Archinect - News

October 24th is officially "Frank Lloyd Wright Day" in Elmhurst, Illinois

2020-10-07T15:38:00-04:00

To celebrate Wright's importance and his architectural footprint in Elmhurst and throughout the Chicago area, the Elmhurst Art Museum and Elmhurst History Museum are collaborating to present two different exhibits, each focused on different aspects of Wright's life and work...the city will proclaim Saturday, October 24, 2020 as Frank Lloyd Wright Day in Elmhurst to encourage residents and out-of-town visitors to visit both museums to learn more about the architect.

In a statement, as reported by Patch, Elmhurst's Mayor Steve Morley said: "this special cultural collaboration underscores the value of our two award-winning museums working together to create meaningful experiences for residents and visitors." Morley added: "We value our diverse architectural landscape in Elmhurst and we are very excited to bring visitors here to learn more about architecture through the Frank Lloyd Wright exhibits."

Mies' McCormick House gets an update so that people can actually find it

2017-06-28T20:20:00-04:00

"Almost every day, a visitor will be standing in the house and will ask where the house is," said Jenny Gibbs, executive director of the Elmhurst Art Museum.

The McCormick House, located in the Chicago suburbs, was built by Mies van der Rohe in 1952 and is one of only three residences designed by the pioneering modernist architect. In 1994, the steel frame row house was moved to a nearby park where it was restored and opened to public as part of the Elmhurst Art Museum. While public access to the house has been an important success, an ongoing issue has come about from the new building that the museum added in 1997 along with the new corridors that linked the quarters to the Mies house. Basically, it masked the main facade of the house, camouflaging the prized architectural home and making many a visitor wonder where the McCormick House even was. The museum now plans to tear down the corridor, restore a carport at the house's entrance, and install trees and grass to more closely resemble the landscaping around the original house.

The enduring influence of "Playboy Architecture"

2016-04-14T20:25:00-04:00

Elmhurst Art Museum presents the U.S. debut of Playboy Architecture, 1953-1979, featuring an extensive collection of photographs, films, architectural models and more from Playboy magazine’s inception in 1953 through the 1970s. Curated by Professor Beatriz Colomina and Pep Aviles ... the exhibition showcases how architecture and design played a role in creating the Playboy fantasy as well as how Playboy magazine came to influence the world of architecture and design.

We no doubt have Hugh Hefner and the Playboy empire to thank, in no minor part, for today's standards of architectural photography, and the preeminent role many midcentury designers, featured in their present day in Playboy, enjoy in today's culture.

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