Having broken significant new ground with the stunning 860–880 towers, Mies van der Rohe moved his design forward and utilized more advanced engineering methods with the 900–910 Apartments.

While the earlier towers were the first in the world to show the promise of glass-and-steel-frame construction, the 900–910 towers were the first to fully realize the aluminum and glass curtain wall which became the hallmark of Mies’ work.

These new 29-story apartment buildings, completed in 1955, fulfilled Mies’ vision of four modern glass towers rippling along Lake Shore Drive just North of Chicago Avenue. The 900–910 towers became Mies’ template for numerous other modern high rise buildings in New York, Toronto, and elsewhere.

Photo: Barry W. Peterson