Providence vs Chicago
 

Sure, but lets think of possibilities. Univ. of Chicago, School of the Art Institute, Columbia College, Northwestern University all at the doorstep. That's a far better deal in immediate educational institutions.

It can be done, and it has been done. Just because you haven't or can't doesn't limit the rest of us who don't take our eyes off of the goal. You apparently take your eyes off, which is why you see the obstacles. :fruit:

GO GO GO....GO GO Speed Racer.......nah never mind


I always liked his older brothet racer X...racer X kicjed speed racer's A es es



HAPPY PICKIN'

^ Are you drunk or something?

what's up with this need to compare everything? it's tired and irrational.

I'm just stating that Providence is a fine place for coporate headquarters. For anyone who attends Brown or some other school (or no school) and lays down their roots to build up a business and home, there's no reason to even consider chicago (or nYc, sanFran, boston, dallas, atlanta...) if that's where their hearts are. Providence has BIG TIME resources. Especially in regards to higher learning.

sorry steely. My rant is done. inappropriate place.

Maybe so, but older brother racer x missed his flight! ;)

Because this is one of those threads where we compare Chicago to other cities, especially because corporate relocations figure so large in how a city "generally develops".

If we were talking about relocating the hq of Procter & Gamble or Johnson & Johnson, then yes, RISD and its "fresh sustainability concepts" would be simply delightful to have.

However, we are talking about a bank; the ego-driven finance types they need to attract as employees want Manhattan, and when one of those cocky MBAs finds out s/he can't get that job in Manhattan, they're going to be comparing Providence to Charlotte, Chicago, and other places. Nobody's saying Providence is devoid of good features; we're just saying it doesn't stack up to Chicago.

Bank One moved HQ from Columbus to Chicago, despite Ohio State being such a fabulous institution of higher learning. Now RBS/Citizens would have to make a choice between firing people and giving up offices/leases in Chicago, or doing the same in Providence. The choice is clear to most of us, but of course the current management in Providence may be loathe to undertake a relocation and could influence the final judgment made by RBS, so this is probably an uphill battle for us. Still, it's interesting to debate.

If only RBS people were reading all this...

:rollseyes:

Yea

and thankfully SD or someone else deleted my other ridiculous posts last night


.....sorry for that

...a suggestion to all too much Pinot Noir and posting on SSP do not mix :cheers:

Chicago early favorite?
 

April 29, 2007
Chicago 2016 Delegation Begins Lobbying in China
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Work the hotel lobby. Meet and greet. And, especially, listen and learn.

That was the essence of Chicago’s first foray into international Olympic circles since being picked as the United States candidate for the 2016 Summer Games.

“It’s been very constructive to be here,” Patrick Ryan, chairman of the Chicago committee, said last Thursday. “We made some new relationships and learned a lot about the whole process.”

Ryan led an eight-person Chicago delegation at the SportAccord convention in Beijing, one of the largest gatherings of sports industry leaders in the world. More than 1,000 delegates were on hand at the Shangri-La Hotel, including senior International Olympic Committee members, sports federation leaders, television executives and corporate sponsors.

The trip came less than two weeks after the United States Olympic Committee chose Chicago over Los Angeles as America’s 2016 bid city. It was the start of a long process that will culminate with the International Olympic Committee’s selection of the host city in 2009.

The Chicago team also included the executive director Mike Conley, a former Olympic triple-jump champion, and the operations chief Doug Arnot. In addition, the United States Olympic Committee sent a top-level delegation that included its chairman, Peter Ueberroth, and the international affairs experts Bob Ctvrtlik and Robert Fasulo.

“People are very aware that Chicago will be presented as an applicant city,” Ryan said. “It was quite well known among the general population. But, clearly, people have to get to know the Chicago team and learn a lot more about Chicago. Being here clearly demonstrates our desire to bring amateur sport to Chicago.”

The Chicago bid follows New York’s humbling fourth-place finish in the voting for the 2012 Summer Games, which were awarded to London. This time, a United States candidate shapes up as a strong contender — if not the favorite — in a field that should include Madrid, Rio de Janeiro, Rome, Tokyo and Prague.

“People don’t have in-depth knowledge of our bid, but they are aware of the tough bid competition we went through in the U.S.,” Ryan said.

Anita DeFrantz, an American member of the international committee, said some delegates asked her why the United States committee did not pick Los Angeles, or why New York did not run again, adding that Chicago’s candidacy had received mostly positive reactions so far.

“I think there’s an interest, there’s an openness,” she said. “It’s different. It’s new.”

One of the focal points of the Beijing conference was the race for the 2014 Winter Games. The three finalists — Sochi, