Gold Coast |
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Lake Shore Drive North
The Green Leaf is yet another social club enjoyed by the elite of Chicago and is a meld between the old and the new. Located just south of Lincoln Park in the center of the Gold Coast, the stately structure is a meld of Classic Revival and French Baroque elements. The Green Leaf features similar amenities to the other clubs, such as access to the marina. Both members and guests have found the elegant surroundings remarkably suited to their refined tastes. The membership criteria for the Green Leaf is highly discriminating and most of the list reads as a who's who of Chicago's civic and cultural leaders. The area in which the club is located borders the commercial and residential areas of the Gold Coast. While the street on which it stands is made up of residences and small boutiques, the rear of the building faces larger and more tightly condensed buildings which is separated by a lonely and dark alley. In this sparsely lit and quiet place a stairway leads to the basement level of the club, used primarily for shipping and receiving of perishables for the banquet halls and dining rooms.
Located in the Gold Coast of Chicago, this posh hotel, redecorated in the Art Deco during the 1920's, has amenities that make it popular among visitors and Chicagoans. A revolving door of mahogany and etched glass with brass rails welcomes the arrivals with doors to either side for the doormen to use when rolling in luggage on their shiny brass luggage carts. Upon entering the lobby one is greeted by an onslaught of activity from the patrons of the hotel and the staff which is carried out in a setting of sheer elegance and stature. The west wall of the lobby consists of hotel services tucked behind a front desk constructed with the skill of expert craftsmen in mahogany and brass. Services include: check-in, bell hop, concierge, and hotel manager's office. To the sides of this staircase are thoroughfares leading to the rear of the building and to house phones which are enclosed in mahogany and glass booths. Directly behind the staircase, at the start of the thoroughfare, is a secluded foyer which houses the elevators -- each complete with its own white-gloved attendant ready to help guest reach the comforts of their rooms. This is accessed at either side of the staircase. The thoroughfare continues past the elevators and reunites in the rear of the building which houses several boutiques, a shoe shine stand, a news stand, spa, salon, and a gift shop. |
General Information Mar 4 2009, 11:23 PM, By Giovanni Esposito | ||
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Lake Shore Drive South
The elite of Chicago make the Chicago Country Club one of their main social stops. Facilities include a banquet hall, lounges, and a members only restaurant which caters to the discriminating pallets of the members. It's fixtures and decor are light and streamlined with mirrors adorning the walls, providing the upper class peacocks with ample space at which to view oneself in their finery. The club is has its own golf course and convenient access to the marina which of course is a prerequisite to those who find that sailing is a true upper-class past time. Of course the club provides dock space to its members and a fabulous afternoon tea.
Established in 1845, the Chicago Gentlemen's Club is the most conservative fraternal organization in the city and it has ties to Masonic orders. Here in this lavish English interior men from the most elite industrial families quietly engage in games of chess, teas, reading the newspapers and discussions that affect the world over. Facilities include access to the marina, banquet halls, libraries, peaceful lounges by which to smoke a cigar and pass the time with one's fellows, a gymnasium, meeting rooms, studies, and the like. The Chicago Gentlemen's Club's membership standards are strict. Admittance requires money, a name, and a white Anglo-Saxon Protestant heritage. No women have ever been allowed to set foot into the building. Servants and employees of the club are white only. Chicago's main pleasure yachting and marina area is located just north of the mouth of the Chicago River in the Gold Coast and bordering Downtown. The Marina is strictly a private use area only and no commercial docking is available. This keeps in theme of city planners not to destroy the valuable lake shore property with unsightly industrial blemishes. The area is picturesque and well maintained. As large columns and statues lead down a gardened avenue to the marina, offering a gorgeous panoramic view of Lake Michigan. |
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Upper Downtown
The Magnificent Mile is one of two main shopping and nightlife districts in the heart of the city. This area is made up of the more commercial areas in the Gold Coast and features rows of highly exclusive shops, restaurants, theaters, galleries, hotels, salons, and offices. The Magnificent Mile refers to North Michigan Avenue stretching from Lake Shore Drive down to Ontario and Ohio Streets. Here the streets are almost always busy as the area is perfect for window shopping and evening strolls. The Magnificent Mile is similar in density to Downtown. The buildings are tightly packed together and the sidewalks are crowded with pedestrians out on the town. The architecture here is majestic as great care is taken into the masonry and embellishments of the granite buildings. The streets are crowded with trolleys, exquisite cars, and the occasional horse drawn carriage which is most common in the summer months.
This Richardson Romanesque-style building, which houses the Cook County Criminal Courts, and was the site of many legendary trials, including the Leopold and Loeb murder case of 1924, and the Black Sox Scandal of 1919. Newspapermen Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur based much of their 1928 play, " The Front Page," on the daily events in this structure. The forms of the Romanesque Revival actually derive from the 11th and 12-century architecture of France and Spain, although the style enjoyed a resurgence in the 1880s due to the work of architect H. H. Richardson. It was used for many building types, including houses, clubs, and commercial buildings, before its popularity ended in the late 1890s. |
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3:34 AM Jul 11
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3:34 AM Jul 11