McCormick Place (Lakeside Center)...

My company held it's annual meeting for home office staff today at McCormick Place. After sitting in a convention hall for a few hours listening to corporate strategy, it was a welcome relief to go out to the huge patio on the lakeside of the building and have food and beer.


Of course, after lunch, and a few beers, I was more interested in the structure itself than mingling with co-workers.


McCormick Place East (renamed Lakeside Center) was completed in 1971. Built upon the foundation of the first McCormick Place which burned down in 1967, the architect Gene Summers (CF Murphy and Assoc.) clearly shows what he learned while studying under Mies. Over the past 30+ years, the structure has taken a lot of weather, hence this shot of the top of a railing warped over the decades.


I kept finding myself looking at structure with it's enormous overhaning roof. This is a prime example that inspite of some really bad design of the era, there was good architecture in 1971.

Shown here is a ventilation cover. Time has taken it's toll on this as well. This having been my first time at McCormick Place, I got to see up close a building I have admired for a long time.