Friends, countrymen, Bricktopians! Lend me your eyes. Brick watch hopes you had a fantastic Valentine weekend. We here at BW certainly had an excellent weekend with our Valentine honeys. But man does it feel good to be getting back to our true love: bricks.
As you know, this week kicks off the 400 east block’s Chicago-themed block party. So in honor of Chicago, and of course bricks, we will devote today’s installment of Brick Watch to famous Chi-town bricky things.
-The Monadnock Building. Finished in 1893, it is one of the last skyscrapers to support its weight entirely on its brick exterior walls. We think bricks should support more things in modern society.
-The Robie House. Built in 1909 by famed Mid-westerner Frank Lloyd Wright. The bricks hang in just the right way that the windows are blocked from direct summer sunlight, but allowed full sun in the winter. Meteorological bricks…we like!
-The Rookery. Completed in 1888, beautiful brick exterior with an interior lobby that was refinished by Wright. It got its name from the many pigeons that would roost there. …We really can’t find anything good to say about pigeons and bricks here.
–Wrigley Field. Built in 1914, it’s ivy-covered brick outfield walls are unique among modern ball fields. And apparently, they don’t really help the Cubs win anything. Voodoo bricks are the next big thing.
-The Navy Pier’s Grand Ballroom. Finished in 1916, this soaring brickolicious structure juts out onto Lake Michigan. It looks like a bricked up steam ship.
Coming up this week, you can look forward to some video documentation of the special events (bank tellers in costume! A swing quintet! A flapper ball!) and, always, some bricktastic commentary on the progress. Happy Chicago Week, brickies.