The Perfect City

This text provides a record of the changing architectural landscape of Chicago. The photographs range from panoramas to detailed close-ups, from neoclassical facades to diners and bus stations, from the lines of abstract sculpture to the details of construction sites and parking lots.

---

In "The Perfect City", photographer Bob Thall explores the changing downtown landscape of America's third largest city - Chicago. In 64 duotone photographs, Bob Thall provides a visual record of the changing architectural landscape of downtown Chicago between 1972 and 1991. The photographs range from sweeping panoramas to detailed close-ups, from neoclassical facades to diners and bus stations, from the smooth lines of abstract sculpture to the gritty details of construction sites and parking lots. Thall's photographs stress the concept of change and the importance of architecture in shaping our notion of place. They examine the great public spaces, buildings and streets that have always served as the heart and soul of city life, culture and commerce. And they show how the city where modern urban architecture began becomes a metaphor for urban change throughout America. In the essay accompanying the photographs Peter Bacon Hales examines the notion of the city as museum (especially for visitors from the suburbs and rural areas), highlights the successes and failures of urban renewal in downtown Chicago, and assesses the city's current character.