38 responses so far ↓

• 1 Aaron // Apr 15, 2004 at 1:02 pm

  As a kid visiting Chicago, I remember hating the look of these buildings. Now, I think they are beautiful. Great shots!

• 2 Nan // Apr 15, 2004 at 2:00 pm

  I couldn’t back into one of those parking spots. I’d fell like I was going to go over the edge!

• 3 tien // Apr 15, 2004 at 2:28 pm

  i wonder how much an apartment in one of those places cost. one major problem with living there is how you arrange your furniture. that is unless they also have a custom furniture store in the building.

• 4 rachelle // Apr 15, 2004 at 2:37 pm

  I was surprised that at the prices of the apartments.. they’re not that bad. studios rent for $800 - $950 and sell for $120,000 - 145,000. One bedrooms rent for $1000 - $1400 and sell for $175,000 - $245,000. Two bedrooms rent for $1,800 - $2,200 and sell for $325,000 - $445,000. The condo layouts are available here.

• 5 dy // Apr 15, 2004 at 2:37 pm

  See Rachelle’s link for Marina City. if you click on rentals/sales, you can see cost and floor plans. it certainly isn’t cheap there!

• 6 jr // Apr 15, 2004 at 2:43 pm

  I was once inside the building many floors up. The interesting thing was that the decor of the hallway from the elevators to each apartment was very old fashion and Moorish. There were arched doorways etc. At least that is how I remember them from the late 60’s.

• 7 Kevin // Apr 15, 2004 at 4:07 pm

  I think the towers are taller than 60 feet!

  Also, I believe Sammy Sosa lives on the top of one …

• 8 dahl // Apr 15, 2004 at 4:45 pm

  i remember those - they look so odd! and dy obviously isn’t used to nyc prices, so by those standards, it looks pretty good for those kinds of views and ammenities.

• 9 rachelle // Apr 15, 2004 at 4:49 pm

  oh. 60 ft.? i meant 60 stories!

• 10 janelle // Apr 15, 2004 at 5:05 pm

  i heard these were going to be converted into some sort of boutique hotel… but that was a couple years ago. i don’t know any details, but if i lived there that would upset me. what great buildings! they graced the cover of wilco’s 2002 album “yankee hotel foxtrot”

• 11 rachelle // Apr 15, 2004 at 5:13 pm

  oh dude, i totally forgot they were on the cover of that album. makes sense since wilco is from here, i guess.

• 12 ChrisM // Apr 15, 2004 at 7:37 pm

  Rachelle my young friend probably before your time but those towers were the home of Bob & Emily on the Bob Newhart Show!

  Right after the old MTM on Saturday nights

  “How will you make it on your own,
  This world is awfully big
  And girl this time your all alone…”

• 13 Clint // Apr 16, 2004 at 1:11 am

  Actually Sammy Sosa lives in the Presidential Towers on LSD. Marina City is one of the architecture highlights of Chicago. But where is the bowling alley?

• 14 Richard // Apr 16, 2004 at 6:16 am

  If I lived in a place that nice, I think I could probably figure out how to arrange my furniture.

  Even by Milwaukee’s standards, they aren’t that expensive.

• 15 dy // Apr 16, 2004 at 8:31 am

  dahl - i’m from upstate ny - which i’m sure is why i think the rent seems so high - i work as a rental agent parttime for a 10 story building here in the city. average rent for a 1BR is $500-700/mth, everything included (this is what you’ll find all over the city). see why my view is a little off?

• 16 ChrisM // Apr 16, 2004 at 8:40 am

  dy where are you, Rochester?

• 17 dy // Apr 16, 2004 at 8:50 am

  Yep. Born & raised.

• 18 hubs // Apr 16, 2004 at 11:28 am

  actually a car does fly out of one of those buildings (one of parking garage levels) and lands in the river in the movie “blues brothers”. i guess that is not quite as cool as a flying car though.

• 19 Chris // Apr 16, 2004 at 12:49 pm

  This blog entyr looks familiar.
  Check it out!

• 20 rachelle // Apr 16, 2004 at 1:29 pm

  weird, chris..

• 21 joel // Apr 16, 2004 at 4:47 pm

  damn. Janelle beat me to it.

  I love that Wilco album - so so good.

• 22 Hot Abercrombie Chick // Apr 16, 2004 at 4:57 pm

  I’ve never been to Chicago before, nor had I heard of/seen those towers. Very impressive:)

• 23 ChrisM // Apr 17, 2004 at 7:44 am

  Hi dy! Spent my early years living right by the old Clarissa, now Ford :(, Street Bridge. Ending up graduating from PMHS, go Vikes! Ra-cha-cha does have a great low cost of living, too bad jobs are so scare.

