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Marina City, Detroit, Michigan, Pedestrian Thruway Plan

A work made of graphite on vellum.

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  • A work made of graphite on vellum.

Date:

April 24, 1962

Artist:

Bertrand Goldberg
American, 1913–1997

About this artwork

Marina City Detroit was one of Goldberg’s first adaptations of his famous Chicago complex. Although he designed several different versions of this unrealized project over the course of six years, in this early scheme the architect imagined building a complete resort community for downtown Detroit, including a swimming pool, tennis courts, a casting club, and even a small golf course. Most innovative, however, was the way these ground-level facilities were layered underneath a remarkable low-rise commercial complex and a cluster of three residential towers. Goldberg nicknamed the commercial complex the “Detroit Tube,” referring to the flattened ellipsoid shape of a remarkable elevated, drive-through concrete structure containing shops, parking, and an interior road. Marina City Detroit, like work in Chicago and Denver, reveals Goldberg’s ability to reveal expressive, sculptural qualities in mundane elements of the urban landscape, shares its playful interpretation of 1950s consumerism.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Architecture and Design

Artist

Bertrand Goldberg (Architect)

Title

Marina City, Detroit, Michigan, Pedestrian Thruway Plan

Place

Detroit (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 1962–1967

Medium

Graphite on vellum

Dimensions

56.4 × 86.4 cm (22 1/4 × 34 1/16 in.)

Credit Line

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

Reference Number

RX23664/35.16

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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