InterContinental Mistake

According to the Sun-Times, "The nondescript north tower of the InterContinental Chicago hotel on Michigan Avenue would be replaced with a 71-story hotel/condominium skyscraper, under a dramatic proposal that would reshape the south end of the Magnificent Mile."

While it's difficult to find a decent image of the "nondescript north tower" online, I would have to disagree with that description. Granted it's understated compared to the old, domed tower, nevertheless it works with the ornate tower in a manner that improves it, while the proposed design would probably detract from it via scale and proximity. See for yourself.


Old vs. New

The barely visible north tower in the left image isn't that building on the left edge of the image but the slab in shadow. Its west facade (facing Michigan Avenue) is a blank stone wall, but not nearly as bad as it sounds. Its articulation and uniqueness actually make it a nice element on the Michigan Avenue streetwall. Hotel rooms in the north tower face north and south, the space between the two towers used as a light well, a rather well-scaled one at that. This interstitial space would become a sliver between the new glassy condo tower and the "worth-keeping" old tower in Lucien Lagrange's design.

The article admits, "the new tower is sure to prompt scrutiny by preservationists, concerned about the continued 'canyonization' of North Michigan Avenue, and by some Streeterville neighbors, who already feel cramped from the building boom east of the hotel, including plans for two 2,000-foot skyscrapers in the last four months." These are good issues, though looking at the immediate site is just as important as these greater concerns. Merely providing a horizontal reveal at about the height of the tower to-be-demolished doesn't solve the problem of contextuality and appropriateness.

Another topic this touches on -- one that I will eventually elaborate in a post or series of posts -- is what I call the "weight of architecture." As glassy building becomes the norm in Chicago and other cities, is a rejection of this standard in order? A return to heavy materials and solidity as an expression over transparency and reflection? From an economic and marketing point of view, the answer is no, though it bears some investigation. Stay tuned.