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Northwestern Terminal Tower, Chicago, Illinois, Axonometric

A three-dimensional color drawing of a skyscraper with its foundation exposed to show the complex program of its base against a dynamic background of blue and orange gradients.

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  • A three-dimensional color drawing of a skyscraper with its foundation exposed to show the complex program of its base against a dynamic background of blue and orange gradients.

Date:

1982

Artist:

Murphy/Jahn Architects, architect; American, founded 1973
Michael Budilovsky, delineator; American, born Ukraine, 1928
Helmut Jahn, delineator; German, 1940-2021

About this artwork

Although the Northwestern Atrium Center (now Citigroup Center) meets the street as a cool, reflective waterfall of glass, this exuberant architectural rendering shows the building exploding from its foundations to expose the complex program of its base. Removed from its messy urban environment, the structure appears to float in an abstract grid, an example of Helmut Jahn’s creative exploration of the motifs, materials, and attitude of high-tech postmodern architecture. Unlike the heavy mechanics of other designers working in this vein, however, Jahn’s work evinces a touch of nostalgia for the delicate qualities of industrial architecture of the past. His Northwestern Center fuses a contemporary mirrored-glass facade with curves and articulation that recall Art Deco interiors and 19th-century iron-and-glass train sheds, an appropriate reference for this modern commuter train hub.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Architecture and Design

Artist

Murphy/Jahn Architects (Architect)

Title

Northwestern Terminal Tower, Chicago, Illinois, Axonometric

Place

Canal Street, 165 North (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.

1982

Medium

Airbrushed ink on resin coated paper

Inscriptions

Dated and signed CR "NWT. H. Jahn 6.....82"

Dimensions

162.9 × 104.2 cm (64 3/16 × 41 in.)

Credit Line

Anonymous gift

Reference Number

1982.629

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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