John Bigelow Sr. (November 25, 1817 – December 19, 1911) was an American lawyer, statesman, and historian who edited the complete works of Benjamin Franklin and the first autobiography of Franklin taken from Franklin's previously lost original manuscript. He played a central role in the founding of the New York Public Library in 1895.

Early life
Born in Malden-on-Hudson, New York, he graduated in 1835 from Union College, where he was a member of the Sigma Phi Society and the Philomathean Society and was admitted to the bar in 1838. From 1849 to 1861, he was one of the editors and co-owners of the New York Evening Post.

Political and literary career
Bigelow began his political career as a reform Democrat, working with William Cullen Bryant in New York. In 1848, his antislavery convictions led him to leave the party, and he joined the Free Soil Party. In 1856, he led other former Democrats into the newly formed Republican Party and wrote a campaign biography of John C. Frémont, who won the Republican presidential nomination that year. In 1861, President Abraham Lincoln appointed him American consul in Paris, and Bigelow progressed to Chargé d'Affaires and Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the Court of Napoleon III. In this capacity, working together with Charles Francis Adams, the United States minister to the United Kingdom, Bigelow helped to block the attempts to have France and the United Kingdom intervene in the American Civil War in favor of the Confederacy and thereby played a material role in the Union victory. On March 15, 1865, Lincoln appointed Bigelow ambassador to France. After leaving this position, he went to Germany, where he lived for three years, through the period of the Franco-Prussian War, and he became a friend of Otto von Bismarck.

After the war's conclusion, he returned to New York, where he assisted his old friend Samuel J. Tilden in opposing the corruption that flourished in New York City under William Magear Tweed. Because of the universal respect in which Bigelow was held in New York, he was offered nominations by both political parties for state office in 1872. Under the influence of Tilden, Bigelow decided to rejoin the Democratic party, accepted its nomination, and was elected Secretary of State of New York, a position he held until 1876. When the Democrats nominated Tilden for President in 1876, he served as Tilden's campaign manager, and in that capacity advised Tilden in the famous dispute over the result of the presidential election. Tilden died almost a decade after the dispute was decided in favor of his rival, Rutherford B. Hayes, and Bigelow then acted as one of Tilden's Estate Trust Executors. He carried out Tilden's wishes, over several years, to develop, design, and establish the New York Public Library and served as its first president from May 27, 1895 until his death on December 19, 1911.

He was a staunch proponent of the development of the Panama Canal. He was a friend of Philippe Bunau-Varilla, who brought Panama's declaration of Independence to Bigelow's home. Panama's first proposed flag, made there by Mrs. Bunau Varilla, was rejected by the Panamanians, who made their own.

Bigelow's writing career, begun with Bryant on the New York Evening Post, included several books.  He was one of the first Americans to visit Haiti with an open mind, and published The Wisdom of the Haitians, which, before the Civil War, was one of the few American works to take a positive view of Haitian independence.

Bigelow published an edition of The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, in 1868, the first publication taken from Franklin's original, and nearly complete, manuscript, which had been lost sometime after Franklin's death. After haggling over the price, he finally agreed to pay the original asking price of 25,000 franks and purchased the manuscript from William Temple Franklin, Benjamin's Franklin's grandson.  Since the manuscript ended at age 51, in 1757, Bigelow re-worked it, incorporating Franklin's extensive correspondence, into the three-volume The Life of Benjamin Franklin, Written by Himself, first published in 1874.

In 1895 Bigelow wrote and published The Life of Samuel J. Tilden.

Personal life
On June 11, 1850, Bigelow married Jane Tunis Poultney and they had nine children. They included:
 John Bigelow Jr. (May 12, 1854 – February 29, 1936) graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York in 1877.  He served in the United States Army in Texas with the Buffalo Soldiers, taught at West Point, served again in the West, and fought and was seriously wounded in Cuba. He retired in October 1904. From 1905 to 1910, he was a professor at M.I.T. During World War I, he was recalled to active duty and served in Washington. He traveled and wrote until his death in 1936.
 Poultney Bigelow (1855-1954) was a lawyer and a noted journalist and editor.
 Flora Bigelow, married firstly Charles S. Dodge and secondly The Hon. Lionel Guest (1880–1935), son of Ivor Bertie Guest, 1st Baron Wimborne (1835–1914).
In 1854 he had a life-changing experience he wrote about in the book The Bible That Was Lost and is Found.

