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Delaware Penthouses Proposal B, Chicago, Illinois, Plan

A work made of graphite on paper.

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  • A work made of graphite on paper.

Date:

1952

Artist:

Bertrand Goldberg
American, 1913–1997

About this artwork

Scholars and journalists have often focused on isolating the first incarnation of Goldberg’s signature round or petal shapes, which he used in his groundbreaking towers for Marina City. The architect claimed that his circular designs began with an alternate scheme for Astor Tower (1958–63), but he also stressed that curvilinear shapes were an essential part of the natural world and common to human designs, from the towns of ancient Native Americans to rose windows in medieval cathedrals. Goldberg’s circular designs included round living spaces in two brick houses designed in the late 1930s, but an alternate proposal for the Delaware Penthouses apartment building offers the best demonstration of this formal and functional evolution. Years before his assured plans for Marina City’s residential towers, this tentative study shows how he approached the basic organization of circular space with a focus on room size, furniture placement, and egress within the unconventional angles of this radial plan.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Architecture and Design

Artist

Bertrand Goldberg (Architect)

Title

Delaware Penthouses Proposal B, Chicago, Illinois, Plan

Place

Chicago (Building address)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Designed 1952

Medium

Graphite on paper

Dimensions

53.7 × 92.5 cm (21 1/8 × 36 7/16 in.)

Credit Line

The Archive of Bertrand Goldberg, gifted by his children through his estate

Reference Number

RX23664/117.27

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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