This post viewed: 2212 times

Illinois Holocaust Museum wins Architecture Award, named one of state’s 200 Great Places

The Illinois Council of The American Institute of Architects (AIA Illinois) has named Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center as one of Illinois’ 200 Great Places, in honor of the state’s Bicentennial in 2018. The announcement was made as part of National Architecture Week, which showcases the innovative and talented architects who’ve made positive contributions to society and coincides with the birthday week of the nation’s first president-architect, Thomas Jefferson, on April 12.

Nominations came from architects from all parts of the state and were selected by AIA regional chapters. Nominations were weighed against criteria including the AIA’s “10 Principles of Livable Communities.” They must be publicly accessible, pedestrian-friendly, designed on a human scale, and provide vibrant, public spaces, among other requirements.

Illinois Holocaust Museum

“Separately and in total, our 200 Great Places are more than just examples of good or even great design – they are a testament to humanity’s need to shape their environment in a way that is often both pleasing and thought-provoking,” said Kim Kurtenbach, AIA, architect with BLDD Architects and 2018 AIA Illinois Board President.

With a theme based on the journey from darkness to light, the Stanley Tigerman design of Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center is steeped in both cultural and religious significance. Affirming its place as both monument and memorial, the 65,000-square-foot space incorporates historical and emotional symbolism as a response to the apocalyptic inhumanity of the Holocaust.

“The story of the Holocaust is embedded in the building,” said renowned Chicago architect Stanley Tigerman. “A part of every building that I do, I try to educate – and you do that architecturally. I’ve always wanted to do buildings where poignancy was built into the building.”

In this recent video, Tigerman describes the symbolic aspects of the architecture, as well as the major events that took place during construction of the Illinois Holocaust Museum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewenIjAJKno

The Museum holds Architecture Tours every second Sunday and last Saturday of each month, from 11 am – 12 pm. The tours are free with Museum admission and do not require reservations.

Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center has been awarded LEED Gold Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. AIA Illinois’ Illinois Great Places recognition program was created in 2007 to commemorate AIA’s 150^th anniversary and was designed to broadly include the “built environment,” which includes civil, landscape and engineering places, as well as architecture.

About Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center

Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center, located at 9603 Woods Drive, Skokie, IL, honors the Survivors and victims of the Holocaust and transforms history into current, relevant, and universal lessons in humanity. Through world-class exhibitions and programs, the Museum inspires individuals and organizations and provides a universal wake-up call to action: Take history to heart. Take a stand for humanity. The Museum is open daily from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. and Thursday evenings until 8:00 p.m. Learn more at www.illinoisholocaustmuseum.org. #TAKEASTAND

Facebook Comments

This post viewed: 2212 times

About
Latest Posts

Ray Hanania

Ray Hanania is an award winning political and humor columnist who analyzes American and Middle East politics, and life in general. He is an author of several books.

"I write about three topics, the Middle East, politics and life in general. I often take my life experiences and offer them in an entertaining way to readers, and I take on the toughest topics like the Israel-Palestine conflict and don't pull any punches about what I feel is fair. But, my priority is always about writing the good story."

Hanania covered Chicago Politics and Chicago City Hall from 1976 through 1992. Hanania began writing in 1975 when he published The Middle Eastern Voice newspaper in Chicago (1975-1977). He later published “The National Arab American Times” newspaper which was distributed through 12,500 Middle East food stores in 48 American States (2004-2007).

Hanania writes weekly columns on Middle East and American Arab issues for the Arab News in Saudi Arabia at www.ArabNews.com, and at www.TheArabDailyNews.com, www.TheDailyHookah.com and at SuburbanChicagoland.com. He has also published weekly columns in the Jerusalem Post newspaper, YNetNews.com, Newsday Newspaper in New York, the Orlando Sentinel Newspapers, and the Arlington Heights Daily Herald.

Palestinian, American Arab and Christian, Hanania’s parents originate from Jerusalem and Bethlehem.

Hanania is the recipient of four (4) Chicago Headline Club “Peter Lisagor Awards” for Column writing. In November 2006, he was named “Best Ethnic American Columnist” by the New American Media. In 2009, Hanania received the prestigious Sigma Delta Chi Award for Writing from the Society of Professional Journalists. He is the recipient of the MT Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award. He was honored for his writing skills with two (2) Chicago Stick-o-Type awards from the Chicago Newspaper Guild. In 1990, Hanania was nominated by the Chicago Sun-Times editors for a Pulitzer Prize for his four-part series on the Palestinian Intifada.

His writings have also been honored by two national Awards from ADC for his writing, and from the National Arab American Journalists Association.

The managing editor of Suburban Chicagoland Online News website www.SuburbanChicagoland.com, Hanania's columns also appear in the Southwest News Newspaper Group of 8 newspapers.

Click here to send Ray Hanania and email.

His Facebook Page is Facebook.com/rghanania

Visit this link to read Ray's column archive at the ArabNews,com ArabNews.com/taxonomy/term/10906