Here's an excerpt from “Lincoln Square Live”, an article in Chicago Magazine's April 2004 issue:
Lincoln Square’s blend of the tried and the trendy is anchored at its southern end by four institutions. The 19-year-old Sulzer Regional Library (4455 North Lincoln Ave.; 312-744-7616) was designed by Hammond, Beeby and Babka, the same firm that produced downtown’s Harold Washington Library Center in 1993. A quick trip inside reveals the 1922 oval bas-relief of Abraham Lincoln rescued from a neighborhood façade (it’s along the stairway leading to the second floor) and the large lobby painting of Sulzer himself, nattily clad and following the passing parade with a steely blue gaze.
Detail of rose window
Outside the library, the gray spire of Queen of Angels Church (2230 West Sunnyside Ave.; 773-539-7510) beckons, and here again, a peek inside – to glimpse the six colorful angels hovering above the nave or the stained-glass windows depicting events from the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary – pays off. Across the street, Welles Park (2333 W. Sunnyside; 312-742-7511) is a people magnet, with its playgrounds, baseball diamonds, horseshoe pits, and indoor pool. This sports mecca doubles as a cultural gathering place, staging concerts and outdoor movies around a graceful two-year-old gazebo (go to www.ward47.com for more information) and hosting the annual Folk & Roots Festival presented by the Old Town School of Folk Music (held this year July 9-11).
Text by Geoffrey Johnson, Copyright 2004 Chicago Magazine
Image by Daniel X. O'Neil
