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Chicago Mid-Century Modern Residential Buildings

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Marina City
Chicago, IL
House of Blues
Chicago, IL
The Marina City apartments were designed by Bertrand Goldberg and built from 1961-1968. In 1977, the buildings were converted to condos. The two concrete 60-story towers have been nicknamed the "Corn Cobs". The cylindrical shapes were selected to provide more wind resistance. 18 stories of the building are devoted to parking. The "city within a city" also contains recreation facilities, offices, restaurants, banks, a hotel, and a theater. For more, see this website. [map]

The House of Blues building was part of the Marina City complex. It operated as a triplex theatre from 1970-1977. The building has housed the House of Blues since 1996. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

Hilliard Towers
Chicago, IL
The Hilliard Towers aparments were designed by Bertrand Goldberg and built in 1966. The four buildings were built for senior citizen, low-income housing. There are two cylindrical shaped towers and two arc-shaped buildings. The apartments are wedge-shaped and surround an elevator core. The buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [map]

River City Apartments
Chicago, IL

The River City Apartments were also designed by Bertrand Goldberg. Only part of the architect's proposed plan of the mid-1970s was actually completed. Goldberg envisioned six clusters of 72-story "Triad" towers connected by skybridges at every 18 floors. The "city within a city" would have contained everything from schools to shopping centers. The much scaled-back construction was finally finished in 1986. Each apartment is wedge-shaped and the building features a private boat dock on the Chicago River. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

Bertrand Goldberg also designed the Prentice Women's Hospital.

Bel-Harbour Apartments
Chicago, IL
The Bel-Harbour Apartments were designed by Schiff & Freides and built in 1967. The building was converted to condos in 1979. It is now named Wave Lakeview. For more, see this website. [map]

400 E. Randolph Condominiums
Chicago, IL
The 400 E. Randolph Condominiums were designed by Hirschfeld, Pawlan, & Reinheimer and built in 1963. The apartment building's original name was "Outer Drive East." It was converted from apartments to condos in 1973. The dome covers a pool area. For more, see this website. [map]

3600 N. Lake Shore Dr.
Chicago, IL
The 3600 N. Lake Shore Dr. apartment building was designed by Shaw, Metz & Dolio and built in 1959. For more, see this website. [map]

3550 N. Lake Shore Dr.
Chicago, IL
The 3550 N. Lake Shore Dr. apartment building was designed by Loewenberg & Loewenberg and built in 1961. For more, see this website. [map]

Harbor House
Chicago, IL
The Harbor House apartment building was designed by Hausner & Macsai and built in 1968. [map]

Lake Point Tower
Chicago, IL
apartment building
Chicago, IL
The Lake Point Tower apartments were designed by Schipporeit & Heinrich and built from 1965-1968. It was the tallest apartment building in the world at that time. For more, see this website. [map]

This apartment building was built around 1962. [map]

"Birdcage" Apartments
Chicago, IL
The "Birdcage" Apartments were designed by Don Erickson and built in 1959. The nickname comes from the vertical steel rods in front of the staircases. [map]

8650 S. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL
The house at 8650 S. Michigan Ave. was built in 1967. [map]

Myron Bachman House
Chicago, IL
The Myron Bachman House was built in 1889. It was remodeled by Bruce Goff from 1947-1948. The exterior is faced with corrugated aluminum. The normal rectangular windows were replaced with irregular shapes and rippled glass. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]