ART & ART DECO CLEVELAND 2006
September 13-17, 2006

We invite you to join us for another art, architecture, and design tour as we explore one of America's greatest cities: CHICAGO! Our award winning trip to Cleveland in 2006 received rave reviews and we are planning an equally exciting tour of Chicago. (Please check this web site for photos and commentary about "Art & Art Deco Cleveland 2006")

TCSCM tours are characterized by their manageable size and access to venues not typically open to the public. Our ambitious itinerary will include the Prairie School, Arts & Crafts, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, and Mid-Century.

Arrive a few days before the tour to enjoy Chicago's 30th Annual Jazz Festival: August 28-31, 2008. Headliners include Sonny Rollins and Ornette Coleman. (Sorry, but our hotel discount at The Palmer House does not include these dates.)

Highlights

• Art Deco landmarks like the Chicago Board of Trade, LaSalle National Bank Building, and the Carbide and Carbon Building.
• The "Fountain of Time," a 102 foot long sculpture by Lorado Taft.
• Frank Lloyd Wright's Home and Studio, Robie House, and Unity Temple.
• One of the largest collections of Tiffany Windows anywhere! (Second Presbyterian Church.)
• Art Deco posters and artwork from the Polish Pavilion at the 1939 World's Fair.
• Mies van der Rohe's Farnsworth House.
• Higgins Glass Studio.
• Private tour of a sculpture and art restoration studio.
• Louis Sullivan's Carson, Pirie, Scott Building and Auditorium Theater.
• Rockefeller Chapel (Bertram Goodhue, 1928) on the University of Chicago Campus.
• The stunning mosaics and marble work of the former Public Library (now Chicago Cultural Center.)
• Free time to explore Chicago's wonderful museums, Michigan Avenue shopping, or Millennium Park.
• Optional evening activities to Jazz Clubs, Blues Bars, or theater.

Itinerary

Note: this itinerary is preliminary, it may change at any time. Please check this web site frequently for the latest updates.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2

• Registration
• "Welcome Brunch" at The Palmer House.
• Architecture River Cruise, sponsored by the Chicago Architecture Foundation. Marvel at world class architecture from the perspective of the Chicago River, narrated by an expert docent. http://www.archtecture.org/.
• Rockefeller Memorial Chapel, the massive limestone Chapel on the University of Chicago campus. Completed in 1928, it is architect Bertram Goodhue's interpretation of "Modern Gothic," but the gorgeous woodcarvings that adorn the interior demonstrate that Goodhue was also a big proponent of the Arts & Crafts movement. http://www.rockefeller.uchicago.edu/.
• Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House (1910.) The quintessential residence in the "Prairie School" style, this is the culmination of Wright's search for a new architecture. Long, horizontal elements that extend far beyond the enclosures are intended to echo the flat Midwestern landscape. Beautiful leaded and stained glass windows and doors are the primary embellishments. http://www.gowright.org/.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3

• Tour of Farnsworth House, an icon of modernist domestic architecture (1951) by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. A "glass box" on the shores of the Fox River! http://www.farnsworthhouse.org/.
• Lunch at Giordano's for Chicago Style Pizza.
• Tour of The Pleasant Home (1897) by Prairie School architect George W. Maher. This 30 room mansion has a richly artistic interior with gorgeous woodwork, sumptuous stained glass, and many of the original custom light fixtures. http://www.pleasanthome.org/.
• A visit to Higgins Glass Studio, pioneers of Mid-Century fused glass. Vintage Higgins Glass is notable for its strong geometric design and bold colors. Louise and Jonathan Wimmer continue the tradition started by Michael and Frances Higgins in 1948. http://www.higginsglass.com/.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4

• Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio (1889-1911.) Wright would design over 270 houses in his lifetime, but this house in suburban Oak Park was the first that he called "home." The geometric design elements and flowing interiors--that eventually characterized his domestic architecture--can be seen here. http://www.gowright.org/.
• Unity Temple (Frank Lloyd Wright, 1908.) Given a modest budget and a small site close to noisy streetcar tracks, Wright created a structure that embodies the principles of the Universalist faith. We'll follow the route from the radical and uncompromising Lake St. facade to the warm and intimate Temple interior. http://www.unitytemple.org/.
• Lunch on your own in Downtown Oak Park.
• Private tour of an art and sculpture conservation studio. This is the firm that restored Lorado Taft's 102 foot long sculpture, "The Fountain of Time," which we will see in Hyde Park on Saturday. They employ traditional as well as the latest technology in their conservation methods. http://www.csosinc.com/.
• Chicago Board of Trade (1930.) At the top of LaSalle Street is Holabird & Root's 45-story tower, with the characteristic setbacks of Art Deco skyscrapers. Inside, a streamlined interior of black and cream marble is accentuated by a dramatic linear panel of light that cuts a wide swath along the ceiling and down the wall.
• The Rookery (Burnham & Root, 1888; interior light court remodeled by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1907.) The Romanesque exterior features a red granite base, pressed brick facades, terra cotta ornament, and turrets. Wright's remodeling of the the light courts replaced the iron railings and terra cotta cladding of the Victorian age with a more geometric design. A comprehensive restoration of the building was completed in 1992.
• 135 South LaSalle Street (formerly LaSalle Bank Building, originally Field Building, 1934. Graham, Anderson, Probst & White, architects.) An H-shaped Art Deco tower, with strong verticals of limestone and minimal exterior embellishment. The marble lobby is especially elegant with beige walls, white pilasters, and polished metalwork. Our favorite feature are the "zigzag clocks" on the mirrored Art Deco bridges connecting the balconies.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5

