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Daniel Aguilar, age 28, and his wife, Jo Ann Aguilar, age 26, had rented apartment 2135 in the east tower. Daniel was a credit manager and managed a Flamenco dance team. He thought they would be the first tenants to move in, arriving before noon.
Unfortunately, their next-door neighbor got there first. Louise Hance, a secretary for the partnership bank Brown Brothers Harriman & Company, had been given the first key by Charles R. Swibel, president of the property management company. (Left) Marina City from the southeast in 1962. |
When the Aguilars finally showed, Louise was watching the crane lift furniture to her balcony, from which it was then moved into her apartment. They greeted each other over their balcony railings and had coffee later.
Hance most likely rented apartment 2124, which was next door to apartment 2135 and had an adjoining balcony over which the tenants could speak more directly than if she had lived in apartment 2134.
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(Left) T. Byrne O’Donnell, sales manager for a Chicago publisher of industry directories, in his east-facing east tower apartment at Marina City in 1962. The chairs in this black-and-white photo were green, blue, and brown plaid, according to a caption written by the Chicago Sun-Times. The carpeting was “two-tone beige,” and the draperies had a “leaf pattern of greens and browns on beige background.” |
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This card, apparently signed by William L. McFetridge, president of the union that invested in Marina City, welcomed new resident Earl Meech to the complex in 1963. |
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Over at the west tower, tenants started moving in on January 12, 1963. At that time, 729 total apartments were rented although only 100 were actually occupied. Swibel expected all 896 units to be rented by April 1, 1963. He said on January 11 that there were more applications and $50 deposits than available apartments.
(Left) Kitchen of Earl Meech, who lived in the west tower at Marina City from 1963 to 1972. Photo by Earl Meech. |
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