AGELESS NORTH SHORE » Local History

Solid Gold No More: Secrets of The Pyramid House

Don — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 12:35:07 +0000

On March 20, 2010, over 4,000 obscura-philes took part in 80 events in 40 countries International Obscura Day. Ageless drove up highway 41 on the blustery, cold snowy first day of spring to see Jim Onan’s Gold Pyramid House

The Pyramids of Wadworth (house and three car garage)

Let me tell you…it ain’t gold anymore!

Jim Onan opened the locked metal gates as we waited in our cars. I pulled down the window and asked where to park.

“We’ve all got to be crazy to be out today,” said Onan.

We drove a on stone path which ran across a long, wide field of gravel. To our left a burial mound which recreates the tomb of Tutankhamun and to our right a giant statue of Ramesses II (larger than the original in Egypt).

Ramesess II

The driveway to the pyramid house is flanked by a couple of dozen Sphinxes sitting uncomfortably in the snow. The water in the moat and the lake which surround the house washed up against the snow covered ground. A chill wind did not give us much time to enjoy the view. Although it is one thing to see a pyramid in the midst of a development of large, suburban homes – it is another to see the pyramid covered in snow.

The tour begins in the basement of the 5 story, 17,000 square foot pyramid. The walls are adorned with hand painted hieroglyphs. There is an odd mechanical device named “Mr Mummy.” There are about 100 chairs laid out on the carpet and behind the stage hang gold metallic strips that run from the ceiling to the floor.

Jim Onan, an energetic 72, takes the stage and assures us that he is not an Arab but a patriotic American who loves his country. Onan took questions from the 40 or so visitors drawn the pyramid house by the Atlas Obscura website, an article in Make Magazine, an interest in all things Egyptian, or the general weirdness of the proposition. A pyramid in Wadsworth, Illinois.

Onan shared the following:

Onan is fascinated by the power of the pyramid and once had a cardboard pyramid on his dining room. Onan says that whenever anyone put their hands under the pyramid they received an electrical shock. But this phenomenon occured only when Onan was in the house. He concluded that the power surge came from the concentrated power of the mind.

The Onan family lives in the pyramid house. The basement was supposed to be a swimming pool but there were water table problems and it is now the “theater” where Onan greets tour groups. The upper floors (bedrooms and an observation room at the “point” of the pyramid) are not open to the public.

"Drink like an Egyptian"

Besides an online Egyptian gift shop run by his wife Linda, Onan brews Pharoah’s Gold II. Onan along with a partner company brews this beer using a recipe he claims is over 4,000 years old, discovered by analysing dried sediment found in an ante-chamber of an ancient temple.

Online it’s a $250 a bottle but Onan has taken it off the market until the economy improves.

And why isn’t the Pyramid gold? It will be revealed in the video.

Obscura Day: A Solid Gold Pyramid in Wadsworth

Don — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 13:00:38 +0000

Our friend Chloris, a bohemian, hippie freak of long-standing, sent us an e-mail about “Obscura Day an international celebration of wondrous, curious, and esoteric places.” We clicked on the link.

Jim Onan and Pyramid

And saw a list of about 70 locales in the United States and 20 other countries that offered tours and events on March 20. Naturally, we clicked on Chicago. Behold, Jim Onan’s Gold Pyramid House.

Home builder Jim Onan built his 24-karat-gold-plated, 17,000-square-foot house in 1977. He sort of was into Egyptology. Onan lived in the pyramid house with his family for a time, eventually added enormous statues to the pyramid’s lot (including a 50-foot likeness of King Tut) and lined his driveway with 80 stone sphinxes.

The Pyramid house was opened to paying visitors from 1978 to 1981. And then reopened for a tour in 2009 as a fundraiser to help complete the Heroes of Freedom Memorial in Gurnee. (Click here for some controversial back story about the Memorial.)

The Chicago Obscura event is sold out, but never fear. Ageless will be there and will act as your guide to what is certainly the strangest house in Wadwsorth. Or almost anywhere.

Who are these Atlas Obscura People?

Atlas Obscura is an online community with the “goal of cataloging all of the singular, eccentric, bizarre, fantastical, and strange out-of-the-way places that get left out of traditional travel guidebooks and are ignored by the average tourist.”

Obscura Day is their way of opening the curiosities to the off-line and off-beat world.

