Unexpected Chicagoland

by Camilo José Vergara, Tim Samuelson

In a series of celebrated books, the eminent photographer and sociologist Camilo José Vergara has observed and recorded the evolution of America's inner cities for over twenty years, documenting the effects of time, commercialism, culture, and neglect on the built environment, with an aesthetic vision that has been hailed by the New York Times as "persuasive and moving." Here, in a unique collaboration with Timothy Samuelson, Chicago's leading architectural historian, Vergara probes the power and resonance of one of America's greatest cities. Unexpected Chicagoland includes over two hundred stunning color photographs, accompanied by a fascinating original narrative of the hidden history of Chicago's renowned architectural past. Vergara's photographs are a treasure trove of historically and visually interesting buildings and environments, most of them on the abandoned urban fringes. Included are examples of rarely seen work by some of the greatest architects of the twentieth century, such as Louis Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright, and William Burley Griffin, as well as dazzling examples of Art Deco design. Unexpected Chicagoland presents an authentic and gritty view of the metropolis at a time when the public's understanding of all American cities has become increasingly sanitized and homogenized. The book itself, in a large format and exquisitely designed, is packaged to be a lasting visual treasure.

Genres: Photography, Architecture, Nonfiction

164 pages, Hardcover

First published December 15, 2001

Reviews

[Joe Drogos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being fearlessly idiosyncratic makes this the best book of its kind. Vergara and Samuelson really do look for _their_ Chicago, the things that _they_ marvel at, and not the things that would make it to a "lost Chicago" tour. And so, their marveling during these photographic and text essays prompts you to wonder in turn. The book prompts you tell anyone around you, "Hey, I've been to this building before it was torn down!" It makes you want to sit down with the authors and trade stories, photographs, and theories about the city's secret places. Above all, it makes you want to search out the city, explore it, its ghosts, and its dreams. I wish I'd written it.

[Jane Trucksis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up at a library book sale, simply because "Chicagoland" was in the title. I think it was Saul Bellow who, in one of his novels, had a character mention how interesting it is that only Chicago refers to itself and its surrounding areas as a "land".... like Disneyland. You think nothing of it when you are a Chigagoan, you take it for granted. And now that I don't live there any more, I have memories of that land that were revived by these incredible photos. Since I worked as a driving messenger, I went all over, and am hard pressed to describe the emptiness of much of the west side when I talk about how deserted those areas felt. Not the kinds of places you'd stop your car to get out and photograph, so to see these locations was a real blast from the past for me!
The photos of the interiors of the Robert Taylor Homes and Stateway Gardens were magnificent. These places are gone now, and for all their problems, they were home to many for years. You see the joy on the faces of the kids as they play in the outdoor hallways, and can understand why they have good memories of growing up there. My favorite was the one of the Mom with the kids, taking their grocery cart to the elevator.
I also loved the whole concept of this book, showing obscure places that many never visit. I wish I had known about the columbarium in Bohemian National Cemetery! I lived just a mile from there in my last apartment in Chicago, and never went there. It will be a must-see on my next visit to....Chicagoland.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply excellent. Alternately poignant and humorous photographic exploration of Chicago's random (and often-neglected) gems.