Carl Street Studios - The 1950s

The 1950s

In the late 1950s Sol Kogen died, and the apartment complex was run first by Sol’s wife and upon her death, Sol’s daughter. In 1985, Sol’s daughter sold the building to a Chicago entrepreneur, who located Edgar Miller in California and invited the artist back to the complex to continue work. Miller relished the opportunity to leave retirement and complete the project he planned almost sixty years before. From this time until the early 1990s, Edgar Miller lived in the complex and executed stained glass work, murals, and other art pieces for the building. Many of the studios were further enhanced by these later works by Miller, who eventually died in Chicago in 1993 at the age of 94.

Gardens have always been an important and integral element at Carl Street Studios. From the beginning of the art studio project, peripheral flower and tree beds were formed in the east and west courtyards of the structure. Both courtyards also feature ponds where many generations of koi and goldfish have led charmed lives, while delighting residents and visitors alike. In fact, Carl Street Studios and their gardens have always been a place of revelry for residents and their guests. During the early years, the artist residents and folks from the surrounding neighborhood would gather in the east courtyard for goat roasts and annual New Years parties. The midlevel and roof gardens have also existed from an early date and have provided residents with a forum for warm summer evening get-togethers and dinners. Carl Street Studios has traditionally welcomed the public to enjoy its magical spaces, artwork and gardens during the annual Dearborn Garden Walk.

From the outset, Carl Street Studios served as the guiding spirit and anchor of the Old Town community as an artistic enclave in Chicago. Shortly after work began on the building, other artistically inclined individuals and groups, often with the assistance of Kogen, Miller and their band of artists, began remodeling other buildings on Carl Street (which was renamed Burton Place during the mid-1930s) to render an amorphous and ad hoc modern character to the street. This led still others to build or remodel buildings in a similar vein on other streets in the neighborhood, including Schiller and Wells streets. In addition to the artists already identified that have resided at Carl Street Studios, others include the world famous artists Boris Anisfeld and Mark Tobey, and television pioneer entertainer David Garroway. Hollywood starlets, such as Telulah Bankhead, and more recently Virginia Madsen, were also residents or frequent guests.

During the early years, Sol Kogen and Edgar Miller presented public art exhibitions within the complex, displaying the works of some of Chicago’s better known modern and avant-garde artists. Since 1930, Carl Street Studios has been the subject of numerous newspaper and magazine articles, scholarly publications and public lectures. Its eclectic design and whimsical spaces have never become stale and they continue to ensure to residents and visitors alike a surprise around every corner.