Blog

By John Hug, Class of 1999, and Maria Corpuz, Class of 1996

In the season of Passover and Easter, we walked by two Hyde Park/Kenwood religious structures, wonderful examples with lots of history, architecture and beauty, both completed in 1924.

KAM/ Isaiah Israel Temple (corner of Greenwood and 51^st) is the design of Alfred Alschuler.  Alschuler designed hundreds of Chicago buildings, with the London Guarantee Building (SW corner of Michigan and Wacker) being his most recognized and, on a personal note, the building that “told” John to be a CAC docent.   Chicago born and raised, Alschuler studied at IIT and the Art Institute.

Kehilath Anshe Maasriv (KAM) is the first Jewish congregation in Chicago, established in 1847.  The congregation moved south from the Sullivan designed KAM (Pilgrim Baptist Church) to Kenwood in the 1920’s, along with other Jewish congregations, at the time of the Great Black Migration.  At one point there were nine synagogues in Hyde Park/Kenwood.

Isaiah Israel was part of the second oldest Jewish congregation (1852).  They moved to this Alschuler designed building in 1924.  The two congregations merged in 1971.

The temple is based on Byzantine style (think Turkish mosques).  Two design items of note – the brickwork represents mud bricks that might have been formed in the desert, and the building is supported by arches, not columns.  In a creative move, the smokestack is disguised as a minaret.

Moving from Passover to Easter, we took a look at St. Thomas the Apostle church (55^th and Kimbark) that dates back to 1869, just as Hyde Park came into existence.  Amazingly they have worshiped in three churches over time – all at the very same location.

St. Thomas the Apostle Church was designed by Barry Byrne in 1924.  The AIA has referred to it as the “first modern church in America.”  The interior is column-less and sleek, with pews set close to the altar.  The altar juts out to the congregation.  The church was 38 years ahead of new requirements regarding interior design made by the Second Vatican Council in 1962.

Thanks to a great architect working with a great sculptor, the outside is also gorgeous.  The architect Barry Byrne, a Frank Lloyd Wright-trained apprentice, designed residential homes in the Prairie style (mostly in Seattle) but is recognized for his modern Roman Catholic church designs throughout the Midwest.  Benedictine University in Lisle is his design.

Byrne often worked with sculptor Alphonso Iannelli, the creator of the unique terracotta ornamentation on St. Thomas church.  It is much easier to view these designs than to describe them, so look at the picture to spot combinations of art deco, art nouveau and modern.

Italian-born Iannelli, was Park Ridge based.  You might recognize the Rock on the One Prudential Building as his work, as well as the art deco interiors of the Catlow theater (Barrington) and the Pickwick theater (Park Ridge).  He is also designed the zodiac plaques on Adler Planetarium and coffee makers and toasters for Sunbeam.

Hyde Park is a uniquely diverse community. As we took this walk, we remembered that we had once attended the graduation of Catholic Theological Seminary (another Hyde Park institution) at the Jewish KAM temple with a keynote address by a Muslim religious. Beautiful!