"When I was in school, one of my math teachers spent an entire day writing out the calculations for a very complicated problem on the blackboard. In the end, he got the whole thing down to a simple equation. I remember him saying, 'I think this is beautiful.' Architecture is like that. There is always an element of searching. You start with the constants of the program and you search for the most elegant solution."
--Lucien Lagrange
In 1985, disillusioned with the prevailing trends in Modern architecture, Lucien Lagrange left Skidmore,Owings & Merrill and embarked on a series of historical investigations aimed at finding new sources of architectural inspiration.
Since then, he has designed some of the most impressive hotels, offices, and condominiums in Chicago, a city long known as an architectural capital.Lagrange's work resists easy categorization,combining as it does both Modern and traditional elements in often surprising ways.
His range is extraordinary. He is one of the few architects in America with an equal feel for both 19th-century stonework and 21st-century steel and glass.
In addition, his bold plans for renovating landmark structures have established him as a leading voice in the field of historic restoration and re-adaptation.
At the heart of Lagrange's work is a sense of beauty that is both timeless and supremely elegant.
Introduction
Selected Work
Erie on the Park
Park Tower
65 East Goethe
X/O
Kingsbury on the Park
Park Kingsbury
Plaza Escada
840 North Lake Shore Drive
Dubai Tower Study
175 West Jackson
Blue Chip Casino Hotel
Steeltown Residences
Hard Rock Hotel
2o8 South LaSalle
Sleepy Hollow
Lincoln Park 252o
Belle Maison
Project Rainbow
Mannheimer-Lagrange Residence
The Pinnacle
55 West Monroe Lobby
Project X
West End Residences
The Ritz-Carlton Residences
Chicago Union Station
A Conversation with Lucien Lagrange
Firm Listing
Acknowledgments and Credits