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Marina City, Chicago, Illinois, Details

A work made of graphite and colored pencil on paper.

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  • A work made of graphite and colored pencil on paper.

Date:

1960/62

Artist:

Bertrand Goldberg
American, 1913-1997

About this artwork

Although his basic template for Marina City remained consistent throughout the design process, the apartment towers and office building changed considerably with the introduction of a new column design in a diamond or rhombus shape. This seemingly small change allowed the complex intersection of concrete post, beam, and balcony curve in the residential buildings to resolve into graceful arches in the apartment interiors. In the office building, the rhombus performs an even more remarkable feat, as the slender columns at street level gradually grow into dramatic groin vaults at the promenade deck to support the upper building. Goldberg’s dynamic engineering solution not only allowed for an elegant resolution to a challenging design problem, but it also endowed Marina City with an expressive quality that rivals the best examples of concrete construction in the mid-century.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Architecture and Design

Artist

Bertrand Goldberg (Architect)

Title

Marina City, Chicago, Illinois, Details

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.

1960–1962

Medium

Graphite and colored pencil on paper

Dimensions

55.9 × 86.4 cm (22 × 34 in.)

Credit Line

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

Reference Number

RX23664/75.446

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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