Bingo! Police!

On Tuesday night, March 21, 1967, about 200 people affiliated with transportation industries gathered at Marina City, most likely in one of the restaurants, for a bingo party. That number increased slightly when the police arrived.

They confiscated game equipment and arrested one person, the editor of a publication called College of Advanced Traffic, which had sponsored the game. Charles Ohanian (1924-1995) was charged with being the keeper of a gambling establishment.

Balcony barbecue goes awry It was a Saturday night, June 10, 1967. Robert Sang was on his balcony on the 59th floor, using a small barbecue grill, when a spark from the grill landed on a one-gallon can of starter fluid. The can exploded, setting on fire several pieces of patio furniture. This attracted about 50 fire fighters to Marina City, but many of them had to climb 19 flights of stairs because frightened residents were using the elevators. Fire fighters had trouble finding the fire because it had been erroneously reported on as many as four floors in addition to the 59th. (Left) A fire truck from Chicago Fire Department Engine Company 42 is parked in front of the east tower at Marina City in April 2009.

New Horizons in Sculpture

In July 1967, the North Shore Art League sponsored an exhibit at Marina City of Illinois artists. “New Horizons in Sculpture” featured works such as Detroit Garden, made of parking meters and automobile bumpers. The Door consisted of elaborate electrical machinery that opened a small door. In Emerging Form, a woman appears to have blended into a chaise lounge.