.

    Come visit Pullman and see behind the beautiful facades into the interiors of these landmark homes.

    Proceeds from the Historic Pullman House Tour will help fund restoration and preservation projects in the Historic Pullman District.

    Location
    Historic Pullman Visitor Center, 11141 S. Cottage Grove Avenue

    Hours
    Tour homes open 11:00am to 5:00pm, each day

    Tickets
    Advanced ticket sales begin in August and are on sale at the door from 10:30am to 3:30pm, each day of the event.

    Questions
    Please call our House Tour Information Line at the Historic Pullman Visitor Center for questions and tickets at 773.785.8901.

    http://www.pullmanil.org/housetour.htm
    Reading is a right. Censorship is not.
  • Post #153 - February 6th, 2013, 9:56 am
    Post #153 - February 6th, 2013, 9:56 am Post #153 - February 6th, 2013, 9:56 am
    Heading towards LaGrange Road on Route 83 a week or so ago I spotted the remains of an old toboggan slide at the Swallow Cliff Forest Preserve. Did some research on it and learned some of its history. In the early 1920's a 100f ft. tall ski jump was constructed at Swallow Cliff, soon followed by the toboggan runs(there were 6 total). The ski jump was host to many ski jumping competitions with some drawing 45,000 people out to the site. The ski jump was condemned and torn down in 1943. Toboggan runs stayed open until February 2004. Cost of upkeep and the fear of lawsuits pretty much spelled the end of this place. Toboggan runs were removed and trees planted near the top to discourage use of the hill.

    Stopped off yesterday and got some pics, and I did walk up the 126 limestone steps on the left to the top to check out the control tower.

    Image

    Image

    good shot where you can see whats left of the 6 shoots:
    Image

    Control tower:

    Image

    Cool spot from back in the day.

    Swallow Cliffs Forest Preserve
    Route 83 - 1/2 miles west of LaGrange Road
    Palos Park, IL.
  • Post #154 - February 27th, 2013, 11:38 am
    Post #154 - February 27th, 2013, 11:38 am Post #154 - February 27th, 2013, 11:38 am
    Been wanting to get over the Hegeler - Carus Mansion over in LaSalle, IL. for a while now.

    Designed by William Boyington(also designed the Water Tower in Chicago & the Joliet Pen.). Completed in 1876(57 Rooms, - 16,000 Square feet).

    Interesting history of it being a kind of think tank of the early 1900's. The mansion is also said to contain the largest personal home gym of its time,its design and function based partially on the Turner movement that was popular at the time

    Mansion was vandalized a few weeks ago, luckily just some minor damage from what I have read.

    A fantastic building that looms over this neighborhood on La Salle's NE side. I plan on getting over here to do one of the tours they hold.

    Hegeler Carus Mansion:
    Image

    Across the street is The Julius Hegeler Home, a really nice red brick building that has been recently purchased by the Hegeler Carus foundation(great that folks are stepping up to save these relics). Built in 1902.

    Image

    Hegeler Carus Mansion
    1307 7th Street
    LaSalle, IL.

    The Hegeler Carus foundation:

    http://www.hegelercarus.org
  • Post #155 - February 27th, 2013, 2:00 pm
    Post #155 - February 27th, 2013, 2:00 pm Post #155 - February 27th, 2013, 2:00 pm
    Julia Johnas presents the life and work of William W. Boyington, architect of Chicago's Water Tower, entrance of Rosehill Cemetary and a resident of Highland Park from 1874 until his death in 1898. A long and prolific career, this event aims to showcase his best-known buildings in Chicago and Highland Park. Several Boyington-designed residences remain in Highland Park, including the log house built for Sylvester Millard in 1893, which will be featured on the 2008 Highland Park Historical Society house walk.


    Podcast of this presentation:
    http://www.wbez.org/episode-segments/ar ... -boyington
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #156 - February 27th, 2013, 4:21 pm
    Post #156 - February 27th, 2013, 4:21 pm Post #156 - February 27th, 2013, 4:21 pm
    jimswside wrote:Been wanting to get over the Hegeler - Carus Mansion over in LaSalle, IL. for a while now.

    Designed by William Boyington(also designed the Water Tower in Chicago & the Joliet Pen.). Completed in 1876(57 Rooms, - 16,000 Square feet).

