In the romantic version of the story, creative genius endures poverty in pursuit of a higher calling. Rodolfo and Mimì's story would not have been La Bohème without the famously shabby garret, from which Rodolfo's poetry flowed. But as Chicago's new center for the Poetry Foundation by John Ronan Architects shows, a windfall of cold cash certainly can help when trying to make concrete an architectural idea.

The building, which opened in June, has its origins in a classic rags-to-riches story. Poetry magazine, founded by Harriet Monroe and published continuously since 1912, lurched along on a shoestring budget for most of its history. The magazine's life was turned upside down in 2002 when Indianapolis pharmaceutical heiress Ruth Lilly bequeathed about $200 million to the little publication. Soon after, the Poetry Foundation (which grew out of the Modern Poetry Association) was formed. One of its early decisions was to build a permanent home for Poetry, which had long housed its collection of books, manuscripts, and recordings in the basement of Chicago's Newberry Library and hosted readings in borrowed spaces around the city. Predictable controversy erupted when some of the foundation's trustees opposed the decision, decrying the hubristic palace they believed would result.