The Chicago Cultural Arts Center: A Thing of Beauty
The Chicago Cultural Arts Center is one of the most beautiful pieces of architecture in the Windy City, and although it is visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists each year, I still feel as though it's one of Chicago's hidden gems. With so many beautiful parks, historically important buildings, and traveling art shows like Van Gogh For All or the Art of Banksy, it's very easy to see how a tourist could walk right by the cultural arts center, or never get there at all with so much to see along the way, but for those who do decide to walk in the center's gold and green doors, they are in for a treat.
The Chicago Cultural Arts Center, formerly known as the Chicago Central Library, and Grand Army of the Republic Meeting Hall and Memorial was first designed by a Boston architecture firm (Shepley, Rutan, and Coolidge), in 1892, eventually being completed in 1897. Focusing heavily on Neoclassical and Renaissance design elements, the building has one of the most unique interiors of any building in Chicago, with the names of famous writers, philosophers, and other such intellectuals rightfully adorning its walls. With two massive stained-glass domes shedding light from the North and South of the building, nearly every image of the cultural center is painted with beautiful shading, and intricate patterns everywhere you look. Each element of the building shares the same complexity, and intricacy you can see in its famous Tiffany Dome, and overall, each inch of the building has something unique to marvel at.
This beautiful building was used as Chicago's Central Library from its creation until it's remodeling in 1977 when it became the nation's first free municipal cultural center. From then on, the building has seen little change aside from protective and restorative work to keep the building in its present-day pristine condition.
Aside from the center's beautiful structure, they also feature some very talented local and foreign artists for art exhibitions and shows several times a year, and when you catch one of these events, they add a great deal to the experience of every visit. So if you are in Chicago when you see this article, or are planning a trip to the city soon, I hope the Chicago Cultural Arts Center and surrounding public parks will make it on your list. Like many of the most beautiful things in the city, they are all free, and worth the walk no matter the distance.
The Chicago Cultural Arts Center, formerly known as the Chicago Central Library, and Grand Army of the Republic Meeting Hall and Memorial was first designed by a Boston architecture firm (Shepley, Rutan, and Coolidge), in 1892, eventually being completed in 1897. Focusing heavily on Neoclassical and Renaissance design elements, the building has one of the most unique interiors of any building in Chicago, with the names of famous writers, philosophers, and other such intellectuals rightfully adorning its walls. With two massive stained-glass domes shedding light from the North and South of the building, nearly every image of the cultural center is painted with beautiful shading, and intricate patterns everywhere you look. Each element of the building shares the same complexity, and intricacy you can see in its famous Tiffany Dome, and overall, each inch of the building has something unique to marvel at.
This beautiful building was used as Chicago's Central Library from its creation until it's remodeling in 1977 when it became the nation's first free municipal cultural center. From then on, the building has seen little change aside from protective and restorative work to keep the building in its present-day pristine condition.
Aside from the center's beautiful structure, they also feature some very talented local and foreign artists for art exhibitions and shows several times a year, and when you catch one of these events, they add a great deal to the experience of every visit. So if you are in Chicago when you see this article, or are planning a trip to the city soon, I hope the Chicago Cultural Arts Center and surrounding public parks will make it on your list. Like many of the most beautiful things in the city, they are all free, and worth the walk no matter the distance.