Marina City
Two corncob-shaped towers financed by janitors and elevator operators to keep downtown Chicago from going hollow.
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Bertrand Goldberg designed these 65-story, 587-foot reinforced-concrete towers in 1959, and when they opened in 1963 they were simultaneously the world's tallest residential buildings and the tallest reinforced-concrete structures ever built. The money came from the Building Service Employees International Union, who wanted to reverse white flight from the city center. The whole complex — towers, office block, saddle-shaped auditorium, marina — sits on a single raised platform next to the Chicago River.
What to look for
- The stacked balconies ringing each tower that create the corncob silhouette noted in the press
- The marina for pleasure craft at river level, directly beneath the platform — the feature that gives the complex its name
- The saddle-shaped auditorium building, originally built as a cinema, sitting alongside the towers
On State Street at the north bank of the Chicago River, directly across from the Loop; designated a Chicago Landmark in 2016 and viewable from the Riverwalk at no cost.
Marina City is one of 37 sights worth the detour in Chicago, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Chicago pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Chicago
- Willis TowerIt held the world's tallest title for nearly 25 years after opening in 1973 — and the Skydeck is still the highest observation deck in the United States.
- Art Institute of ChicagoFour paintings you've seen your whole life — Nighthawks, La Grande Jatte, The Old Guitarist, American Gothic — hang in the same building.
- John Hancock Center (875 N Michigan Ave)A moving platform pivots you 30 degrees outward over the Magnificent Mile — 1,128 feet of nothing beneath your feet.
- Aon CenterWhen it opened in 1973 as "Big Stan," this 83-floor tower was the fourth-tallest building on Earth — and clad entirely in marble.
- United CenterThe Bulls hardwood floor is literally assembled over the Blackhawks ice and taken apart game by game — two teams, one frozen surface, shared by puzzle.
- Soldier FieldThe NFL's oldest stadium lost its National Historic Landmark status because of the renovation meant to save it.