Legacy
On August 8, 2001, New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani signed a bill adding the name "John Bigelow Plaza" to the intersection of 41st Street and Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, directly in front of the New York Public Library Main Branch.  His estate at Highland Falls, New York, known as The Squirrels, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

See also

 The Papers of Benjamin Franklin
 Bibliography of Benjamin Franklin

References

Sources

The Life Of Samuel J. Tilden, Written by John Bigelow, 1895. Revised and edited by; Nikki Oldaker 2009:  Samuel Tilden.net
Mr. Lincoln and Friends: John Bigelow
Retrospections of an Active Life. 3 volumes.  New York: Baker & Taylor Co., 1909.
Bigelow Genealogy at fp.enter.net
Bigelow and Union College, in NYT on May 18, 1913

 John Bigelow Papers, The New York Public Library.
The Correspondence of John Bigelow, Union College

External links

1817 births
1911 deaths
People from Saugerties, New York
Secretaries of State of New York (state)
Ambassadors of the United States to France
Union College (New York) alumni
American Swedenborgians
19th-century American diplomats
New York (state) Democrats
New York (state) Free Soilers
New York (state) Republicans
Presidents of the New York Public Library
Members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters

John Bigelow


Jacob Mor Theophilos (21 February 1891 in Olassa, Kottayam, Kerala – 27 June 1956 in Tiruvalla, Kerala) was the co-builder of the Reunion Movement and the first Metropolitan bishop of Eparchy of Thiruvalla of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church.

Early life
Jacob (Yakob) Mar Theophilos was born as the first son of Abraham Tharakan and Achama of Kulapurackalveedu. After primary education from a nearby school, he completed matriculation from MD High School, Kottayam, where he later became a teacher. He longed to lead a life of priesthood by his own religious tradition and by the inspiration of MA Achan (Fr. P. T. Geevarghese Panikerveettil, later Archbishop Mar Ivanios), who was then Principal of the MD High School. Mar Theophilos received his sacred order of the Diconate from Metropolitan Vattasseril Mar Divannasios. MA Achan took Mar Theophilos, his deacon, to Serampore when he (MA Achan) took up an assignment as Professor of the Serampore University.

In Bethany Ashram
Deacon Yakob stood with Archbishop Mar Ivanios in the founding of Bethany Ashram and later in embracing the Catholic Communion through the Re-union Movement.  One of the first members of the Bethany Congregation was Fr. Yakob.  He was the Guru(Master) of the Novices. He was ordained priest in 1924 and was elected and ordained Bishop after the name Yakob Mar Theophilos.

Ecclesial Communion Movement
Mar Theophilos gave full support to Mar Ivanios in all his pioneering endeavours especially of the Reunion Movement. Though other Bishops backtracked from the decision of the Synod of Parumala held in 1926, Mar Theophilos endorsed it with full conviction and commitment. Thus he became one among the first five members of the Re-union Movement on 20 September 1930.

Bishop of Tiruvalla
When the Syro-Malankara Catholic Hierarchy was established in 1932, he was appointed the first Metropolitan of Tiruvalla. His Aramana (Bishop's residence) was a small two storied building named Cherupushpagiri, situated in the place where now stands the Pushpagiri Medical College. In 1933 Mar Theophilos visited Rome and paid his respects to Pope Pius XI.

Jacob Mar Theophilos blessed the new Bishop's house on 24 November 1934. Many churches, schools, Infant Mary Minor Seminary (the first seminary in the syro malankara catholic church) and the St. Joseph's press were started by him. With the mission to spread the faith and to strengthen the Re-union Movement, he formed "Sakshyasangam" ("Group of Witnesses").

Death
Due to ill health, he handed over the administration of the Eparchy to Mar Severios and took rest. Mar Theophilos died on 27 June 1956, aged 65. His remains are entombed in St. John's Cathedral, Tiruvalla.