Here are some other Obscura Day Destinations:

Havana, Cuba: John Lennon Park and the Old Havana Perfume Museu

He's just "sitting and watching the wheels go round and round" on 50's era American cars

Obscura-niks will sit next to a bronze status of John Lennon and celebrate the Beatles controversial legacy in Communist Cuba. That is to say, the Beatles were banned in Cuba in the 60s and 70s. Lennon never visited Cuba. However, Fidel himself unveiled the statue in December 2000. There is an inscription which reads, “Dirás que soy un soñador pero no soy el único.” You say that I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.

Alnwick Poison Gardens, UK
Part of a proper British garden, the Poison Gardens sit behind a locked gate. Don’t pick, touch or even smell some of these nasty flora. Potential trouble spots include belladonna, mandrake and ricin (the castor oil plant). Ricin is best known as the substance which killed Russian dissident Georgi Markov. Well, probably Russian agents killed Markov…

But only if you touch, taste, or smell them.

The Alnwick Garden also Home Office licence to grow some very special plants; cannabis, coca and poppies which are found behind bars in giant cages. But they also do “drug awareness” programs to balance out the sexy plants.

The Cathedral of Junk, Austin, Texas

"The Throne" of junk

Do you aspire to be the bane of your neighborhood? How about adding 60 tons of junk to your backyard. That’s what Vince Hannemann did. “The Cathedral is a hollow framework of improvised trusses, around and within which Vince has wired and packed all manner of mass-production cast-offs: lawnmower wheels, car bumpers, kitchen utensils, ladders, cables, bottles, circuit boards, bicycle parts, brick-a-brack, and a lot of stuff that is frankly unidentifiable.”

“People ask me all the time, ‘What made you want to do this?’ Like it had some sort of profound meaning. I just did it because I liked it. And when I stop liking it I’ll take it down.”

Arborsmith Studios, Williams, Oregon
Have you been looking for Joni Mitchell’s, “Tree Museum?” Well, Obscura-ites can enjoy the wonders of Arborsculpture at the studios of Richard Reames. Reames coined the word Arborsculpture and it refers to creating gazebos, tables, chairs, spiral staircases, benches, entrance arches, bridges and fences from live trees by approach grafting parts of the tree together.

Ok, I don’t have a clue how he does this but look:

Iceland Phallological Museum

They may be short of cash but Iceland is long on…penises. Like 204 specimens from 45 different species of animals. But wait there’s more. For the plallologists lucky enough to be on the tour there are three hundred artistic oddments and other practical utensils related to the museum´s chosen theme. And yes, they have the whale appendages… fifty five specimens belonging to sixteen different kinds of whale.

There were no photos that could adequately describe this attraction. Well, there is one. But you have click on it yourself.

The Dirty Little Secret: Swinging on the North Shore

Don — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 11:00:56 +0000

(Warning: This post contains references to sexual relations. And even sex.)

Ron Gould was in the vanguard of the sexual revolution. In the lates 70s, Ron and his wife Sue had been married a few years and wondered about their future.

Swingtown, the "hokey but surprisingly realistic" TV series

“How many times can we do the missionary positions? It could get kind of boring.”

This started Ron’s involvement is what is called, “the lifestyle.”

Back then, the term used was “wife swapping” and there were two ways of meeting people. You could go to a “swapping” party or read personal ads in a raunchy magazine.

Ron and Sue thought there had to be a better way. Eventually, they went from participants to entrepreneurs and in the process brought “the lifestyle” into the 21st century.

Among their achievements: changing the sex toy industry by hosting parties where women (and occasionally men) would feel comfortable, safe and have fun buying these products. Forbes Magazine reporting in December from the Asia Adult Expo in Macau wrote that….“Sex toys, in a way, are tools of capitalism. One report listed the value of the global sex-toy industry at $15 billion.”

When Ron and Sue moved from Detroit to Lake County, swinging was still very underground. At the time, there was Club Executive North that held parties twice a month at a hotel near Palwaukee airport.

Then the internet came around and changed every thing. Ron and Sue realized the potential to reach interested parties (and party-goers) in the privacy of their own desk top.

They started a club and held parties once a month. The parties were so successful that the Goulds offered events three days a week at a house in unincorporated Lake County. Sue wrote a book and recorded a DVD called, “Happy Swinging…Advice Your Mom Never Gave You.” It gave straight forward advice to those married couples who were considering entering the lifestyle.

