On November 18, 1953, the Chicago American, a local daily, announced plans for a massive convention hall with seating for fifty thousand people and parking for ten thousand cars. The roof would be carried by thirty-foot-long trusses in turn supported by external piers. The proposed site sat south of Cermak Road and west of South Parkway, today’s King Drive.
The design of the clear-span hall—said to be the largest in the world—was attributed to Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Its daring structure was demonstrated in a meticulous maquette, attributed to Mies, now in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art. The credit line lists three individuals as “model makers”: Yujiro Miwa, Henry Kanazawa, and Pao-Chi Chang.
But the trio were more than just model makers. In fact, the project originated with their joint graduate thesis at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT). In 1951, the South Side Planning Board approached Mies about designing a convention center, despite not being able to pay him. He agreed to work up plans gratis, passing things along to students of his. Mi…