The “lost” Tigerman McCurry interview

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A conversation with Stanley Tigerman and Margaret McCurry about the past, present, and future of their impact on Chicago-area architecture.

The peak postmodern Self-Park parking garage by Stanley Tigerman, completed in 1986. Photo: Eric Allix Rogers

For the October 2018 issue of Chicago magazine, I worked on a roundup of homes for sale throughout the Chicago metro area designed by Stanley Tigerman and Margaret McCurry. The piece was published in print and online, but much of the interview portion remained unavailable until now.

To commemorate the recent passing of Stanley Tigerman, I believe that it’d be helpful to share the entirety of the discussion, particularly Tigerman reflecting on his own legacy and place in architectural history. From the conversation, it became evident to me that Stanley was not as interested in being remembered for his buildings so much as his reputation as a teacher, mentor, and critic of architecture and design — as a profession and a creative and philosophical endeavor.

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Development and dystopia in Chicago

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A wave of mega-developments represent billions of dollars of new investment in Chicago, but how much say does the public really have in these plans?

A screenshot from the opening sequence of the 1989 sci-fi anime AKIRA, which takes place in the dystopian “Neo Tokyo” of 2019.

The year: 2019. The city: Chicago.

A former industrial giant overshadowed by its coastal peers and emerging metropolises abroad. Mega-developers step up to the plate to clear entire swaths of the city and populate vast corridors with anonymous glass skyscrapers and attractions that symbolize Chicago’s metamorphosis from a waning post-industrial might to an idyllic 21st-century mega-metropolis.

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