Top 5 Places and Spaces That Reminds Us That Chicago Endures, Whatever the Case Pullman Historic District Indian Boundary Lines Plaque, hidden behind a light box on the corner of Rogers Avenue and Clark Street Grant Park (For 1968. For 2008.) Sunset Cafe/Meyers Ace Hardware The Lake —Ben Schulman
Top 5 Projects That Showcase Chicago’s Commitment to Public Space, For Everyone Chicago Riverwalk (Downtown) Park 571 (Bridgeport) The Park at Big Marsh (South Deering) Paseo Trail (Pilsen/Little Village) Burnham Wildlife Corridor (31st Street Lakefront) —Nick Cecchi
Top 5 Former Silent Movie Theaters Redesigned and Repurposed The Home Bell Theater, 1539 North Milwaukee. Built 1912. Now John Fluevog Shoes. Significant for its detailed façade and as one of the earliest remaining silent movie houses.
The Biograph Theater, 2433 North Lincoln. Built 1914. Now Victory Gardens Theater. Significant for its black and silver Art Deco marquee and ticket booth, which have been named to the National Registry of Historic Places. Also, the spot where John Dillinger was killed in 1934.
Central Park Theatre, 3535 West Roosevelt. Built 1917. Now the House of Prayer Church of God in Christ. Significant for its two red, green and white towers and Italianate clay tile. Also, the first Chicago theater designed by Rapp and Rapp, who went on to design the Uptown, Riviera and many other Chicago theaters.
The Century Theatre, 2828 North Clark. Built 1924. Now the Century Mall and Landmark Theatres. Significant for its Spanish Baroque, terra cotta façade, which was retained.
Calo Theater, 5404 North Clark. Built 1915. Now the Calo office complex. Significant for its reclining female figures in its façade and arched windows. —David Witter
Ben Schulman is the editor of the design section of Newcity and co-host of “A Lot You Got to Holler,” the Newcity podcast on design, architecture and urbanism. His work with Newcity is one of many ventures he engages in to communicate the value of design and cities. Ben serves as the communications director for Small Change, a real estate crowdfunding platform that works to catalyze the development of transformative real estate projects. Previously, he was the communications director for the Chicago chapter of The American Institute of Architects, editor of Chicago Architect magazine and communications director for the urban think-tank, the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU). His writing has appeared and been noted in outlets such as ARCHITECT Magazine, Belt Magazine, ICON, New Geography, Streetsblog, The National Review, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pop City Media and as a contributor to The Urbanophile, among others. When not writing about cities, Ben serves as an editorial assistant for the journal New Media + Society, and helps head the Contraphonic Sound Series, an attempt to document cities through sound.
