Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
largest Egyptian sculpture in the Western Hemisphere (tipping the scales at 6
tons), the Oriental Institute excavated it in 1930. The surrounding exhibits, which
document the life and beliefs of Egyptians from 5000
B
.
C
. to the 8th century
A
.
D
.,
have a wonderfully accessible approach that emphasizes themes, not chronology.
Among them are: mummification (there are 14 mummies on display—five peo-
ple and nine animals, including hawks, an ibis, a shrew, and a baby crocodile),
kingship, society, and writing (including a deed for the sale of a house, a copy of
the
Book of the Dead,
and a schoolboy's homework).
The Oriental Institute also houses important collections of artifacts from civi-
lizations that once flourished in what are now Iran and Iraq. The highlight of the
Mesopotamium Gallery
is a massive, 16-foot-tall sculpture of a winged bull
with a human head, which once stood in the palace of Assyrian king Sargon II.
The gallery also contains some of the earliest man-made tools ever excavated,
along with many other pieces that have become one-of-a-kind since the destruc-
tion and looting of the National Museum in Baghdad in 2003. The
Persian
Gallery
displays approximately 1,000 objects dating from the Archaic Susiana
Period (ca. 6800
B
.
C
.) to the Islamic Period (ca.
A
.
D
. 1000). Other galleries are
filled with artifacts from Sumer, ancient Palestine, Israel, Anatolia, and Nubia.
The small but eclectic gift shop, called the Suq, stocks many one-of-a-kind
items, including reproductions of pieces in the museum's collection. Allow 1 hour.
1155 E. 58th St. (at University Ave.).
&
773/702-9514.
www.oi.uchicago.edu. Free admission; suggested
donation $5 adults, $2 children. Tues-Sat 10am-4pm (until 8:30pm Wed); Sun noon-4pm. Bus: 6 or Metra
Electric train to 57th St. and Lake Park Ave.
Robie House
One of Frank Lloyd Wright's finest works, the Robie House
is considered among the masterpieces of 20th-century American architecture.
The open layout, linear geometry of form, and craftsmanship are typical of
Wright's Prairie School design. Completed in 1909 for inventor Frederick Robie,
a bicycle and motorcycle manufacturer, the home is also notable for its exquisite
leaded- and stained-glass doors and windows. It's also among the last of his Prairie
School-style homes: During its construction, Wright abandoned both his family
and his Oak Park practice to follow other pursuits, most prominently the real-
ization of his Taliesin home and studio in Spring Green, Wisconsin. Docents
from Oak Park's Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio Foundation lead tours
here, even though the house is undergoing a massive, 10-year restoration (the
house will be open throughout the process, but your photos may include plenty
of scaffolding). A Wright specialty bookshop is located in the building's former
three-car garage—which was highly unusual for the time in which it was built.
Allow 1 hour per tour, more time if you want to browse the gift shop.
5757 S. Woodlawn Ave. (at 58th St.).
&
773/834-1847.
www.wrightplus.org. Admission $9 adults, $7 sen-
iors and children 7-18. Mon-Fri tours at 11am, 1, and 3pm; Sat-Sun every half-hour 11am-3:30pm. Book-
shop daily 10am-5pm. Bus: 6 or Metra Electric train to 57th St. and Lake Park Ave.
Rockefeller Memorial Chapel
The Rockefeller Memorial Chapel is just
across from Robie House. Did someone say chapel? This is false modesty, even
for a Rockefeller. When the university first opened its doors, the students sang
the following ditty:
John D. Rockefeller, wonderful man is he
Gives all his spare change to the U of C.
John D. was a generous patron, indeed. He founded the university (in coop-
eration with the American Baptist Society), built the magnificent minicathedral
that now bears his name, and shelled out an additional $35 million in donations
