While it's not yet officially a Chicago landmark, Marina City has long been considered one of the city's most iconic architectural works. In the short documentary This Is Marina City, released in 1965, the narrator and former WGN radio announcer Walt Newton hints at the complex's future as a city landmark. Uploaded by Marina City Online/Loop North News, the film was produced by the Portland Cement Association of north suburban Skokie, and documents the construction of the Bertand Goldberg-designed complex. Marina City was truly a state of the art development at the time of its conception, and according to the film, Goldberg had a team of 250 people working on the project's design and planning process for a year.
In 1960, construction began on the massive project. The heavy use of concrete was popular at the time, and in order to hold the 10 million pounds of the heavy material, each tower required 40 caissons. The design of the towers was quite forward-thinking at the time, and according to the film, the towers' round shape eliminated the "inefficient and useless corner" that traditional buildings had. It's a fascinating watch, and interesting to see how this future landmark was built.
·This Is Marina City (Part 1 of 2) [Youtube]
·Chicago's Next Landmark? Goldberg's Iconic Marina City [Curbed Chicago]
·Previous Marina City coverage [Curbed Chicago]
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