Features

Did you ever stop and think that if The Chicago Fire had occurred on April 13, 1992, we wouldn’t have had the great fire. Why?          …

Sylvia Dunbeck, Class of 1987 “This is my contribution to modern architecture,” so said Frank Lloyd Wright when speaking of his Unity Temple. Closed since 2015 for restoration, preparations are…

By Barbara Puechler, Class of 2006 Bronzeville docents can soon include mention of cemeteries during their tour. Cemeteries are already featured on several CAF tours, examples being Graceland, Rosehill, Lake…

By David Gottlieb, Class of 2011 Which of these statements are true? 1) The Congress Plaza Hotel was originally known as the Auditorium Annex Hotel. 2) When the first section…

By Barbara Puechler, Class of 2006 The Willis Tower, that icon of Modernism on South Wacker Drive, is scheduled for something of a makeover. The $20 million expansion of the…

Greetings fellow volunteers, The third annual VAN (Volunteer Appreciation Night) was a great success! Seeing many new faces along with the familiar faces made me think how much the VEV…

By Brent Hoffmann, Class of 2005 When talking to river tourees, Barry Aldridge focuses on architects as more than just the designers of buildings. “They have to be good salesmen,”…

By Hy Speck,  Class of 1995 His name was (1) ____________ ____________, the president of (2)____________ ____________, one of the most powerful CEOs in the land. Her name was (3)____________ ____________.…

By Ellen Shubart, Class of 2006 In January 2017, my husband Richard and I visited Mexico City for a week. We spent two days visiting the architecture of Luis Barragan,…

Editor's note: Thanks to Susan Pappas for compiling the memories and photos for this article. Joyce Block - 15 years We were the class that trained during 9/11. Suddenly there…