• 24 Comment Spamming Bitch Riding High On Blogdex! // Apr 17, 2004 at 3:48 pm

  Don’t mind me, I’m just a comment-spamming bitch!

• 25 Mike // Apr 17, 2004 at 10:59 pm

  One of my earliest memories is building a replica of the Marina Towers with my friends when I was 4 years old and in preschool (1978-ish). I had recently been down there with my mom to see a musical, and something about those buildings just stuck. Then the next day at preschool during play-time (as opposed to the non-playtime in preschool?), I organized my labor force and became foreman to a group of about 10 kids I instructed to build a 6-foot tall replica of one of the towers out of blocks. For some reason, the kids listened to my orders, and I was even doing measurements to make sure it would be sturdy. A picture of me and “my” work appeared in the local newspaper later that week. … Still remember that when I see the towers. Good memories..

• 26 rachelle // Apr 21, 2004 at 12:44 pm

  There is a place called 10 pin next to house of blues.. i assume this is the bowling alley

• 27 Earl // May 6, 2004 at 9:11 pm

  From 1965 to 1972 I lived in the West Tower of Marina City in a two bedroom apartment on the 58th floor, overlooking the river. We had a spectacular view of the loop and the lake. There was no problem with standard furniture, though sofas and chairs were not oversized as they are today. Each balcony is about equal to 1/2 of a 20 foot circle. We had 2 1/2 balconies. “Stop & Shop”, a great grocery store, was within short walking distance. Unfortunately, it is no longer there. We didn’t keep a car and would rent one when needed. On weekends we rode bicycles along the lake shore for several miles. You can’t beat the location.
  Earl

• 28 David // May 7, 2004 at 1:19 pm

  Hubs, I don’t remember the car flying out of the towers in The Blues Brothers (I’ll have to watch it again…it’s been awhile), but a car certainly flys out at the end of a chase scene in Steve McQueen’s The Hunter.

• 29 J // Mar 8, 2005 at 11:33 am

  Just to make a couple of corrections. (ha ha) Although the opening of ‘The Bob Newhart Show’ does show Marina City in the screenshot openings, Bob and Emily lived at an Edgewater Beach apartment on Sheridan Road. Sammy Sosa does NOT live at Presidential Towers and Presidential Towers are not on Lake Shore Drive, they are at Madison and Canal. He lives in the high rise condo in front of Nay Pier. Also, Marina City is NOT being converted into hotel rooms. The square ‘office building’ on the site was made into the Loews Hotel 4 years ago. The corncobs are condos and apartments and will always stay that way. How do I know this? I work across from Marina City. I actually was just in their lobby at the store buying a muffin 30 minutes ago.

• 30 Jake // Mar 8, 2005 at 11:52 am

  Just to make a couple of corrections: The opening of the Bob Newhart show does show Marina City in the screenshot, but they lived at an Edgewater Beach apartment. Presidential Towers in NOT where Sammy Sosa lives and it is not on Lake Shore Drive. Sammy Sosa lives on Lake Shore Drive in front of Navy Pier…many, many blocks from Presidential Towers which is at Madison and Canal. Also, Marina City is not being converted into hotels. The Loews Hotel is now at the old Marina City Office Building and has been there since 1999 or so, its a very nice hotel. The 2 cornbobs will always be residential. The Bowling Alley (’10′)is very trendy and new and is below the hotel, next to the Wine shop and above the health club. I eat lunch sometimes at Marina City at the steakhouse. And regarding the prices. These are condo’s that can be rented. The cheap ones have not been remodled since the 60’s. But there are many very nice expensive homes here. I work across the street from MC and will snap some pictures for you guys.

• 31 Jake // Mar 8, 2005 at 11:54 am

  Sorry I posted over and over! My screen showed it blanked..so I re-wrote only to find I had posted multiple times. That’s what I get for posting on other peoples bored’s. forgive me!

• 32 greg m // Dec 18, 2005 at 10:29 pm

  I remember as a kid seeing two antennas on top of the west tower of Marina City. How long were they? Does anyone have pictures?

  Greg M

• 33 Chris M // Dec 28, 2005 at 2:03 pm

  I am fascinated by many high rises, but these one in particular because they are so unique. I’ve only read one reference about the elevators in these buildings that said that they can go from ground level to the rooftop (the 61st floor) in about 35 seconds. Does anybody know how many elevators there are in each building? Are they all together or do they go around the inner core of the building?

