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 Post-modernism (Pomo) and the last of four first round 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!
Our PoMo battle rages on with two more worthy contenders entering the fray. Coming out swinging is Harold Washington Library in The Loop. Maybe it's the ornate aluminum sculptures along the roof (known as acroteria) or the arched windows, but it's easy to be fooled into thinking this is a much older building. The design, by architecture firm Hammond Beeby Rupert Ainge, was selected in a competition over other entries by the likes of Helmut Jahn and SOM. Its exterior takes its cues from the neighboring Rookery, Auditorium, and Monadnock buildings. Completed in 1991, the library is also home to a 9th floor atrium known as the Winter Garden.
We've also got Park Tower on the Mag Mile, which is ready to shed its peaches and cream reputation and bring the pain. Weighing in at a lofty 844 feet, it's the eleventh tallest building in Chitown— and the second tallest in our PoMo Deathmatch. It was designed by well-known architect Lucien Lagrange and incorporates some art deco stylings as well as a mansard roof, one of Lagrange's trademark elements. And the 68-story tower was the first building in the United States to feature a tuned mass damper. So, who's it gonna be?
Loading comments...