“Three Sisters of the Copeland Family,” William Matthew Prior, 1854. Oil on canvas.

Drawn from the Masters:

CHICAGO, ILL. – A building plan is the architect’s first mathematical draft in creating a structure. The plan maps the place where a building will touch the ground, the footprint to be filled with stone, steel, brick, and glass. As an architect’s first mechanical drawing, the plan has a power that no elevation of façade detail can match.

“Master Plans” also features plans from Fank Lloyd Wright’s 1910 Wasmuth Portfolio, and engravings from Eighteenth Century archives. In addition, miniature paintings by contemporary artist Michael Hopkins, like architectural “haikus,” bring the plan into the Twenty-First Century. The exhibition will run through June 24.

ArchiTech is located at 730 North Franklin. Hours are noon to 6 pm, Thursdays to Saturdays. Telephone, 312/475-1290.