Meet Earl Meech, Original Resident

Earl Meech lived at Marina City from 1963 to 1972. These photographs were taken in the mid-1960s using 2¼” black-and-white film. Artistically, they show the living room, dining area, kitchen, and patio of Meech’s one-bedroom west tower unit (3511), as well as balcony views looking east, south, and west.

Earl is in the two images in the second row, with Patti Curran, a friend who was a professional model and sales representative for the photo studio at which Earl worked. Randel Aaron captured those images.

The large mirror in the third row measured four feet by six feet. Termites would later destroy it when Meech moved briefly to Costa Rica. Meech currently lives in San Antonio. (Click on any image to view a larger version.)

(Above) Two views of the block near North State Street and East Lake Street, circa 1964 (left) and 2008 (right). The two restaurants seen in the left image were replaced with hotels. Fritzel’s (on the east side of State Street) is now theWit and Shangri-La (on the west side of State Street) is now the Renaissance Chicago Hotel.

(Below) These images offer a panoramic view from Marina City in the mid 1960s, from southeast to southwest. In two images, Richard J. Daley Plaza (completed in 1965) is still being constructed. (Click on any image to view a larger version.)