Midcentury Modern Architecture Tour - Clio

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Continuing the success of his design of Chicago's Marina City, Bertrand Goldberg built this complex as part of his “city within a city” concept that offered residents a blend of urban living within a community. In 1968, Goldberg put forth his River City project which offered a second mixed-use, high-density community along the Chicago River similar to his Marina City complex. Organized in groups of three 72-story tall cylindrical towers connected by skybridges, Goldberg intended to create a new concept of a city he hoped might inspire future developments. However, it took ten years for his architectural firm to acquire the necessary permits for such an ambitious building project. Ultimately, River City would be constructed horizontally instead of vertically and arranged in a snake-like fashion. River City would be Bertrand Goldberg’s final urban housing project. While it was a success, his vision of building a city-within-a-city as a model for urban development was only partially realized.

2. Willis Tower (Formerly the Sears Tower)

The Willis Tower, formerly known as Sears Tower, is one of the most well-known skyscrapers in the world. For a while, it was the tallest building in the world. It had been named for one of the world’s largest retailers until recently, after it was purchased by Willis Group Holdings, an international insurance broker. Willis Tower is a world-renown landmark building and a Chicago icon. Skydeck on the Willis Tower’s 103rd floor, an observation deck, attracts more than 1.5 million visitors per year. In the early 21st century the Skydeck underwent a major renovation that included addition of “The Ledge”, four glass boxes that extend 4.3 feet (1.3 metres) from the building. The Ledge opened in 2009, offering a breathtaking view of the city of Chicago and the outlying area.

3. Inland Steel Building

Completed in 1958, the Inland Steel Building was the first modern glass skyscraper erected in downtown Chicago since 1934, during the interwar period. Built with dynamic stainless steel and glass curtain walls, Miesian-inspired exposed structural frame and unobstructed office floors, the Inland Steel Building demonstrated the significant gains made during the war and post-war years and represented a new boom in Chicago skyscraper construction. Meanwhile, the name points to the building's occupant, Inland Steel, reminding us of a time when the American steel industry flourished.

4. Daley Civic Center

Located in the historic Loop of Downtown Chicago, the Daley Civic Center opened in 1966 and hosts various family friendly events. During the summer, the building's plaza regularly hosts various farmer's markets and ethnic festivals. It also hosts the city's famous Christmas tree every year.

5. The Aon Center

The Aon Center was completed in 1974 as the Standard Oil Building. It is 1,136 feet in height and has 83 floors. This makes it the third tallest building in Chicago. Only the Willis, formerly the Sears, Tower and the Trump International Hotel and Tower surpass it in height. The US operations of the company Aon are housed here. Aon is a British company whose main headquarters are in London. The services the company provides include risk management, insurance and reinsurance brokerage, investment banking, human resource solutions, and outsourcing.

6. Chicago's IBM Building (AMA Plaza and Langham Hotel)

The IBM Building, now known as 330 North Wabash, was erected in Chicago in 1972. The building was the last skyscraper designed by the distinguished Second School architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, who died before its completion. The building serves as a monument to the dominance of IBM within the late twentieth-century business world. IBM, at the time of the building's design, employed more than 240,000 people and generated more than $6.8 billion in revenue. The building is now home to the headquarters of the American Medical Association and the Langham Hotel.

7. Marina City, Chicago

Situated just outside of Chicago’s Loop District on the north side of the river, Marina City, also known as the "Corn Cob Towers," has been one of the city’s most iconic landmarks since its completion in 1967. Noted for its unique nature-inspired curvilinear architecture and reinforced concrete construction, Marina City is the brainchild of the world-renowned modernist architect Bertrand Goldberg. Goldberg studied architecture at the Bauhaus in Germany and worked under Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, known as one of the pioneers of modernist architecture. The idea behind Goldberg’s Marina City was to draw middle-class Chicagoans back into the city after twenty years of post-war suburban migration. Blending a unique architectural style with utility, Goldberg envisioned the complex to be a city within a city that combined residential, office, retail, and entertainment spaces. When completed the five-building Marina City complex offered Chicagoans two 65-story residential towers, a 10-story office building, a bowling alley, an ice rink, retail shopping space, a restaurant, a cinema, gym, and a small marina. Marina City remains a highly sought-after residential complex and became an official Chicago Landmark on March 16, 2016.

8. First Prentice Women's Hospital

On this site previously stood the first Prentice Women’s Hospital, often considered one of Chicago’s greatest architectural works. Designed by Bertrand Goldberg in 1972 and completed in 1975, the hospital was revolutionary for its time. The Brutalist style building consisted of a concrete quatrefoil tower that sat atop a five-store rectangular base. Goldberg combined many separate facilities into one unit, thereby conserving space and improving the functionality of a hospital design system. The hospital was in use from 1975 to 2011 when it was finally vacated with the intent on demolition. The Chicago Landmarks Commission, preservationists, and many prominent architects all rallied to support the preservation of the hospital. But after two unsuccessful years of negotiations, the building from demolition by Northwestern University and a new one constructed in its place.

9. John Hancock Center

Although many confuse the Hancock Center and the Sears Tower (both are Black super-towers in Chicago), the Hancock Center is unique in that it is a single tapered tower while the Sears Tower consists of several individual towers that give the structure its collective strength. With a single steel exoskeleton with a tapered shape, the 100-story tower is visibly unique from all other buildings in Chicago.

10. Astor Tower

Designed and constructed around the same time as his Marina City complex, one of Bertrand Goldberg’s lesser-known buildings offers prime real estate in the middle of the Gold Coast neighborhood. Bertrand considered Astor Tower as a prototype for Marina City, as he would use the same internal concrete core structure method for both buildings. Astor Tower became a 25-story high-end hotel situated on five-story stilts to offer views of the exposed concrete core. The building served as a hotel until its conversion into apartments in 1979. Astor Tower is most famously remembered as the site where Beatlemania officially ended on August 11, 1966.

This Tour is a Walking Tour.

Midcentury Modern Architecture Tour

Created by Kalen Martin-Gross on December 6th 2018, 7:27:09 am.

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Description

Midcentury Modern is defined as a significant aesthetic and design movement that took place roughly between 1945-1975. Midcentury Modern architecture was influenced by the straight lines and symmetry of the International and Bauhaus movements, yet it incorporated a more organic, natural form in its designs. Midcentury Modern architecture sought to bring the outdoors in through large open interiors and windows. Chicago's central business district and other nearby neighborhoods possess several notable Midcentury Modern buildings. Beginning with Astor Tower in the Gold Coast and moving along to the famous John Hancock Building, the tour continues south to visit such buildings as Goldberg's Marina City and the Inland Steel Building. The tour then features the famous Willis Tower (formally known as the Sears Tower), and ends with Goldberg's lesser-known work of River City.

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