Tortoise Club hosts Marina City ‘50 year’ anniversary party

First interior photos of River North’s tony new restaurant

13-Nov-12 – (Above) A five-foot-tall ice sculpture, carved by Nadeau’s Ice Sculptures of Forest Park in the shape of Marina City’s towers, delivered to Tortoise Club on Monday. The upscale restaurant on North State Street does not officially open until November 19 but there have been test runs, including a lunch on Friday. Owner Keene Addington says the interior has been ready since last Tuesday. On Monday evening, about 200 guests of Marina Towers Condominium Association were treated to hors d’oeuvres, desserts, champagne, and live music.

The condo association at Marina City is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the complex as a residence. On October 14, 1962, the first tenant, Louise Hance, moved into the east tower. The remaining buildings – a second 65-story tower, two-story commercial platform, 16-story office building, and 10,000 square foot theater building – were completed over the next six years.

Renters at Marina City were not invited to the event, only unit owners who responded promptly to an invitation, due to limited space at Tortoise Club. More than 900 people live at Marina City and about 400 of them are renters. Marina City was 100 percent rental property for 15 years, converting to condominiums in 1977.

Four of the eight remaining original residents – people who were the first to occupy a unit – attended the event, although they were not formally recognized. The four included retired commercial artist Kathleen “Katie” Calhoun; Yolanda Flader, partner of the Chicago law firm Flader and Haces; Betty Hogeorges, who was catering director and assistant general manager of Olympia Fields Country Club; and Sylvia Linta, who served in World War II and later worked for Trans World Airlines.

The other four original residents are Adrian Da Prato, a violinist retired from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Lidia Preble; Robert Preble, Jr., an insurance broker; and Dr. M. Theresa Southgate, a senior contributing editor to Journal of the American Medical Association.

Burton Natarus, 42nd Ward Alderman from 1971 to 2007, attended and spoke at the event. According to his office, the current alderman, Brendan Reilly, was not invited.

(Left) Seen from a rooftop at a Courtyard by Marriott two blocks north, searchlights illuminate the east tower of Marina City on Monday evening. Golden lights crown the very tops of both towers.

Hollywood Nite Lighter provided the four lights, originating from a truck parked on State Street. The east tower was illuminated from about 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

(Right) A closer view of the ice sculpture. (Click on images to view larger versions.)

Armand “Hawk” Ramirez carved the ice sculpture. According to Jim Nadeau, owner of Nadeau’s Ice Sculptures, Ramirez used a photograph of Marina City as a guide. Each tower was 20 inches in diameter and weighed 600 pounds. In January, when the Chicago Bears were playing the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship, Ramirez carved a 900-pound block of ice into a life-size bear crushing a slice of cheese.