Lee Bey
Architecture Critic and member of the Editorial Board
Bey, the only architecture critic for a major newspaper in the Midwest, is the author of the well-received book “Southern Exposure: The Overlooked Architecture of Chicago’s South Side” and was the Emmy-nominated host of the WTTW special “Building Blocks: The Architecture of Chicago’s South Side.” Bey returned to the Sun-Times as an editorial writer in 2019. He previously held several positions in organizations involved in planning, development and architecture, and was also deputy chief of staff for architecture and urban planning in the administration of Mayor Richard M. Daley. Bey is now working on a book about architecture on the West Side. He lives in an 1893 rowhouse in Chicago’s historic Pullman community.
But a building that beckoned toward the future, housing the former Woods Motor Vehicle Co., shouldn’t be consigned to the past, architecture critic Lee Bey writes.
Caputo’s Fresh Markets in Norridge has a visually-exciting canopy — no, it’s not a roof collapse — that is a counterpoint to the drab, by-the-numbers store frontages most shoppers encounter.
Coffey’s restoration of the Chicago Theatre and other venues contributed to the creation of Loop’s live theater district.
The $6 million demolition isn’t a complete surprise, but it possibly means the end of the building’s current blue, salmon and white color scheme, one of its signature features.
The grant — announced this weekend — helps cover the planned $5 million restoration and rehabilitation of the 1907 North Lawndale garden.
Gia Biagi said under the new post at Jeanne Gang’s firm, her team will work to help revive cities and “put our tools in service of helping communities solve problems.”
The best of these vintage signs were part of the urban fabric and contributed as much to a neighborhood’s identity as a landmark building or an important open space, Lee Bey writes.
College prep school says, for now, the former Lakeside Bank will provide washrooms, storage, and expansion for athletic programs.
The bank, originally a groundbreaking library for blind people and those with other disabilities, was designed by renowned Chicago architect Stanley Tigerman, Lee Bey writes.