The Old Road at the Center of Town

August 10, 2007

I found this sign on Adams Street right where it dead ends into the Chicago Art Institute. Today's freeways barely interact with the actual street patterns of a city. It is as if cities have two transportation levels: local access streets and long distance freeways. This sign reminded me that there was a time when major routes did not bypass cities, but ran right to their center. I also noticed this in Detroit where old Route 12 (Michigan Ave.) begins in the heart of the city. I know life was slower then.. but it is hard not to envy the unity of landscape.

Chicago features a parade of old skyscrapers.. all from the days before the sides were cased in windows. A city like Chicago has numerous layers of structures; old city centers lie fossilized. Old Roads is about separating these layers and understanding how the city has been experienced through time. A great place to start that endeavor is with clumps of buildings that are obviously older than neighboring sections.