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Contest Tue Jun 01 2010

Neighborhood Landmarks Contest Winners Announced!

A big "thank you" to so many of you who submitted photographs to the Gapers Block and Explore Chicago neighborhood landmarks contest! We reviewed your submissions and selected two winners based on their photographs and descriptions of their favorite neighborhood landmarks. The winners will receive a free Southwest Airlines ticket to fly a friend to Chicago for the weekend.

We received too many entries to display them all! Check out the winners' photographs and descriptions, as well as submissions by runners up, after the jump.

Our Winners

Sarah Morton
Wicker Park Fountain

There aren't a whole lot of non-corporate landmarks in my neighborhood, Wicker Park. But you do have that great fountain in the park of the same name. Day and night, any time of the year, the fountain is a nice place to sit and enjoy the view. But summer nights are when it's truly spectacular. I became part of the show the night I took this picture because I probably spent ten minutes trying to figure out a way to hold the camera still enough.

Sarah Morton

Shannon Downey
The Shit Fountain

Only in Chicago. I snapped a picture of the infamous Shit Fountain for this contest and then spent 20 minutes arguing with 3 people over which neighborhood I needed to submit it under. Is it Wicker Park? Ukrainian Village? West Town? Sigh. I felt like I was debating where Columbus was actually buried with a Spaniard and Cuban. The sheer passion with which these people were debating the true neighborhood hosting the Shit Fountain should be testament enough to it's perceived value to Chicago. And so, I present my entry...The Famed Shit Fountain of Wicker Park...er Ukrainian Village...er West Town...um Chicago.

Shannon Downey


Runners Up

Daniel Miller
The Logan Square Fountain

Chicago is such a great city to navigate by foot. The layout of the streets, the food smells, and the sights all get me from spot to spot and keep me engaged with my home.

This landmark clearly falls into the "huge and obvious" category, but I think it's worth it. Logan Square itself is a beauty when it fills out with green, and the Illinois Centennial Memorial Column might be even nicer during the colder months, when we can use that extra bit of visual interest in our lives. I love the spontaneous picnics, junk sales, frisbee, and drunken napping. I love the snacks that come to you, and the ones a short hop away. I love the way that Chicago provides big formal green spaces... but I really love the smaller spaces, like the square and the boulevards that connect to it.


Daniel Miller

Susan Kennedy
Thillens Stadium

It's hard to think about Devon Avenue and not think of Thillen's stadium...the venue of may baseball-wanna-bes finest hours. A true community resource and anchor of West Devon Avenue.

Susan Kennedy

Eric G. Cup
The Monster Door

Usually we tell people we live just south of the monster door on Racine across from the Cop Shop. Easily the coolest landmark in the west loop gate, the monster that peers out from the oversized door at "big monster toys llc" is most prominent at night when the interior lighting highlights his centurion presence. Located at 21 S. Racine Ave, this playful beast is a welcome respite from the bland new construction and condo's that surround and amalgamate the block. From what I've been told this beast presides over the conference room of Big Monster toys and has become an Icon of the neighborhood.

Eric Cup

Milan Bobysud
St. Mary of Nazareth Hospital

The monolithic tower of St. Mary of Nazareth Hospital on West Division Street anchors the neighborhood of Ukrainian Village to the skies and the future for which it clumsily reaches through its slotty windows, propelled by the ominous depth and size of the questioning vents protruding from its slowly decaying walls.

Sullivan's Holy Trinity Cathedral just to the East pales in comparison to the brute functionality and complete lack of ornament of this architectural marvel.

Milan Bobysud

 
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Anna Tarkov / June 1, 2010 10:13 AM

These are great! Congrats to the winners.

Roger Miller / June 1, 2010 9:02 PM

Yeah, congrats to all of you, and especially to my son, Daniel Miller, who submitted that beautiful picture of Logan Square and the Centennial Memorial. Very colorful, very inviting, very Chicago!

Lynn Stevens / June 2, 2010 11:24 PM

The Logan Square monument (not fountain GB) photo almost looks like one of those old-timey postcards.

paulpablo / June 3, 2010 11:12 PM

Shit Fountain is in East Village, it's a very small neighborhood.

http://www.eastvillagechicago.org/

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Architecture Tue Nov 03 2015

Paul Goldberger Describes the "Pragmatism and Poetry" of Frank Gehry's Architecture in His New Book

By Nancy Bishop

Architecture critic Paul Goldberger talks about Frank Gehry's life and work in a new book.
Read this feature »

Steve at the Movies Fri Jan 01 2016

Best Feature Films & Documentaries of 2015

By Steve Prokopy

Read this column »

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A/C is the arts and culture section of Gapers Block, covering the many forms of expression on display in Chicago. More...
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