WATCH: Here's how cars are parked at Marina City

ByJesse Kirsch WLS logo
Friday, June 22, 2018
WATCH: Here's how cars are parked at Marina City
Walking by the iconic Marina City, have you ever wondered "how do cars get up there?"

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Walking by the iconic Marina City, have you ever wondered "how do cars get up there?"

The famous Hollywood scene from "The Hunter" where a car shoots off of the parking deck, into the Chicago River, is a great example of how to not park at the towers.

A group of Marina City valets make sure the job's done right; they're the only people allowed to park cars there, according to a 2014 video published by the Chicago Architecture Foundation.

The valets don't take stairs or elevators to get to cars. Instead, they rely on a "manlift."

"Hop on that and go up to whichever level that car was parked on to retrieve it. Or conversely go down all the way back to ground level," explained Marina City Condo Board Member Brian Muir in the 2014 video.

Muir said the towers' 900 parking spots are a reflection of mid-century Americana.

"Part of the American dream was that everyone had their own car and so it couldn't' be a successful development without accommodating cars. And so rather than just accommodating cars, Marina City showcased them," he explained.