John Morris' easy-to-use Chicago Architecture Data site catalog is growing. While you could originally look at architecture built before 1940 by style and neighborhood since launch in mid-December, Morris was already planning to do more. And now you can.
For starters, you can see buildings near your current location, which is a nod to the increasing use of websites with a mobile phone. Geolocation allows for a self-guided walking tour or impromptu appreciation of the buildings you just happen to find yourself by.
If you're interested in specific types of buildings, you can now focus your search. Broken up broadly by residential, institutional, commercial, municipal, transportation, educational, religious, and industrial, you can quickly zero in on the type of building you're looking for. Within the institutional category alone, there are 10 types of structures to see. One such structure subcategory is theater, of which there are 21 catalogued.
Map lovers, rejoice. Viewing building type, architectural style, and neighborhood as plotted on a map is now possible.
Finally, you can view Chicago in terms of what stands out. In the Landmarks section, you can focus on the important structures in history and sort by neighborhood and style.
After your search session, you can join the forums for a conversation about anything on the site. When he's not working on the Chicago Patterns blog, Morris participates often there to update and respond to questions.
·Chicago Architecture Data
·Chicago Architecture Data is a Wikipedia for Building Lovers [Curbed Chicago]
·Previous Preservation Watch coverage [Curbed Chicago]