Anyone looking to purchase, finance, rehab or furnish their home—or specifically, their Bungalow—will delight in the vendors and services at the Third Annual Historic Chicago Bungalow Expo Saturday, May 1. The Expo is a home show with a Bungalow focus that aims to be one-stop shopping for homeowners, prospective buyers and Arts & Crafts enthusiasts. This year's show will in the Hermann Union Building at the Illinois Institute of Technology from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Parking and admission will be free.
Visitors can meet with rehab professionals, uncover their Bungalow's history and discover handcrafted, one-of-a-kind items to decorate their home. Bungalow owners can certify their home within minutes—the necessary first step to taking advantage of the financial incentives available for purchasing and rehabbing their homes.
Workshops will run constantly. Do-it-yourselfers will flock to Bob Yapp's 'Roofs and Interiors'; Bungalow aficionados will love Bungalow Nation author Diane Maddex's lively talk; banks and finance experts will explain the myriad of money-saving programs designed for Bungalow purchasers and owners including the Historic Designation Tax Freeze, Rehab Tax Credit and Bungalow Mortgages.
The 80,000 Historic Chicago Bungalows represent more than 1/3 of the city's single-family housing stock and are the predominant form of housing in the numerous neighborhoods that constitute 'the bungalow belt'.
Architectural group Forms
Joan and Gary Gand of north suburban Riverwoods and Joe Kunkel of south suburban Olympia Fields are founders of a new non-profit organization devoted to the celebration and promotion of mid-20th Century modernist architecture, design and arts in the greater Chicago metropolitan area.
Chicago Bauhaus & Beyond will host social gatherings, talks and site tours celebrating Chicago's rich modernist heritage from the 1930s through the 1970s, as well as current developments in modern design.
Mid-century modern design is one of the hottest trends in architecture, interior design and collecting. CBB seeks to promote greater public awareness of the region's modernist legacy, with the aims of enjoyment, enlightenment and preservation.
CBB's next event is 1-3 p.m. Sunday, April 18 at the Bauhaus Apprenticeship Institute, 1757 N. Kimball Ave., Chicago. The meeting will include a guided tour of the institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to rigorous, practical and professional education in American art and craft furniture. RSVP at (312) 371-0986 or www.chicagobauhausbeyond.org/calendar. This event is open to the public and is free for members, $5 for guests, payable at the door.
Kunkel is a dealer in vintage modernist furnishings and publisher of Jetsetmodern.com, an online magazine devoted to mid-century modern architecture and design. The Gands are longtime enthusiasts and collectors.
CBB derives its name from the New Bauhaus School of Design, located in Chicago, descendent of the influential German Bauhaus design school and precursor of the Illinois Institute of Technology's Institute of Design. The New Bauhaus, and later IIT, played crucial roles in developing and promoting modern design.
See www.chicagobauhausbeyond.org .
