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 333 Wacker Drive by deecat
In my opinion, they did a magnificent job using blue-green curved glass that mimics the curve in the Chicago River at this point. I love the way other buildings reflect in the glass surface. Some people claim that when the sun sets, the building is bathed in a "fiery display". I've never been there at sunset, but I imagine it is quite a sight!
The other side of the building is what most people never see. Whereas the river side is "a sweeping arc of glass", the rear side of the building has to adhere to the city's street grid; thus, it uses a parallelogram that is notched to create more offices with corner windows.
The building's base is made of Vermont marble and granite and forms an elongated X across the front of the building.
The green glass curve seems to "hover" above the city. In all actuality, part of the building does overhang the sidewalk at two of the edges (at the point where 333 West Wacker's support columns are visible).
This building was in the Ferris Beuler's Day Off movie as Ferris' father's office. It will also be appearing in the newest Batman Movie.
This elegant building was voted Favorite Building by readers of the Chicago Tribune in 1995 & 1997.
333 West Wacker last sold for $100,000,000.00...even though I love it, I don't think I could afford it, huh? Leave a Comment Address: 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois
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 River City Apartments, Chicago by deecat
This complex might look familiar because it was designed by the same architect who did Marina City, Betrand Goldberg. He originally wanted a series of three cylindrical towers 72- 85-stories high, all connected by sky bridges. Goldberg is famous for high-density housing concepts and river locations. As in the Marina City project, Goldberg again used the river as his focal point for urban redevelopment.
The Chicago Planning Commission refused the plan; instead, the development is two low-rise (17stories at its highest point), concrete apartment buildings, "serpentine in form" mimicing the confluence at the river's south branch. This project was designed to connect with Dearborn Park to the east and Chinatown to the south.
Ultimately, River City will extend a mile in length, housing 3,000 people.
It certainly has a "futuristic" look even though it was completed in 1986. Its distinctive window shapes as well as its curved design set it apart from most urban developments. What views the apartment dwellers have of the Chicago River and the skyline of Chicago itself. Leave a Comment Address: 800 South Wells Street, Chicago, Illinois 60607Phone: 1-888-544-2394
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Walking around on Michigan Avenue is a veritable "feast" for the eyes. The architecture here is amazing. One of the buildings, The Chicago Tribune Tower, was one of my particular favorites. I became more intrigued when I saw the statue of Nathan Hale outside the building.
The Chicago Tribune Tower design was a result of a contest. In 1922, The Tribune began a design competition for the "most beautiful and eye-catching building in the world." The contest gave the winner $50,000 in prize money and garnered over 260 entries. The winner was a neo-Gothic design by Raymond Hood and John Howells. Construction on the actual Tribune Tower was completed in 1925 and reached a height of 462 feet (141 meters) above ground.
An interesting note here** before the Tribune Tower was built, correspondents for the Chicago Tribune brought back rocks and bricks from historical sites from around the world, these rocks, stones and bricks have been incorporated into the lowest levels of the building and are labeled where they came from. These include the Taj Mahal, the Parthenon, Abraham Lincoln's Tomb, the Great Wall of China and the Berlin Wall. Even a rock returned from the moon has been embedded in the building. The most recent addition was a piece from the New York World Trade Center (see photo.)
In this picture is a statue of Nathan Hale, a member of the Continental Army. Hale was executed by the British for spying during the Revolutionary War. He is considered an American hero. There is a larger statue of him outside the CIA Headquarters in Washington DC. Leave a Comment Address: 435 N Michigan Avenue Chicago, IL 60601Directions: Next to the Chicago River of Wacker Drive and Michigan Avenue
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On a Saturday afternoon in July of 2008, VT friends Dabs [Kristi], Matcrazy1 [Matt] and Matcrazy0, along with me, deecat [Dee] were touring around Chicago after our VT lunch at Red Apple (a Polish Buffet). Kristi noticed a very great building on Dearborn Street, so we decided to go inside. What a treat that turned out to be!
