Welcome to the first run of Archigames, a new Curbed game wherein nominated local buildings of a particular style are matched up in sudden death pairings to decide the most suitable representative of said style. This week it's Postmodern (PoMo), and the second of four pairings is below. Brush up on the nominees, but always defer to your tastes when casting your vote below. Polls close tomorrow at noon. Thanks for playing!
Gather 'round for the main attraction, folks! The skyline-defining faux gothic-spired Two Prudential Plaza and the legendary Thompson Center are making their way into the ring. Two Prudential is the city's sixth tallest skyscraper, at a hair under 1,000-feet. Designed by Loebl, Schlossman & Hackl, the showy tower features stacked chevron setbacks on the North and South faces, and a pyramidal spire. It also was the world's tallest reinforced concrete building when completed in 1990.
Does it get more PoMo than the Thompson Center? The 1985 Helmut Jahn-designed state building goes to great lengths to convey government transparency (Illinois could use the boost), both from the street and inside the hollowed-out core with exposed office levels. Some critics likened the coloring of the street-level panels to "tomato soup", but it's harder to knock the Jean Debuffet sculpture anchoring the courtyard. The poorly-insulated glass building is hot in summer and cold in winter and racks up a beefy utility bill. Despite attempts to offload the behemoth, Thompson Center is still property of the state.
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