External links
Syro-Malankara Catholic Church

Converts to Eastern Catholicism from Oriental Orthodoxy
20th-century Eastern Catholic bishops
Saint Thomas Christians
Syro-Malankara bishops
Christian clergy from Kottayam
1891 births
1956 deaths

Jacob Theophilos


PS Adelaide is the oldest wooden hulled paddle steamer still operating anywhere in the world. (Hjejlen from Denmark is older and has sailed since 1861. It is the world's oldest original coal-fired paddle steamer). It is now moored at the Echuca Wharf and used for special occasions.

History

Early life

PS Adelaide was built by George Linklater at Echuca in 1866 for J.C. Grassey and Partners. It was used by the original owners to transport wool to Echuca from nearby sheep stations. It was also a part-time passenger boat, bringing the ladies into town to do their shopping. The Adelaide was purchased by the Murray River Sawmill Co in 1891 (from D Blair, at a cost of ten shillings per each of his 64 shares), and used as logging steamer.

Capt. William Thompson served as skipper of the PS Adelaide from 1890 to 1912, prior to succession to foreman at the Murray River Sawmills. Capt. Charles 'Swan' Anderson (1871-1942) served as captain of the Adelaide from 1912 to 1939 (once captain of the PS Melbourne). In 1938, it cost £9 10p to hire the vessel. Employees of the Murray River Sawmills were employed on board a steamer for a season of five to six months a year, and within the mill for the remainder of the year.

1900s
From 1900, the Murray River Sawmill adopted the practice of name their barges by ordinal letter and number of year built. This resulted in the construction of the A11, B22, C24 (later the PV Pride of the Murray), and D26 barges. When sold to Paringa in 1958, the PS Adelaide towed Barges A11 and B22 to Mildura (the A11 was eaten by white ants, and sank to the bottom of the Murray River where it remains).

The PS Adelaide was modified several times during her first seventy years; the deckhouses were rebuilt twice, the hull was replanked twice, and in 1924 the paddleboxes were converted to a more conventional square design. Adelaide operated as a logging steamer until 1958, before being sold to the South Australia Sawmill Company and leaving Echuca for Paringa. The Adelaide left Echuca on Wednesday 24 September 1958, headed for Paringa, near Renmark, South Australia. The purchasers, A B Rowe and Sons, intended to use the vessel in connection with a mill they planned to establish near Paringa. The Adelaide (under the command of Capt. Norm Collins) towed two barges laden with firewood for the journey. The vessel's only incident was recorded as a near-miss at Nyah; under darkness the Adelaide only narrowly missed the new bridge upstream of the village.

Around 1959, the Echuca Apex Club began the first interest in providing a tangibile sign towards its towns' previous involvement in the steamer and logging industries (signified by the placement of a log buggy in the Hopwood Gardens). The PS Adelaide was purchased by the Echuca Apex Club, with help from the Echuca Historical Society in 1960, the vessel returned to Echuca, beginning her journey from Paringa on Friday 14 October 1960, under the direction of two skippers: Capt Norm Collins (of Mildura) and Capt. Les Telley (of Woorinen). The PS Adelaide made a triumphant return to Echuca on Saturday 29 October 1960 (slightly after two years since departure).

Return to Echuca
On Saturday 9 May 1964, current Governor of Victoria Sir Rohan Delacombe unveiled a plaque on the site of the PS Adelaide in the presence of some 300 people, celebrating the handing over of the former steamer to Echuca's Mayor, Cr W A Lynch from Barry Beehag (President of Echuca's Apex Club). The Echuca Council guaranteed in June 1981 to preserve the PS Adelaide in the Hodwood Gardens, opposite the Bridge Hotel, Echuca. However, this was soon reversed in 1984 when the council opted to refloat the vessel in the Murray River. In 1980, the Echuca City Council received a $150,000 grant from the State Gold Lottery funds, and restoration works began in December 1980. Work was interrupted in 1983 when shipwright K Hutchinson was seconded to caretake the PS Pevensey during filming of All the Rivers Run. The Adelaide was re-introduced to the waters of the Murray River on Sunday 4 March 1984, at 5:20pm.

