Screen shot of 1940 film of Chicago discovered by Jeff Altman.
Here’s a wonderful film of Chicago from the 1940s, discovered by film editor Jeff Altman at an estate sale on the South Side of the Windy City. A good portion of the film was taken from their air, courtesy of United Air Lines. It is in color. It is a promotional film for the city, but better than most. I have not seen the video because my computer is dying in so many ways (it is a MacMini purchased in 2006; last night I purchased an iMac with so much more capacity sheerly through the dint of time; problems like halting video and, let’s hope, the loss of my link tool on WordPress, and the eternally revolving beach ball, just to name a few, will go away as soon as the new machine is installed). I hope to see Chicago, the city of my birth, later today or tomorrow. But here it is for you, free of charge courtesy of Jeff Altman and Architecture Here and There (the name of this blog).
[Update, days later, with my new iMac installed, I have finally seen it.]
Hats off to John Hooker for posting this on the Pro-Urb listserv. It is below:
http://www.citylab.com/tech/2014/03/mysterious-canister-film-transports-you-back-1940s-chicago-color/8676/
About David Brussat
This blog was begun in 2009 as a feature of the Providence Journal, where I was on the editorial board and wrote a weekly column of architecture criticism for three decades. Architecture Here and There fights the style wars for classical architecture and against modern architecture, no holds barred.
History Press asked me to write and in August 2017 published my first book, "Lost Providence." I am now writing my second book.
My freelance writing on architecture and other topics addresses issues of design and culture locally and globally.
I am a member of the board of the New England chapter of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art, which bestowed an Arthur Ross Award on me in 2002.
I work from Providence, R.I., where I live with my wife Victoria, my son Billy and our cat Gato.
If you would like to employ my writing and editing to improve your work, please email me at my consultancy, dbrussat@gmail.com, or call 401.351.0457.
Testimonial: "Your work is so wonderful - you now enter my mind and write what I
would have written."
- Nikos Salingaros, mathematician at the University of Texas, architectural theorist and author of many books.
Architecture Here and There 