Party hardy at Inland Steel, support 26Lab, hear Michael Reschke, plus Thadani, Uhlir, Woodhouse & Paint - more great events for March

We started off with 50 great events on the March Calender of Chicago Architectural Events.  Now we're pushing toward 60.

This Friday, you have a chance to party into the small hour of Saturday morning on the 11th floor of one of Chicago's most striking buildings - 1957's Inland Steel Building.  Designed by Walter Netsch and Bruce Graham, it was the calling card for the rebirth of the skyscraper after the long draught of the Great Depression and World War II.  For $75.00 ($150 for VIP admission) you're promised "an evening of cocktails, music, and design.  Lean back in iconic Eames lounge chairs.  Dance to the music of iconic deejays.  Sip iconic midcentury-inspired cocktails (neat or on the rocks).  Mingle with iconic artists, fashionistas, furniture designers, and architects."  Press iconic elevators buttons.  Get intimate with iconic washroom fixtures should you allow yourself to be overserved, which may qualify you for being returned to the street by burly iconic bouncers.  You get the idea.

Earlier in the evening of the 11th, a far more modest pre-opening fundraiser is being thrown by 26Lab, a new life enrichment program focusing on helping youths 14 to 18 to develop critical-thinking, communication and interpersonal skills using architecture, engineering, and construction education.  26Lab is looking for the cash they need to build out their new Bridgeport space at 3249 S. Halsted.  On Saturday the 12th, there'll be another fundraiser, ReBuild2011, at the ReBuilding Exchange's new location on Ashland.

The following Wednesday morning, March 16th, at the Chicago Club, Crain's Chicago Business associate editor Tom Corfman will offer up a conversation with real estate developer Michael Reschke, who's just come off converting a former bank building on LaSalle into the 600+ room JW Marriott Chicago.  Crain's is reporting Reschke is on the verge of taking over the abandoned Waterview project on west Wacker.

Just this week, lunchtime on Wednesday the 9th, there's a short film at CAF on the 100 women architects who worked with Frank Lloyd Wright.  Dhiru Thadani talks about his book, The Language of Towns & Cities: A Visual Dictionary, at the CAF Thursday evening, the same evening Ed Uhlir discusses Millennium Park's Future in the Post-Daley Era at the Great Cities Institute, and APT Great Lake's Chapter offers a program on History of Paint in America & Modern-Day Analysis of Finishes at AIA Chicago, which I'm betting, despite what might be your initial reaction, will actually be a lot more interesting than watching paint dry.  And again that same night, David Woodhouse talks about his recent park projects at the Oak Park Public Library, while David Anthony Witter discusses his new book, Oldest Chicago, at Glessner House.

Conservatively speaking, there are still roughly a billion great architectural events to come in Chicago for March.  Check out the full calendar here.