By March 1985, the paddleboxes of the vessel had been re-shaped to become semi-circular. At 11:30am on 10 September 1985, the PS Adelaide left her port under her own steam for the first time in 25 years. With restoration completed in 1985, the Adelaide was re-commissioned by the Prince and Princess of Wales. Following four weeks of refurbishment, the PS Adelaide returned from a prolonged hiatus to regular passenger service from the Port of Echuca over the Queen's Birthday long weekend in June 2021.

Remaining barges

A11
The A11 barge was the first logging barge built by Murray River Sawmills in 1911. Though originally sunk at Mildura, A11 was raised in 1994 and moved to nearby Bruces Bend.

B22
The B22 barge was constructed with a length of 24.9m and a beam 5.1m. Though recovered from Mildura to Echuca in 1980, the barge is considered to be beyond repair (having sunk again in the mid-2010s).

C24
The C24 barge sunk at the end of her working life, the C24 rotted and sank into the bank near the Moama slip. In 1972, Max Carrington purchased the wreck for $100, and refloated the vessel (with restoration beginning in 1973). Following renewal of some hull planks, addition of two decks of accommodation, installation of the paddlewheels of the PS Hero, and the addition of a diesel engine, the vessel was launched as the PV Pride of the Murray in 1976. In 2022, the PV Pride of the Murray was purchased by Outback Pioneers and relocated to Longreach, Queensland for cruising on the Thomson River.

D26
The fourth barge built by Murray River Sawmills, the D26 barge (built 1926) was saved in 1987, when bought by the Echuca Council at the request of its Shepparton owners. While located at Mooroopna (nearby to Shepparton), the D26 had undergone some restoration work to her hull, though funds nor skill were available to complete her restoration. The D26 was refloated by Kevin Hutchinson in Echuca on Australia Day, 1990.

Particulars
Adelaide was one of the fastest paddles steamers on the Murray River. The original engine of the PS Adelaide is a twin-cylinder 30 horsepower nominal steam engine (featuring 14 inch bore and 36 inch stroke), made by Fulton & Shaw (built in Melbourne, Victoria). The boiler of the Adelaide was replaced twice, the last time in 1936 or 1938. This replacement boiler is a Buchanan & Brock boiler, also built in Melbourne.

References

External links
 P.S. Adelaide

Paddle steamers of Australia
1866 ships
Echuca-Moama

PS Adelaide


Out In Canada is a travel magazine focused on gay and lesbian tourism, also known as LGBT tourism, exclusively within Canada. The magazine is printed twice yearly, and is distributed free in gay villages across North America.

Out In Canada is edited by Randall Shirley and owned by Out in Canada Inc., a Toronto-based company founded by lawyer and journalist Glenn Wheeler and group of other investors in 2006. Wheeler, who is also publisher of the magazine and website, was associate editor of the Toronto-based urban weekly NOW before becoming a lawyer.

In 2007, journalist Margaret Webb received a Northern Lights Award (one of only 13 annually) for her Out In Canada lesbian travel story about ice wines and travel in Canada's Niagara Region, presented by the Canadian Tourism Commission.

References

External links

Biannual magazines published in Canada
LGBT-related magazines published in Canada
Free magazines
Magazines with year of establishment missing
Magazines published in Toronto
Travel magazines published in Canada
2000s LGBT literature

Out in Canada


The Rallye de Nouvelle-Calédonie is a rally racing event held in the French island of New Caledonia. The rally dates back as far as 1967 and was known then as the New Caledonia Safari. That first rally was won by Australian driver John Keran driving a Volvo 122S. The rally was promoted to international status as a round of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) in 1999. In 2000 the rally was dropped from the APRC but returned in 2001 and has been part of the regional championship ever since, although the 2003 event was abandoned due to heavy rain.

