BETWEEN THE COVERS

By Barbara Ballinger

Time provides us with a better perspective on any body of work—\-literature, music, paintings and architecture. Two recently published, lavishly large cocktail-style books each focus on a highly respected American architect and provide better understanding of their breath of talent.

Great Houses of Chicago 1871-1921
by Susan Benjamin and Stuart Cohen
(Acanthus Press, 2008).
Known as a great architectural city, Chicago was not only a place where forward-thinking commercial and office spaces were built but also grand private homes. The authors of this book, respectively a historic preservationist and practicing architect, explain and show through their well written text, photos and floor plans how the dark, busy European styled interiors of the late 1800s morphed into brighter simpler rooms after 1910 as houses were built by entrepreneurs who founded successful businesses in meatpacking, farm implements, department stores, mail-order and railroading. The Great Fire of 1871 had inspired changes, including that homes were to be built of fireproof stone rather than wood. The Romanesque Revival, introduced by H.H. Richardson, also altered the look of city homes. Among the most lavish and extravagant homes showcased is Potter Palmer’s “Castle” on North Lake Shore Drive, built by Cobb & Foster in 1884 for $1 million and demolished in 1950 for an apartment building. One of the best parts of this book is a portfolio that indicates the state of the homes—whether demolished, private or used for another purpose such as a consulate.

UltraModern Samuel Marx: Architect Designer Art Collector
by Liz O’Brien
(Pointed Leaf Press LLC, 2007).
Born in Natchez, Miss., home of the country’s finest collection of antebellum houses, Marx was sent by his parents to the prestigious Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, then on to MIT where he studied architecture. He moved to Chicago in 1910, the capital of American architecture, writes O’Brien, a decorative arts dealer specializing in modern design. Marx, who became a passionate art collector with third wife Florene May Straus, had a talent for designing not just modern exteriors but also interiors and furniture, sometimes through partnerships with famous craftsmen. This book showcases wonderful examples: 1930 “Edgecliff” for Max Epstein, founder of General American Tank Car Corp.; apartments for friends at 1549 N. Lake Shore Drive; Morton May’s modern home in St. Louis; the glamorous Pump room in the Ambassador East Hotel; equally glamorous The Arts Club of Chicago; and his and Straus’ own home at 1325 N. Astor St., where the contemporary hall console, long low living room fireplace and lounge chairs serve as classic modern pieces that would look smart in any home today.