Partners In Preservation - Chicagoland Initiative


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	More than a church Submitted by Rebecca, East Coast I grew up in Oak Park and River Forest from birth until about age 19. I can remember from a very young age attending church at Unity Temple. Sometimes having Sunday school in the classrooms below the service or above the common area. And munching on coffee cake after services in the common area. It was like another home. I felt at home there. Not just because of the people, but the building itself, not just as a church, but as a structure... it's home. I was fortunate enough to go to a U.U. camp called Marwood Dunes and every year Unity Temple would host us for a "family" reunion. I attended Y.R.U.U. there and "lock-in" sleep-overs there. Even now, at 36, when I go home to Chicago for visits, I go to visit Unity Temple. It is a part of me, just as much as the people I met while there. I think I know every inch of it, can walk through it in my mind. Important...pivotal moments and events in my life happened there. I can remember so vividly as a young child going to Christmas services there. Being so torn between staying out late and possibly missing Santa, or attending a service that would literally (at the age of 8 or 9) take my breath away. To see Unity Temple, at dark, lit only by candle light that grew with each person lighting the candle of the person sitting next to them. A soft glow and the acoustics of hundreds of booming voices singing carols. Being able to see people all around, smile at them and look them in the eye, share with them...it comes back like I was just there. It is home. It would be so tragic to lose such an incredible place...sanctuary, landmark, memory. Unity Temple is a place worthy of restoration. It needs to be around for future generations of people to experience the sense of completeness and togetherness and home that only a structure like Unity Temple can provide and exemplifies! Comments (2) \| Comment on this story
	Save the roof! Submitted by Francie, Chicagoland Unity Temple is a fantastic structure...grand, yet intimate. For all his design genius, Frank Lloyd Wright created some nightmares for preservationists. The roof needs to be repaired, and the enclosed gutters probably pose some challenges. I don't work at Unity Temple, don't volunteer there, wasn't married there...but feel that this beautiful and historic building must be saved. The Foundation does it's best, and the fact that this public building is in as good shape as it is...well, it represents the tireless efforts of a group to save an international treasure and tourism draw. Chicagoland, Illinois, the United States and the world will be a lesser place if this building crumbles. No lie. Comments (0) \| Comment on this story
	A place of love. Submitted by artimis1232, us My great grandparents started a Junior high church camp while they had attended this church, Marwood. I am a born and raised Unitarian Universalist, but I never lived near enough to a church to go to on. The summer before I went into seventh grade I was sent to that camp. For four years I went to the reunion that was held at this church every April. This building has held some of the most loving people inside of it. That camp changed my life, I'm sure if I had never gone I would not be the open minded loving person I am today. . This place deserves some love as it has always shown us. It is a place of love. Let's give some back. Comments (0) \| Comment on this story
	It's An Honor Submitted by Ret, Oak Park It's an honor to live "in the shadow" of this awesome building. Especially in the winter, when the bare trees permit me to see its spotlighted splendor from my balcony...I feel blessed to be in its presence. It must be carefully preserved! Comments (0) \| Comment on this story
	Internationally-acclaimed Building Submitted by R. Long, West Chicagoland I have worked as a volunteer for Unity Temple Restoration Foundation for a few years now, and I am still amazed at what a draw this building is for international travelers. It seems to be better known outside the United States than within. I think I have spoken to visitors to Unity Temple from every continent except Antarctica. The building transcends cultures, as good architecture should, as the visitors speak so highly of what Frank Lloyd Wright himself called his contribution to modern architecture. Comments (0) \| Comment on this story
	transfixed at Unity Temple Submitted by mclaire, murs@kwom.com I have attended many concerts at Unity Temple of Oak Park. I remember several Chamber Music Concerts in the "Jewel Room" looking at the stained glass and being absolutely transformed by the acoustics. This building MUST be saved. Comments (1) \| Comment on this story
	Unity Temple Submitted by Laura, Chicago Art Deco as a style and period got it's beginning in Oak Park, IL, the home of Frank Lloyd Wright, a leading international architect. His design work is unique in the world even today. For four years I lived next door to the building, absorbing the design techniques and enjoying the opportunity to enter at any time to gain the full effect of his work. It is a landmark site. Comments (1) \| Comment on this story
