^ And, basically, all of the "real" critics too.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Beck4ABigChicago
For those of us not well versed in the academics of architecture, what "style" or "era" would you call this building? I really like it, just looks kinda elegant (even taking away if one doesn't like the facade). Looks more like a home to me or something...can't really describe it. Hope there is more.
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LaGrange works in a pseudo-Second Empire revival style (if you don't know the Second Empire style, think of the parts of Paris that all the tourists flock to). In the glory days of skyscraper building, the French Second Empire style was applied to some highrises, such as the Blackstone Hotel on South Michigan Avenue, much to the disgust of people like Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright. LaGrange is obviously emulating this kind of design. I say "pseudo" because the ornamentation, form, materials, and proportion of his buildings are totally out of line with what made those buildings elegant.
One day, LaGrange woke up and realized that he could play off of his French origins and SOM background to produce "Frenchy" new highrises that have a lot of the efficiency of an SOM tower, dolled-up with some of the design trappings of old France. So, here you have it, a random hodge-podge of stuff that is vaguely French in inspiration and looks a lot more like Chicago design gone completely wrong.
Meanwhile, there are tons of amazing new architects in France (Jean Nouvel, for example, or Jean-Paul Viguier who gave us the Hotel Sofitel - still the best building of the latest Boom in my opinion) that LaGrange could be emulating if he wanted to bring a taste of the best of France to America. Instead, he is stuck producing degraded photocopies of a design movement 150 years old.
Sorry, I don't mean to sound so negative since you like the building and I am honestly trying to answer your question, but my distaste for this kind of design approach is hard to muffle.
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