Bertrand Goldberg facts for kids

Marina City, Chicago

River City, Chicago

Old Prentice Women's Hospital Chicago

Bertrand Goldberg (born July 17, 1913, died October 8, 1997) was an American architect. He was famous for designing buildings and other cool things. His most well-known work is Marina City in Chicago, Illinois. When it was finished, Marina City was the tallest building made of reinforced concrete in the world!

Life and Amazing Designs

Bertrand Goldberg was born in Chicago. He studied architecture at the Cambridge School of Landscape Architecture. This school is now part of Harvard University. In 1932, when he was 18, he went to Germany. There, he studied at the famous Bauhaus school. He even worked for a short time with a famous architect named Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.

After some trouble in Berlin, Goldberg moved to Paris in 1933. Soon after, he returned to Chicago. He worked for other architects before opening his own office in 1937.

Creative Solutions in Architecture

Goldberg was known for finding smart ways to solve tough design problems. He often worked on homes, hospitals, and factories. One of his first projects in 1938 was for a chain of ice cream shops called North Pole. His design was super clever! The small shops could be taken apart, moved, and put back together easily. The roof was held up by wires from a single, lit-up pole in the middle. Glass windows and a door formed the shop below.

During his career, Goldberg designed many unique things. These included:

• A car with its engine in the back
• Houses made of canvas
• Special furniture
• Homes that were built in pieces (prefabricated)
• Mobile labs for vaccines for the U.S. government

He sometimes worked with his friend R. Buckminster Fuller. Fuller was another "design scientist." Goldberg also experimented with everyday materials like plywood and concrete. He used plywood to create special boxcars and housing units for the military during World War II.

In 1946, Bertrand Goldberg married Nancy Florsheim. They had two daughters, Lisa and Nan, and one son, Geoffrey.

Marina City: A City Within a City

Perhaps Goldberg's most famous project is Marina City in Chicago. It was built between 1961 and 1964. This amazing complex has many different parts all in one place. The two 60-story towers are right by the river. They are famous Chicago landmarks. People often say they look like "corn cobs" because of their unique shape.

These towers have apartments and parking. But the original design included much more! It had:

• An office building
• A theater
• A public walking area
• A train line
• A marina for boats
• An ice skating rink
• A bowling alley

Over time, some parts of Marina City have changed. For example, the office building is now a hotel. The theater is now the Chicago House of Blues. But Goldberg's main design has stayed mostly the same.

Designing for Health and Community

After the success of Marina City, Goldberg designed many large hospitals. These hospitals often had similar cool structural features. Some examples include:

• The Prentice Women's Hospital in Chicago (now taken down)
• Science and medical buildings for SUNY Stony Brook
• The Good Samaritan Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona

He also designed schools and other public buildings. These include River City and the Hilliard Homes public housing complex, both in Chicago.

After Marina City, Goldberg focused on bigger city planning and engineering ideas. He suggested many new urban projects. He also wrote a lot about city life and other historical topics.

Other Notable Works

Stony Brook University Hospital, Stony Brook, New York, 1976-1980

Besides Marina City, Bertrand Goldberg designed many other important buildings. Here are some of them:

• Harriet Higginson house in Wooddale, Illinois
• Dr. Aaron Heimbach House, Blue Island, Illinois, 1939
• John M. van Beuren House, Morristown, New Jersey, 1955
• Levin House, Flossmoor, Illinois, 1956
• Pineda Island Resort, Spanish Fort, Alabama, 1959
• Astor Tower Hotel, Chicago, 1963
• West Palm Beach Christian Convention Center, West Palm Beach, Florida, 1965
• Hilliard Towers Apartments, Chicago, 1966
• Elgin Mental Health Center, Elgin, Illinois, 1967
• St. Joseph Medical Center, Tacoma, Washington, 1969
• Prentice Women's Hospital Building, Chicago, 1975 (taken down in 2013)
• Stony Brook University Hospital, Stony Brook, New York, 1976-1980
• Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, 1976-1980
• Good Samaritan Hospital (now Banner - University Medical Center Phoenix), Phoenix, Arizona, 1982
• River City, Chicago, 1986
• Providence Hospital, Mobile, Alabama, 1987
• Master plan and buildings for Wilbur Wright College, Chicago, 1993