	Unifying space for the Worship of God and the Service of Humankind Submitted by Joyce, west Chicagoland In the summer of 1962 I visited Unity Temple for the first time, for worship on a Sunday morning. Forty-five years later, I worship here every Sunday as a member. Some 15 years ago, our local newspaper conducted a poll on "Best places in Oak Park." Unity Temple was the overwhelming winner as the "best place to have a spiritual experience in Oak Park and River Forest". Our congregation is far from the largest in the Villages and Unity Temple was designed and constructed on a very limited budget. However, architect Frank Lloyd Wright grew up in Wisconsin in a family of Welsh Unitarians; his uncle, Jenkins Lloyd Jones, served as minister at Unity Church (Unitarian) on Chicago's South Side and edited the midwestern Unitarian religious newspaper; and Wright understood the spirit of his church. He created an architecture to connect the human spirit to God, and his design reaches everyone who visits the Temple whether for worship, for a concert or lecture, or for an architectural tour. Truly Unity Temple is an ideal site "For the Worship of God and the Service of Man", (the congregation's Mission Statement in 1909 when it was constructed). That Mission is cast in concrete above our portals east and west. Unity Temple truly connects us both to the Divine and to our fellow humans, as few other worship spaces do. Comments (0) \| Comment on this story
	A Living Masterpiece Submitted by archetype, west Chicagoland Unity Temple embodies principles of building that strike us at our most basic human levels. Designed to meet particular needs a century ago, it still fulfills its program today. Unlike frozen museum spaces that once were filled with activity, Unity Temple is alive and a busy place. Visitors, church members, concert goers, tourists, or school groups congregate in magical spaces that are painstakingly maintained. Touching is allowed. Sitting is allowed. Thinking is allowed. This building, a forerunner of the modernist movement and exquisite work of art, must be preserved to be experienced for at least another century. Comments (0) \| Comment on this story
	Unity Temple Submitted by Maggie, South Eastern Unity Temple is more than just an historic site to me. It is the site of my wedding last November. We do not live in the Chicago area-but visit often. The first time we ever stepped into Unity Temple we knew that we would get married there one day. It was more than perfect and I look forward to returning every year and to one day share with our children. Comments (0) \| Comment on this story
	A Blessed Place Submitted by Judy, Western Chicagoland All of my life I have searched for a spiritual home. In 1995 my husband and I found it in the welcoming, spiritual community at Unity Temple. This beautiful structure houses a spiritual community of bright, caring, hard-working members. These people, who are nurtured in this building, work very hard for the community at large. It is a place of love. Owning an historically significant building brings with it great responsibility that includes very costly maintenance. Every penny we contribute has a place to go. We do wonderful work in the larger community as well. This grant would mean so much to the church. Comments (0) \| Comment on this story
	Still cutting edge architecture Submitted by Rasa, West Chicagoland The building is absolutely amazing. Design-wise, it could be considered cutting edge today, yet the design is more than 100 years old. It is an excellent example of Frank Lloyd Wright's influence on modern architecture. Comments (0) \| Comment on this story
	Unity Temple Submitted by ann, west chicagoland My husband and I were married there four years ago in a candlelit ceremony. I worship there weekly. It is a place of great inspiration and joy for me and all those who have celebrated within its walls. Of course, it doesn't hurt that it is a gorgeous structure by a well-respected, local architect, Mr. Frank Lloyd Wright. In this respect, it represents the cultural heritage of the city. Comments (0) \| Comment on this story
	Unity of Heart and Soul Submitted by Charles, Riverside My wife and I were married in Unity Temple 30 years ago. One of our sons is being married here today. For my family, Unity Temple is a place of great joy, a place of unity of hearts and souls. For us, it is sacred; it is a treasure. Comments (0) \| Comment on this story
	Blown Away Submitted by Betty, Oak Park I've been a volunteer here for years and years, and I never take the Temple for granted. It's new and fresh every time. It always speaks to me. I just love it when visitors stay for an hour or more…they're just blown away. It's so important that we save this building. Comments (1) \| Comment on this story
	Frank Lloyd Wright as Inspiration Submitted by Nobuhiro, Osaka, Japan All my life I've wanted to see Unity Temple. As an architecture student in Japan, I studied the building's balance and proportion and built models, so that I could learn from what Frank Lloyd Wright had accomplished. As a practicing architect, Unity Temple's simple beauty has inspired my work. Now I am finally here, and the pictures I've seen don't do it justice. Being here is a dream come true, a profound experience. Nobuhiro, Osaka, Japan Comments (1) \| Comment on this story
	Intimate Grandeur Submitted by Katie, Chicago My favorite place to be in Unity Temple is the uppermost balcony in the sanctuary. You're way up high, where the space feels vast but is truly so intimate. The best time of day is late on a summer afternoon, when the light streams in from the west just before the sun sets. You feel the link with nature. The room is filled with bright light, and then, as the sun sinks in the sky, the light becomes pink and then disappears. Comments (0) \| Comment on this story