Piece description from the artist
The Powhatan | East Hyde Park | Chicago
"All the luxuries of an ocean liner" marveled a journalist in 1929 upon completion of one of the finest examples of Art Deco apartment buildings in Chicago. The Powhatan is decorated in American Indian art and references to nearby Lake Michigan and exudes luxury from architect Charles Morgan. The building retains its original elevator cabs and original mosaic and tile works throughout the lobby and pool area, and is the only building in Chicago to still have a 24-hour elevator operator.
Hyde Park is the 41st of the 77 distinct neighborhoods that characterize Chicago. With humble beginnings starting in the 1850's, the World's Columbian Exposition of 1892 brought great notoriety and fame to the area. Today it is bookended by two of the nation's most significant institutions; University of Chicago to the west, and Museums of Science and Industry to the east. It’s home to one of the most iconic masterpieces in American architectural design – Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House, the location of the world's first artificial nuclear reaction, the birthplace of Playboy Magazine, and has been the home of greats Barack Obama, Muhammed Ali, Saul Bellow, Amelia Earhart, Mahalia Jackson, Kwame Raoul, Mary Todd Lincoln, and countless others. Hyde Park has seen a Renaissance in recent years, once again making 53rd Street a bustling community center.
Ashland grew up in Southeast Virginia surrounded by lush rural landscapes, great protected swamp lands, national & state parks, the Chesapeake Bay, the Eastern Shore, the breathtaking Skyline Drive & Blue Ridge Mountains, and the inlets & oceans of Virginia & North Carolina.
It was this constant variation in natural beauty that first drew his eye to the camera; that, and the constant joy of capturing life's candid moments on film. Although no particular subject is banned from the lens of Ashland's camera, it is landscapes, cityscapes, wildlife, and nature that truly captures his heart.
"There's always more to see, more to learn, more to be wowed about-I just hope you enjoy what I see in the world."
A constant staple on the likes of Instagram, Flickr, and Facebook, Ashland currently resides in Chicago, Illinois, and looks forward to many more years of development, collaboration, creativity, world travel, and art.
www.ashlandthomas.com
www.facebook.com/ashlandthomasphotography
www.instagram.com/ashlandgram
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