Marina City’s original lobbies offered a feature common now but new then – the ability for a visitor to call up to a resident, who could then let in the visitor.
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(Left) A photo from June 1969, possibly by Bertrand Goldberg Associates, showing the entrance to Marina City’s west tower lobby in its original form. A sculpture stands near the wall at left. Behind it is a building directory and two telephones that allowed visitors to call up to residents. There are two outer doors, with the one at left marked EXIT. |
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(Left) The same lobby on January 1, 2013, hours before the start of a major renovation project. |
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(Click on images above to view larger versions.)
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(Above) A brochure by Illinois Bell promoting services available to Marina City residents on their specially adapted Princess, wall, or table telephones. A special button on the phone released a door latch in the lobby to allow a visitor to enter. Once the visitor got to the resident’s door, the resident could speak to the visitor over a small speaker mounted in the hallway next to the door. If the resident was already on the phone when the doorbell rang, the resident could put the caller on hold.
(Left) Though not functional, remnants of these speakers could still be seen next to each door as recently as 2012. Telephone wiring for the unit is accessed behind these panels. In 2012, the panels were covered by doorplates that include a map of the stars and planets as they appeared on November 22, 1960, the day ground was broken and construction of Marina City started.
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