Defend the Indefensible: World's Tallest Art Nouveau Toothpick

it's... a paper-towel dispenser after a tornado!

I think it's purty.

I think it will add interesting variety to Chicago's skyline, and no other buildings look like that. I'm a fan.

Kenan to the thread.

I like tall things.

it's a giant hoover!

It's absolutely lovely.

A little more general context here would be helpful.

I'll repost a previous rant of mine from a Chicago thread:

Have we talked about the Fordham Spire yet? I'm inspired by the LA Downtown thread, on which a lot of people popped up to say, "Ugh! Gehry!" This is silly. Those buildings are fine. Some of them are Gehry ugly (little pun there), but some are very lovely designs. One in particular may be my favorite Gehry design ever.

Anyway. People are talking about the Spire. Two-thousand feet tall, twisty, elegant, and totally, totally beautiful. Fuck the haters. I'm tired of armchair architecture critisism. Not that I'm an expert, but why is everyone's initial reaction to any new building, "Ugh, it's ugly!" Is it cool to hate on new buildings? I rather like them myself, at least in principle. And hating on this building for aesthetic reasons strikes me as supremely silly. Just look at it! It's breathtaking. It's like architecture having a wonderful, giggly dream about itself. Not only will it be the tallest building in America, it may be the most joyous. The Hancock Building is my favorite in Chicago, but this building may succeed in making it look, as someone around here put it, "like an overgrown air-raid bunker." How can you hate it?

And even better yet, it's slenderness keeps the project relatively modest. 250 condos. Not really a big deal, financially. And in part thanks to Daley's restrictions and guidlines, it will be green as all hell. I see nothing whatsoever to object to.

-- Paunchy Stratego (fluxion2...) (webmail), August 6th, 2005 3:22 PM. (kenan) (link)

Also, I don't have the numbers to back this up, but just looking at it, I bet it will handle wind loads like a fuckin' World Champ.

-- Paunchy Stratego (fluxion2...) (webmail), August 6th, 2005 3:27 PM. (kenan) (link)

That thing is gorgeous, what's so indefensible about it?

One day a giant will come along and drive it into the hugest piece of drywall the world has ever known.

Looks fantastic, doesn't Chicago pwn the rest of the US in terms of architecture?

Pretty much.

where will it be built?

I mean, from the link kenan posted it looks like it'll be a short ways south of navy pier, but in terms of depth perception I can't really tell--between LSD and the lake?

Looks like it will be just inside of LSD. http://www.suntimes.com/popups/spire/2.html

With its towering spires and elegant, cobbled streets, Stormreach is an unusually attractive city, and an exceptionally dangerous one. The town is built for adventure, with opportunities for deadly conflict around every corner. That's why the creators of Stormreach believe that people around the world will be clamoring to get in.
Stormreach is a fantasy city being erected on the Internet; its architects work out of a nondescript office park in Westwood, headquarters of Turbine Inc. The team is racing to finish the new online game, Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach, in time for the holiday shopping season.