The Carl Street Studios is an enclave in Chicago 's Old Town neighborhood.
55-397: The Carl Street Studios complex began its life as a single family three story mansion built during the 1880s, and was, during part of these early years, reputedly owned by a mayor of the city of Chicago. During the 1880s through the 1910s, the surrounding neighborhood was a fashionable district for Chicago's upper middle class . The original structure, located on what was then Carl Street,
110-572: A countryside estate in the U.S. was demolished in 1980, along with its extensive gardens, to make way for suburban developments. In Paris, London or Rome , many large mansions and palazzi built or remodeled during the era still survive. Grand Federal style mansions designed by Samuel McIntire inhabit an area that, in 2012, is the largest collection of 17th- and 18th-century structures in the United States of America. This district in Salem, Massachusetts ,
165-496: A function hall (named for Alexander Hamilton) and a church for the town's merchant class. McIntire also designed the former Salem Court House and Registry of Deeds. After 1793, Samuel McIntire worked exclusively in the architectural style developed by Robert Adam in Great Britain and brought to America by the great Boston architect, Charles Bulfinch. The delicate Adam style , which emphasized decorative elements and ornamentation,
220-406: A highly talented and versatile Mexican immigrant, Jesus Torres . In exchange for their respective contributions, these artists would be permitted to reside free-of-charge in the studios as work progressed. Work began in 1927, when the crew of artists gutted the three-story mansion, including the basement. Edgar Miller is credited with creating the interior space plan for all of the studio units in
275-692: A more modern, undefended style. Due to intermarriage and primogeniture inheritance amongst the aristocracy, it became common for one noble to often own several country houses . These would be visited rotationally throughout the year as their owner pursued the social and sporting circuit from country home to country home. Many owners of a country house would also own a town mansion in their country's capital city. These town mansions were referred to as 'houses' in London, ' hôtels particuliers ' in Paris, and 'palaces' in most European cities elsewhere. It might be noted that sometimes
330-696: A number of homes for Derby and members of his extended family. McIntire also worked occasionally on Derby's vessels, and would fix a wagon or build a birdhouse if his patron desired. Hamilton Hall is a National Historic Landmark at 9 Chestnut Street in Salem, Massachusetts . Hamilton Hall was built in 1805 by Samuel McIntire and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. "King" Derby's stamp of approval opened many other doors for McIntire, who went on to design and build mansions for John Gardner, Jerethmiel Peirce, Simon Forrester, and other wealthy Salem shipowners. He also built on Chestnut Street
385-431: A place of revelry for residents and their guests. During the early years, the artist residents and folks from the surrounding neighborhood would gather in the east courtyard for goat roasts and annual New Years parties. The midlevel and roof gardens have also existed from an early date and have provided residents with a forum for warm summer evening get-togethers and dinners. Carl Street Studios has traditionally welcomed
440-449: A property large enough for the parish priest to maintain himself, but a mansion is no longer self-sustaining in this way (compare a Roman or medieval villa ). Manor comes from the same root—territorial holdings granted to a lord who would "remain" there. Following the fall of Rome, the practice of building unfortified villas ceased. Today, the oldest inhabited mansions around the world usually began their existence as fortified houses in
495-457: A surprise around every corner. 41°54′50.1″N 87°38′6.2″W / 41.913917°N 87.635056°W / 41.913917; -87.635056 Mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house . The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word mansio "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb manere "to dwell". The English word manse originally defined
550-508: Is a copy of Wollaton Hall . Other mansions were built in the new and innovative styles of the new era such as the arts and crafts style: The Breakers is a pastiche of an Italian Renaissance palazzo ; Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire is a mixture of various French châteaux . One of the most enduring and most frequently copied styles for a mansion is the Palladian – particularly so in
605-532: Is an example of American Renaissance revivalism. During the 19th century, along with other streets in major cities, Fifth Avenue in New York City had many mansions. Many of these were designed by the leading architects of the day, often in European Gothic Revival style , and were built by families who were making their fortunes. However, nearly all of these have now been demolished. Whitemarsh Hall ,
