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A D B | W R I G H T W O O D 6 5 9
T
he bones of the building fit beautifully with the
splendid brick-row houses and tidy tree-lined
streets of Lincoln Park, an area that supports
Chicago as one of the most storied cities in America, its
skyline and suburbs drawn by the likes of architectural
giants Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright. But to
gaze inside Wrightwood 659—its quiet calculations of
space and volume, its honest palette of materials, its
respectful treatment of the existing architecture—is
to think only of Ando, who is celebrated for "creating
spaces of exceptional serenity and great beauty," says
Lisa Cavanaugh, director of Wrightwood 659. "He is
also known for creating art spaces that inspire viewers
to take the time to reflect on what they are seeing. In
all of his art spaces, the art is allowed to speak for itself
and viewers are able to experience it in their own way."
e finished space reflects what its founders,
Lincoln Park residents Fred Eychaner and Dan
Whittaker, envisioned—a site for exhibitions devoted
to architecture, in itself a civic practice, and socially
responsive art. "ey very much wanted an architecture
that would not compete with the artworks, but, rather,
would provide an environment that is conducive to
looking and thinking," explains Cavanaugh.
ought permeates the place, its recreation one of
the more brilliant mergers of art and architecture in
recent memory. "is is clear when one enters what
appears to be a traditional building with a neo-Geor-
gian façade, only to encounter a soaring atrium with
a grand staircase," says Cavanaugh, adding that this
"luminous, expansive space that extends to all four