The event is known for its treacherous conditions as when wet the forest roads turn to mud quickly and it quite steep as it climbs the volcanic spine of the island. With its strong French culture the island rally has a different atmosphere from the East Asian and Australasian legs of the APRC. Entrants are an odd mix of local teams, which vary from small amateur/privateer teams to professional teams run by import-associated businesses like Car Sales and Vehicle Rentals and a small group teams from Australia, New Zealand and all across Asia from as far away as India and Japan. Motor vehicle importer Jean-Louis Leyraud is one of the islands most famous athletes and has won the rally three times, competing in the event from the early 1970s through to the late 2000s, winning the New Caledonia championship 11 times.

Since joining the Asia-Pacific championship a number of competitors have claimed multiple victories: Malaysian driver Karamjit Singh, Finnish driver Jussi Välimäki, Japanese driver Katsuhiko Taguchi and most recently Indian driver Gaurav Gill.

List of winners of APRC events
Sourced in part from:

References

External links
Official website

Sport in New Caledonia
Nouvelle-Calédonie
Recurring sporting events established in 1967
Nouvelle Caledonie

Rallye de Nouvelle-Calédonie


The following are the events in professional sumo during 1995.

Tournaments

Hatsu basho
Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo, 8 January – 22 January

Haru basho
Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium, Osaka, 12 March – 26 March

Natsu basho
Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo,  7 May – 21 May

Nagoya basho
Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium, Nagoya, 2 July – 16 July

Aki basho
Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo, 10 September – 24 September

Kyushu basho
Fukuoka International Centre, Kyushu, 9 November – 23 November

News

January
In his debut tournament as a yokozuna, Takanohana wins his eighth makuuchi division championship in a playoff with ozeki Musashimaru after both finish on 13–2. Kaio wins the Outstanding Performance prize in his sekiwake debut. The Fighting Spirit prize is shared between Akinoshima and Daishoho. Asahiyutaka wins the juryo title after a playoff with Tosanoumi, and Kyokushuzan wins the makushita championship.

March
Takanohana's yokozuna rival Akebono responds by winning his eighth championship, defeating him on the final day to finish on 14–1. Veteran Terao wins the Outstanding Performance prize. Akinoshima scores 11–4 in his second successive tournament and wins his second Fighting Spirit Award in a row. Former maegashira Kototsubaki retires. Tokitsunada wins the juryo championship with a 10–5 record after a playoff with Shikishima.

May
Once again Akebono and Takanohana meet in a yusho deciding match. This time Takanohana wins to finish on 14–1. Musashimaru is third on 12–3, and Musoyama wins Outstanding Performance and Fighting Spirit prizes after a fine 11–4 record. Tosanoumi wins the juryo championship.

July
Takanohana wins his tenth championship with a 13–2 record, one ahead of Musashimaru. It is the fifth tournament in a row that Musashimaru has won twelve bouts or better. Kenko scores 11–4 and wins the Outstanding Performance prize, shared with Kotonishiki.  Musoyama wins the Technique Prize; it is the first time in a year that this prize has been awarded. Kotonowaka gets the Fighting Spirit Award. Tosanoumi makes his top division debut halfway up the maegashira ranks at #7, and fights an ozeki and a yokozuna in his first two bouts. He finishes on 7–8.  The juryo championship is won by Kyokushuzan. Chiyotaikai comes through with a winning record in his juryo debut. The Hawaiian wrestler Daiki (Percy Kipapa) wins the makushita championship with a perfect 7–0 record, ensuring his promotion to the sekitori ranks. The sandanme championship is won by Shiga (the future ozeki Tochiazuma). It is his third consecutive yusho and he is unbeaten in 25 bouts since his professional debut.

September
Takanohana wins his fourth yusho of the year, with a perfect 15–0 score. Akebono is runner-up, three wins behind. Kotonishiki wins the Technique prize, and Kaio the Outstanding Performance Award. Kotoinazuma scores 9–6 and wins the Fighting Spirit prize, earning promotion to the sanyaku ranks for the first time at the age of 33. His award is shared with Tosanoumi. Wakanojo wins the juryo title in his debut with a 12–3 record, three wins ahead of anyone else. Shiga's winning streak is stopped at 26, and he finishes with a 3–4 losing score in his debut in the makushita division. Former sekiwake Kotofuji, surprise winner of the July 1991 tournament, announces his retirement.