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#1732855646328660-476: Is called the McIntire Historic District with the center being Chestnut Street. McIntire's training came from his father and from books. He and his brothers, Joseph and Angler, began their careers as housewrights and carpenters while in their teens but, early on, Samuel's work caught the eye of Salem's pre-eminent merchant, Elias Hasket Derby. Over the next quarter century, McIntire built or remodelled
715-655: Is considered to be a masterpiece of their partnership. By the 1940s, his interior design studio featured work in copper, silver, brass, wood, and stone. Restaurants and nightclubs featuring his art included the Radio Club in Chicago and Miller Brewing's High Life Spa in Milwaukee. In his final commission before his death in 1948, Torres was hired by the Pullman-Standard Car Manufacturing Company to execute
770-610: The Ancien Régime . Until World War I it was not unusual for a moderately sized mansion in England such as Cliveden to have an indoor staff of 20 and an outside staff of the same size, and in ducal mansions such as Chatsworth House the numbers could be far higher. In the great houses of Italy, the number of retainers was often even greater than in England; whole families plus extended relations would often inhabit warrens of rooms in basements and attics. Most European mansions were also
825-529: The Mediterranean old world, whereas where estates were founded in the sparsely populated remote areas like the Pampa of Argentina or Uruguay, where iron pillars, doors, windows, and furniture had to be brought from Europe by ship and afterwards ox cart, buildings were smaller, but normally still aspiring to evoke a stately impression, often featuring, like their earlier Italian counterparts, a morador . In Venezuela,
880-531: The Middle Ages . As social conditions slowly changed and stabilised fortifications were able to be reduced, and over the centuries gave way to comfort. It became fashionable and possible for homes to be beautiful rather than grim and forbidding allowing for the development of the modern mansion. In British English, a mansion block refers to a block of flats or apartments designed for the appearance of grandeur. In many parts of Asia, including Hong Kong and Japan,
935-423: The stock market crash of 1929 , Sol Kogen's financial position was severely impacted. Consequently, during the depression, Kogen relied more and more on Carl Street Studios as a means of revenue. The "art for art sake" spirit of the complex diminished somewhat, and Kogen apparently began demanding that the studio spaces be made smaller in order to increase the number of paying tenants. A rift thus developed between
990-575: The 18th century. However, the Gothic style was probably the most popular choice of design in the 19th century. The most bizarre example of this was probably Fonthill Abbey which actually set out to imitate the mansions which had truly evolved from medieval Gothic abbeys following the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century. Mansions built during and after the 19th century were not supported by
1045-774: The 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. Initially, Miller opened a small art gallery on Pearson Street, quaintly referred to as the "House at the End of the Street," where he exhibited his own diverse opus of work, as well as the work of other modern artists, including Lionel Feininger, Rudolph Weisenborn , John Storrs, and John W. Norton. Edgar Miller's artistic venue was as diverse as any artists' in the world. He excelled at oil painting , watercolor , pastels , mural painting , plaster relief , sculpture , iron , steel and copper work, ceramics , textiles , mosaics , printmaking , wood carving , and stained glass . During his most productive period, Edgar
1100-590: The 20th century. However, unlike the Tree Studios complex, Kogen and Miller conceived of a studio complex whose interior and exterior spaces would themselves be innovative works of art, and not merely functional spaces for the production of art. To help build the complex, Kogen and Miller recruited some of their former colleagues from the Art Institute and other like-minded emerging Chicago artists, including John W. Norton, Edgar Britton, Edward Millman, Stewart Rae and
1155-458: The Art Institute showed a clear inclination toward modernism, and who won the Institute's prestigious Logan medal for his innovative work on a stained glass panel that is still displayed in the Art Institute's permanent collection. While little known today, Edgar Miller was one of the most well-known Chicago artists of his time and contributed mightily to the Chicago community's modern art movement of
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#17328556463281210-459: The age of 94. Gardens have always been an important and integral element at Carl Street Studios. From the beginning of the art studio project, peripheral flower and tree beds were formed in the east and west courtyards of the structure. Both courtyards also feature ponds where many generations of koi and goldfish have led charmed lives, while delighting residents and visitors alike. In fact, Carl Street Studios and their gardens have always been
