Jeff's Blog - Thursday, April 25, 2019 - Unity Temple in Oak Park, and the Rookery, in Chicago, Illinois

This is part of my series of visits to buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Today I revisited Unity Temple in an attempt improve on the photos I'd taken during July of 2018 (well, plus, the one-year membership I bought back then was still valid, so the entrance today was free).

The exterior of the build is monolithic; a concrete box with decorations not indicative of a church, and fairly plain (for a church) upper-story windows. These exterior photos are of the side of the church, the entry doors, and the historical plaque just outside of those doors.

    
Unity Temple, Oak Park, Illinois - exterior side view
    
Unity Temple, Oak Park, Illinois - entrance doors on the side
    
Unity Temple, Oak Park, Illinois - historical plaque ouside the side entrance doors

I made these 4 photos of the Community Center half of the church. It's difficult for me to shoot anything interesting of this bland space, so I just tried documenting the space in the first two photos, then shot the slightly-interesting lighting in the 3rd, and shot an improved skylight photo in the 4th:

    
Unity Temple, Oak Park, Illinois - community space
    
Unity Temple, Oak Park, Illinois - community space
    
Unity Temple, Oak Park, Illinois - lights in the community space
    
Unity Temple, Oak Park, Illinois - community space skylight ceiling

You enter into the Temple space through small and low-ceilinged hallways, then find yourself entering the large open Temple space (compression and release).

    
Unity Temple, Oak Park, Illinois - compressed entrance into temple space
    
Unity Temple, Oak Park, Illinois - compressed entrance into temple space
    
Unity Temple, Oak Park, Illinois - released first-view into temple space

Here are my shots of the temple as a whole, from the first balcony, second balcony, and details of the altar:

    
Unity Temple, Oak Park, Illinois - temple space from first balcony
    
Unity Temple, Oak Park, Illinois - temple space from second balcony
    
Unity Temple, Oak Park, Illinois - temple space altar

I spent a fair amount of time capturing the light fixtures of the temple:

    
Unity Temple, Oak Park, Illinois - lighting fixtures and skylight of temple space
    
Unity Temple, Oak Park, Illinois - temple space light fixtures and windows
    
Unity Temple, Oak Park, Illinois - temple space lighting
    
Unity Temple, Oak Park, Illinois - temple space lighting

and the skylights and windows:

    
Unity Temple, Oak Park, Illinois - temple space skylight
    
Unity Temple, Oak Park, Illinois - temple space skylight
    
Unity Temple, Oak Park, Illinois - temple space skylight
    
Unity Temple, Oak Park, Illinois - temple space windows

I also visited the Rookery today, in the attempt to get better photos than I made during July 2018. I had really high hopes for some great shots of the Oriel Staircase but the vast majority of photos I took there were out of focus. The few decent shots I took there are shown below. My overwhelming failure to take usable shots at the Rookery today are a great reason to return to Chicago sometime soon.

I'll start with a photo of the lobby from the base of the Oriel Staircase

    
The lobby of the Rookery, in Chicago, Illinois, from the second floor

Next here are the four decent photos, out of about 15 that I shot, of the Oriel Staircase itself

    
The Oriel Staircase in the Rookery, in Chicago, Illinois, looking upward
    
The Oriel Staircase in the Rookery, in Chicago, Illinois, looking upward
    
The Oriel Staircase in the Rookery, in Chicago, Illinois, segment from 4th to 5th floor
    
The Oriel Staircase in the Rookery, in Chicago, Illinois, segment from 4th to 5th floor

Looking down from the base of the Oriel Staircase, and from the 2nd level of the lobby:

    
The Rookery, in Chicago, Illinois, looking down the Oriel Staircase from the 4th to 3rd floor
    
The Rookery, in Chicago, Illinois, lobby lighting

The first two shots below are of the base of the Oriel Staircase, which runs from the 2nd floor of the building to the 4th level, taken from across the lobby on the 2nd floor of the building. The cool, spiraly part of the staircase is visible from half-way up the straight part of this staircase. The third photo is of the lobby lighting and ceiling, also taken from the 2nd floor.

    
The Rookery, in Chicago, Illinois, the Oriel Staircase from the 2nd to 4th floors, photographed from across the 2nd floor
    
The Rookery, in Chicago, Illinois, Oriel Staircase from the 2nd to the 4th floor, photographed from the 2nd floor
    
The Rookery, in Chicago, Illinois, lobby ceiling phographed from the 2nd floor

Here's what the beginning of the Oriel Staircase looks like from the ground floor of the lobby

    
The Rookery, in Chicago, Illinois, Oriel Staircase from the 2nd to the 4th floor, photographed from the 1st floor lobby
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