Elks National Memorial, Chicago Cultural Center domes offer dazzling homages to vets

The rotunda at the Elks National Memorial in Lincoln Park. | Santiago Covarrubias / Sun-Times

Two of the most spectacular places in Chicago to see public art are the Elks National Memorial and Headquarters off West Diversey Parkway near the lake in Lincoln Park and the Chicago Cultural Center downtown.

Both have towering rotundas featuring intricate artwork dedicated to war veterans.

The Elks Memorial was completed in 1924 to commemorate World War I soldiers.

At the Chicago Cultural Center, the Grand Army of the Republic Rotunda, finished in 1897, pays tribute to Civil War veterans with its 40-foot-diameter stained-glass dome.

The upper rotunda of the Elks Memorial, 2750 N. Lakeview Ave., showcases the work of American painter Eugene Savage, who was born in Covington, Indiana, and studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

His work extends into the memorial’s Grand Reception Hall.

The Grand Reception Hall at the Elks National Memorial.

The Elks organization isn’t religious; it’s a civic and philanthropic group with chapters in communities around the country. But Savage’s paintings draw on religious themes, with titles like “They Shall See God” and “They Shall be Called the Children of God.”

At the Cultural Center — the part museum, part public events space run by City Hall in a landmark building at 78 E. Washington St. that formerly was the main Chicago Public Library — the original glass dome was designed by architects from Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge and glass specialists from Healy and Millet to let in as much natural light as possible.

The Grand Reception Room of the Elks National Memorial.

Today, an outer shell protects the dome from the elements, according to Tim Samuelson, the city’s cultural historian. He says there are plans to revert back to the “original integrity” by removing the outer shell and allowing more natural light in, but it’s unclear when that might happen.

With the design of the Civil War rotunda, “Chicago was trying to demonstrate that it was a place of culture that could stand up to great civilizations,” Samuelson says.

Murals inside the Elks National Memorial.

Murals inside the Elks National Memorial.

The design was inspired in part by the classical civilizations of Greece and Rome.

Preston Bradley Hall in the Cultural Center also includes another large glass rotunda. This one, designed by Swiss artist J.A. Holzer, holds one of the mysteries of the Cultural Center. The center of the rotunda displays the 12 zodiac symbols, but nothing has been found to explain why, according to Samuelson.

“It’s a question people always ask,” he says. “I always hope I’ll find something to explain.”

The Elks National Memorial and Headquarters, 2750 N. Lakeview Ave.

The Cultural Center’s sights are accessible to the public during its regular hours, which includes being open weekends, though it’s closed on holidays.

The Elks rotunda will resume public tours in the spring.

Click on the map below for a selection of Chicago-area murals