The Secret History of the 'Glass Houses
Mies van der Rohe’s iconic 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments are justly praised as masterpieces of postwar modernism. But like all buildings, they were not the product of a single designer’s mind. They were also shaped by the technical, economic, and social currents of 1950s Chicago, and the story of their conception and construction tells us as much about the city as it does about Mies. By uncovering other figures who played crucial roles in developing, conceiving, and constructing Lake Shore Drive’s famous “Glass Houses,” this paper unveils an alternative history—and a broader understanding of their local influence.