I could't agree more. The best example I've seen of this style is the old Famous-Barr department store in Clayton, Mo. Fortunately it is in the hands of Washington University now, and will be preserved; although not entirely as a retail building - they have offices and library functions on the upper floors. A big challenge for the Baker's store is what to do with all of those display windows. They State Street gem hidden behind multiple facade re-do's is 230 S. State where the McDonalds is. The marble, glass block and the big curving corner all unique features, it is a shame that so much is hidden by repeated "updates".

For those who care about Michael Reese, both as an institution and the building which was a monument to that legacacy - join the Chicago Humanities Festival on Sunday Nov. 14. http://www.chicagohumanities.org/Genres/History/2010-The-Late-Great-Michael-Reese-Lost-Local-Treasure.aspx

That wasn't a squatter, it was Walter "Skippy" Jacobson on another undercover stunt.

The opening argument about TV ratings would be even stronger if other sports gave deference to the World Cup Final the way they do for the Super Bowl, NCAA Baskeball or other major events. It's once every four years - you would think they could adjust schedules so it gets the undivided attention on the airwaves here, that it does in the rest of the world.

It seems like public-private partnerships are the only way to get outdoor ammenities in this city. The city cedes the space to the private interest, whether it is JCDecaux bus shelters or the planters on Michigan Ave.maintained by the GNMMA. Mr. Kamin reports a great deal on his own back yard - anything within a stones throw of the Trib tower. For a change I'd like him to find out what's up with the sidewalk planters on Irving Park between California and Kedzie. They were installed at great expense six or seven years ago, and haven't been maintained since. They are filled with garbage and weeds. Thanks for the streetscape ammenities Mr. Daley! The only one thankful is the concrete and steel rail contractors that installed them - they make that plaza by the Wrigley Building look like the gardens of Versailles! BK: Interesting point about your planter on Irving Park (I'll take a look the next time I drive by). But the line about covering anything within a stone's throw of Tribune Tower is garbage. How about these recent stories? Christ the King school in Austin.....the Frank Lloyd Wright house in Kankakee....the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.....the new S.C. Johnson building in Racine....green roofs throughout Chicago.....Should I go on or are you ready to take it back?