Chicago The Beautiful is a photograph by Alexandra Till which was uploaded on October 29th, 2012.
Title
Chicago The Beautiful
Artist
Alexandra Till
Medium
Photograph - Photographs - Prints - Digital Images - Cards - Posters - Photo-calendars - Photo Art
Description
Ain't Chicago Beautiful? It sure is!
Left: Legacy at Millennium Park (249,6m / 819ft, 72 floors)
The building is oriented with the narrow side facing Grant Park, which minimizes the structures's apparent mass from the most common vantage point while providing lake and park views to all unit owners.
Second from left: Willoughby Tower (133,5m / 438ft, 38 floors)
The neo-gothic Willoughby Tower was the location of the Willoughby Building, a far less ambitious project of just eight stories.
The reason for the tall tower is to comply with a former city ordinance which stated that the portion of a building above a certain height could only occupy 25% of its footprint. Thus, the tall tower to maximize revenue and prestige while staying in line with setback laws. It helps distinguish this tower from the majority of buildings in the Michigan Avenue cliff which are all around 280 feet tall.
It offers excellent views of Lake Michigan and Millennium Park.
Middle: 6 N. Michigan Avenue (86 m / 282 feet, 22 floors)
The Montgomery Ward & Company Building, or Tower Building, was built as the headquarters for retailer Montgomery Ward, a pioneer in the mail-order business. The founder Aaron Montgomery Ward, whose office here faced over the lake, was instrumental in preserving the open lakefront and creating Grant Park.
It was the tallest building in Chicago from 1899 to 1922; surpassed by the Wrigley Building.
Second from right: Pittsfield Building (169,8m / 557ft, 38 floors)
A nice slender building that reaches 38 stories without fatiguing the observer. Moreover, its lateral flanks allow it to reach its full height within a small footprint and not look awkward. These setbacks were mandated by the city of Chicago in an effort to preserve what little sunlight was filtering down to street level through the growing forest of skyscrapers, and the thickening haze that became common in industrialized 20th century Chicago.
Right: Heritage at Millennium Park (192,3m / 631ft, 57 floors)
This was the tallest residential building in the Loop when it was completed.
The original facades of three small buildings on Wabash Avenue have been preserved and incorporated into this building. The facade has concave and convex curves, each topped with a row of vertical piers. This design reflects the semicircular peristyle nearby in Millennium Park.
Uploaded
October 29th, 2012