“Our philosophy about swinging is pretty simple. It’s an opportunity to meet people you like, who have things in common with you, who would be your friends anyway. “

A few other things, we learned from Gould:

Swingers are usually in their mid 30s to 40s, married 10 to 12 years and not looking for a new love just looking to spice up their sexual relationship.

Men initiate trying out the lifestyle. Yet women take to the lifestyle more readily. Let’s just say it’s biological.

If you’re getting into the lifestyle to improve your relationship, it is likely that the relationship will break up. And quickly. If you just want to openly experiment with multiple partners, then the lifestyle is for you.

When the Goulds held classy events at their clubs, the turnout was good. When the events were sleazy, the parties were great. Swinging is a dirty little secret and swingers don’t want it out in the open.

Everyone has a story about meeting their friends, relatives, bosses, employees, doctor, dentist, and clergyman at a swinger’s party. Gould says when you see customer at a party he may have been a good customer. After the party, he’s a great customer!

Here’s Ron Gould in his own words. (Sue passed away. Ron contributes to the facebook site AIM at Melanoma in her memory)

“Here’s Lookin’ at You” – Celebrating History in Highland Park

Don — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 11:00:58 +0000

Admiral Stansfield (February 6, 1978)

In the pivotal year of 1977, President Jimmy Carter selected Admiral Stansfield Turner to become the 12th director of the Central Intelligence Agency. After Admiral Turner’s distinguished service at the CIA, he authored several books, lectured extensively, and has shared his insights on national intelligence and the effective use of our military.

In that same year, our friend Steve Zacharias wrote an episode of Happy Days called “Requiem for a Malph.” The story: Ralph Malph takes his life in his hands when he tries to steal pretty college cheerleader, Kitty, from her musclebound boyfriend, the football team’s star fullback. In 1984, expanding on the theme of the outcasts versus in-crowd, the beloved film Revenge of the Nerds was released.

Who says there is no diversity in Highland Park?

On Saturday March 13, these two native sons will be inducted into the Highland Park Hall of Fame at a black-tie optional soiree to benefit the Highland Park Historical Society. The event begins with cocktails at 6:00 at The Birchwood Club, 1174 W. Park Ave.

In addition, Michael Jordan, Academy Award-winning screenwriter (for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and All The President’s Men) William Goldman; Hubble astronaut John Grunsfeld (58 days in space and 8 space walks); TV and film director, writer and producer (Beethoven, Snow Dogs) Brian Levant; and ABC News Chief Investigative Correspondent Brian Ross will be honored.

Michael Jordan in 1977 at Virgo Jr. High, Wilmington, NC

And the two Brians have sent videos!

According to event chair Ellie Weingardt the reel highlight of the program will be short films that feature Highland Park residents past and present “... generations who have remained here in Highland Park through time. Some families have been here for four generations. What makes Highland Park a place you want to go back to after you leave the nest?”

Jeff Goldblatt, co-anchor of the Fox Chicago News at 9:00 PM is the emcee for the evening. Goldblatt has reported from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq, among other places…but is he ready for The North Shore.

Judy Markey

Special guest for the evening is Highland Park’s own Judy Markey, former co-host of the popular “Kathy & Judy” show on WGN Radio. In addition to her successful radio career, Markey wrote a funny and smart syndicated column for the Chicago Sun Times (remember those?)

There will be the big band sounds of the 17 piece Highland Park Pops. The cool vibe of the Matt Nelson Jazz Trio. A silent auction. A live auction including a signed jersey from honoree Michael Jordan and something very cool from Highland Park resident Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins fame. Just added: memorabilia from actor/ director Gary Sinise. Entertainment from Highland Park’s young entertainers from the Improv Playhouse Northshore Traveling Troupe (formerly Eileen Boevers). And of course, fine dining and dancing.

Highland Park Historical Museum

“The idea for a Hall of Fame came from JoBe Cerny,” said Weingardt,” We finally arrived at a combination of figures who achieved fame in sports, journalism, science, the arts, and the military. We will also be looking into music, politics, and business in the future. Success stories to inspire our youth to greatness.”

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Highland Park Historical Society’s educational outreach programs. Weingardt says the Historical Society’s goals include, “digitizing our photo library and files… We get calls and inquiries from all over the world regarding Highland Park. Its architecture, flora and fauna, lakefront, ravines, businesses and citizens.”

While the Highland Park Historical Society’s mission is to preserve the past, its focus in on the future, Weingardt says. “We want to instill a sense of history in the youth of our community with educational outreach programs designed to encourage and enlighten.”

