Darius and Girenas memorial

: Art Deco buildings are rare in this city of right angles and “less is more” sobriety. So it makes sense to preserve them, not only downtown but also in Chicago’s neighborhoods. More need to be identified and protected before they are demolished or defaced. Designed by architect Charles Koncevec and sculptor Raoul Josset, and dedicated in 1935, the memorial is a faceted mound of marble with bronze accents. Among them: a globe with tiny planes that mark the route of the aviators’ flight and a semi-circular railing framed by relief sculptures of the fliers’ faces, right down to their flying caps and goggles. The memorial commemorates two Chicago aviators, Stephen Darius and co-pilot Stanley Girenas, who died making a historic trans-Atlantic journey from Chicago to Lithuania’s capital. They’ve been called “the Lithuanian Lindberghs.”
Tags:: Art Chicago architecture deco design