Wright's Oak Park Landmark to Get Geothermal

A century ago, a bolt of lighting toppled the spire of Oak Park's Unity Church. The fire that followed destroyed the structure, but the congregation rebuilt with the help architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

Nearly 95 years later, Wright's Unity Temple faces deterioration inside and outside.

The Unity Temple Restoration Foundation (UTRF) is pursuing a multimillion-dollar project that includes geothermal energy to preserve the landmark building.

Unity Temple currently relies on 100-year-old hot-water radiators. Summer cooling and any form of humidity controls are essentially non-existent.

The new system will rely primarily on renewable geothermal energy drawn from the earth beneath the building's lot, reducing reliance on fossil fuels by 60 to 80 percent.

"Geothermal - or ground-source energy - is a durable, proven technology," said Keith Bringe, UTRF executive director. "The bottom line is that this HVAC system is compatible with the highest standards in historic preservation."

Unity Temple's ground source system will be supported by about 26 wells drilled into the bedrock around the perimeter of the building, each at a depth of 300 to 400 ft. The wells will be invisible after installation, and will not disturb every day activities.

Fluids pumped through the wells into the constant-temperature subsurface will supply heat during the winter and cooling during the summer. The geothermal energy recovered from the earth will be supplemented by an ice storage system that will take advantage of minimal cooling needs during the night by storing cooling capacity for the following day.

The result will be the "museum-quality" environment needed to preserve an internationally renowned work of art; and a vastly improved experience for the isitors attracted to Oak Park by this building.

Missouri Students Help Design House on TV

Twenty architecture students from Drury University in Springfield, Mo., helped ABC-TV's "Extreme Makeover" design a house.

Filming began Aug. 17 at the home of Paul and Cyndy Teas, the founders of Camp Barnabas, a camp for developmentally disabled and terminally ill children in Purdy, Mo.

The Teas have put all their investment in the camp, and none into their own home. Ty Pennington and the crew led the campers up to wake the Teas and start demolition on the home. Each summer, more than 1,000 campers attend Camp Barnabas.

"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" involves a team of designers, contractors and several hundred workers who have seven days to rebuild in full a house, plus the exterior and landscaping. The Camp Barnabas episode is airing this fall.

When the producers of the show saw the Drury students' portfolio, they were confident that the students could handle a portion of the renovation.

Historic Apartment Wins National Award

The historic Belden-Stratford, a recently restored Lincoln Park landmark steps away from Lake Michigan, is the 2005 winner of the National Apartment Association's Paragon Award for Best Mid/High Rise Community in the U.S. Built Before 1979.

The Paragon Awards recognize the multifamily housing industry's top properties, executives, employees, affiliate programs and communities. The Belden-Stratford, a 15-story, post-World War I property, was one of 20 winners nationwide to be recognized in a variety of categories.

In the 1920s when actors, wealthy businessmen and the affluent arrived in Chicago, they often stayed at one of the many apartment-style hotels in the area. Without today's ease of traveling, guests stayed for longer periods of time and these hotels provided a luxurious atmosphere.

Regular guests included Louis Armstrong, Gloria Swanson and Jack Dempsey who started a campaign to bring back the "gentlemanly art of boxing" with a banquet for several hundred at the hotel.

In 1989, after being purchased by Irmco Properties, the building underwent a major renovation and has become one of Chicago's premier luxury living apartment buildings. Irmco added many accoutrements to the landmark building during the renovation and restoration process, including central air conditioning, heating systems, modern kitchens and full baths.

Unveiling Planned for Vietnam Veteran Memorial

The city of Chicago and the Chicago Department of Transportation will unveil the new Vietnam Veteran's Memorial at Wabash Plaza designed by renowned artist and Vietnam veteran Gary Tillery on Nov. 11, Veterans' Day.

In the months leading up to the dedication, five Chicago cultural institutions will invite

the city to explore the complex history, memory and legacy of the Vietnam War through visual imagery, theater, film and public discussion in a two-month memorial entitled Commit to Memory.