CHICAGO | Marina City | 587 FT / 179 M | 61 FLOORS | 1962

[davefyvie]

One of the best Album covers of all time. One of the best albums of all time too. Jesus Etc, always enters my head when I see Marina City!

[andydie]

hiya guys, thought I add my Marina City Pictures here too from my visit 2nd October Week:

























Enjoy

[MolsonExport]

thanks Steely Dan, for the inside shots.

[ethereal_reality]

^^^ Great shots andydie.

[ethereal_reality]

A pic from the 1960s with the WLS transmission tower atop Marina City.
The transmission tower had red lights running vertically (obviously)
acting as a giant thermometer.

[Jibba]

Good thing that was eventually taken down; kind of overwhelms the design just a bit. I didn't know about the thermometer function, though. Interesting little bit of whimsy that seems to be absent from just about everything today.

[ethereal_reality]

Jibba, here's a pic of the 'thermometer' in action.

[ethereal_reality]

...seems there were two antennae on the east tower.






I don't know if the second one did any tricks. lol

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

...seems there were two antennae on the east tower.

as per your images, the antennas were on the west tower, not the east.

the steel base plates where the antennas attached to the structure can still be seen on the roof of the west tower.

[ethereal_reality]

oops...I meant west. sorry

[ethereal_reality]

This is cool as well.



Tallest apartments in the world.

[ethereal_reality]

I'm curious steely dan, did the second antenna come much later,
...or were they basically constructed at the same time?

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

I'm curious steely dan, did the second antenna come much later,
...or were they basically constructed at the same time?

i don't know. i was born in '76, so that was all before my time.

by the way, Marina City Online has a very comprehensive history of the building, you may be able to find the answer to your antenna question there. while i was browsing that site, i found this super-awesome pic of King Richard the First on the roof of his newly constructed civic center (now daley center) surveying his domain with marina city in the background:


source: http://www.marinacityonline.com/history/page19.htm

[Alliance]

I love the "The best ideas are more exciting in concrete: tag.

Awesome!

[george]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

just in case anyone is curious what the buildings look like on the inside, here are some pics of my unit and some pics from my balcony.

Sweet crib, keep us posted on the party!

[Jibba]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

This is cool as well.



Tallest apartments in the world.

Who knew that that revolutionary material that produced one of the best works of Modern architecture would be the bane of that neighborhoods present day. Marina is worth all of the other concrete — twice over, IMO.

[Jibba]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Jibba, here's a pic of the 'thermometer' in action.

Somehow I missed this. Thanks for posting it. So freaking cool.

[harryc]

A standard shot W IBM


I spend hours staring at Marina city while stuck in endless meetings, this is how it looks from the 21st floor of the ABA building ( the blue/green bldg in Steely's first indoor shot ).





One way I keep awake is playing the game - which balcony is Steely's ?

[staff]

Probably the only buildings in which I can forgive a 20 story parking garage at the base.
Love 'em.

[i_am_hydrogen]

^And providing all of that parking space was essential to Marina City's original goal of convincing people to move to downtown Chicago, a radical proposition at the time.