Last Spring Break: Wrightwood 659

After being student for a lifetime, this is my last academic break! Nothing too special going on however, just visiting Chicago for a weekend and then going back to campus for job applications and other projects to ensure I can graduate smoothly at May and hopefully have a nice transition into work life. 

This blog post is mainly focusing on Wrightwood 659, a relatively new building in Chicago by the Architect Tadao Ando. I initially planned to visit the building in December last year, but did not know one has to book it in advanced (oops!) so that is why the visit had been postponed until this weekend. My boss Prof. Emmons also told me how amazing their current exhibit is so that was what ultimately made me do the trip this week. 

Wrightwood 659 / Architect Tadao Ando / 2018

Wrightwood 659 is a refurbishment project that turned the old 30-unit apartment building into an exhibition space. ​The venue was founded by Fred Eychaner, a media entrepreneur and philanthropist, and Dan Whittaker, an architectural historian. “I think there are some interstitial spaces that are open for new work and new viewpoints in Chicago,” Mr. Eychaner said in an interview on Thursday. “That’s not a criticism of any existing institutions. But we think there are a lot of things we can do here that nobody else is doing.” (Libbey, Peter. “A Tadao Ando-Designed Exhibition Space Opens in Chicago.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 12 Oct. 2018)

"I think there are some interstitial spaces that are open for new work and new viewpoints in Chicago." -Fred Eychaner

I agree with the statement. I feel like aside from the educational institutions and civic infrastructures, there is not much in-between venue that can curate smaller scale architectural exhibits in Chicago. New York City has places like MoMA PS1 and Architecture Storefront to provide more exposures and opportunities for architects and architectural students. I am glad that Chicago is catching up on that.

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