Monday, June 20, 2005

Central Michigan Avenue

Many librarians attending the American Library Association Annual Conference in Chicago later this week will be staying in hotels along Michigan Avenue. As they walk to their meetings, they will pass much architectural history. Should they want to know more, they can stop in the Chicago Architecture Foundation at 224 South Michigan Avenue. Known originally as the Railway Exchange Building, 224 South Michigan was designed by Frederick Dinkelberg of D. H. Burnham and Company and completed in 1904. Inside the store are many books on Chicago Architecture. They may also buy tickets for architecture tours.

One good book choice is Central Michigan Avenue by Ellen Christensen and the Chicago Architecture Foundation, which includes history and many photos of the avenue and Grant Park dating from the early 1860s to 2003. Being moderately light, it is easy to carry around town and will fit well in carry-on luggage. An index would have made the book more useful for sightseers. All the buildings from the Sherwood Conservatory of Music to the Chicago Cultural Center are identified on pages 6 and 7 and are shown in color photos in the final chapter.

Christensen, Ellen. Central Michigan Avenue. Chicago, Ill.: Arcadia, c2003. ISBN 0738520241

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