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Apartment Project, Chicago, Illinois, Perspective Rendering

A work made of pencil and charcoal on tracing paper.

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  • A work made of pencil and charcoal on tracing paper.

Date:

1930

Artist:

McNally & Quinn (American, 20th Cen)
George A. Hossack (American, 20th Cen)

About this artwork

Known primarily for luxurious apartment buildings of the 1920s, McNally & Quinn completed plans for some of their tallest residential buildings in the early 1930s. Instead of the detailing common in their earlier work inspired by French Renaissance styles, their later designs featured dramatic massing and modern lines, often appearing in high contrast of light and dark in the architectural rendering. This building’s tall towers and setbacks shown in this drawing allow light to enter the core of the large building, similar to the recently-completed Stevenson Hotel on South Michigan Avenue that was, at the time, the largest hotel in the world. Like many architecture firms of the era, McNally & Quinn saw their thriving practice collapse during the Great Depression. Drawings for unbuilt projects such as the one represented here provide provocative traces of how their work would have evolved in Chicago in a different economic climate.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Architecture and Design

Artist

Mcnally and Quinn (Architect)

Title

Apartment Project, Chicago, Illinois, Perspective Rendering

Place

United States (Artist's nationality:)

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.

1930

Medium

Pencil and charcoal on tracing paper

Dimensions

61.2 × 37 cm (24 1/8 × 14 9/16 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of James Edwin Quinn 1979

Reference Number

1990.5.2

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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