Chicago Architecture - MTCC Traditional Cache
ILReviewer: Since I haven't heard from the owner I'm reluctantly archiving this cache. If the owner wishes to reactivate this cache in the next couple of months, please e-mail me at IllinoisGeocacher@yahoo.com and I'll unarchive it as soon as I can.
Chicago Architecture - MTCC
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Small candy container, BYOP
To open the container, press the middle of the lid. Squeeze the sides of the lid to close it up again.
Illinois Institute of Technology, my alma mater, has a rich history with Chicago architecture. After the famous architect Mies van der Rohe closed the Bauhaus as the Nazis came to power in Germany, he came to Chicago to head up IIT's Architecture school. Mies designed much of the campus.
So, when IIT decided to build a new campus center, the architecture world paid close attention. A design competition was held and Rem Koolhaas, the Dutch architect, won. The various designs were on display on campus, then in a special exhibit at the Art Institute for some time. I thought most of the designs were creative.
The unique feature about the Koolhaas design was the "tube". Here's a paragraph from the IIT website:
The McCormick Tribune Campus Center (MTCC) at 33rd and State Streets opened in September 2003. Designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, he was chosen for the project as a result of an international design competition in 1997-98. Among his completed buildings are the Lille Grand Palais and the Maison a Bordeaux in France, the Netherlands Dance Center in The Hague, and the Educatorium at the University of Utrecht, the Netherlands. Koolhaas' design for the campus center arranges various areas around diagonal pathways, resembling interior streets, that are extensions of the paths students use to cross the campus. The design includes a concrete and stainless steel tube that encloses a 530-foot stretch of the Green Line elevated commuter rail ("L") tracks, passing directly over the one-story campus center building. The tube dampens the sound of trains overhead as students enjoy food courts, student organization offices, retail shops, a recreational facility and campus events.
It sure is a unique structure, and adds to the architectural depth of the campus. While the official name of the building is the McCormick Tribune Campus Center, most of the students and staff (under the rank of VP or Dean) refer to it as the BUTT; the Building Under The Tube.
The new student residences just to the south, designed by Helmut Jahn, are called "The Toasters" by the students.
There is street parking nearby, and some metered parking just to the east. There can be plenty of muggles around, so be careful with removal and replacement. Don't worry too much about the search, however, since geeky looking people doing strange things is the norm around here.
All around campus there are a lot of other architectural gems, and, since I'm teaching a class here this semester, I'll try to setup some more caches for the series. I'm even going to try to make finding the caches part of a class assignment. We'll see how that works out.
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(Decrypt)
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