Conrad Shown the Door; Gwen Is Here to Serve
Sep30

Conrad Shown the Door; Gwen Is Here to Serve

Written By on September 30, 2015 in hotels, Michigan Avenue, _story

You know the Conrad Chicago Hotel in the old McGraw Hill building at 520 North Michigan Avenue?  Yeah, that doesn’t exist anymore.  Instead, say “hello” to Gwen. Gwen, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Chicago is the new and unnecessarily cumbersome name for the hotel that used to be the Conrad, which used to be the Le Meridian, and the Hotel 21 before that. The name “Gwen” is at least a nod to the...

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The New Wave of Architecture Crashing Michigan Avenue
Nov15

The New Wave of Architecture Crashing Michigan Avenue

Written By on November 15, 2012 in architecture, Gold Coast, history, Near North Side, Skyscrapers, Streeterville, _story

Design, like most human-powered endeavors, comes and goes in waves.  What is in fashion one day is verbotten the next.  Then brought back in revered spectacle a generation later.  Such is the mode of architecture.  And such is the life of Chicago’s beloved Magnificent Mile. Preservationists, and people who like to pretend they’re on the inside track, sometimes refer to Michigan Avenue north of the the Chicago River as the...

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