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Chicago Cultural Center



Day one (Thur) - Culture Day

6.22.2017

Jennifer and I soaked in Chicago culture: deep dish pizza, wild winds, sporadic rain, and the Cultural Center, formerly the original Chicago Library.

Completed in 1897, from the floor to ceiling, every piece of the original library was handmade. Four polished floors, marble mosaics, hardwoods, brass and glass, carved wall reliefs, finely-detailed high ceilings, intricate windows, and a curious courtyard--to be seen from every side, but never touched.

Since 1991, when it became the Cultural Center, many rooms in the building now house art exhibits (free to the public), so I suppose it matches since the courtyard is simply a gigantic diorama. Pictures don’t capture the wonder. In the narrow space, stairways of various sizes climb across, up and down, or straight into a wall. Some appear strong enough to hold human weight; others are precarious in its thin roped-together steps and high rises. And there’s a swing that’s… just there… 20 feet high. If you’re fascinated by the Winchester Mystery House, this is for you.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/ae/4b/74/ae4b74ad2cb69f89f42a416436d5a06c--the-courtyard-cultural-center.jpg







-Jane Gov #alaac17






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