1265-453: The art-inspired Miller and the cashed strapped Kogen and by 1936, Miller ceased work on the project altogether. It must also be said that, by this time, Miller's work was in high demand commercially, and it is unlikely that he was contributing much to the complex anyway. With Edgar Miller's departure, most of the ongoing art work in the studio complex was completed by the versatile Jesus Torres , who had been Miller's primary apprentice. During
1320-460: The artistic Montmartre neighborhood of that city, conceived of a plan to develop an artist studio in Chicago where independent-leaning Midwestern artists could work. Sol Kogen sought an environment in which modern art could be encouraged and flourish in Chicago. To assist him in this enterprise, Kogen called upon his former fellow student and friend, Edgar Miller, whose earliest work at the School of
1375-404: The artistic gestalt of the complex, Miller and his crew of artists at an early date replaced the sidewalk in front of the building with a dramatic walkway of colorful and diverse tiles and marbles which informs the visitor or casual passerby that Carl Street Studios is a unique phenomenon to Chicago, and also gives a glimpse of what mysteries lie behind the front wall of the complex. As a result of
1430-461: The asymmetrical flavor of the building. Much of the high-grade materials used in the building were reclaimed by the artists from demolished mansions in the area, demolished buildings from the 1933-34 Century of Progress International Exposition (in which many of the artists contributed), and, later during the depression, the Maxwell Street market vendors. After work on the studios in the mansion
1485-503: The challenge of maximizing light in each studio while maintaining privacy. In some units, soaring windows of stained, painted and/or obscure glass, painstakingly rendered by Miller, were installed. The building also pioneered the extensive use of block and molded, textured glass for primary living space windows. Interior walls (composed mainly of plaster ), fireplaces and floors were aesthetically enhanced with painted murals , plaster reliefs, and hand-carved patterned wood elements. One of
1540-415: The complex to continue work. Miller relished the opportunity to leave retirement and complete the project he planned almost sixty years before. From this time until the early 1990s, Edgar Miller lived in the complex and executed stained glass work, murals, and other art pieces for the building. Many of the studios were further enhanced by these later works by Miller, who eventually died in Chicago in 1993 at
1595-456: The early years, Sol Kogen and Edgar Miller presented public art exhibitions within the complex, displaying the works of some of Chicago's better known modern and avant-garde artists. Since 1930, Carl Street Studios has been the subject of numerous newspaper and magazine articles, scholarly publications and public lectures. Its eclectic design and whimsical spaces have never become stale and they continue to ensure to residents and visitors alike
1650-462: The ensuing decades, generations of artisans and craftsmen (and craftswomen) have worked on the exteriors and interiors of the studio complex. In the late 1950s Sol Kogen died, and the apartment complex was run first by Sol's wife and upon her death, Sol's daughter. In 1985, Sol's daughter sold the building to a Chicago entrepreneur, who located Edgar Miller in California and invited the artist back to
1705-457: The former mansion, which included using basement spaces as primary living areas, a novel concept at the time, and featuring duplex architectural configurations, which provided for lofted bedroom and art studio spaces above. While functional, kitchens and bathrooms were not a priority. The exterior walls of the mansion were masked with a new face of common brick and featured artistic textural elements and designs. Miller and his fellow artists met
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1760-448: The ground and uppermost attic floors. This was a period of great social change, as the educated prided themselves on enlightenment. The uses of these edifices paralleled that of the Roman villas . It was vital for powerful people and families to keep in social contact with each other as they were the primary moulders of society. The rounds of visits and entertainments were an essential part of
1815-791: The house of a clergyman was called a "mansion house" (e.g., by the Revd. James Blair, Commissary in Virginia for the Bishop of London, 1689–1745, a term related to the word "manse" commonly used in the Church of Scotland and in Non-Conformist churches. H.G. Herklots, The Church of England and the American Episcopal Church). As the 16th century progressed and the Renaissance style slowly spread across Europe,
