Living in a Mies van der Rohe high-rise

***Jan*** · January 14th, 2013, 08:13 PM

Here is an interesting presentation on a book that researched the current state of the Lafayette Towers in Detroit, a twin tower complex Detroit designed by Mies van der Rohe, that could have easily turned into a slum but didn't. For those interested, here is the book about the project.

tpe · January 14th, 2013, 10:49 PM

It's a pity (but inevitable) that some of the units didn't go with a mid-century look and feel for their interiors. Spaces by Mies gain a lot when furnishings and details are sensitively done to match the building.

I had a friend who rented in 880 N. Lakeshore Dr. in Chicago back in the 70s. The owner who rented it out did such a sympathetic job with the space that my friend (who was more into 19th century than 20th century) was almost converted.

In any case, here is what I mean by a sympathetic re-working of a 1 bedroom space from the same building. The unit was for sale in October of 2007, for a ridiculous Chicago-esque price of 285 K USD...

Source: http://cribchatter.com/?p=463

***Jan*** · January 15th, 2013, 09:45 AM

^ if you go on the premises of that one to take a picture, they'll send you off. Kindly though, they'll also tell you that if you go and stand on the sidewalk, they don't have jurisdiction. As if they know it's a stupid thing to ask but it's just part of their job.

tpe · January 15th, 2013, 01:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jan

^ if you go on the premises of that one to take a picture, they'll send you off. Kindly though, they'll also tell you that if you go and stand on the sidewalk, they don't have jurisdiction. As if they know it's a stupid thing to ask but it's just part of their job.

There's a convenience store at the ground floor of one of the towers, I think. I wonder if they would let you take a picture if you go into the convenience store and buy something. In any case, at least they were polite (almost apologetic) about it. It should come as no surprise to them that people come to take pictures...

***Jan*** · January 15th, 2013, 01:57 PM

I'm pretty sure I wasn't the first one taking pictures of that one.

By the way this thread also raises the issue of the value of living in a starchitect building. In Rotterdam, Rem Koolhaas has designed a huge complex (called: The Rotterdam) but he didn't design the floor plans. Here that's pretty typical as usually the developer has an in-house department that does that for them (and ensuring mediocrity as far as I am concerned, again catering the average, not the design-minded crowd).

Here is an example of what €640.000 (US$850.000) buys you according to their sales site. Especially for that kind of money, the starchitect involved and the absence of load bearing walls in the apartment, I think floor plans like these are rubbish. The hallway is almost the second largest area in the whole apartment.

Rebasepoiss · January 15th, 2013, 02:30 PM

That is indeed rubbish. If you ask me, any room shouldn't be smaller than 11m2 in a modern apartment, not to mention that hallway which is just wasted space.

BTW, I'm quite a fan of Mies van der Rohe and it's nice to see that even in Detroit this building managed to stay in good condition. I guess it kind of shows that good architecture can have a major impact on the attitude of the people living in the building.

MattSal · February 19th, 2013, 07:35 PM

I lived in one of Mies' dormitory towers at IIT for a year. It was an interesting experience and I enjoyed living there, but IIT has let those towers get into a bit of disrepair and actually had to close down two or three of them for renovations recently.

I lived on the sixth floor in a 23'x13' studio, plus kitchen and bathroom.

JayT · February 20th, 2013, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tpe

In any case, here is what I mean by a sympathetic re-working of a 1 bedroom space from the same building. The unit was for sale in October of 2007, for a ridiculous Chicago-esque price of 285 K USD...

I was in Chicago just last year and stayed a few doors away from there. I visited the convenience store quite a few times during my stay as well as walked past on a regular basis. These towers are a masterpiece and I felt like I was in the presence of a celebrity every time I went near them.

In any case are you sure about that price? USD 285K (even in Australian dollars) would buy you very little in my home town of Brisbane. I just assumed that even the cheapest of those apartments would be more than 1 million USD. I'm astounded at how cheap a one bedroom apartment was in that location in Chicago.

January 14th, 2013, 08:13 PM	#1
*Jan* High there, what's up! Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Rotterdam Posts: 14,504 Likes (Received): 542	Living in a Mies van der Rohe high-rise Here is an interesting presentation on a book that researched the current state of the Lafayette Towers in Detroit, a twin tower complex Detroit designed by Mies van der Rohe, that could have easily turned into a slum but didn't. For those interested, here is the book about the project.

January 15th, 2013, 02:30 PM	#6
Rebasepoiss Registered User Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Tartu / Tallinn Posts: 3,478 Likes (Received): 53	That is indeed rubbish. If you ask me, any room shouldn't be smaller than 11m2 in a modern apartment, not to mention that hallway which is just wasted space. BTW, I'm quite a fan of Mies van der Rohe and it's nice to see that even in Detroit this building managed to stay in good condition. I guess it kind of shows that good architecture can have a major impact on the attitude of the people living in the building. __________________ The world needs a dictator

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January 14th, 2013, 10:49 PM	#2
tpe Registered User Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Chicago & NYC Posts: 3,427 Likes (Received): 87	It's a pity (but inevitable) that some of the units didn't go with a mid-century look and feel for their interiors. Spaces by Mies gain a lot when furnishings and details are sensitively done to match the building. I had a friend who rented in 880 N. Lakeshore Dr. in Chicago back in the 70s. The owner who rented it out did such a sympathetic job with the space that my friend (who was more into 19th century than 20th century) was almost converted. In any case, here is what I mean by a sympathetic re-working of a 1 bedroom space from the same building. The unit was for sale in October of 2007, for a ridiculous Chicago-esque price of 285 K USD... Source: http://cribchatter.com/?p=463

January 15th, 2013, 09:45 AM	#3
*Jan* High there, what's up! Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Rotterdam Posts: 14,504 Likes (Received): 542	^ if you go on the premises of that one to take a picture, they'll send you off. Kindly though, they'll also tell you that if you go and stand on the sidewalk, they don't have jurisdiction. As if they know it's a stupid thing to ask but it's just part of their job.

January 15th, 2013, 01:57 PM	#5
*Jan* High there, what's up! Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Rotterdam Posts: 14,504 Likes (Received): 542	I'm pretty sure I wasn't the first one taking pictures of that one. By the way this thread also raises the issue of the value of living in a starchitect building. In Rotterdam, Rem Koolhaas has designed a huge complex (called: The Rotterdam) but he didn't design the floor plans. Here that's pretty typical as usually the developer has an in-house department that does that for them (and ensuring mediocrity as far as I am concerned, again catering the average, not the design-minded crowd). Here is an example of what €640.000 (US$850.000) buys you according to their sales site. Especially for that kind of money, the starchitect involved and the absence of load bearing walls in the apartment, I think floor plans like these are rubbish. The hallway is almost the second largest area in the whole apartment.

February 19th, 2013, 07:35 PM	#7
MattSal CTBUH Intern Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Chicago, Atlanta Posts: 1,937 Likes (Received): 1	I lived in one of Mies' dormitory towers at IIT for a year. It was an interesting experience and I enjoyed living there, but IIT has let those towers get into a bit of disrepair and actually had to close down two or three of them for renovations recently. I lived on the sixth floor in a 23'x13' studio, plus kitchen and bathroom.