Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Field Study
To learn more about Chicago's architecture, take a tour by foot, boat, or
bus with the
Chicago Architecture Foundation.
(See “Sightseeing Tours,”
beginning on p. 210, for details.)
Tips
Postmodern skyscrapers tend to include:
• An overall shape (or incorporation) of a recog-
nizable object not necessarily associated with
architecture
• Classical details, such as columns, domes, or
vaults, often oversized and used in inventive
ways
• A distinctive profile in the skyline
• Use of stone rather than glass
190 S. LaSalle Street
(John Burgee Architects
with Philip Johnson, 1987; see illustration) brings
the shape of a famous Chicago building back to the
skyline. The overall design is that of the 1892
Masonic Temple (now razed), complete with the tri-
partite divisions of the Chicago school. Another
amalgam of historical precedents is the
Harold
Washington Library Center,
400 S. State St.
(Hammond, Beeby & Babka, 1991). An extremely
modern interpretation of a three-part skyscraper—
but you have to look for the divisions to find
them—is
333 Wacker Dr.
(Kohn Pedersen Fox,
1979-83), an elegant, green-glass structure that
curves along a bend in the Chicago River. Unlike
this harmonious juxtaposition, the
James R.
Thompson Center,
100 W. Randolph St. (Murphy/
Jahn, 1979-85), inventively clashes with everything
around it.
190 S. LaSalle Street
