Carbide & Carbon

One of the most impressive buildings I've seen in person is the Carbon & Carbide Building in Chicago. It is like a giant shiny gem amongst all the stone and glass Michigan Avenue. Completed in 1929, this building is made of light polished black granite, with the tower covered in a green terra cotta. I nearly got whiplash in my neck in the back of the taxi when I saw it for the first time, just a few months ago.

 Maybe I like it so because I am such a fan of Gold Medal?

It is now home to the Hard Rock Hotel. Which seems a perfect fit to me. This building has a very glamorous, yet hard edge to it.

An elevator inside the building, and a detail of the elevator.

A detail of the ceiling inside

If I could build a building today, it would be very similar to this one I'm sure. For more on the history of the Carbide & Carbon go here.

(all images found via flickr- for some reason I did not put the credits below, will go back and try and credit back, in the meantime if you know the source, please tell and/or ask and I will remove.)