Albright Family Log House and Studio in Winnetka, Illinois' Hubbard Woods, and the History of Artist Ivan Albright.

The Albright family log house and the studio was located in Hubbard Woods, 1258 Scott Avenue, Winnetka, Illinois. 

Albright Family Log House, 1910.

Albright Family Log House, 1910.

Albright Log Studio, 1910.

Artist Ivan Le Lorraine Albright, a painter who magnified decrepitude, whos canvases depict men and women overworn by the world. Their flesh is heavy and mottled; stubble sticks out on their chins or kneecaps. Their foreheads are furrowed and eyes encircled.

Albright combined his messages of decay and regret in several titles of his paintings, such as "The Farmer's Kitchen" and "Fleeting Time, Thou Hast Left Me Old."

"The Farmer's Kitchen" by Ivan Albright.

"Fleeting Time, Thou Hast Left Me Old" by Ivan Albright.

The darkness evident in his work seems incongruous with Albright’s background. Even within his family—his father and twin brother were artists—he stands apart.

Twins Ivan Le Lorraine and Malvin Marr were born in 1897 to Clara and Adam Emory Albright in North Harvey, Illinois. Their father, who specialized in impressionistic, sunny paintings of children, designed their log house in Hubbard Woods. The family moved into “Log Studio” in 1910. (The house was demolished in the late 1970s.)

Adam Emory Allbright Oil Painting.

The boys attended New Trier High School. In the 1915 yearbook, their photographs are captioned, “The Albright Twins: Two heads are better than one.”

After two years of floundering in college, the twins enlisted in the Army during World War I. Ivan worked as a medical draftsman, documenting soldiers’ wounds.

After returning to the United States the twins enrolled at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. In 1923 Malvin received a degree in sculpture and Ivan one in drawing, painting, and illustration. They both studied for another year in Philadelphia and New York.

Back in Illinois Ivan’s art soon began to move in the direction that would distinguish him. He started to use non-professional models for his portraits. He entered hundreds of juried exhibitions and won numerous awards.

In 1943 Ivan received the commission that put him briefly into the national spotlight. He was contracted by MGM to paint a picture of Dorian Gray for the movie of the same name. Albright’s macabre rendering brought him great media publicity.

A bachelor until the age of 49, Albright married Josephine Medill Patterson Reeve, a newspaper heiress, in 1946. They had four children—two from her previous marriage and two of their own. The marriage ensured Albright’s financial stability. He continued to paint and travel extensively throughout his life. He made a final etching, a self-portrait, just a few days before his death in 1983 at his home in Woodstock, Vermont.

From February to May of 2017, The Art Institute of Chicago sponsored an Ivan Albright exhibition. The retrospective displayed more than 120 of his works. It reinforced the opinion that Albright sought not to beautify but to communicate the ravages of life on body and spirit.

NOTE: Ivan Albright was the father-in-law of former U.S. Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.

Illinois Central (IC) Railroad Station [Springfield Union Station] in Springfield, Illinois History.

Springfield Union Station at 5th & Madison was designed in the Richardson Romanesque style in 1896 as a combined passenger terminal for several railroads serving Springfield, including the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, Chicago, Peoria and St. Louis Railroad, Illinois Central Railroad, and the St. Louis, Peoria and Northern Railway.

Illinois Central (IC) Railroad Station [Springfield Union Station], 500 East Madison Street, Springfield, Illinois. (1901)

Although the structure was intended to be used jointly by these railroads, the Illinois Central was the predominant carrier. The architect was Illinois Central chief architect Francis T. Bacon. The station was built in 1897-1898 at a cost of $75,000, and opened for business on January 2, 1898. During its 73 years of active service, the station carried substantial passenger train traffic to and from Chicago, St. Louis, and other cities.

After passenger train service ended, Union Station housed several private businesses before being used for Illinois state offices until September, 2004.

Springfield Union Station is now part of the complex of buildings that together form the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The building was extensively restored as the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library visitor center, which reopened in March 2007. As part of the $12.5 million restoration project, the clock tower was rebuilt, substantially returning the station to its pre-1936 appearance.

Compiled by Neil Gale, Ph.D. 

Kolze's Electric (Amusement) Park, Chicago, Illinois

Kolze's Electric Park was located along the south side of Irving Park Boulevard just east of Northwest 64th Street (now Narragansett Avenue) in the sparsely developed Dunning neighborhood of Chicago.

Looking east on Irving Park Boulevard at 64th Street (now Narragansett) in the Dunning neighborhood of Chicago. (circa 1905). The structure with the arches was the entrance to Kolze's Electric Park, which dates back to 1896 when hotel, restaurant and tavern (seen in the foreground) owner Henry James Kolze decided to create an attraction for riders of newly-reaching streetcar lines. Purchasing wooded land near his inn, Kolze strung large gas lamps to offer a nightly orchestra. It was one of the first parks in Chicago to be illuminated by electric lighting.

Newspaper Advertisement from September 10, 1904

It was operated by Henry James Kolze, who owned a two-story roadside Inn, Restaurant and Tavern on the site to serve visitors to nearby cemeteries and the Cook County Mental Hospital. The extension of streetcar service to the area in 1896 boosted traffic along Irving Park Boulevard and enhanced the commercial possibilities of the site.

Kolze responded by developing a picnic grove in the wooded area behind his restaurant. By 1905, the park featured a dancing pavilion, a shooting gallery, various concession stands, and bright night-time illumination, hence the name "Electric Park." 

Attendance at the park steadily increased during the 1910s and 1920s, leading Kolze to undertake additional park expansion. 

Grand  Picnic Newspaper Advertisement from 1918.

By 1924, several new booths and refreshment stands had been added. Records also indicate that Kolze acquired additional property south of the original park, pushing its southern boundary to present Byron Avenue. The picnic grove remained in operation until the late 1940s. 

In 1950, the Chicago Park District acquired the property and announced plans to convert the picnic grove into a public park. In subsequent years, the park district demolished 19 of 20 buildings. The only one left standing was the original clapboard tavern as the park's new field house until a new brick facility was erected in 1969. These structures were replaced with athletic fields, tennis courts, and a children's playground. The new park became known as Merrimac Park.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D. 

Knights Templar Conclave arch built over Michigan Avenue, Chicago. 1910

The arch and columns were erected to commemorate the 1910 Knights Templar Conclave.

The arch built over Michigan Avenue between 9th and 11th Streets, in Chicago (1910).
Note Grant Park’s Logan Monument in the lower right corner. 

Looking north on State from Van Buren, Chicago (1910).

Looking north on Wabash Avenue from Congress Parkway, Chicago. (1889)

Looking north on Wabash Avenue from Congress Parkway, Chicago. (1889). The Auditorium Building had only been completed one year before. The "L" would be added in 1896.  [Colorized Photograph]