A city's architecture is a reflection of its history and heritage, and nowhere is that more true than in Chicago. From skyscrapers to two-flats, our city rebuilt itself from the ashes of the Great Chicago Fire with an identity all its own. There is beauty in the intersection of infrastructure and nature, of how the culture and values of the times are reflected in our homes, offices, and public buildings. It takes a keen eye to capture this beauty, but this month’s featured artist is up to the task!
Meet Jordan Fitch aka Archisketcht. He is a Chicago architect who began sketching buildings a few years ago as gifts for his friends and family. This hobby has blossomed into a print business he runs out of his Lincoln Park apartment. Jordan has sketched locations all over Chicago including theaters, restaurants, CTA stations, and other iconic buildings. He begins each drawing by taking a few photos of the location in person “to get a sense of the subject building, find the best point of view, and make sure I have good references for all of the key details.” The drawings are done digitally on an iPad and printed at home. As an architect, he naturally has an eye for precision and detail, but he tries to keep his drawings a little more loose. “I try to always remind myself that my drawings are meant to be sketches,” he said, “They are supposed to be a little messy and personal.”
The buildings he draws are often personally significant and are sketched in order to preserve the memories and feelings associated with them. “I’m drawn to historic buildings and I love capturing all the details down to carved reliefs, cornices, intricate brickwork, and vintage signs,” he said, “For me, it’s important to understand the story of a building – not just the literal appearance of it, but why certain choices were made and what has changed over time.” At Foursided, we have a selection of some more famous buildings, such as the Chicago Theatre and the Bean, as well as some occasionally overlooked neighborhood gems, such as Big Chicks, Roscoe's Tavern, and Steamworks.
The interplay between location and memory is a major theme in Jordan’s work: “I’ve always found myself remembering different experiences and wanting to create a visual catalog of places and spaces. I’ve done sketches of first date locations, wedding venues, grandma’s house, lake houses, you name it – and I think the thing that inspires me the most is how the built environment can invoke memory for different people in countless ways.” The drawings themselves become an archive, a moment frozen in time more personal than a photograph. Marquees are preserved with that day's performance. Buildings that no longer exist are made immortal as a sketch. I asked Jordan what his favorite drawing he's made was and he said, “the CTA State & Lake station, because I serendipitously completed it just a couple months before the station was demolished – it’s unintentionally vintage and that makes it all the more special.”
Outside of the buildings he has drawn, Jordan is currently inspired by a myriad of other artists: “Tinashe’s new album Popstar, MUNA’s new album Dancing on the Wall, the architects of the Obama Presidential Center (Tod Williams and Billie Tsien), and the Thorne Miniature Rooms in the basement of the Art Institute.”
For more information on Jordan’s work, you can check out his Etsy or Instagram, or you can stop by any Foursided gift shop!
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