1870-565: The hub of vast estates . The 19th century saw the continuation of the building of mansions in the United States and Europe. These mansions were often smaller than those built by the old European aristocracy. The new builders of mansions at the time explored new styles other than the Gothic tastes in architecture which were used often. They experimented with 19th-century versions of older Renaissance and Tudoresque styles; The Breakers in Rhode Island
1925-616: The interior design of the Rock Island and Southern Pacific's Golden Rocket train cars. The Best-Maugard Design Method , one of the styles taught in the Hull-House art curriculum, was heavily influenced by pre-Columbian indigenous design elements. It is possible that Torres encountered this method in Mexico, as it was a popular text in Mexican schools upon its publication in 1922. Certainly, Torres
1980-639: The large estates of their predecessors. These new mansions were often built as the week-end retreats of businessmen who commuted to their offices by the new railways, which enabled them to leave the city more easily. In Latin America, the grand rural estate , the Hacienda , Estancia, in Portuguese speaking Brazil Fazenda or Estância, with the mansion as its stately center, is a characteristic feature. Mansions tended to follow European architectural styles . Whereas until
2035-525: The last vestiges of castle architecture and life changed; the central points of these great houses became redundant as owners wished to live separately from their servants, and no longer ate with them in a Great hall. All evidence and odours of cooking and staff were banished from the principal parts of the house into distant wings, while the owners began to live in airy rooms, above the ground floor, with privacy from their servants, who were now confined, unless required, to their specifically delegated areas—often
2090-507: The most distinctive features of the apartments is the extensive and highly innovative use of a myriad of colored marbles , terrazzo , and Rookwood, Teco, Grueby and Batchelder tiles on all manner of surfaces. Decorative copper, iron and steel work abound, and creative lighting (for the time) added allure and intrigue to the studios. The exterior door of each unit enjoys its own distinctive personality (many with intricate hand carved elements by Edgar Miller and Jesus Torres), and contributes to
2145-596: The primary ethnic makeup of the new resident pool. Many of the Victorian mansions in the area, including those located on Carl Street, were converted into multi-family dwellings and some fell into disrepair. The value of real estate in the neighborhood suffered a corresponding decline. Shortly after World War I , a clique of enterprising and innovative artists enrolled at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago . Two such art students, Sol Kogen and Edgar Miller , met at
2200-510: The public to enjoy its magical spaces, artwork and gardens during the annual Dearborn Garden Walk. From the outset, Carl Street Studios served as the guiding spirit and anchor of the Old Town community as an artistic enclave in Chicago. Shortly after work began on the building, other artistically inclined individuals and groups, often with the assistance of Kogen, Miller and their band of artists, began remodeling other buildings on Carl Street (which
2255-564: The school and became friends and leaders of an avant-garde group of art students. Sol Kogen's parents were reasonably prosperous merchants from Chicago. A bon vivant throughout his lifetime, Sol entered the family business shortly after his experience at the Art Institute, and did well enough to "retire" from the business in the mid-1920s, travel to Europe for a number of years and pursue more independent and artistic endeavors. In about 1927, Sol Kogen, having spent some years in Paris , and in particular
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2310-419: The second half of the 19th century, Portugal and Spain as the colonial (or former colonial) powers were the eminent models for architecture and upper-class lifestyle, towards the end of the 19th century they were sometimes replaced by then more dominant powers like France or England. In comparably developed, densely populated countries like Mexico, feudal estates and their mansions were as grand and stately as in
2365-457: The societal process, as described in the novels of Jane Austen . State business was often discussed and determined in informal settings. Times of revolution reversed this value. During July/August 1789, a significant number of French country mansions ( chateaux ) were destroyed by the rural population as part of the Great Fear —a symbolic rejection of the feudal rights and restraints in effect under
2420-458: The structure into an aesthetically enticing, modern studio complex for emerging artists. From the outset, the central idea behind Carl Street Studios was to create a series of unique art studio apartments that would open out to closed communal exterior spaces fraught with gardens, fountains, koi fish ponds and, of course, art. A somewhat similar concept had already been established at the Tree Studios, located further south on State Street, earlier in
