Midcentury modernism is often talked about like it's one thing, but it's at least two: the black-box minimalism of Mies van der Rohe and company, and the flamboyant modernism that swept from the Fontainebleau Hotel to Googie coffee shops. The challenge for a hotel in Mies's IBM Building—which is what the new Langham Chicago is—must be to look like you're respecting the former while giving your guests the excitement of the latter.…
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