This was the Future, Vol.10
typed for your pleasure on 17 April 2005, at 10.15 pmSdtrk: ‘Steven Smith’ by the Organ
Here’s another example of one of those buildings that I’ve seen hundreds of times before, but I never really knew much about it: Marina City, located in Chicago.
Architect Bertrand Goldberg designed Marina City to be a “city within a city”. The apartment portion of the complex was completed in 1964. The two towers contained 896 units and a variety of amenities. [..] Amenities include the Marina Cleaners, Marina Food & Liquor, Crunch Fitness, 10 Pin Bowling, Bank One and several restaurants.
For my money, this is the way we should be living — cities that grow up as opposed to out. It’s pretty much self-contained! Any structure that contains living amenities as well as parking and shopping AND a bowling alley is beyond ace. Also, from what I understand, there’s a House of Blues in one of the towers.. which I find repellent, but apparently it used to be a theatre. Niiice.
Not only that, but the buildings themselves scream ‘retro Jetson-style living’, from their cylinders of concrete and steel, to the 19 lower floors used for car park purposes. But that’s to be expected from an architect that studied under my man Mies van der Rohe.
Should I suddenly decide to move to Chi-town instead, you’ll find me at those towers
Random similar posts, for more timewasting:
In a world... where Chuck E. Cheese tokens are legal tender on April 9th, 2016
This was the Future, Vol.44 on September 29th, 2010
February 1st, 2006 at 6.23 am
You and I agree. Buildings shouldn’t be spread across the land like syrup on a pancake.
They should be stacked like pats of butter.
Parkinlots are slovenly and wasteful, and parking structures should be mandatory for any building with more than ten tennants.