[Vertigo]

Just picked up a Helmut Jahn book published in 1986. It was only 5 bucks..woohoo!! What I found most interesting were the projects that were never built. All photos by Keith Palmer.

Humana Building 1982
Louisville

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4130/5027738229_68cf97a08b_b.jpg

The Humana Building design was later utilized for a project in Durban, South Africa.



Block 37 1983
Chicago


Two early renderings

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4146/5028099911_9936330220_b.jpg


The final design included a 300,000 square foot shopping mall. Inspired in part by the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in Milan. No comment on what eventually became of this space.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4150/5027738241_b8c331a1d5_b.jpg



Bank of the Southwest Tower 1982
Houston


Helmut actually presented seven designs for the tower.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4113/5027738247_8c30f7b5e0_b.jpg


The final design

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4133/5027738255_060b20034d_b.jpg



60 Wall Street 1983
New York


Three different designs were offered.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4103/5027887185_1e1f03035d_b.jpg


The final contextual rendering

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4154/5027887181_2dcc222d92_b.jpg



San Diego Convention Center 1984

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4145/5028540300_1db8c9b301_b.jpg



Broadway and 52nd Street 1985
New York

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4087/5028361766_b4447cc295_b.jpg



South Ferry Plaza 1985
New York

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4112/5027743659_023fc8558b_b.jpg



Television City 1985


150 story tower

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4108/5027743691_b7df271da6_b.jpg



Ten Columbus Circle 1985
New York

1,275 feet tall

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4129/5027743685_4bface4989_b.jpg

[photoLith]

Its such a shame that Houston tower never got built, we would have the most damned impressive skyline in America for sure.

[SkyscrapersOfNewYork]

Just picked up a Helmut Jahn book published in 1986. It was only 5 bucks..woohoo!! What I found most interesting were the projects that were never built. All photos by Keith Palmer.




love twc but this is gorgeous!

[KevinFromTexas]

I'm a Helmut Jahn fan. I like his facades. His building designs rely more on facade detail than other features like massing and shape.

That one in Houston would have been 1,352 feet if I remember correctly.

That sure does look like Messeturm in Frankfurt, Germany which was also designed by Helmut Jahn.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4145/5028540300_1db8c9b301_b.jpg

[Tolbert]

San Diego Convention Center 1984

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4145/5028540300_1db8c9b301_b.jpg



This is not San Diego Convention Center. Its Messeturm Frankfurt that actually got build and is stil standing next to historic Festhalle an the Messe area.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3131/3233511609_68705c7ee3_z.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3131/3233511609_68705c7ee3_z.jpg

[Vertigo]

^^^

Good catch...

I thought this design looked a lot like 'the pencil' tower in Frankfort. Yet the book had no mention of the Frankfort project. Instead, this photo was on the page listing the San Diego Convention Center. I just assumed it was another recycled project similar to what he did with the Humana Building in South Africa.

[Nowhereman1280]

Helmut Jahn: The Starchitect that Never Was...

Seriously, its a shame that, for some reason, Jahn never exploded into the mainstream in the way that other Starchitects did. I mean he really was one of the few that did PoMo right and continues to turn out excellent modernist buildings these days. I don't know why his popularity never really took off, but its a shame.

[scalziand]

60 Wall Street 1983
New York


Three different designs were offered.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4103/5027887185_1e1f03035d_b.jpg


The final contextual rendering

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4154/5027887181_2dcc222d92_b.jpg



That's way better than the 60 Wall that got built. :(

[plinko]

Somewhere I have a book of Jahn's sketches, which are phenomenal.

I'd put Jahn's work up there with anybody out there.

[Patrick]

Ah, 1980's conceptual skyscrapers, can't get enough of them! Thank you for these!



Block 37 1983
Chicago

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4146/5028099911_9936330220_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4150/5027738241_b8c331a1d5_b.jpg

Interesting, two of those three designs were eventually recycled, but on a much smaller scale.

International Plaza, NYC

http://www.onestopenergy.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/750_lexington_ave.jpg
http://www.onestopenergy.com/clients/

The Tower, LA

http://www.imbercourtreporters.com/grafx/conference/los_angeles_4.jpg
http://www.imbercourtreporters.com/conference_rooms.html


South Ferry Plaza 1985
New York

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4112/5027743659_023fc8558b_b.jpg


Sigh, if only!!! :tantrum:

[plinko]

^Agreed. THAT is the South Ferry proposal I really liked.

