Although the entire post is a good read, a specific section stuck out in our mind because it's something that has always perplexed us. The Metra entrance at the corner of Van Burren and Michigan looks like it's straight up out of an amusement park. It's on the boundary of the sloop and every time we go by it we stop a scratch our heads. It doesn't fit in with the setting and it's always been a mystery as to why this stop is different then all the other ones.
Anyway, thanks to this post, we have a little more background as to why this stop is the way it is:
Looking elsewhere, of course, the place to look for iconic subway entrances is Paris with its Hector Guimard designed metro entrances. They define the word classic in this space:So the mystery is solved! This out of place Metra stop was actually a replica gift given from Paris to Chicago.These work in Paris not just because they are excellent designs but because, in a very real way, the embody the essence of Paris. They capture its romance and history. To walk past one of these is to be transported back to the Belle Epoque. Sundered from its native setting, these could easily end up looking cheesy.
I really hate to admit this, but Chicago actually has a clone of this on its Metra system. Here's the entrance to an underpass at Van Buren St. Station:Paris gives out replicas of these to cities around the world, and I believe this was one such gift. Even so, this is the sort of thing that would, if done in say Cleveland, make a Chicagoan snicker.
9 comments:
I enjoy the beauty of architecture as much as the next person BUT I think our city ("The City That Works" allegedly) needs to focus on function first and form later. When the infrastructure is shot to hell, who gives a tinker's damn what things looks like?
How can anyone seriously debate the inspirational value of a bus shelter design when our most fundamental educational systems are in ruins?
I wasn't aware of any mystery surrounding this feature . . . of course I've read a couple books, seen a couple movies/TV shows and traveled a little in my time.
Anon 1, you're right...function is much more important then form. Maybe that's why some of the newer stations/renovations seem to be more minimalistic and straight forward (ie Red/Brown line stops on the north side). At the end of the day, a functional el or education improvements would be a better use of public funds then 'trophy' el stops.
Anon 2, it was more of a personal mystery :) However, I bet if you stopped the average Chicagoan on that corner and pointed this entrance out to them they would be surprised to know that it was a replica from Paris... it looks like it was a gift from Six Flags or Cedar Point.
Thanks for the link.
When Googling around from that, I found a page indicating that it was a gift to Chicago from RATP (the Paris transit agency) and the Union League Club of Chicago.
I love that station entrance. It reminds me of Paris every time I walk by. It works perfectly by the Art Museum.
The station design is totally obvious. As Parisian as can be...
and to the first comment... we should stop every project and design in the city until we solve every problem that afflicts our city including the education system... If I had a dime every time I heard that!
And your backhanded dismissal of the issues like education does what exactly?
Nero Daley and his Machine play the Olympic Bid fiddle while Rome burns.
You are the only one bringing up education and other issues that are not part of this DESIGN topic...
I agree, let's blame Daley for all of Chicago's problems... give me a dime everytime that is said too.
I'll go out on a limb here and say that if people were better educated, they'd probably recognize an art nouveau-styled Paris transit stop when they see one.
What a lovely gift France gave us, I wonder how we reciprocated?
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