IIT Metallurgical and Chemical Engineering Building (Perlstein Hall), Chicago, Illinois, Exterior perspective and plan
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
American, born Germany. 1886–1969
1944
A small colored-pencil sketch on paper in which Mies van der Rohe works out the exterior elevation and plan for the IIT Metallurgical and Chemical Engineering Building, aiming to capture the building’s long horizontal rhythm and structural clarity.
Sparse, confident red strokes stretch across the page into elongated bands and repeating verticals that converge toward a vanishing point, imparting a clear sense of proportion and disciplined restraint.
This working drawing shows how Mies’s quick, reductive studies shaped the steel-and-glass horizontality of his IIT buildings and more broadly helped define midcentury International Style architectural thinking.
Medium
Colored pencil on paper
Dimensions
6 x 8 1/2" (15.2 x 21.6 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Mies van der Rohe Archive, gift of the architect
Accession
MR4512.109
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