2475-653: The sugar beet fields, eventually settling in Chicago in the late 1920s. After enrolling for classes in English and art at the local Settlement House, Torres began to find success at the Hull-House Kilns under the tutelage of Morris Topchevsky . His collaboration with Edgar Miller began shortly thereafter, and their design and execution of the Carl Street and Kogen-Miller studios (1927-28) in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood
2530-490: The traditional Spanish mansions with a garden in the center of the property are usually referred as " Quinta ". Some realtors in the US term mansions as houses that have a minimum of 8,000-square-foot (740 m ) of floor space. Others claim a viable minimum could instead be 5,000-square-foot (460 m ) of floor space, especially in a city environment. Jesus Torres (artist) Jesús Torres (June 29, 1898 – June 13, 1948 )
2585-476: The word mansion also refers to a block of apartments. In modern Japan, a "manshon" ( Japanese : マンション ), stemming from the English word "mansion", is used to refer to a multi-unit apartment complex or condominium . In Europe, from the 15th century onwards, a combination of politics and advances in weaponry negated the need for the aristocracy to live in fortified castles. As a result, many were transformed into mansions without defences or demolished and rebuilt in
2640-401: Was a Mexican-American artist, sculptor, and designer. His facility with multiple artistic media, including clay, tile, wood, metal, and leather, made him a frequently-commissioned craftsperson in Chicago's during the 1930s and 1940s. He was one of several immigrant artists who began their practice at Jane Addams' Hull-House in the 1920s. Notable solo works include his final commission, where he
2695-506: Was completed, the artists erected additional four-story buildings lining the periphery of the property that essentially created the enveloped east courtyard that you see today. Artistic flourishes, such as interesting brick and tile work, mosaics, plaster and ceramic reliefs and wood carvings, mainly by Edgar Miller and Jesus Torres, enhanced the aesthetic impression of these newer structures, which contained additional artist studios with equally fanciful and dramatic interior spaces. Committed to
2750-491: Was contracted to create extensive murals for the Tavern and Standard Clubs in Chicago, stained glass, sculpture and relief work for many commercial, government, educational and religious buildings throughout the Chicago area, New York and in other cities, and design work for restaurants and individual residences. In 1927, Kogen purchased the mansion at 155 West Carl Street, which stood on two city lots, and asked Miller to help convert
2805-565: Was exposed to Best-Maugard at Hull-House, and the design elements foundational to the method are apparent in his work: "the spiral, circle, half circle, ‘s’, wavy line, broken line, and straight line, all derived from Aztec and Mayan motifs." Mesoamerican-inspired design would be Torres' calling card throughout his career, culminating in the distinctly Mayan-inspired Pullman cars designed at the end of his life. The artist's galleries at 5136 Blackstone Avenue in Hyde Park, where Torres lived and worked in
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#17328556463282860-711: Was hired by the Pullman Company to design the interiors of five cars for the Golden State Limited , which traveled throughout the American Southwest. Born in Silao , Guanajuato , Mexico in 1898, Torres worked as a fieldworker until emigrating to the United States with his wife María Francisca Araujo Torres in 1924. He worked as a migrant farmworker and day laborer in Texas, before moving to St. Paul, Minnesota to work in
2915-574: Was preferred for McIntire, who was efficient in design and proportions and had skill as a woodcarver. Swags, rosettes, garlands, and his signature sheaths of wheat were carved in wood surfaces in McIntire homes built between 1793 and his death in 1811. In Europe, some 19th-century mansions were often built as replicas of older houses; the Château de Ferrières in France was inspired by Mentmore Towers , which in turn
2970-464: Was quite typical of the Victorian mansions that were built during the period, and its style is fairly reflected by many of the brownstone and greystone mansions that still dot the west side of LaSalle Street between Division Street and North Avenue . During the 1910s and 1920s the socio-economic status of the surrounding area changed, with German, Bohemian and eastern European immigrants constituting
3025-606: Was renamed Burton Place during the mid-1930s) to render an amorphous and ad hoc modern character to the street. This led still others to build or remodel buildings in a similar vein on other streets in the neighborhood, including Schiller and Wells streets. In addition to the artists already identified that have resided at Carl Street Studios, others include the world-famous artists Boris Anisfeld and Mark Tobey, and television pioneer entertainer David Garroway. Hollywood starlets, such as Tallulah Bankhead , and more recently Virginia Madsen, were also residents or frequent guests. During
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