The lobby of this building, The Marquette Building, is a "memorial rotunda in honor of Pere Marquette". Marquette was a French Jesuit explorer, as well as a missionary. He explored what was then (1674-75) called "Illinois Country, including what is now Chicago."
The mosaic panels that surround the lobby depict scenes from the French exploration of Illinois.
Above the elevator doors, you will see sculptured heads of Indian chiefs of the Mississippi Valley as well as French explorers. Edward Kemeys did these. By the way, we learned that the mosiacs were done by Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company of New York!
The building itself is one of the few remaining buildings that represents the "Chicago School of Architecture". This architecture features steel columns and spandrels in the construction of buildings. The Marquette Building is a great example of this architecture and is considered a landmark in Chicago.
The Marquette Building also features "innovative window treatment that has come to be known as Chicago Windows". These windows have an expansive horizontal design that lets the light come in; thus, they provide a great improvement in lighting and in work efficiency in the workplace.
Starting in 2002, a huge restoration project began at the Marquette Building with the job of bringing it back to its original form. It included the return of the cornice that encircles the top of the building; cleaning of the buildings facade; the double-hung windows will be removed, restoring them to the original 1896 wood and glass windows; and masonry repairs are almost complete.
This work is being done by the owners, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
Be sure to see all the photographs:
1. Display Board introducing The Marquette Building.
2. Mosaic panel of scene from French exploration of Illinois.
3. Bronze panel abopve elevator of Indian Chief.
4. First floor lobby.
5. Part of the explanation of the restoration found on the first floor with excellent, detailed displays. Leave a Comment Address: 140 South Dearborn Street, Chicago, IL 60603
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 South tower and partially
shaded North tower by Bwana_Brown,
2 more photos
Like the Tribune Tower, the architecture of these buildings was also influenced by European cathedral designs, with its shape based on the Giralda Tower of the cathedral in Seville, Spain. The ornamental design takes off in a different direction though, and is an American adaptation of the French Renaissance style. When all was said and done, the South Tower rises 30 storys and 425-ft to the top of its four sided clock (3rd photo) while the North Tower is a more modest 21 storys.
I had a lot of ground to cover, so did not go over for a closer look at this building that started the era of skyscrapers in Chicago. Leave a Comment Address: 400-410 North Michigan AvenueDirections: North of the Michigan Avenue Bridge and across from the Tribune Tower
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 Father Time & his scythe
atop the clock by Bwana_Brown,
3 more photos
Once again located near its compatriats by the Michigan Avenue Bridge, this 40-story 523-ft building was completed in 1927 and could claim to be the world's tallest building outside NY City. Because the building was was constructed for Chicago's diamond merchants, it contained a massive elevator into which they could drive their cars and then be hoisted up to any of its first 22 floors where they could safely unload their goods! It is no wonder they needed to do that given that this was during the period of American prohibition (1919-1933) through the Roaring Twenties when gangsters were everywhere. However, maybe they were not safe even with that because beneath the huge uppermost dome (2nd and 3rd photos) was the Stratosphere Lounge - then run by gangster Al Capone but now an architect's showroom! The elevator system was abandoned in 1941 and the shafts were covered over to make more office space.
