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Tarp at old Field’s store is not art, just maintenance
Looking like a cross betwen a Christo environmental art piece and a Mark Rothko colorfield painting, the south side of the former Feild's building sits wrapped in blue tarp May 24 during exterior maintenance work.
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Updated: July 3, 2012 12:29PM
It appeared noted environmental artist Christo had paid a visit to downtown Oak Park last week.
The entire south side of the landmark former Marshall Field’s store, at the northeast corner of Lake Street and Harlem Avenue, was tightly wrapped from top to bottom in blue tarp.
Alas, the reality is far more mundane. The tarp, which conceals scaffolding across the face of the building, is in place for environmental, not artistic reasons.
“They’ve pulled permits for basic maintenance work,” Oak Park Buildings Standards Director Steve Witt said of the building’s owner. “Tuckpointing, window repairs and surfacing cleaning.”
The maintenance work is expected to take some time to finish.
However, don’t expect to see Christo, the renowned artist who teamed with his wife to wrap large buildings, including the German Reichstag, in billowing fabric, creating unique large-scale temporary works of art.
