Apartment Buildings at 860-880 Lake Shore Dr., Chicago, IL - Philatelic Photographs on Waymarking.com

You don’t have to do much research to locate these buildings as their street address is printed right on the stamp! And this is a philatelic waymark that you can call home if you can afford it: there are several apartments currently available. But you better like the neutral gray curtains as they are considered part of the building’s design and are the only window dressing allowed. (Dogs are also prohibited.)

Though appearing commonplace today, these buildings, designed by prominent German-American architect Mies van der Rohe, were a sensation when completed in 1951. The floor-to-ceiling windows afford great views of Lake Michigan or the Chicago skyline or both (and in some instances, the adjacent building).

Mies “less is more” van der Rohe preferred to see the structural elements of a building show through in its design. (This explains why his favorite structure in New York City was the George Washington Bridge.) For these apartment buildings, he had steel I-beams welded to the outside even though they were structurally unnecessary leading to some contemporary criticism. (Though he designed many modern office buildings, apartment buildings and personal residences, Mies himself chose to live in an old-fashioned apartment with plain white walls on Chicago’s north side.)

The buildings have had many accolades bestowed upon them over the years. In 1980, they were placed on the National Register of Historic Buildings, over 20 years before they would normally be considered eligible. In 1976, they were the winner of the American Institute of Architects’ prestigious 25 year award. They are also a City of Chicago Architectural Landmark. Mies van der Rohe ranked them fourth on his list of personal favorites.

The stamp is one of a set of twelve honoring icons of modern architecture in America.

Stamp Issuing Country: United States Date of Issue: 19-May-2005 Denomination: 37 cents Color: multicolored Stamp Type: Single Stamp Relevant Web Site: [Web Link]

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