North Lawndale in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Storytelling Sukkah
Community Collaborator
Stone Temple Baptist Church
Design Contributor
New Office (Steven Karvelius, Annabell Ren, Elliott Riggen)
The Storytelling Sukkah was originally created for the first annual Chicago Sukkah Design Festival in 2022 and remains on site as legacy structure and commemoration of the first design collaboration with Stone Temple Baptist Church, the congregation that also stewards this festival lot, now named James Stone Freedom Square. The arched architectural forms celebrate the house of worship (located across Douglas Boulevard) that originally housed a Jewish synagogue (First Roumanian Congregation) and that now serves as Stone Temple Baptist Church. The sukkah's slanted entrances reference the angled gesture of a mezuzah (a traditional Jewish doorpost ornament), and the color gradient from blue to purple signifies the neighborhood's broader demographic and cultural changes over the past century. The sukkah now hosts a public art installation by Norman Teague Design Studios, continuing the sukkah's original ambition to broadcast layered narratives and overlapping stories of multiple communities.
Erected 2022.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Churches & Religion • Parks & Recreational Areas. A significant historical year for this entry is 2022.
Location. 41° 51.731′ N, 87° 42.969′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in North Lawndale. Marker is on West Douglas Boulevard near South Millard Avenue, on the right when traveling east. The marker is in the middle of James Stone Freedom Square. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Chicago IL 60623, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. North Lawndale Wayfinding Map (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Stone Temple Baptist Church (about 300 feet away); A Nation's Image (approx. 0.6 miles away); (Former) Anshe Sholom Synagogue Building (approx. 0.6 miles away); Douglas Park (approx. 0.7 miles away); The Boulevard System (approx. 0.7 miles away); a different marker also named The Boulevard System (approx. 0.9 miles away); Garfield Park (approx. 0.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chicago.
More about this marker. A couple of other markers offer more information about the installations in this small park. One a short walk east, near the sidewalk, describes the Chicago Sukkah Design Festival; another a short walk west includes a list of sponsors.
Also see . . . Chicago Sukkah Design Festival official site. (Submitted on June 22, 2024, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
Credits. This page was last revised on June 22, 2024. It was originally submitted on June 22, 2024, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 34 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on June 22, 2024, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.