Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s first high-rise building in Chicago is set to become a protected site.
The 22-story Promontory Apartments at 5530 South Shore Drive in Hyde Park was granted preliminary landmark status by the Chicago Commission on Landmarks on Aug. 1, according to Curbed.
The apartments were built in 1946, when the acclaimed architect Mies was designing the Illinois Institute of Technology’s campus in Bronzeville.
The apartments were also the first International Style tower built in Chicago and the city’s first high-rise apartment built after World War II, according to Curbed.
The preliminary landmark recommendation is a first step in preserving the building. It still needs a final recommendation by the Commission on Chicago Landmarks and a vote by the Chicago City Council. The designation protects visible exteriors and the lobby.
The National Park Service added Promontory Apartments to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.
Mies became famous in Chicago for his modernist architecture style that includes his buildings at IIT and the Federal Complex Building. He also designed the Seagram building in New York City and the New National Gallery in Berlin. [Curbed] — Keith Larsen