Tadao Ando converts Chicago’s Wrightwood 659 into an art space

The exteriors of an architectural space hold more significance than just being the aesthetic covering of the art that resides within. The transformation of Wrightwood 659 - a former residential structure built with red bricks representing Chicago’s culture - is a true example of this thought. The building was revived from a four-storey, four-walled residential space, to an architectural symbol brooding on the contemporary vision of modern and socially charged concepts. It is almost poetic how Pritzker Laureate Tadao Ando - the Japanese architect responsible for converting the brick building into an art space - gave the place a whole new dimension while retaining the significance of the old structure.

Located at 659 W. Wrightwood Avenue, in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighbourhood, it is a private, non-commercial initiative envisioned as an integral part of the cultural and civic fabric of Chicago, as well as a new kind of arts space and cultural resource. While the interiors of the building were brought down to expose the concrete, the masonry shell was kept intact. Before laying down the foundation for novel interiors, a supporting canvas had to be erected to prevent the original frame of the building from turning to dust. This ‘support system’ for the art avenue was created with new steel and reinforced concrete within the perimeter of the old façade.

The entry of the reconfigured space leads to a three-storey atrium spanning the height of the building. Then one comes across a grand stairway in concrete, which ascends to the second and third floor. Upon moving to the upper floors, one comes across lobbies and galleries with paintings on the walls coated in pristine white. The third floor, an elevated double-height area, can serve as an informal stage. The architect has also added a new rooftop structure, providing a contemplative north art-viewing terrace and a city skyline vista from the south terrace.

A futuristic climate control system has also been incorporated to ensure the visitors’ comfort. A web of thermal connections between the new steel covering and the old masonry wall was also provided to scale the temperature and the humidity. The space has been built in a way that it can illuminate the neighbourhood through Ando’s poetic treatment of natural light.

Wrightwood 659 was officially inaugurated with an exhibition (October 12-December 15, 2018) exploring the relationship between the works of Tadao Ando and Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier. Projected in two sections, one each for the respective architects, the exhibition Ando and Le Corbusier: Masters of Architecture was curated by Eric Mumford, Rebecca John Voyles, and architectural historian Dan Whittaker. On display were more than 100 Le Corbusier drawings, photographs, and models on loan from various art galleries along with models of some of Ando's most important commissions. These were supplemented by 106 small models of Le Corbusier's architectural works made by students of Ando.

The exhibition traced how significant Le Corbusier’s work has been in shaping Ando’s approach and philosophy towards architecture.

In a city rich with art institutions and internationally known for its architecture, Wrightwood 659 is a site for both intimate experiences of art and architecture, and thoughtful engagement with the pressing social issues of our time.

Wrightwood 659 will host exhibitions generally alternating between socially engaged art and explorations in architecture and design. The Gallery does not possess a collection and is not intended to be a collecting organisation.

(Text by Palak Maheshwari, intern at stirworld.com)