Historic preservation advocacy groups in Illinois are fighting the same destruction found in the rest of the U.S. as developers target old urban neighborhoods & generations old family farms.
Fortunately, the preservation advocacy groups in Illinois provide these old buildings with a voice & some of their words are being heard. Add yours. In these groups, you will find some of the finest people you could ever meet & have the opportunity experience some fabulous adventures!
Below are some of the the groups that could use your assistance & talents.
STATEWIDE
Landmarks Illinois
People Saving Places for People.
The leading preservation advocacy group in Illinois, Landmarks Illinois promotes preservation, restoration & adaptive reuse of buildings & historic sites.
To help preserve or protect significant structures & sites in Illinois, they feature a monthly series of lectures on different topics as well as provide links to past topics on YouTube.
CHICAGO
Chicago Bungalow Association
The Chicago Bungalow Association is an extraordinarily friendly & helpful group of folks who produce numerous programs to help owners of vintage homes of all periods & styles. They host many programs, workshops & seminars. Their YouTube channel holds a wealth of information on old houses.
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Architecture is one of the most important reflections of happenings, places & cultures of the world now, the world 100 years ago, the world 1,000 years ago. Our built environment broadcasts the news of all aspects of our culture- the technology, the natural & the created resources, the geography, the popular aesthetic & even the customs of the period.
Our country was built using the local, natural resources. As the railroads spread across the continent, the possibilities expanded & cities boomed. Factories were erected that drew workers from the farms & even other countries. Conversely, wars slowed building, robbing materials & workers to send to the battlefield & in other countries, conflicts destroyed whole cities. Economic downturns stopped progress & contributed to cities’ decay.
As my physical therapist says, “The everything is connected to the everything,” thus, to fully understand architecture, we must have some knowledge of history, both the history of guns & treaties & what I like to call “grits & garters” history, more akin to cultural anthropology.
In this section, we look at the world events of the period in which most of our homes were constructed.
LET’S REVIEW THE EVENTS OF THE WORLD 100 YEARS AGO
The Early 20th Century in America – 1910 – 1919 – Reel I
16mm Educational Films
America during the teens. You will be taken instantly to Reel 2 at the end of this film.
What was life like in 1920’s America?
J. Merrick
The Roaring Twenties- America becomes a consumer society.
American History: Focus on the 1930’s – Reel 1 (24:24)
16mm Educational Films
The Jazz Age is over & the New Deal begins. Reel 2 plays automatically at the end of part 1.
History Brief: The Rise of the Automobile
Reading Through History
There is no history of America that is complete without the story of the automobile & our national highway system.
Understanding the happenings of the world 100 years ago. can give you insight to the features of your bungalow & better connect you with its original owners. If you should want to know more about them, click here to learn how to research your home’s history.
“History has remembered the kings & warriors, because they destroyed; art has remembered the people, because they created.”
~William Morris
In school we all learn about the leaders & the soldiers who have profoundly affected world & national events. Art is taught as a subject of its own, an “elective,” a less that necessary part of education. The students who study it are seen as a group separate from the mainstream.
Yet the arts & popular culture, & especially cinema, are a reflection of the world in which we all live- the science kids, the artsy-fartsy kids, the ones with special needs. Under the same sun, ruled by the same leaders & tossed about by the same storms, the art of popular culture reflects humanity’s stories-both the grim & the joyous. The effects of the popular culture of the early 1900’s was notably profound because the harnessing of electricity opened up a worldwide audience.
Art, being viewed by the many, has acted as an agent of change, both elevating & degrading our culture. It has influenced & defined popular opinion & has even been employed as a medium for propaganda, altering not just our culture, but the actual course of history.
LET’S LOOK AT THE POPULAR CULTURE OF THE EARLY 1900’s
Top 30 Greatest Songs 1910-1919 (13:44)
Nathaniel Jordon
As a young girl, I sang these songs of her own childhood with my mother who was born in 1919. What a great mom she was for her little singer/dancer/actor/poet daughter!
Top 30 Greatest Songs 1920-1929 (13:22)
Nathaniel Jordon
I know the words to all of these too!
The Top 10 Films of the 1910s (12:17)
One Too Many
The early years of Cinema.
Top 10 Movies of the 1920s (9:51)
WatchMojo.com
From silence to speech.
Dances of the Ragtime Era 1910-1920
Dancetime Publication (7:21)
Movements that follow the bouncy, syncopated beat of ragtime. And then there was the sensuous tango!
The Propaganda Film – How Cinema Can Change The World (6:20)
Jack’s Movies Reviews
A reality that can be manipulated & shown to thousands of people.
THE CRAFTSMAN Volume One
OCTOBER 1901—MARCH 1902
“Though the name of William Morris has long since become a household word throughout America, yet the personality of the man, as well as his great part in the world’s work, is definitely known but to the few. His was a versatile genius…”
The father of the Arts & Crafts Movement, Morris was an undisputed genius whose mastery of textile & furniture design, poetry, illustration & writing changed the world of art & architecture in his native England & here in America.