To purchase tickets call 847-432-7090, e-mail: HPHISTORICAL@SBCGLOBAL.NET, or go to their highlandparkhistory.com to buy tickets through Paypal.

When Martin Luther King came to Highland Park; A history and eyewitness account

Don — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 11:00:51 +0000

On June 30, 1966, Martin Luther King spoke at Congregation Solel in Highland Park. 600 people packed the sanctuary to attend the event sponsored by the North Shore Fellowship of Rabbis. During that summer, Dr. King and Al Raby lead the Chicago Freedom Movement, the first large-scale movement to end racial segregation in a large city.

Martin Luther King at Highland Park's Congregation Solel, 1966

Dr. King and Al Raby

Michael Ebner, James D. Vail III Professor of History at Lake Forest College writes about Dr. King’s appearance at Congregation Solel:

The speech delivered at Congregation Solel on June 30, 1966 by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. consists of multiple storylines.

Chicago provides a central motif. Dr. King launched his Chicago crusade known as the Freedom Movement late in 1965. Its focus was the segregated housing market on the West side. His first venture outside the South, it followed the triumph of the Alabama civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery as well as his receipt of the Nobel Peace Prize. King expressed high expectations as he embarked on this major initiative. In his often-quoted depiction based upon a report issued by the United States Civil Rights Commission, Chicago comprised “the most segregated city in the North.”

It is sometimes overlooked that Dr. King’s speech was a community initiative. The official sponsor of record was the North Shore Fellowship of Rabbis. We know that Rabbi Harold L. Kudan, then of North Shore Congregation Israel, and Rabbi William Frankel, Beth Hillel Congregation, assumed key roles in working with Rabbi Arnold Jacob Wolf of Congregation Solel. The occasion was widely publicized and admission free.

Chicago, 1966

Dr. King’s visit to Congregation Solel – he also spoke during this period in Lake Forest, Naperville, and Winnetka, among other locales in the collar counties on other occasions during his stay in Chicago – was filled with drama and apprehension. The archives of the congregation help us to appreciate this. We know that the John Birch Society, an extreme right-wing organization, publically chastised the sponsorship of the visit. Milton Bram, a Solel congregant, countered this criticism with a letter-to-the-editor of the Deerfield Review affirming the right of public assembly.

Louis I. Heller, administrator of the congregation, diligently worked behind the scenes with Michael Bonamarte, Jr., chief of police in Highland Park, to assure the safety of both Dr. King and members of the audience listening to his address. Indeed, the very next day Heller wrote to Chief Bonamarte: “ . . . I wish to express our tremendous gratitude to you personally and to all those whom you were able to get for the fine job of security that was provided.” And Rabbi William Frankel of Beth Hillel Congregation in Wilmette wrote to Louis Heller– again on July 1 – praising his “magnificent help” in making these arrangements.

One final aspect of Dr. King’s speech in Highland Park merits our notice. Not until 2009, forty-three years after the fact, no one came forth with a photographic record of the occasion. But when the current police chief in Highland Park learned about this fact – via an article in the Chicago Tribune – he recalled a batch of images in his department’s own archives and shared them with Congregation Solel. But still to be uncovered is a transcript of the speech delivered nearly forth-four years ago. And despite a relentless search in area newspaper archives, also missing are journalistic reports in the aftermath of Dr. King’s speech on June 30, 1966.

Scholars continue to debate whether Dr. King’s campaign in Chicago proved a success or a failure. Four years ago the Chicago Tribune (January 15, 2006) interviewed James R. Ralph, Jr., who is the author of Northern Protest, Martin Luther King, Jr., Chicago, and the Civil Rights Movement (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1993). If you are curious about this debate, consider the words of Professor Ralph, who teaches at Middlebury College: “It is a mistake to view the Chicago Freedom Movement as a defeat. There is no doubt that it did not live up to expectations. But it did spotlight like never before national attention on housing discrimination. This was a tough issue for a lot of white citizens across the country. They feared having a black neighbor more than they did sitting next to a black person at a lunch counter.”

There are number of eyewitness accounts, including a video of Rabbi Arnold J. Wolf (1924-2008) from a documentary about Solel, entitled “Blazing the Trail” produced for Solel’s 40th anniversary.

Rabbi Wolf refers to the speech as similar in tone to “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,” Dr. King’s speech in Memphis on April 3, 1968, the day before he was killed.