[spyguy]

Helmut Jahn: The Starchitect that Never Was...

Seriously, its a shame that, for some reason, Jahn never exploded into the mainstream in the way that other Starchitects did. I mean he really was one of the few that did PoMo right and continues to turn out excellent modernist buildings these days. I don't know why his popularity never really took off, but its a shame.

http://img690.imageshack.us/img690/6066/2531z.jpg
Cover Browser (http://www.coverbrowser.com/covers/gq/6)

He'll never be a Gehry (one could argue that's a good thing), but he's still respected and gets commissions around the world. Why else would he have been asked to design two towers for City Center alongside KPF, Vinoly, Libeskind, Foster, Pelli?

[plinko]

A friend of mine used to work for Lucien Lagrange, and said that the office once went bowling against Jahn's firm. She told me that Mr. Jahn is a bit intense.

I read an interview once that stated that he signs all of his drawings with a brown ink pen (a really expensive pen, though I can't remember what kind). And anytime somebody in his office gets licensed, he gives them one of these pens. I always thought that was pretty interesting.

My older sister remembered the story and when I got licensed, bought me a really expensive pen with brown ink. I only use it to sign my drawings and for nothing else.

*totally unrelated to the topic at hand, but he is one of my favorites*

[Onn]

I think there's a reason many of these were never built...I'm sorry to say the Houston one is pitiful, a rip-off of One Liberty Place in Philadelphia. :yuck:

[Onn]

Double post, why I don't know...

[plinko]

I think there's a reason many of these were never built...I'm sorry to say the Houston one is pitiful, a rip-off of One Liberty Place in Philadelphia. :yuck:

FYI, the Houston tower was designed first, so I guess that makes 1LP a pitiful rip-off? :haha:

[Onn]

FYI, the Houston tower was designed first, so I guess that makes 1LP a pitiful rip-off? :haha:

Yes, yes it is. They look uncannily similar. This guy must have stole that guy's design...:hmmm:

[Nowhereman1280]

Yes, yes it is. They look uncannily similar. This guy must have stole that guy's design...:hmmm:

Helmut Jahn is a thieving bastard for having stolen those designs from some unknown firm called "Murphy/Jahn" or something like that...

[Onn]

Helmut Jahn is a thieving bastard for having stolen those designs from some unknown firm called "Murphy/Jahn" or something like that...

I think I got it! Helmut must have used a time machine to go ahead a few years and steal this Murphy/Jahenn-hosens...design for 1 Liberty Place, and took it back for that Houston tower. Wow, it's future theft. :sly:

[RobertWalpole]

Ah, 1980's conceptual skyscrapers, can't get enough of them! Thank you for these!



Interesting, two of those three designs were eventually recycled, but on a much smaller scale.

International Plaza, NYC

http://www.onestopenergy.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/750_lexington_ave.jpg
http://www.onestopenergy.com/clients/


When I saw the proposal for block 37 in Chicago, I immediately thought of the tower on 59th and Lex. I scrolled down and saw that you had the same thought. I love that tower.

[The_Cincinnati_Kid]

Here is a design he did for Fountain Square West in Cincinnati, I really loved it (52 floors and about 650' to the roof if memory serves). He also did another design reminiscent of his towers in San Diego and Jacksonville, but I only saw it once in a book and have never found the image again.

http://www.emporis.com/images/6/2003/06/198512.jpg
Photo courtesy of emporis.com

[volguus zildrohar]

His work was a perfect product of his era - about the only PoMo that doesn't make me want to retch.

One Liberty Place (which went through several iterations) did end up being more or less a scaled down Bank of The Southwest tower with a bit of Chrysler thrown in.

[IMBY]

I was never crazy about One Liberty Place in Philly, or that companion tower, but I do remember that contest, way back, over building something at Columbus Circle, and I wished Helmut Jahn would have won that contest!

I love that building proposal for Broadway & 52nd street. I'm a true sucker for any curved buildings! The Lake Pointe Tower in Chicago always has me falling to my knees, everytime I get to Chicago to see it!