New book "Chicago Homes" celebrates history of ordinary Chicago living spaces
Chicago is famous for its skyline and marquee architecture, but out in the residential neighborhoods the buildings where people live, eat and work can be just as fascinating.
They are the focus of the recently released book "Chicago Homes" by Carla Bruni and Phil Thompson. The book celebrates the history and architecture of ordinary city living spaces and explains how history, culture and science shaped the way they were built.
"The point was, why does a Chicago home look like a Chicago home?" Bruni said. "It's kind of a way to get people to care more about their homes. The more we know, the more we care. I'm always a big advocate of preventing teardowns and preserving our architecture.
That includes things like Chicago's signature bungalows, or the city's courtyard apartment and condo buildings.
Some were built to enhance social experiences, some were built for affordability and to accommodate rapid rises in migrant and immigrant populations as people through history moved to the city. But however they started, over time they became beloved.
"Our neighborhoods are where we live. You walk through a Chicago neighborhood, you know you're in Chicago," Bruni said. "This is really the heart of the city All the people who work downtown live here too. It's just really what makes us unique."
