42nd Ward Update: Marina City Landmarking Recommendation Unanimously Approved by Commission on Chicago Landmarks

Alderman Reilly Reports

November 6, 2015

Marina City Landmarking Recommendation Unanimously Approved by Commission on Chicago Landmarks

Alderman Reilly is very pleased to announce that the final recommendation for landmarking Bertrand Goldberg's

Marina City was unanimously approved at yesterday's meeting of the Commission on Chicago Landmarks!

Marina City, view to the northwest, 2012

With strong record of preservation and appreciation for the city's historic fabric since his tenure in 2007, Alderman Reilly immediately understood the importance of these iconic towers within the Chicago landscape. Citing their presence in every Chicago souvenir snowglobe, the prominence of their architect and contribution to the history of Chicago architecture, the case was easily made for landmarking.

Alderman Reilly also saw tremendous opportunity for the homeowners of Marina City with landmark designation. In the Chicago Zoning Code is a density bonus entitled, "Adopt-A-Landmark". This zoning density bonus allows developers of nearby parcels to "adopt" a landmark structure by entering into an agreement with that landmark building owner to assist with capital projects, typically for exterior elements/systems, that contribute toward the overall preservation and lifespan of the building. These capital projects must be "shovel ready" and pass eligibility criteria set forth by the Landmarks Division within the city Department of Planning and Development. Based upon a 2014 amendment to this bonus, Alderman Reilly widened the eligibility radius to include Marina City and several other landmarks. These beloved historic structures are now within the radius of several new development proposals where they could benefit from developer contributions for major preservation efforts.

The Commission's recommendation will be introduced to City Council in December, and be referred to the Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards. At the Committee meeting where designation is considered, property owners or any member of the public may make an oral statement and/or present a written statement for the Committee's consideration. Upcoming Committee meeting agendas are posted on the City Clerk's website. After Committee, the landmarking will require a full council vote.

For more information about the landmark designation for Marina City, please visit the Department of Planning and Development, Historic Preservation Division's website.

About Marina City:

Marina City, located at 300 North State, was constructed between 1960 and 1967, and is considered an icon of Chicago architecture and urban planning. The Marina City complex consists of five interconnected but distinct components: two identical 60-story cylindrical residential towers, a saddle-shaped theater, and a 10-story commercial building, all of which are set on a four-story base with a marina fronting onto the Chicago River. With the exception of the theater, all of the structures in the complex are cast-in-place reinforced concrete construction.

This "city within a city," was the most ambitious and forward-thinking post-war urban renewal project in Chicago. It was the first development to layer residential, commercial, and entertainment uses into a dense high-rise complex in the center city.

Goldberg's comprehensive vision for Marina City introduced new ideas about form and structure and novel solutions for living and working in an urban environment. Marina City's success as a dense high-rise residential development anticipated the later transformation of downtown Chicago from a nine-to-five business district to a thriving and bustling residential and commercial community. The development's use of the Chicago River as an amenity was also years ahead of its time.

Marina City was the first planned development project in Chicago, and the first and largest federally-insured downtown housing project in the country. The scale and scope of the project was unparalleled at the time of construction. When they were completed in 1963, the residential towers were the tallest reinforced concrete structures in the world. Marina City was also Bertrand Goldberg's career-defining commission, catapulting him onto the world stage and solidifying his reputation as one of the most innovative architects of the twentieth century.

Stylistically, Marina City-in particular the designs of the residential towers and theater building-is an impressive and captivating example of the Expressionist Style within the Modern Movement in architecture. It marks the first built example of Bertrand Goldberg's use of the cylindrical form, which would become a hallmark of many of his subsequent designs.

Goldberg's design for the residential towers, which featured the repeated use of curving, petal-like shapes around a central cylindrical core, was unlike any design ever built in Chicago. The complex's location along the Chicago River only serves to heighten the visual impact of the towers, with their distinctive shape and rhythmic pattern of curved concrete balconies. Nearly 50 years after its completion, the buildings remain among the most distinctive structures in the City.