photographing south side chicago architecture on christmas day

as i'm sure many do, i am constantly using the "lens" of my mind, conveniently tucked away in my cortex, to record what captivates me. unfortunately, lugging around a bag of camera bodies and lenses is the only vehicle to sharing this information. this entails a perpetual rhythm of distraction, switching lenses and attending to equipment while on the move. often during these times i feel more like a crazed collector of visual data than a true observer. in the coming year a resolution will be to find a happy medium between rabid documentation and slowing down to appreciate what i am shooting firsthand.

i could barely shake that mindset on christmas day, when, while traveling to little village for a holiday party, i began to spot a plethora of subjects worthy of capture. my significant other was wonderfully patient while i meandered through neighborhoods to capture the architecture left standing from the 19th and early 20th century. with the exception of representing the central manufacturing district, and a few choice buildings which i'll likely revisit, there isn't much of a "road map" in the following gallery. in many cases, wandering is exactly how i stumble across the most enrapturing buildings, those structures that send me running home to research for hours on end.

the baptist olivet church was erected from 1875 to 1876 by the architects wilcox & miller for the first baptist church, chicago. the exterior built of joliet (lemont) limestone with ashlar trim in a rustic gothic revival style. its foliated capitals are inspired by french gothic, the windows show tracery. the square steepled belfry and gaping arches are typical of the 1870s. the large centralized interior follows the akron plan. a loft gallery surrounds three sides of the interior room. the pews, pulpit and capitals are original. a baptismal font stands behind the pulpit. the olivet baptist congregation dates back to the zoar baptist congregation, established in 1853. in 1860 it merged with the mt. zion baptist congregation choosing the new name olivet baptist congregation, first with a meeting room in the loop and then at 27th and dearborn streets. the olivet baptist congregation bought the present building in 1917 and moved in 1918.

i was pleased to capture some amazing residential ornamental terra cotta, carved limestone,  the italianate row house keystones with abstract incised floral motifs. there is nothing better than being in the "zone" with the one i love, who not only supports my mission, but encourages me to push further and achieve greater visual output.

lastly, i revisit here the weathered and worn signage i came across, an element of nearly every shoot - wherever that may be. so this "portfolio" includes a few signs that caught my attention. like so many buildings, signage often disappears without fanfare- at a faster and less "noisy" rate than architecture- so i find it's best to record this part of the urban landscape as well.

additional images from yesterday's shoot. 

ramova theater (1929) terra cotta facade and green porcelain enameled marquee sign detail. meyer o. nathan, architect

the cook county jail and court house and/or criminal courts building (known in chicago as simply "26th and cal") is encompassed by a large complex of buildings covering nearly a square mile on the west side of chicago. the most significant building (from an architectural standpoint), was designed by architects hall, lawrence & ratcliffe (who also designed chicago stadium) and opened in 1929. a neo-classical design clad in bedford limestone, the towering façade is dominated by eight massive doric columns topped by intricately carved figures representing law, justice, liberty, truth, might, love, wisdom & peace. when the jail opened, it was thought to house the largest concentration of prisoners, including noteworthy criminals al capone and john wayne gacy.