As designers, we’re always thrilled and honored when the all-too-rare opportunity to work on historically significant spaces comes our way. So while it’s challenging and fun to oversee the lighting and design of a space from rendering to construction and grand opening, revamping and refreshing historically significant spaces holds a special place in our hearts here at Morlights! 

Our goal is never a complete overhaul of the space; after all, the architectural bones and design details are often what makes historic buildings so special and iconic. Our preference is always that at the completion of our work, the project looks exactly as it did when it was first built — only illuminated in better and more efficient light. Today, our Founder Avraham Mor is walking you through what it’s like to light historically significant spaces!

Shining a Light on Chicago Landmarks

In a city with such a rich history, the opportunity to transform historical spaces and write new chapters of their story is one of the highlights of our work. Two landmarks come to mind when we think of ways we have revamped historic spaces: The award-winning Seventeenth Church of Christ Scientist and the Chicago Central Post Office. 

At Seventeenth Church, an iconic part of Chicago’s downtown landscape, our goal was to maintain the design, by architect Harry Weese, that sustained the church and cemented it as an architectural gem for over fifty years. Since we were working within the existing framework of the curvilinear facade, our team brought 21st-century technology to the space: LED technology and a new DMX control system. The architectural bones remained the same, down to the last details, and adaptable, sustainable, and user-friendly design was introduced: mission accomplished!

The Chicago Central Post Office, on the other hand, had a bit more retrofitting involved. The space was built back in 1974, as part of Mies van der Rohe’s iconic three-building GSA complex located in the Loop. The post office had seen a refresh prior to Morlights’ involvement, where HID (High Intensity Discharge) lights were installed, which were considered energy-efficient at the time. Once we joined the project, we immediately looked at reducing energy consumption, but unfortunately, could not replace HIDs with tried and true LEDs, since they could not meet the light level requirements for the post office. Instead, we turned to 4-pin CFL lamps and a DALI control system to both take advantage of daylight contribution and reduce energy use. Not only that, but by doing some research, we were able to restore the original Mies van der Rohe detail at the downlights, something that had been lost in time. The Chicago Central Post office is the only space that maintains this detail to date. We do foresee the introduction of updated LEDs coming soon, though… stay tuned.

Top Tips

According to our Founder, Avi, here are the three most important considerations when lighting a historically significant space. Think about these next time you step foot in a landmark building in your city: 

1. Respect the history and choices made when the project was built: There are reasons for most things, so regardless of what they were,  (sometimes simply “this solution was cheaper”) understanding and respecting the decisions made when a project was built or updated is key.
2. Watch out for finishes: When you start changing lighting, you will change the way materials and finishes are rendered. My biggest piece of advice on maintaining the original finishes is to mock up your choices so you can confirm the finishes will render as desired.
3. Do the research: I think digging for research, photos, old drawings, and whatever else you can find will shine so much light on the thought process behind what was done, and even inspire more ideas as to what could be done now. Do the work and I promise it will make the outcome better!