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Craig Lee: Comments on Chicago's Trump Tower Sign

by Craig H. Lee | Jun 17, 2014

Architecture in Chicago is no small thing. It stands more prominently in the public conscience than arguably any other American city. And now, regrettably, so does one sign.

The recent installation of nearly 20-foot-6-inch-high letters spelling "TRUMP" on Chicago's Trump International Hotel & Tower is hard to miss. It has sparked controversy in Chicagoland.

As many Chicagoans can recite, Daniel Burnham, the planner of this modern metropolis, exhorted, "Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood." Indeed, Donald Trump responded to this call with the successful construction of America's tallest building since 9/11, completed during the Great Recession.

This is no small feat. Numerous other proposed projects in the city could not reach such heights. For this civic commitment and investment.  Trump deserves the city's praise.

Nevertheless, the affixation is an affront.

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