John Hancock: How the Other Half Lives
(Photo credit: Looper).
If you’ve lived in one Chicago high-rise, you’ve lived in them all? Not by a longshot. While residents of Marina City allege deeply entrenched condo board mismanagement in the wake of board member Gary S. Kimmel’s federal indictment on prostitution-related money-laundering charges, the situation couldn’t be more different for residents of Chicago’s other midcentury modernist residential skyscraper: the John Hancock Center.
Besides a physical plant in impeccable shape, actual union doormen, and a condo association that’s fully accessible to its members, Big John’s association also has a reserve six times that of Marina City (check out their board president’s report, in PDF format on their website).
So for your comparison, below I give you the Marina Towers Condominium Association website, versus the John Hancock Center/175 East Delaware Place Home Owners Association website.
Marina Towers Condominium Association
John Hancock/175 E. Delaware Place Home Owners Association
Small funny. Big point.
Other posts you might like from Chicago Carless:
In October 2006, Allstate Insurance filmed a TV commercial in and around Marina City. Based on the famous car-chase scene from the 1980 action film, The Hunter, Allstate recreated the famous fall of an automobile off one of Marina City's 18-story parking decks and into the Chicago River, below.
Kneeling in front of the toilet bowl shortly after I moved into my Marina City high-rise home, I realized there are some things newbie tower dwellers have to learn for themselves. No matter how long you stare at the water line, you're not going to see evidence of the building swaying. That was an early lesson in skyscraper ...
Readers frequently ask me, 'Should I move to Marina City?' Given my experience here, no, in my opinion I really don't think they should. Not unless a.) you think nothing I've ever written about the place is true, or b.) you're a masochist.
Marina City: A Love-Hate Relationship
(Photo: The new East Tower rooftop lighting scheme, with Jenner & Block’s wood-paneled IBM Building offices clearly visible in the background. Credit: Looper). Loving where you live can be a double-edged sword. As much I as revere the downtown-living…
Marina City to Owners: Ask and We Shall Fine
(Photo: Notice anything missing? Original Credit: Steven Dahlman.) There are two ways to brand and position a world-famous residential tower: the right way; and the way downtown Chicago’s Marina City condo board is planning to go about it. Marina…