September 27, 2010 – Four works of architect Bertrand Goldberg – including Marina City – will be part of a three-hour bus tour on October 9.

The Chicago Architecture Foundation is organizing a one-time tour of Marina City, River City (above), Prentice Women’s Hospital, and Raymond Hilliard Homes.

26 architectural tours throughout the U.S., including four others in Chicago, are being planned for that day by an organization called DOCOMOMO. The name is an acronym for the DO-cumentation and CO-nservation of buildings, sites and neighborhoods of the MO-dern MO-vement.

“Goldberg was passionate about revitalizing cities,” reads a CAF description of the tour, “and we’ll see projects he designed that were intended to inject vitality back into Chicago’s urban fabric as he saw it begin to decay in the 1950s.”

CAF docents will lead the tour, according to Jason Neises, Vice President of Tour Operations for Chicago Architecture Foundation, and interior spaces at Marina City not normally seen by the public will be opened to the group. “It looks like we may also get access to the lobby at River City for the tour, so that should be a real bonus for tour-takers.”

Reservations are required.

Prentice still on preservation group’s “most endangered” list

Meanwhile, a “re-use study” is being developed for Prentice Women’s Hospital by Landmarks Illinois. The advocate for historic preservation has set up a Facebook page to gauge support for the mostly vacant former hospital on East Superior Street.

Prentice is still one of the group’s “Ten Most Endangered Historic Places” in Illinois. This year’s list was announced on April 20 at the State Capitol in Springfield.

An informational video on Prentice is being produced and will be posted on the Facebook page along with the reuse study, which will be released in November, according to Lisa DiChiera, Director of Advocacy for Landmarks Illinois.

 Facebook: Save Prentice