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Author: Ronnie Frey

Craftsman Bungalows Of Ravenswood Manor Tour (RONNIE)

Meet Your Guide: Ronnie Frey of @doorwaysofchicago Welcome to the Arts & Crafts Bungalows of Ravenswood Manor tour! On this tour, we’ll explore how Ravenswood Manor came to be and the people who shaped it. You’ll see plenty of Arts & Crafts bungalows with their classic Craftsman details, and I’ll point out the little design features that make them special. Along the

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Craftsman Bungalows Of Ravenswood Manor Tour

Meet Your Guide: Ronnie Frey of @doorwaysofchicago Welcome to the Arts & Crafts Bungalows of Ravenswood Manor tour! On this tour, we’ll explore how Ravenswood Manor came to be and the people who shaped it. You’ll see plenty of Arts & Crafts bungalows with their classic Craftsman details, and I’ll point out the little design features that make them special. Along the

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Fine Arts Building Tour Ronnie Frey

Stop 1 Exterior Details – Studebaker Carriage Company Michigan Avenue Location Transition to the Fine Arts Building 1. Carriage Advertisement – The Driveway Series, Lake Shore Drive Edition 2. Studebaker Carriage Building 1887 3. Fine Arts Building 1898 4. Studebaker Starlight Coupe Stop 2 Lobby 5. 1852 poem titled “L’Art” by the French poet Théophile Gautier Stop 3. Studebaker Theater

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Star Destinations – Private Bus Tour Of Chicago

Meet Your Guide: Ronnie Frey of @doorwaysofchicago 1-Tree Studio Building Tree Studio Building was designed in 1894 as artists’ residences and has been home to over 500 artists. Some of the great artists which have called the Tree Studios home include sculptor Albin Polasek, illustrator James Allen St. John; muralist John Warner Norton, painters Ruth Van Sickle Ford and John

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The Deep Pockets Of Graceland Cemetery Walking Tour

History Of Graceland Cemetery William LeBaron Jenney – Father Of Skyscrapers Dexter Graves – One Of The First Chicagoans John Wellborn Root – Burnham & Root Peter Schoenhofen – Brewer George Pullman – Pullman Palace Car Co. Ryerson Family Mausoleum William Kimball – Kimball Pianos Louis Sullivan – Adler & Sullivan William Goodman – Goodman Theater Potter & Bertha Palmer

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Private Bus Tour Of Chicago

Meet Your Guide: Ronnie Frey of @doorwaysofchicago 1-Tree Studio Building Tree Studio Building was designed in 1894 as artists’ residences and has been home to over 500 artists. Some of the great artists which have called the Tree Studios home include sculptor Albin Polasek, illustrator James Allen St. John; muralist John Warner Norton, painters Ruth Van Sickle Ford and John

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Chicago Art Deco Madness Walking Tour

1. Art Deco History Art Deco Style World War 1 New Technologies King Tut’s Tomb Discovered In 1922 Art Deco Motifs Cubism and Bauhaus Movements Bank Buildings In America 2. Chicago Board Of Trade 3. Field Building – 135 S. La Salle St. 4. One North LaSalle Building Transportation Panel  5. Chicago Temple Seats approx. 30 people Deco/Mayan ceiling patterns

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Pullman Tour Day – Custom bus route tour by Ronnie Frey of @doorwaysofchicago

Fine Arts Building Previously the Studebaker Carriage Co. Manufacturing and showroom building. Converted into the Fine Arts Building – opened 1898 Studebaker Carriage Co Building Opened 1885 Architect Solon Beman – Romanesque Style Vertical Assembly Line Design Turrets/Towers Flags like Medieval Castles Hooded Rooflines Masculine Rough Cut Stones Fat/Squatty Columns Lots Of Arches Notice Auditorium Theatre not built to the

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Fine Arts Building Tour

Stop 1 Exterior Details – Studebaker Carriage Company Michigan Avenue Location Transition to the Fine Arts Building 1. Carriage Advertisement – The Driveway Series, Lake Shore Drive Edition 2. Studebaker Carriage Building 1887 3. Fine Arts Building 1898 4. Studebaker Starlight Coupe Stop 2 Lobby 5. 1852 poem titled “L’Art” by the French poet Théophile Gautier Stop 3. Studebaker Theater

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Featured in Redfin

Check out the recent Redfin article we were featured in: Chicago is celebrated as the birthplace of deep-dish pizza and the famous “Bean” sculpture. However, these are merely a fraction of the attractions that make Chicago stand out among other major cities. So, what else is Chicago known for? From its vibrant waterfront activities and extensive parklands to its thriving

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50 Fabulous Facades With Stunning Architectural Attributes In Chicago

Originally posted on SecretChicago.com Chicago’s architectural diversity is second to none! Chicago is teeming with architectural gems of all shapes and sizes. Chicago is famed for its architectural diversity. Gothic, Victorian, Romanesque, Art Deco, an array of different Modernist styles, you name it – Chicago has it. From wonderful Workers Cottages and charming Chateauesque Mansions to the wide range of