November
Ozeki Wakanohana wins his second career championship, defeating his brother Takanohana in a historic playoff after both men finish on 12–3. It is the first time the brothers have met in competition. Akebono pulls out midway through due to injury. Tosanoumi wins two special prizes for Technique and Outstanding Performance. Minatofuji wins the Fighting Spirit prize, shared with Kaio. Former maegashira Wakanoyama wins the juryo championship with an 11–4 score after a playoff with Daihisho. One win behind on 10–5 are Tamakasuga, who is promoted to makuuchi, and Hawaiian wrestler Sunahama (William Taylor Hopkins), in his juryo debut. Four former top division wrestlers announce their retirements: Takamisugi, Daishoyama, Kirinishiki and Komafudō.

Deaths
26 January: Former sekiwake Kurama, also former Shikoroyama Oyakata, aged 42.
31 March: Former maegashira Wakanoumi, also former Otake Oyakata aged 50.
4 June: Former maegashira Hideminato, aged 69.
20 July: Former maegashira Fukunoumi, also former Kitajin, Urakaze, Kiriyama, Hakkaku and Nakagawa Oyakata, aged 65.
16 Sept: Former maegashira Fukunosato, aged 71.
3 Oct: Former komusubi Kuninobori, also former Sanoyama Oyakata, aged 70.

See also
Glossary of sumo terms
List of past sumo wrestlers
List of years in sumo
List of yokozuna

Sumo by year
Sumo

1995 in sumo


The Carl Street Studios is an enclave in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.

Early years
The Carl Street Studios complex began its life as a single family three story mansion built during the 1880s, and was, during part of these early years, reputedly owned by a mayor of the city of Chicago.  During the 1880s through the 1910s, the surrounding neighborhood was a fashionable district for Chicago's upper middle class.  The original structure, located on what was then Carl Street, was quite typical of the Victorian mansions that were built during the period, and its style is fairly reflected by many of the brownstone and greystone mansions that still dot the west side of LaSalle Street between Division Street and North Avenue.

During the 1910s and 1920s the socio-economic status of the surrounding area changed, with German, Bohemian and eastern European immigrants constituting the primary ethnic makeup of the new resident pool.  Many of the Victorian mansions in the area, including those located on Carl Street, were converted into multi-family dwellings and some fell into disrepair.  The value of real estate in the neighborhood suffered a corresponding decline.

Sol Kogen & Edgar Miller
Shortly after World War I, a clique of enterprising and innovative artists enrolled at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.  Two such art students, Sol Kogen and Edgar Miller, met at the school and became friends and leaders of an avant-garde group of art students.  Sol Kogen's parents were reasonably prosperous merchants from Chicago.  A bon vivant throughout his lifetime, Sol entered the family business shortly after his experience at the Art Institute, and did well enough to "retire" from the business in the mid-1920s, travel to Europe for a number of years and pursue more independent and artistic endeavors.

In about 1927, Sol Kogen, having spent some years in Paris, and in particular the artistic Montmartre neighborhood of that city, conceived of a plan to develop an artist studio in Chicago where independent-leaning Midwestern artists could work.  Sol Kogen sought an environment in which modern art could be encouraged and flourish in Chicago.

To assist him in this enterprise, Kogen called upon his former fellow student and friend, Edgar Miller, whose earliest work at the School of the Art Institute showed a clear inclination toward modernism, and who won the Institute's prestigious Logan medal for his innovative work on a stained glass panel that is still displayed in the Art Institute's permanent collection.  While little known today, Edgar Miller was one of the most well-known Chicago artists of his time and contributed mightily to the Chicago community's modern art movement of the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s.  Initially, Miller opened a small art gallery on Pearson Street, quaintly referred to as the "House at the End of the Street," where he exhibited his own diverse opus of work, as well as the work of other modern artists, including Lionel Feininger, Rudolph Weisenborn, John Storrs, and John W. Norton.

