Our first stop was the 9th floor of the Harold Washington Public Library in downtown Chicago. Up, up, up a series of escalators and elevators, through the heavy brass doors of an elevator and into a glass topped atrium, down an exhibit hall, and into the archive we went. Bags, pens, cameras and coats were stowed in a locker- only pencils and notebooks are allowed into this treasure trove. Among the scholastic gems kept here are some of the original volumes from the trunks of books donated and shipped across the pond from Europe after the great Chicago fire.
We stayed at the library until closing, sifting through some terrific vaudeville photos, telling our story, and making a good start. Back down the labyrinthine halls, elevators and escalators and out onto State Street, it was already twilight in the city.
We headed east to Michigan Avenue, to try and find Marie Veatch's old 'School of the Dance', where our great grandmother Dorothea Seery wrote about taking soft shoe, pointe, and pantomime lessons downtown. 1920's newspaper ads listed Marie Veatch's downtown studio location as "1010 Fine Arts", so we walked in and took the elevator up to the 10th floor. A seemingly simple act, yet an interesting one here!
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The Fine Arts Building was designed by Sullivan, and the elevator is original. It's still manned by an elevator operator, who sits atop a stool and takes you wherever you need to go. We whizzed past floor after floor, a ride somehow both smooth and bouncy- and so fast that it was a little scary!
At the 10th floor, we were let off. After checking out the hallway & work studios where architect Frank Lloyd Wright and sculptor Lorado Taft once walked and worked, we didn't come across any dance studios. A flick of a few lights finally revealed a beautiful studio. It wasn't room 1010, but it was probably where Dottie took dance lessons before touring coast to coast on the vaudeville circuit with Marie Veatch and her Chicago Steppers, or Dancing Debutantes, as they were alternately named in the 1920's newspapers and theater listings, alongside none other than our great grandfather, his brother, and their band: Dick Lucke and His Arcadians.
The view of Michigan Avenue, Lake Michigan, Buckingham Fountain & the glittering city from the tenth floor studio is breathtaking. 
We had the room to ourselves, so we decided to set up the camera and strike a pose... then two... then three...
As you can see, we had a ton of fun in this remarkable space! And, of course, it was super cool making this connection to our past.
As we headed back to the elevator, we found Room 1010, where Marie Veatch advertised that her downtown dance classes were located, but it was locked. The elevator operator said that 1010 was definitely not a dance studio now and is heavily guarded with a security system. The mystery continues! I suppose the next step is to find historical records about the Fine Arts Building, or a historian with knowledge of it. If there are vintage photos of artists/patrons/classes/activities there, that would also be fantastic! Some of the ornate details at Sullivan's Fine Arts Building
