Maxis References

[ardecila 124]

The CS$$$ Maxis Theatre is based off of Chicago's demolished Paradise Theatre at Pulaski and Madison on the West Side.  What a paradise it was:

[LivingInThePast 364]

And Molon Apartments? What about those?

[Sim shady 12]

guys i just love this thread. i find it so fascinating to look at these comparisons plz keep them coming

[bixel 1,223]

Verrrrry interesting!! Keep this going!

[Odd from Sweden 129]

Thanks for the post on the Long Building, Marcszar! I never thougt that such a generic-looking building was an ancestor to a real-world one! Well You learn something new everyday!

Here is an interesting one! You all know the Orange Point Suites, a high wealth condo in the game. Well, did You know that in the real world, this is the scool of architecture of the Technical University of Berlin! The building is a little shorter in the game, otherwise it is close to a perfect match - for example notice the window-less room clad in granite at the left bottom of those pics!

 

[Odd from Sweden 129]

Well folks, welcome to today´s issue of the educational Maxis References thread!

Today, we will have a look at the Sim city building Mc Cellan Inc. In the real world, this is the Daily News Building in New York, designed by Raymond Hood in 1929.

  

As usual, there are some differences between the Maxis and the original. Except the base size, the great granite artwork over the entrance has been left out in the Maxis building... or well it really has not. I am *so* sad that this building has never grown in any of my cities, but once i saw a closeup of this building in a city journal. In that closeup, it appeared that the artwork is really modelled by some Maxis 3D artist, but it has been (kinda amateurish) covered by this grey box before rendering, possibly because of some copyright issue. Well, here it is in a photo, anyways...

I visited the building in 2002, eager to see the spectaculour interior of the lobby... but thanks to mr Bin Laden the building had 13 security guards in each dozen of security guards, so it was impossible to get in :-( Well tis is what it looks like:

Just a few  years after this building was finished, the comic Superman was created (1932, that is). The newspaper in Superman´s world, Daily Planet, resides in a skyscraper with a giant globe on the top. No doubt that Raymond Hood´s Daily News building likely inspired Superman´s creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster on that globe. And, logically, the original building was eventually featured as the Daily Planet building in the 1978 movie "Superman".

[Jasoncw 11,841]

Thanks for the info!

I like the real building a lot more. It's nice and sleek, while the SC4 one is stubby, lol.

It's not a fantastic looking building in the game, so you're not missing a whole lot. It does seem to be a little harder to grow than other though.

[brancra 1,121]

Here's another oldie-but-goodie:

Times Square Building, Rochester, New York (still standing)

Paull Inc. anybody?

[dadyrghluv 8]

i know that building. i live there so i see it everyday. i did however never know what it was named or what its for. i remember staring at it alot when i was a kid.

[Jasoncw 11,841]

Interesting stuff!

I don't like Paull Inc in the game, I wish it was longer like in real life. The real buildings looks nice.

[Odd from Sweden 129]

Sad to tell, the Union Trust Company Building ("Farly Audio") is demolished. It was built by G. B. Post 1889-90 on 78-82 Broadway.

[Jasoncw 11,841]

yep!  That's it!

We've got a pretty good list going here! 

[DuskTrooper 314]

A few of the buildings are blends of real life structures; an example of this is one of the Houston Structures (Van proojen, I think) which is a blend of the Heritage Plaza, and Williams Tower, which are both in Houston.

[SpecialEddie 3]

The Frankfurt ones were the most obvious to me...wow, this thread is really interesting!

[dogscarletnyc 0]

thank you DuskTrooper Now I know what Van proojen trading is based on.

[spa 970]

Two others that weren't included here that I learned about from an earlier and less detailed thread on this subject.

The Primavera aka Houston's Villa d'Este

O'Hare Apartments aka Houston's Greenway Condominiums (Greenway Condominiums also look similiar to Skyrise Apartments)

[Sim shady 12]

*nods head in approval* yessir, i guess you DO learn something new every day

[tommiej 0]

lol... never knew maxis based it's buildings on real ones...

[Andreas Roth 607]

Originally posted by: tommiej lol... never knew maxis based it's buildings on real ones...quote>

 

Well, why inventing the wheel twice? That's a really great list so far, it's interesting to see where Maxis looked for inspiration.

[Jasoncw 11,841]

I had a dream last night that I got a pm with another building and telling me to post it here, so I took that as a sign to bump this thread.

[alex23476 17]

wow i love this thread

jason: thats just wierd

[praiodan 78]

Originally posted by: Jasoncw I had a dream last night that I got a pm with another building and telling me to post it here, so I took that as a sign to bump this thread. quote>

Wow, Jason, you are clairvoyant!

Pane View Condos

(pic from malupage.de)

aka the Seeturm (or in english Lake Tower) in Berlin Spandau

(both pics from emporis.com)

[6459978. 106]

Wow, they didn't even try to change the design of that one! It's pretty much exact except for the colour scheme!

[spa 970]

Now that one isn't based on, that's a replica.

[Jasoncw 11,841]

Another Frankfurt one, The Eurotheum, is Lucky Lizard Lofts.  I don't know if it's been mentioned before.

http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=eurostreetum-frankfurt-germany

I saw another one yesterday but I can't remember what it was.  If I find it again I'll post it.

[anubis89 107]

This one really looks like a building from the european set, situeted in hannover:

http://www.emporis.com/files/transfer/sixwm/2001/06/125705.jpg

[Jasoncw 11,841]

wow, it looks just like it!

[ardecila 124]

Originally posted by: marcszar Here's another:

A former Chicago skyscraper reminiscent of Ham LLC:

quote>

Lol...  that's Holabird & Roche's Marquette Building.  It's not "former", it's still there at Dearborn and Adams.  Over the years, it had an extra bay added to it (by the same architects), an extra story, and had the cornice removed, but it was restored in 2004.

[Jasoncw 11,841]

These three are from San Fransisco, and I think they've all been mentioned, but here are photos with screen shots for them.

[IDS2 3,346]

I don't have pictures but for a fact the tilesets are all almost all based on the towns they come from, such as

Chicago or New York, or from California where the Maxis/EA corporation designers have easy access to SF and LA, as by Jasoncw.

Also, a little triia for anyone interested in cheesy music. Ever paid close attention to the name of the house in vanilla tilesets called "Sheeza Brick House?" Or based on the song "She's a Brick..houuuse!"

Lol