Edgar Miller's artistic venue was as diverse as any artists' in the world.  He excelled at oil painting, watercolor, pastels, mural painting, plaster relief, sculpture, iron, steel and copper work, ceramics, textiles, mosaics, printmaking, wood carving, and stained glass.  During his most productive period, Edgar was contracted to create extensive murals for the Tavern and Standard Clubs in Chicago, stained glass, sculpture and relief work for many commercial, government, educational and religious buildings throughout the Chicago area, New York and in other cities, and design work for restaurants and individual residences.

Purchasing the mansion and renovation

In 1927, Kogen purchased the mansion at 155 West Carl Street, which stood on two city lots, and asked Miller to help convert the structure into an aesthetically enticing, modern studio complex for emerging artists.  From the outset, the central idea behind Carl Street Studios was to create a series of unique art studio apartments that would open out to closed communal exterior spaces fraught with gardens, fountains, koi fish ponds and, of course, art.  A somewhat similar concept had already been established at the Tree Studios, located further south on State Street, earlier in the 20th century.  However, unlike the Tree Studios complex, Kogen and Miller conceived of a studio complex whose interior and exterior spaces would themselves be innovative works of art, and not merely functional spaces for the production of art.

To help build the complex, Kogen and Miller recruited some of their former colleagues from the Art Institute and other like-minded emerging Chicago artists, including John W. Norton, Edgar Britton, Edward Millman, Stewart Rae and a highly talented and versatile Mexican immigrant, Jesus Torres.  In exchange for their respective contributions, these artists would be permitted to reside free-of-charge in the studios as work progressed.

Work began in 1927, when the crew of artists gutted the three-story mansion, including the basement.  Edgar Miller is credited with creating the interior space plan for all of the studio units in the former mansion, which included using basement spaces as primary living areas, a novel concept at the time, and featuring duplex architectural configurations, which provided for lofted bedroom and art studio spaces above.  While functional, kitchens and bathrooms were not a priority.  The exterior walls of the mansion were masked with a new face of common brick and featured artistic textural elements and designs.

Miller and his fellow artists met the challenge of maximizing light in each studio while maintaining privacy.  In some units, soaring windows of stained, painted and/or obscure glass, painstakingly rendered by Miller, were installed.  The building also pioneered the extensive use of block and molded, textured glass for primary living space windows.  Interior walls (composed mainly of plaster), fireplaces and floors were aesthetically enhanced with painted murals, plaster reliefs, and hand-carved patterned wood elements.  One of the most distinctive features of the apartments is the extensive and highly innovative use of a myriad of colored marbles, terrazzo, and Rookwood, Teco, Grueby and Batchelder tiles on all manner of surfaces.  Decorative copper, iron and steel work abound, and creative lighting (for the time) added allure and intrigue to the studios.  The exterior door of each unit enjoys its own distinctive personality (many with intricate hand carved elements by Edgar Miller and Jesus Torres), and contributes to the asymmetrical flavor of the building.

Much of the high-grade materials used in the building were reclaimed by the artists from demolished mansions in the area, demolished buildings from the 1933-34 Century of Progress International Exposition (in which many of the artists contributed), and, later during the depression, the Maxwell Street market vendors.  After work on the studios in the mansion was completed, the artists erected additional four-story buildings lining the periphery of the property that essentially created the enveloped east courtyard that you see today.  Artistic flourishes, such as interesting brick and tile work, mosaics, plaster and ceramic reliefs and wood carvings, mainly by Edgar Miller and Jesus Torres, enhanced the aesthetic impression of these newer structures, which contained additional artist studios with equally fanciful and dramatic interior spaces.  Committed to the artistic gestalt of the complex, Miller and his crew of artists at an early date replaced the sidewalk in front of the building with a dramatic walkway of colorful and diverse tiles and marbles which informs the visitor or casual passerby that Carl Street Studios is a unique phenomenon to Chicago, and also gives a glimpse of what mysteries lie behind the front wall of the complex.

