And so on a winter morning I found myself in a hotel restaurant having coffee with Cesar Pelli, who is arguably the greatest architect of the last quarter of the 20th century. (Screw that Nazi-symp Philip Johnson. Well, no - he did great work, including the IDS Center, but how much of that was Burgee & assorted assistants, who knows.) Mr. Pelli - who would later design the tallest building in the world (Malaysia) among others, was graceful and kind and courtly. He wouldn't even say a bad word about the horrid Skidmore Owens & Merril abomination where we met. I don't remember anything about the interview, except for overwhelming awe.

For reasons I cannot remember, the original design of the Norwest Center was scrapped. Several months later Pelli produced another design, which made jaws hit sternums all over town: it was the most beautiful skyscraper anyone had seen since the 30s. An homage to Rockefeller Center, you could say - a tall thin slab with cascading setbacks. It was built and instantly beloved. At night the crown glows, and when the fog rolls in the building sets the sky on fire.