860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apts
Ever since studying the works of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe for my undergraduate degree in architecture at the University of Toronto, I have been in love with the 860-880 Lake Shore Drive apartments. When I learned I was heading to Chicago to attend the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS), the top item on my to-do list after hitting the show floor was to visit the historic buildings, completed in 1951 and designated a city landmark in 1996. I headed up the Magnificent Mile, veered east, and in the warmth and sunlight of a beautiful spring day in the Windy City, beheld the two curtain-walled towers.
View the slideshow of images of the 860-880 Lake Shore Drive apartments.
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Chicago preservation architect Thomas “Gunny” Harboe prefers not to dismantle architectural monuments. But at Mies van der Rohe’s 860–880 Lake Shore Drive apartments, built…
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My wife and I got kicked out of there by a security guard a few summers ago. It was probably pushing 100 degrees that day and we were walking back to where our car was parked and decided to take a load off for a second. We were sitting on the edge of the walkway with our feet in the grass enjoying the view of lake Michigan - about 2 minutes later a large but super nice security guard came out and told us we had to leave. We chatted with him for a few minutes about the building and than he admitted that he felt bad kicking us out and that in all the years he had worked there he had never seen a tenant hang out in that beautiful grassy area and he was tempted to join us but his job would be in jeopardy. That is all.
These photos are fabulous. I will take a closer look at these buildings on my next trip to Chicago. Thank you for posting these photos. I am a bit of an architecture buff myself.
Dear Miyoko, Nice building indeed! And thank you for the nice photos. I have discover the work of Mies Van Der Rohe through the documentary of a friend Joseph Hillel called "Regular or super". If you are a fan, you need to see that wonderful film. It should be available at amazon.com. Here's a link for more details. http://icarusfilms.com/new2005/regu.html good viewing! -denis
I lived and worked in Chicago for ten years and I always loved walking along Lake Shore Drive past these buildings. While the exterior is still impressive and inspiring, the original interiors are rather quaint and old fashion. I had a friend who lived in the 860 building. No refurbishing had been done and it was complete with the original fixtures. The interior was very simple and the kitchen and bathroom reminded me of the circa 1950's elementary school I attended. Judy Murdoch Denver, CO
Thanks for all the comments--and for the film recommendation, Denis. I was so thrilled to go see the buildings in person and am glad that I could share the pictures online.
No wonder the hipsters are so unhappy..."No sitting on the grass! It is strictly for spatial effect." I wouldn't be surprised if this mandate had come down from Herr Mies himself.
Beautiful form -- what's the function? These are nice pics of the outside of these buildings, but dwell readers just might be interested in the, well, dwellings. It's a machine, yes, but is it for living in?
What fond memories I have of staying at the Glass House along Lake Shore Drive with a resident friend one summer and a Christmas in the mid-60's. On particularly Windy City days, I remember watching with squeamish fascination the toilet bowl water swishing back 'n forth. How happy I'm to learn of 19996's designation of the site as a Chicago landmark and last year's restoration. The exquisite "less is more" simplicity of the structure so stuck with me that some thirty years later I rented an apartment in a similar structure built by the brilliant Mies van der Roe nearby the Detroit River in Motown---yet another classic example of the International style of Modern high-tech 20th century architecture. W. W. S.
While you were in Chicago, you should have gone to Mies other landmark building - the old 1 IBM plaza. Its right between the famed Marina towers and the old Sun Times building right on the Chicago river on State street. IBM is long gone and the last I had heard that building was taken over by a financial group that wanted to turn in into residential condos. Zoning request was refused because current rules require outside access for buildings (Mies' building is completely sealed with computer controlled air intake from the hot/cold side of the building depending upon the requirement to heat/cool the inside) or - more likely in Chicago - they didn't bribe the right people for an exemption.
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