The Depression
As a result of the stock market crash of 1929, Sol Kogen's financial position was severely impacted.  Consequently, during the depression, Kogen relied more and more on Carl Street Studios as a means of revenue.  The "art for art sake" spirit of the complex diminished somewhat, and Kogen apparently began demanding that the studio spaces be made smaller in order to increase the number of paying tenants.  A rift thus developed between the art-inspired Miller and the cashed strapped Kogen and by 1936, Miller ceased work on the project altogether.  It must also be said that, by this time, Miller's work was in high demand commercially, and it is unlikely that he was contributing much to the complex anyway.  With Edgar Miller's departure, most of the ongoing art work in the studio complex was completed by the versatile Jesus Torres, who had been Miller's primary apprentice.  During the ensuing decades, generations of artisans and craftsmen (and craftswomen) have worked on the exteriors and interiors of the studio complex.

The 1950s
In the late 1950s Sol Kogen died, and the apartment complex was run first by Sol's wife and upon her death, Sol's daughter.  In 1985, Sol's daughter sold the building to a Chicago entrepreneur, who located Edgar Miller in California and invited the artist back to the complex to continue work.  Miller relished the opportunity to leave retirement and complete the project he planned almost sixty years before.  From this time until the early 1990s, Edgar Miller lived in the complex and executed stained glass work, murals, and other art pieces for the building.  Many of the studios were further enhanced by these later works by Miller, who eventually died in Chicago in 1993 at the age of 94.

Gardens have always been an important and integral element at Carl Street Studios.  From the beginning of the art studio project, peripheral flower and tree beds were formed in the east and west courtyards of the structure.  Both courtyards also feature ponds where many generations of koi and goldfish have led charmed lives, while delighting residents and visitors alike.  In fact, Carl Street Studios and their gardens have always been a place of revelry for residents and their guests.  During the early years, the artist residents and folks from the surrounding neighborhood would gather in the east courtyard for goat roasts and annual New Years parties.  The midlevel and roof gardens have also existed from an early date and have provided residents with a forum for warm summer evening get-togethers and dinners.  Carl Street Studios has traditionally welcomed the public to enjoy its magical spaces, artwork and gardens during the annual Dearborn Garden Walk.

From the outset, Carl Street Studios served as the guiding spirit and anchor of the Old Town community as an artistic enclave in Chicago.  Shortly after work began on the building, other artistically inclined individuals and groups, often with the assistance of Kogen, Miller and their band of artists, began remodeling other buildings on Carl Street (which was renamed Burton Place during the mid-1930s) to render an amorphous and ad hoc modern character to the street.  This led still others to build or remodel buildings in a similar vein on other streets in the neighborhood, including Schiller and Wells streets.  In addition to the artists already identified that have resided at Carl Street Studios, others include the world-famous artists Boris Anisfeld and Mark Tobey, and television pioneer entertainer David Garroway.  Hollywood starlets, such as Tallulah Bankhead, and more recently Virginia Madsen, were also residents or frequent guests.

During the early years, Sol Kogen and Edgar Miller presented public art exhibitions within the complex, displaying the works of some of Chicago's better known modern and avant-garde artists.  Since 1930, Carl Street Studios has been the subject of numerous newspaper and magazine articles, scholarly publications and public lectures.  Its eclectic design and whimsical spaces have never become stale and they continue to ensure to residents and visitors alike a surprise around every corner.

Gallery

Sources
 Studio Building is Planned for 155 Carl Street, Chicago Tribune, Aug. 21, 1927, p. G1
 Old Apartment House Answers to Modernizing, Chicago Tribune, April 29, 1934, p. C4
 Artist Colony Forms One Big Happy Family, Chicago Tribune, Nov. 15, 1942, p. N1
 Instant Attraction - The Quirky Charms of a 1930s Apartment in Old Town Mesmerized the Buyers, But Soon Those Edgar Miller Oddities Had to be Turned into Something Livable,  Chicago Tribune Magazine, April 2, 2006, p. 26.

External links
An article about the Studios from the Chicago Reader
http://richardnortongallery.com/artists/edgar-miller

Apartment buildings in Chicago
Buildings and structures in Chicago
Houses completed in the 19th century
North Side, Chicago
Studios in the United States
Chicago Landmarks

Carl Street Studios