• Polish Art Deco posters and art (very cool!) from the 1939 World's Fair at the Polish Museum of America. Jan Lorys, the Director of the museum, will present a short program about about the Polish Pavilion at the 1925 Paris Exposition. We'll also enjoy a catered Polish lunch here. http://www.polishmuseumofamerica.org/
• Auditorium Theater (1889) Adler & Sullivan's masterpiece, both in terms of engineering and interior embellishment. Most impressive are the four broad, elliptical arches that span with width of the theater--decorated with plaster relief and gold leaf--and brilliantly illuminated by hundreds of light bulbs. http://www.auditoriumtheatre.org/.
• Former Public Library (now Chicago Cultural Center) 1897. The exterior is executed in granite and limestone: an amalgam of Italian Renaissance, Greek, and Neo-Grec elements. Most notable is majestic interior: sumptuous mosaics of glass, colored stone, mother-of-pearl, and gold leaf--inlaid in white marble. At the apex is the world's largest Tiffany stained-glass dome--38 feet in diameter--its restoration should be complete by the time our visit.
• Marquette Building (1895) An excellent example of the "Chicago Style": the structural steel skeleton is clearly articulated by its brick and terra-cotta cladding. Holabird & Roche's landmark is beautifully decorated inside--mosaics and bronze reliefs depict the travels of Jacques Marquette, a Jesuit priest and explorer. His journal from 1674-1675 documents the first description by a European of the site of Chicago.
• Monadnock Building (Burnham & Root, 1891) addition by Holabird & Roche, 1893. Remarkable in its day for the lack of exterior ornamentation, Burnham & Root shaped this structure as a single, massive unit, suggestive of an Egyptian pylon. The brickwork curves gently upward from a thick base, and then curves outward again for the cornice. Window bays run the length of the building. The later addition represents the more typical "Chicago Style" commercial architecture, with the outline of the steel skeleton clearly expressed. www.monadnockbuilding.com.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6

• Second Presbyterian Church (James Renwick, 1874) Rebuilt 1900 by Howard Van Doren Shaw. An unrivaled collection of stained-glass, with examples from every phase of Louis C. Tiffany's career.
• "The Fountain of Time" sculpture by Lorado Taft (1922) One of Chicago's most impressive monuments anchors the west end of the Midway Plaisance in Hyde Park. Taft depicts a hooded figure leaning on a staff and observing a panorama of humanity--and 100 figures--that rise and fall in a great wave.
• Powhatan Apartments (1928) An elegant Art Deco tower, it's the only large scale Chicago apartment building that fully exhibits the "stripped architecture" of recessed spandrels and continuous piers. Colorful tile panels add further rhythm and excitement to the exterior.
• Ritz 55th Garage (1929, now University National Bank) A wonderful Art Deco glazed terra-cotta facade cruises from one automobile image to the next: engines, stoplights, tires, gearshifts, etc. The first floor (now altered) once included a chauffeur's lounge.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7

• Farewell Gospel Brunch at The House of Blues.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

The registration fee is $625 per person.

SAVE $75 per person with an "early bird" discount: $550 per person if you register before July 31, 2008.

The majority of the fee goes towards transportation throughout Chicago via "luxury motor coach" (travel euphemism for a bus.)

The registration fee also includes:

• Entrance and museum fees for most tours and museums.
• A detailed guide book written especially for the tour.
• A few meals, including the opening day brunch.

The registration fee DOES NOT include:

• Transportation to and from Chicago (if you're flying you may qualify for a discount with our official airline, American Airlines.)
• Your hotel room (but we've negotiated a great deal at The Palmer House.)
• Tickets to theater or other "optional" evening activities.
• Many of your meals.

In early August participants will receive notice regarding the details and cost of some "optional" meals, outings to jazz or blues clubs, or theater tickets. Guests will be invited to participate in some or all of these optional events at their own choosing.

Space is limited — we want to keep the group to a manageable size — so please register early to avoid disappointment. Registration is on a first come, first served basis.

Registration Refunds

A full 100% refund of the registration fee will be available until July 1, 2008. A 50% refund is available until August 1, 2008. Sorry, but no refunds will be available after August 1, 2008. We have to make considerable non-refundable deposits well in advance of the tour.

We appreciate your understanding that the trip is being organized by volunteers—not travel professionals—in the event we encounter a situation beyond our control. Obviously, we will do everything we can to correct any problems that occur.

The itinerary will be updated regularly on this web site, so check back periodically for the latest information.

You may call us at 828-778-6425 or , Mick Beyer.

Application

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Please print out the application and send it with a check or money order, payabel to 20th Century Society, addressed to:

20th Century Society
of the Carolina Mountains
304 New Leicester Hwy, Suite A
Asheville, NC 28806