• 34 Freddy // Jan 29, 2006 at 3:11 pm

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• 35 RS // Jul 12, 2006 at 3:16 am

  I used to live there between 1992-1995 and had paid around $675 per month for a one bed room apartment. The rents have certainly gone up ! It was a very convenient place to stay if you worked downtown and you had great views from the 33rd floor. Certainly brings back memories

• 36 Jon // Sep 15, 2006 at 1:27 pm

  Great post! I live in Marina Towers on the 49th floor and I love it here. Actually, furniture arrangement isn’t difficult and I’ve arranged it several ways. The color design is definitely 60’s kitsch. My bath tub and toilet are yellow and the bathroom wall tiles are brown and aqua!
  My kitchen cabinets are metal and yellow-green. I thought about changing it but it’s just to priceless as it is.

• 37 dpierce // Jan 8, 2007 at 11:11 pm

  to Greg M.

  GO to Scott Childers wedsite and look for the` photos that I took in 1967 of the WLS-fm-tv and WFLD-tv towers. I was very lucky to have been able to get up to the top to get the few photos that I still own. Just regret that I did not have more film to take more pictures. I continue to search for Marina City pictures with the antennas on top.

  Thank You Very Much,

  Douglas A. Pierce
  Santee, Ca.

• 38 Anita Hough // May 12, 2007 at 11:30 am

  I have a rather unusual request and search. In 1992-1993, I knew a young African-American man by the name of Patrick (it was so very long ago that I honestly do not remember his last name). He lives or lived in Marina City and I have been there before in his apartment. We were friends and had lost contact. I lived on Briar Place off of Sheridan and Belmont. He raised his small daughter (who was a toddler at the time) on his own and was divorced.

  He worked as a computer engineer in the stock market (or was affiliate in the stock market in some capacity. Very intelligent and genuine). He was a very nice and well-spoken and intelligent friend.

  I was working for a clothing store in Ford City as a Co-Manager (The name of the store was called The Limited at the Ford City shopping mall). I know that he was rather popular in the Marina Towers because he was a very friendly and outgoing young man with a great smile.

  I KNOW that this is a long shot (but I believe that if that he or a neighbor remembers him, this reuinion is meant to be) and at that time , he was a rare young man who was hard working and was a dad who raised his daughter alone there.

  I am sending out this message in hopes that he may return this message by chance. I know that if he find this message that the information that I have provided will trigger his memory about me as he will know who I am.

  I really need to reunite with him and I have missed our talks. I was a young African-American female (5′3 , very tiny , single)who lived alone at the time. I believed that he lived in a studio in one of the towers and he was the nicest person that I have ever met.

  Patrick is 5′7-5′8 and dressed conservatively and had very much in common. He is Very much a gentleman and friendly to everyone and anyone. He had a great smile and if we stood side by side, we appear to be brother and sister because he had a remarkable resemblance to me.

  He wore a moustache at the time. He was a very quiet tenant and work many long hours. Again, this is a long shot, he may not live there, I remember that he lived on the 6th or 16th floor at the time in one of the studios.

  Patrick, if you happen to see this message and if you happen to remember meeting me. I now live in the Northern Suburbs and my name is Anita Hough. We are about the same age (you were a year older than me yu were born in 1967 and I was born in 1968) and you were my guest in my studio (in my first apartment and I had no furniture but you were so nice and understood that I was just starting out on my own at that time.

  We enjoyed an innocent 6 pack of bottled MGD as a celebration on my first apartment). I remember you were raising your daughter at the time (she was either 2 or 3 at the time.

  My e-mail address is Boobie1822@yahoo.com. If you happen to remember me or if you still live there, please e-mail me back if you can. As far as I remember, Marina City was the last known address or you may still reside there. It has been a long time and I have been searching for your number (I actually moved overseas for 2 years in 1999).

  If you remember me and if by a wild chance that you may actually have a chance to read this or if anyone knows this young man at that time; please e-mail me at Boobie1822@yahoo.com. If anyone remembers this young man, please pass this message on to him with my e-mail and I will be glad to return my telephone number to protect his privacy.

  I know that he would be happy to see me , however, I really understand the privacy law and protection for others and I am willing to forsake my own to get into contact with him.

  This is insane, however, this is the only connection that I have to put the message out there to find him. We were very nice friends and our loss of contact occurred due to our very busy life styles and position in life and our completely different lifestyles made it difficult to get together as friends as often as we would have liked to.

  I am here in llinois ( I lived in California for four years and returned June, 2006) and if you see this message please write back so that I will tell you what has happened to me in the past over decade ago. I hope that you are safe and doing very well and you were an awesome, awesome young man whom I regret not taking a chance with you when you asked. I am financially decent and am retired.

  I remember you and you were a good and honest man and at that time, I was not ready to commit to dating, but we remained friends. There are some things that I need to share with you and if you remember me or if a neighbor of yours/his remembers Patrick, please give him this message. This will be a very pleasant reunion.

  Anita J. Hough (once lived on 640 Briar Place for four years in the Belmont Area).

  Take care! I hope by some unusual coincidence that you will get this message.

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