Marina City, Chicago, Illinois, Perspective Looking West

Bertrand Goldberg’s design for Marina City (1959-67) had a lasting impact on Chicago urbanism and provided a virtually unrivaled contribution to the cultural imagination of the mid-century world. The novel mixed-use development was designed to produce a microcosm of the urban landscape or, “a City with a City,” with a lively 24-hour cycle of living, work, and play in the apartment towers, commercial areas, office and theater buildings. An expressive sketch of the complex illustrates a variety of geometries from rounded tower “petals” to a recessed rectangular ice-skating rink. This drawing was created in 1985 when Goldberg was asked to consult on renovations to the plaza level of the complex.