 |
| Lines and Curves (JWB Photo) |
Lines and
Curves. Present and future. The old and the new. However you want to categorize it, Chicago
blends them all together about as well as any big city in the world. Take, for example, the above view, looking
west along the river at Michigan Avenue. Check it out . . .
Beaux Arts (360
North Michigan Avenue, 1923, Alfred Alschuler, architect);
Art Deco (333 North
Michigan Avenue, 1928, Holabird & Root, architects; and
Mid-Century Modern,
more or less (Marina City Towers, 1967, Bertrand Goldberg, architect); the
Hyatt Hotel west tower (111 East Wacker, 1970, Mies van der Rohe, architect);
and 401 North Wabash/AMA Plaza (1971, Mies van der Rohe, architect).
Want to know a
little about contest in a big city. Look
at how the windown course for each story of the Hyatt west tower on the left
side of the photo match up with their counterparts on each story of 333 North
Michigan just beyond it. And notice how
the same relationship exists between Mies van der Rohe’s last design project on
the right edge of the photo and the towers of his former protégé just to the
west.
And stick an American flag up there, blowing in the Windy City breeze, for a little pop of color.
Look around this
big new city, and you will find pleasant surprises like this one almost
anywhere you look. It’s a working city
that puts its self together pretty well.
Posts
2 comments:
You have said it before, just look up and see all the great buildings around you! Nice blog!
More pictures coming. Good suggestion on the part of a very good organizer.
Post a Comment