As for the building itself, its terra cotta clad design has a Classical Gothic look, even though this was supposed to be the Art Deco era. I liked its looks, especially that street level clock that has Father Time with his scythe standing on top waiting for your time to be up. Those cute turrets at the four rooftop corners were not just for show either - they each held cast iron tanks that were used as part of the building fire-fighting system! They have since been retired and converted to conference rooms! Like I said, this was one very interesting building! Leave a Comment Address: 35 East Wacker Drive, ChicagoDirections: South side of the Michigan Avenue Bridge and one block west on Wacker
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 The Chicago Avenue Water
Pumping Station by Bwana_Brown, 3 more photos
The 154-ft tall Water Tower has an octagonal shaft capped by a cupola of steel with a copper roof. Inside the tower was a 138-ft standpipe holding water to provide pressure for firefighting hoses, but it was removed in 1911 when it became obsolete. The photo (3rd) of the Water Tower also shows a ground level view of the 'Bloomingdale' skyscraper I shortly before had looked down upon from the John Hancock Center! Today the Water Tower building is used as a welcome center for visitors to Chicago while the old Pumping Station continues in its original role after several internal modernizations. Leave a Comment Address: 800 N. Michigan Avenue, ChicagoDirections: Beside the John Hancock Center
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 The short 1-Prudential,
narrow 2-Pru & Aon by Bwana_Brown,
1 more photos
The nice-looking all-glass (over reinforced concrete) Two Prudential Plaza skyscraper was completed next door in 1990, with its 995-ft height making it the fifth-tallest building in Chicago and the eleventh tallest in the United States. I liked the way its peak is sloped into a pyramidal shape - no wonder it has won a few design awards!
The Aon Center, final member of the trio has had a chequered history. Originally built by Amoco Oil in 1974, the 83-story, 1136-ft structure was Chicago's tallest until the Sears Tower was built. Eventually, problems developed with its marble-clad exterior and the sections began to buckle and fall off, not good from that height! The problem was solved for a mere $80 million dollars between 1990-92 when two-inch thick granite panels replaced them. So far the remainder of the design seems to be working - "The building employs a tubular steel-framed structural system with V-shaped perimeter columns to resist earthquakes, reduce sway, minimize column bending, and maximize column-free space. The building is the only regular 'box-shaped' building in the world over 300 meters tall and the tallest building in the world without any major antennae, spires, or finials at the top." Leave a Comment
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 The towers attracted my
attention at first view! by Bwana_Brown,
2 more photos
Completed in 1964, these two 60-story towers were an attempt by workers unions to create a sort of mini-utopia in the middle of downtown Chicago in an effort to stem the flow of workers out of the inner core of the city. These corn cob buildings would provide the tenants with both living and office space as well as the usual requirements of entertainment, banking, car parking and even a marina thanks to its Chicago River setting!
The architects made two unusual choices: a cylindrical shape to lessen the effects of winds blowing in off the lake and reinforced-concrete construction instead of steel and glass because of this unusual shape. It may not be an historic building but it is unique! A few nights later, I ended up inside one of its entertainment facilities when a group of us had a night out at the House of Blues (see my 'Nightlife' tip for that one). Leave a Comment Address: 300 North State Street, ChicagoDirections: On the north bank of the Chicago River
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My one serious walking tour of Chicago began on a Sunday morning, on what turned into a beautiful sunny day with temperatures of about 16 C. Drifting over to Michigan Avenue, the first building to catch my eye was the Tribune Tower, an ornate structure calling itself home to the Chicago Tribune newspaper, a radio station and even an office of CNN. Maybe it is from seeing ornate cathedrals at various places in the world, but I liked its neo-Gothic design with flying buttresses way up near the top of this 462-ft tall 36-story building! There are also some other similar flourishes down low over the main doorway into the building (2nd & 3rd photos).
At the time, I didn't know that the Tribune Tower is the result of a worldwide design contest held in 1922 by the newspaper when it was looking for a new head office building and it offered a $50,000 prize for "the most beautiful and eye-catching building in the world". It turned out that a design based on the flying buttresses of the cathedral in Rouen, France beat out the other 260+ entries. Another unique feature of the building are stones and objects from various historic sites around the world embedded in the walls beside the door. My 4th photo shows a couple of them - a small white square from Westminster Abbey (London) and a lower and larger block from Edinburgh Castle (Scotland). Construction was completed in 1925 and it still looks like a grand old building! Leave a Comment Address: 435 N. Michigan Avenue, ChicagoDirections: Not far north of the Michigan Avenue Bridge
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