Illinois Institute of Technology, Metallurgy and Chemical Engineering Building (Perlstein Hall), Chicago, Illinois, Perspective
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
American, born Germany. 1886–1969
1945-46
A Conté crayon perspective by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe that presents his design for the Illinois Institute of Technology’s Metallurgy and Chemical Engineering Building, aiming to communicate the building’s precise, glass‑and‑steel geometry and orderly spatial logic.
A low, L‑shaped glass box rendered in delicate, parallel strokes catches the eye, its tiny figures, cars, and soft tree sketches giving scale while the large surrounding white space intensifies the drawing’s calm, horizontal restraint.
The drawing crystallizes Mies’s International Style — an economy of structure and clarity — and helped define the spare glass‑and‑steel aesthetic that dominated mid‑century academic and corporate architecture.
Medium
Conté crayon on illustration board
Dimensions
30 x 40 (76.1 x 101.5 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Mies van der Rohe Archive, gift of the architect
Accession
734.1963
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
