SPRINGFIELD
According to Acronymmonster, Springfield is the capital of the state of Illinois (United States) and capital of Sangamon County, about 300 km. southwest of Chicago and 167 masl; it was founded in 1819 and chosen as the seat of government in 1837. It has a typically continental climate with an average annual temperature of 11 °, 1; cold winters (January −2 °, 7), hot summers (July 24, 4), with enormous range between absolute minimums and maximums; rainfall amounts to 935 mm., distributed in each month of the year with a prevalence of spring and summer; considerable snowfall (500 mm.). The population rose from 2579 inhabitants in 1840 to 19,743 in 1880, to 34,159 in 1900, to 59,183 in 1920, to 71,864 in 1930. In that year 86.7% of the population was made up of indigenous Whites; 8.7% by whites born abroad (6245 individuals, mainly Germans and English; the Italians were 790); 4.6% was given by elements of color. The city is located in an important district for agriculture, livestock and mining (coal). 53% of the population over the age of 10 was employed in various economic activities in 1930. 4419 workers were employed in large-scale industry in 1929 (steel and mechanical industries; textile and food industries, etc.). The Illinois Watch Company’s major factory with 1,500 workers is based in the city. Springfield is an important railway junction and aviation center served by American Airways. The city is rich in monuments, palaces and has numerous schools, libraries, scientific and cultural associations, museums. 4419 workers were employed in large-scale industry in 1929 (steel and mechanical industries; textile and food industries, etc.). The major Illinois Watch Company factory is based in the city, with 1,500 workers. Springfield is a major rail hub and aviation hub served by American Airways. The city is rich in monuments, palaces and has numerous schools, libraries, scientific and cultural associations, museums. 4419 workers were employed in large-scale industry in 1929 (steel and mechanical industries; textile and food industries, etc.). The major Illinois Watch Company factory is based in the city, with 1,500 workers. Springfield is a major rail hub and aviation hub served by American Airways. The city is rich in monuments, palaces and has numerous schools, libraries, scientific and cultural associations, museums.
Chicago
City (2,833,300 residents In 2006, 9,506,000 urban agglomeration in 2006) of the United States, in the state of Illinois. In recent years, Chicago has offered a radically renewed urban image above all thanks to some significant large-scale interventions. The main one is the recovery of the coastal strip along Lake Michigan: a spectacular linear park – punctuated by notable architectural episodes, by free areas arranged with beaches, sports fields, marinas for yachting – was built along Lake Shore Drive, the old coastal scenic road, keeping pedestrian and cycle paths separate from high-speed driveways.
East of Michigan Avenue, one of the main arteries of the central sector of the city, extended, in particular, a vast railway area, in turn the result of a flood that had recovered large surfaces from the waters of the lake: from the subsequent burying of the tracks, covered by a gigantic reinforced concrete slab, a precious free area has been created, in front of the most prestigious part of the Loop, the main business and commercial district of Chicago, and, with an exemplary landscaping, Millennium Park has been created. To the north, the park is home to a striking and sculptural metal structure, the Jay Pritzker Pavilion (2004), designed by FO Gehry and used, with great public success, for outdoor concerts and other events. Some spectacular installations by qualified contemporary artists, including A. Kapoor, completed the ensemble. Not far away was the Lurie Garden (2000-2004), a sober and refined garden that extends for about three acres, designed by K. Gustafson, of the Gustafson Guthrie Nicho Ltd. studio in Seattle, together with two consultants, the the Dutch P. Oudolf and the Californian R. Israel.
Among the main architectural interventions carried out in the late nineties are the Museum of Contemporary Art, a severe building designed by the German JP Kleihues (1996) and the large single-family house built by T. Ando in Lincoln Park (1997). Three notable achievements were completed in 2003: the first two are inside the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), and it is the McCormick Tribune Campus Center of R. Koolhaas, a multifunctional student center characterized by the incorporation of the elevated metropolitan railway line within the volumes of the factory, and the adjacent State Street Village dormitories, designed by H. Jahn. The third work consists of the courageous intervention designed by Wood + Zapata and Lohan Caprile Goettsch Architects for the Soldier Field stadium, conceived and built in 1924 by Holabird & Roche. Also significant are the many recent recoveries made in some historic residential districts, characterized in the past by extensive degradation phenomena.