Jack Baker Loft and Studio
Jack Baker approached architecture as a performing art, describing it as "an art dealing with space, movement, and light." He worked with the Department of Dance, bringing performance and architecture together. He worked closely with the dance professor, Margaret Erlanger, to build her home, which combines dance space, theatre, and privacy
Unidentified photographer, Dancers on upper platform in the loft of the Jack Baker Loft and Studio. Dancers left to right: Patricia Knowles, Meg Jolley, Bonnie Schmidt, Sarah Brumgart, and Debra Riley, 1974–75. Gelatin silver photograph. Courtesy of Patricia Knowles. Krannert Exhibition Website.
About the Architect
Jack Sherman Baker (1920-2013) was a well-respected Professor of Architecture at the University of Illinois from 1950 to 1990, and he was awarded emeritus status upon his retirement. He received many awards and accolades throughout his career, including being named a fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and awarded the fellows' silver medal. Throughout his career, he earned six AIA Honor awards, nine AIA Merit Awards, among other honors.
Sources:
About the Loft
Jack Sherman Baker's approach to architecture as a performing art becomes evident in his loft and studio in downtown Champaign. Light pours into the former industrial space, as remnants of the building's history are reused in a new, thoughtful way. Baker pioneered loft living and emphasized reuse in his design. Where there was once a carriage elevator bay, Baker created a sunken "conversation pit" next to a fireplace. Within the loft, Baker would hold performances, dances, and other gatherings amid the arts community. Baker's loft would serve a special gathering space for artists, university faculty, and students from the 1960s to the 1990s. He strongly advocated for the interdisciplinary model of the College of Fine and Applies Arts, offering his space for events and performances that challenged tradition.
Sources:
Resources
- Jack Sherman Baker Papers 1933-2000s Located in the University Archives. For Reading Room use only. "His papers include biographical materials, correspondence, talks, photographs, and publications related to his long career as an architect and educator. The collection also includes site plans, sketches, drawings, photographs of the various residences and buildings, and two models that Baker designed. This collection is arranged into four series: Series 1: Personal Files, 1933-2000s, arranged alphabetically; Series 2: Subject Files, 1950s-2000s, arranged alphabetically; Series 3: Publications, 1959-1999, arranged chronologically; Series 4: Building Projects, arranged alphabetically; models listed at the end." - library catalog descriptonCall Number: 378.77366 ui1203038
- FARMHOUSE LETHARGY byCall Number: Architecture and Art Library; Vault ; Q. 728.67 B17FPublication Date: 1947
Space, Movement, and Light: The Architecture of Jack Sherman Baker, FAIA by Call Number: 720.973 B17sISBN: 0966014618Publication Date: 1997-11-01
Video Tour of the Loft Space
Photos
The loft was one small part of a much larger complex that Baker would transform over the decades. He added small local businesses on the ground floor, while retaining the semi-public performance loft, apartments, and his studio and office on the second floor. He also provided interior design for C Street Bar, an essential space for queer culture in Champaign, which shared a wall with his office. The whole building becomes a network of creative spaces, weaving throughout the buildings.
"Its complexity mirrors the challenges in Baker’s attempt to craft spaces that both supported his life as a professional architect and a university faculty member in an almost entirely male School of Architecture. While never publicly out during his lifetime, he still created supportive queer spaces in his home for colleagues and students." - Exhibition label of Jack Baker Loft and Studio, 1957-1970s.
Phillip Kalantzis-Cope (United States, born 1982), Jack Baker Loft and Studio, ca. 2017. Digital print. Courtesy of Phillip Kalantzis-Cope.