Crab Tree Farm, Summer House and Pedestrian Bridge, 1996. Photos courtesy of William Zbaran.
John Vinci: Preservationist and Modernist
Changing The World
John Vinci, 2015. Courtesy of Vinci-Hamp Architects.
Born in Chicago in 1937, John Vinci studied architecture at Illinois Institute of Technology. Since the 1960s, he has championed the preservation of important historic structures including Louis Sullivan’s Carson Pirie Scott building, Mies Van Der Rohe’s Farnsworth House, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Studio in Oak Park and Robie House in Kenwood.
Locally, Vinci’s firm worked on the mid-1980s renovation of Market Square and the Hamill Tower by David Adler. Locally, Vinci’s firm worked on the mid-1980s renovation of Market Square and the Hamill Tower by David Adler.
Projects at Crab Tree Farm in Lake Bluff include the Summer House, pool and pool house (1996), a small museum space for the family’s collection of miniatures, and the steel pedestrian bridge.
In addition to winning numerous awards for his original work and exhibition design, John Vinci has taught architecture and authored books.