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Ronnie Frey
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Doorways Of Chicago Launches Wicker Park Walking Tour, Highlighting Workers Cottages And Neighborhood Landmarks

Self-guided tours of the neighborhood from the popular Instagram account are now available. In-person tours will begin in April. Originally published on Block Club Chicago. WICKER PARK — The person behind a popular Chicago Instagram account is launching a series of walking tours of historical homes and landmarks in Wicker Park. Doorways of Chicago is run by Ronnie Frey. He posts

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Pullman Exhibit Hall

The Pullman Exhibit Hall was opened in 1993 by the Historic Pullman Foundation as an adaptive reuse of a 50s American Legion Hall. When George Pullman first built his town in 1881, there was an enormous structure on this site called the Arcade Building.  Photo 2 shows Pullman strikers outside the building. The Illinois National Guard can be seen guarding

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Doorways of Chicago featured on Bob Vila Historic Homes And More Section

“This Popular Housing Style In Chicago Is Going Extinct”. Workers cottages, once a staple of Chicago’s middle-class culture, came to define the character of its residential neighborhoods. Now they’re being demolished in the name of urban development. Can they be saved, or will they slip, one by one, into obscurity?

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Greenstone Methodist Church

Phototherapy help 5 cents…the DOC is in! Having spent the better part of my childhood and adult life in churches 3x a week, I developed a love for them, especially historic structures like the Greenstone Church in Pullman.  I believe everyone who considers themselves spiritual has a different journey and there are those who consider themselves void of any spirituality

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Workers Cottages -Pullman

c1880-1884 “The original rowhomes of the 1880’s Pullman Company Town were various sizes and designed to accommodate workers of all levels. They were rented to residents by the company, and boasted unique amenities such as indoor plumbing (flush toilets), well-ventilated and well-lit rooms, and steam heating for the executive homes.”  🔗nps.gov Construction of the town of Pullman was executed by

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Hotel Florence – Pullman, IL

Queen Anne/Eastlake/Gothic Revival Solon Bemancirca 1881 Ever since high school, I have had an affinity for any building or residence with a mansard roof. All Second Empire homes and sometimes other styles, like the Queen Anne style Hotel Florence sport this extremely sloped roof, popular from around 1855 to the early 1900s in the U.S.  Also called a French roof or

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Cottages & Bungalows Oct-Nov 2021 Featuring Doorways of Chicago

SAVE THE COTTAGES! Deb’s street has rows of workers cottages on both sides of the tree-lined sidewalks-ararity. Ronnie says the original homes were cookie-cutter designs because Chicago grew so quickly during the Industrial Revolution and workers needed places to live that were quick and inexpensive to build.

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Pullman National Monument

This is the most fabulous, MUST SEE, historic preservation project in all of Chicago! The new @nationalparkservice Pullman Visitor Center is located in the former Administration Clock Tower Building of the Pullman Palace Car Company Factory. A 141-year-old piece of history that is making history again as the first National Monument in America located in an urban setting! Pullman was

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York Theatre – Elmhurst

Art DecoElmer BehrnsCirca 1924 What is your favorite movie? Casablanca? Singing in the Rain? ET? Rambo? Whatever it is, chances are good that it has been shown at the York Theatre that has operated continuously in the same location, 150 N. York, since it opened in 1924. Designed by architect Elmer Behrns, the theater had a single auditorium with a

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North Avenue Beach – Summer 2020

This will always be remembered as one of the most dynamic summers in my lifetime This is one of Chicago’s busiest beaches and here it was desolate and forelorn during the height of the Covid 19 pandemic.

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Aqua Tower Chicago

Jeanne Gang – Studio Gang Circa 2009 I wonder how many doors are in this photo?! The Aqua Tower’s design is a brilliant new approach to the problem long ago identified by Louis Sullivan—how to create an aesthetic for a functional tall building. The basic structure is a standard, modern box. But Jeanne Gang and her firm, @studiogang, surrounded this

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W Thomas Street – Ukrainian Village

Circa 1875 This lovely cottage was given its moniker, The Raccoon Cottage, by its owner, who saw my post of her cottage on Instagram and reached out to me. We later met and talked about our love for workers cottages, became friends and ended up collaborating on getting her home ready to be professionally photographed and published in the October/November

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Green Mill Cocktail Lounge

The Green Mill Cocktail Lounge (or Green Mill Jazz Club) is an entertainment venue on Broadway in Uptown, Chicago. It is known for its jazz and poetry performances, along with its connections to Chicago mob history. ⠀⠀Al Capone’s favorite booth is still in the establishment located directly west of the short end of the bar. Capone and his men would

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Doorways of Chicago featured on Time Out Chicago

We set out to find some Instagram accounts that go beyond the typical deluge of Chicago attractions and perfectly-framed skyline views. We’ve gathered 17 accounts that capture different aspects of the city’s streets and scenery.

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Doorways of Chicago Featured on Secret Chicago

Searching through the wide range of shots from Chicago’s talented photographers, we’ve come across several that look like they could be works of art on display in the  Art Institute of Chicago.  Here we’ve rounded up some of the very best images of Chicago this week, exhibiting our beloved city in all its beauty.

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