    Interesting history of it being a kind of think tank of the early 1900's. The mansion is also said to contain the largest personal home gym of its time,its design and function based partially on the Turner movement that was popular at the time

    Mansion was vandalized a few weeks ago, luckily just some minor damage from what I have read.

    A fantastic building that looms over this neighborhood on La Salle's NE side. I plan on getting over here to do one of the tours they hold.

    Hegeler Carus Mansion:
    Image

    Across the street is The Julius Hegeler Home, a really nice red brick building that has been recently purchased by the Hegeler Carus foundation(great that folks are stepping up to save these relics). Built in 1902.

    Image

    Hegeler Carus Mansion
    1307 7th Street
    LaSalle, IL.

    The Hegeler Carus foundation:

    http://www.hegelercarus.org


    Thanks for this post Jim! I have driven by here on some of our experimental and wayward drives between Peoria and my home over the years.
  • Post #157 - March 7th, 2013, 1:28 pm
    Post #157 - March 7th, 2013, 1:28 pm Post #157 - March 7th, 2013, 1:28 pm
    jimswside wrote:
    jbw wrote:. . . which is, if course, the spot on the 5600 block of South Ellis where the wonderful Henry Moore statue commemorates the first self-sustaining, controlled nuclear reaction.




    soon after this first succesfull experiment, the Chicago Pile # 1(first nuclear reactor) was disassembled and moved further from the city for safety reasons around Feb. 1943. They didnt want to blow up one of the largest cities in the country.. It was reassembled on the site of a golf course off Archer Ave., in Cook County and was disposed of there in a 40 ft. pit(1950's disposal techniques), with Chicago Pile #3. Albert Einstein is rumored to have visited the site when it was in operation. THis was the original Argonne Labs, also called Univ. of Chicago's Met lab. This site was a major part of the Manhattan Project.

    Gotta be up for a mile+ round trip hike as the site is in the middle of the Red Gate Woods Forest Preserve(currently closed for the winter). Here is an old access road leading to the site( ahike throught the woods from the main parkign lot is also a way to access these old service roads), I have heard their are some of the old buildings foundations in place in addition to the (2) monuments that mark the disposal sites.



    When I saw this thread...was going to post exactly this. We were just out at both markers this winter...pretty interesting.
    Red Gate Woods parking lot was definitely open all winter.

    Image

    Image
  • Post #158 - October 1st, 2014, 10:09 am
    Post #158 - October 1st, 2014, 10:09 am Post #158 - October 1st, 2014, 10:09 am
    OK, this has nothing (NOTHING) to do with food, but I believe of interest to some*. Years ago on this site, I am sure, although I cannot seem to find the reference, we talked about the TV show Crime Story and its locations used. For years, I longed to find the round house used as the home for mob capo Bartoli. I know we talked about it somewhere as others have cross-matching interests in modern architecture and Chicago's underbelly. All we knew, I believe, was that it was in Park Ridge. I think we knew that because other things were shot there.

    Well, here it is! And it's a good as hoped. Maybe we can pool our resources to buy?

    *yeah, I understand if this is pulled 8) :roll: :evil:
    Think Yiddish, Dress British - Advice of Evil Ronnie to me.
  • Post #159 - October 1st, 2014, 1:16 pm
    Post #159 - October 1st, 2014, 1:16 pm Post #159 - October 1st, 2014, 1:16 pm
    Rob,

    We do have a thread on destinations in Illinois few have heard about. That seems like a fitting home where it will be seen again or until realtor pulls the plug on that site.

    What a decorator's challenge to appoint that house.

    Regards,
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #160 - October 1st, 2014, 3:51 pm
    Post #160 - October 1st, 2014, 3:51 pm Post #160 - October 1st, 2014, 3:51 pm
    I don't care if you merge this into that thread. Makes great sense to me.

    I just remember there was some point when like Hammond and I were discussing this. Could not find the thread though.
    Think Yiddish, Dress British - Advice of Evil Ronnie to me.
  • Post #161 - October 2nd, 2014, 6:59 pm
    Post #161 - October 2nd, 2014, 6:59 pm Post #161 - October 2nd, 2014, 6:59 pm
    Hi,

    It is entirely possible this exchange was on chowhound.

