This issue of Common Interest Magazine celebrates 50 Years of Excellence and since CAI’s own anniversary timing is a little off (it was founded in 1973, so the golden jubilee has technically passed) we’ll go with “close enough” and highlight the milestone moments of one of Chicago’s most iconic communities.


Marina City is a campus on a 3.1-acre parcel of five interconnected but distinct structures — two residential towers (Marina Towers), a theater, and a commercial building, all set on a two-story base built over an old rail yard; between State and Dearborn Streets to the east and west, Kinzie Street to the north, and the Chicago River to the south. It is one of the city’s most recognizable silhouettes.


Designed by famed architect Bertrand Goldberg, the dual 65-story rental towers were completed in 1962 and converted to condominiums in 1977. They represented an ambitious experiment to lure middle-class residents back downtown after years of suburban flight. Then Mayor Richard J. Daley backed the plan, which targeted young professionals, recently divorced individuals, and childless couples who valued proximity to work and entertainment over large yards and long commutes. If the fictional Don Draper from Mad Men wrote ad copy in Chicago, he probably would have had a swinging bachelor pad in Marina Towers.


From the start, Marina City embodied Goldberg’s vision of a mixed-use “city within a city.” Beyond residential units, the complex originally included a marina, bowling alley, plaza, and even a seasonal ice rink beneath a retractable roof. Over the decades, these amenities have evolved but stayed true to the spirit of community: the office tower became a hotel, the theater is now the House of Blues, and a restaurant sits where ice skaters once twirled. The bowling alley remains, and the marina still anchors boats along the river.


The “corn cob” towers became cultural landmarks. In the 1980 Steve McQueen film The Hunter, a car plunged from a parking deck into the Chicago River in a stunt bold enough to predate CGI (computer generated images.) CGI was used in 2011 when the Transformers took over Chicago, but in 2014, the very real high-wire artist Nik Wallenda drew international attention with a televised tightrope walk between the towers — an event that required months of negotiations with the condo board and meticulous resident protections.


What sets Marina Towers apart from a community-association perspective is the complexity of its governance. The condominiums are part of a larger umbrella association that also covers the garage, retail space, marina, and entertainment venues. This structure creates a web of easements and shared responsibilities requiring constant coordination.


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