These videos of William Morris are the work of scholars due to the fact that his influence on art & architecture, & on the cultures of England & America has been profound & lasting. His life, his marriage, his homes have been carefully examined because he was a man of such depth, talent & vitality that he changed the way that the world looked at design, labor & humanity.
Please watch these videos on a larger screen!
WATCH VIDEOS OF THE LIFE & WORK OF WILLIAM MORRIS
The inspiration behind the designs of William Morris (25:14)
Forest School
A fascinating look at Morris’ life.
The Life and Times of William Morris: Textile Arts Council of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (1:13:18)
TAC Social Media
An in-depth look at Morris & his art.
The Eternal Craftsman: William Morris and 21st Century Craft
V&A Museum
An exploration of Morris’ approach to design.
Virtual Member Lecture: “Morris and Company—The Business of Beauty”
The Art Institute of Chicago (45:09)
Textiles & wallpapers exhibited at the museum.
Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen speaks at the Brilliance of William Morris
Forest School
The story told by Morris’ designs.
To learn more about the work of William Morris’ daughter & the other women of the Movement, visit here.
Enhancing the wonderful features of your bungalow is one of the most enjoyable things about stewarding your home. The hardware, lighting & decorative items of the Arts & Crafts Movement are cheerful & brilliantly beautiful. Period kitchens & baths will pay homage to the past owners & are just good design sense. Leaping about the decades is visually disturbing (Jane Powell called it “cognitive dissonance.”) & can disturb the flow of the interior. But, the goods you need to create a period atmosphere, are not always easy to find.
I am still building this list. I considered whether I wanted to wait until it is complete to post it, but you may be desperately looking now, so take a look at what’s here & keep coming back, It is growing daily. (Or at least weekly.)
I have also added lists of classes on old house restoration because sometimes you might need that too. I usually suggest restoring before collecting, but I must admit that I once purchased a porch set before the porch was built & had to store the set for 3 months. I have never seen another set like it, so I’m not going to discourage anyone else from doing this. And, prior to that, I purchased bookends 5 years before I even had a house in which to put them. Not sorry! They look great now!
To make your search easier, & to provide you with more choices, I have created a list of resources for you. I’ll also mention that many of the items can be found on the resale market. Facebook Marketplace is growing daily & Craigslist seems to be hanging in there too. Of course the odd piece can still be discovered at a yard or estate sale but, you have to have more patience than I do & get up with the worms.
Additionally, there are many pages & groups on Facebook that are dedicated to antique items of the period as well as goods by modern A&C masters. As a bonus, they offer wonderful information on the period. Below is a list of these groups who allow buying & selling.Some sites do not. They exist only for giving & receiving information, & for fellowship. It’s not a bad idea to join these too, but that’s not today’s topic.
The caveat here is that I have no clue as to who any of the folks are that are selling on any of these group pages. You must perform your own due diligence regarding every aspect of the offered item- value, condition, authenticity, does the it even exist?
A public community of Arts & Crafts Revival Artisans & Revival aficionados, sharing revival work that is available, or promote various events such as fairs, sales, & websites.
This group is for the sharing and enjoyment of the Arts & Crafts era of the late 1890s to the 1920s, as well as its contemporary counterparts. Selling/trading items, sharing real estate ads for Arts & Crafts style homes are very much acceptable in this group.
This group is geared to beginners & intermediate collectors of the Arts & Crafts Movement & the items we live with. Focus is primarily furniture of the period, along with decorative objects, both period & reproductions of quality.
Some of the individual resource pages list Facebook groups specializing in those items.
A necessary element, window coverings compliment your other design elements, giving your privacy & protection from the sun & the cold.e! Meanwhile, keep reading my blog & loving your bungalow.
There is more to com!
I am forever searching for more vendors of bungalow enhancing items so-
STAY IN THE BUNGALOW KNOW!!!
Sign up for our newsletter & receive our FREE E-book, 7 VITAL Things to Do Before You Hire a Contractor.
Historic preservation advocacy groups in Illinois are fighting the same destruction found in the rest of the U.S. as developers target old urban neighborhoods & generations old family farms.
Landmarks Illinois
Chicago Bungalow Association
STAY IN THE BUNGALOW KNOW!!!
Architecture is one of the most important reflections of happenings, places & cultures of the world now, the world 100 years ago, the world 1,000 years ago. Our built environment broadcasts the news of all aspects of our culture- the technology, the natural & the created resources, the geography, the popular aesthetic & even the customs of the period.
“History has remembered the kings & warriors, because they destroyed; art has remembered the people, because they created.”
THE CRAFTSMAN Volume One
Enhancing the wonderful features of your bungalow is one of the most enjoyable things about stewarding your home. The hardware, lighting & decorative items of the Arts & Crafts Movement are cheerful & brilliantly beautiful. Period kitchens & baths will pay homage to the past owners & are just good design sense. Leaping about the decades is visually disturbing (Jane Powell called it “cognitive dissonance.”) & can disturb the flow of the interior. But, the goods you need to create a period atmosphere, are not always easy to find.
To make your search easier, & to provide you with more choices, I have created a list of resources for you. I’ll also mention that many of the items can be found on the resale market. 