    Regards,
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #162 - October 3rd, 2014, 6:10 am
    Post #162 - October 3rd, 2014, 6:10 am Post #162 - October 3rd, 2014, 6:10 am
    Cathy2 wrote:Rob,

    We do have a thread on destinations in Illinois few have heard about. That seems like a fitting home where it will be seen again or until realtor pulls the plug on that site.

    What a decorator's challenge to appoint that house.

    Regards,


    Safe bet that no decorator was consulted for that kitchen.
  • Post #163 - October 3rd, 2014, 6:01 pm
    Post #163 - October 3rd, 2014, 6:01 pm Post #163 - October 3rd, 2014, 6:01 pm
    Vital Information wrote:All we knew, I believe, was that it was in Park Ridge. I think we knew that because other things were shot there.

    Well, here it is! And it's a good as hoped. Maybe we can pool our resources to buy?
    I grew up in Park Ridge and personally referred to that home as the Waterslide House. You know, since it looked like loops of slide at a water park.
  • Post #164 - October 9th, 2014, 8:54 pm
    Post #164 - October 9th, 2014, 8:54 pm Post #164 - October 9th, 2014, 8:54 pm
    Palmer House offers a historical tour:

    History is Hott!!
    12:00 pm - 3:45 pm

    History is Hott!!

    Palmer House Hilton’s “History is Hott” Tour is the winner of the 2013 Illinois Meetings & Event’s Editor’s Pick for the Best City Tour.

    This interactive luncheon and tour series is presented by Director of Public Relations, Ken Price, a 29-year resident historian of the property.

    Our historic luncheon and tour begins at 12:00 p.m. with lunch inside Lockwood, the property’s modern American fare restaurant. A prix-fixe menu will be prepared featuring a salad and entrée along with the hotel’s world-famous brownie and a glass of wine “to go” – serving as the ideal accompaniment for the tour afterwards. Guests will have the opportunity to meet and mingle with each other prior to the tour.

    After lunch, guests will meet Ken at 1:30pm for about a 1 hour and 15 minute lecture in the historic hotel’s museum. Following the lecture Ken will navigate guests through the hotel for highlighting the art-deco lobby, grand ballrooms, and vintage artifacts showcased throughout the famed property. These sites aren’t typically open to the public, so guests on the tour will have an exclusive insider view. Please allow yourself 60 minutes. At the conclusion of the tour participants will each receive a treat that embodies the true spirit of the hotel.

    Lunch and tour reservations are $65 per person* and need to be made 24-hours in advance. Tour is also available without lunch at $40 per person*. Tours will be offered Tuesday through Saturday and are subject to availability.

    *Does not include tax and gratuity

    For individual History is Hott Reservations call 312.917.3404.

    For group pricing please contact Oscar Perez at 312.917.1738 or oscar.perez@hilton.com.

    View History is Hott Prix Fixe Menu



    - See more at: http://palmerhousehiltonhotel.com/event ... l2h2w.dpuf
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #165 - December 30th, 2014, 9:30 am
    Post #165 - December 30th, 2014, 9:30 am Post #165 - December 30th, 2014, 9:30 am
    Driving on US74 just west of Farmer City, Illinois, there was a a Christmas display seen on the north side of the highway. Instead of reindeer pulling the sleigh, it was the winged DeKalb Corn in lights. I wish I could have stopped for a picture, but it was raining.
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #166 - December 30th, 2014, 9:46 am
    Post #166 - December 30th, 2014, 9:46 am Post #166 - December 30th, 2014, 9:46 am
    The world's largest ketchup bottle, located in Collinsville, is for sale.

    Image

    The St. Louis Post/Dispatch wrote:When you say Collinsville, you say catsup. As in the World’s Largest Catsup Bottle, a 70-foot container atop a 100-foot water tower that has stood near the southern entrance to the city since 1949.

    Now, the quirky landmark on the site of the former Brooks Catsup Co. factory faces an uncertain future as its current owners, Bethel-Eckert Enterprises, have put it on the market.
    Steve Z.

    “Only the pure in heart can make a good soup.”
    ― Ludwig van Beethoven

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