Oh, what a giveaway! Did you hear that? Did you hear that, eh? That’s what I’m on about! Did you see him repressing me? You saw him, Didn’t you?
Dennis – Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Last Thursday night at 11:13PM I made a series of 7 exposures for an HDR image. I shot the photographs from the sidewalk in front of a building at 330 North Wabash Avenue in downtown Chicago. The 330 North Wabash building was not the subject of my photographs. My real subject was the Trump International Hotel & Tower located directly across the street.
This is the photograph I made. At the top of the image is the overhang and 6 lights. That is the only part of the 330 North Wabash building that I manged to get into the frame.
After I made the last exposure I hear from behind me, “Sir, excuse me sir”. I turned around and there stands the building security officer. He proceeded to tell me the building owners have a rule that prohibits anyone from taking photographs on the sidewalk. He said I was should pack up my camera and leave immediately. I replied that while this may be private property, there are no, no trespassing signs. I far as I could see, the entire sidewalk and very large plaza, with a tribe full of mid-night skateboarders, was open to public access. Another passerby agreed with my assessment. The sidewalk was a public place and that I had every right to photograph there.
Regardless, the security officer looked like he was was about to escort me off the sidewalk and to where I did not want to find out so I picked up my tripod and steped into the street. Now I’m standing in the street which is apparently okay with the security officer because he turned and disappeared back into the building.
Here is Mr. Security Officer inside the 330 North Wabash Building. Shot from the street.
Later on, from Google and Wikipedia, I learned that 330 North Wabash is known as the IBM Building. It was designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, a famed architect born in the Kingdom of Prussia in 1886. This was his last American building and he died before construction began. According to Wikipedia, IBM no longer owns or inhabits this building. The Blackstone Group purchased the building in 1996 and IBM vacated the building entirely by 2006. The buildings current owner, Prime Group Realty Trust has plans to convert part of it into a luxury hotel. More information can be found here: WikiPedia and here: Prime Realty Trust Group .
I have no idea what threat I posed to to Prime Group Realty Trust or any of the building’s tenants standing there on the public sidewalk photographing the Trump Tower, so I say to you, (in my best Monty Python French accent)
WTF 330 North Wabash Security Dick…! Stop Repressing..!!!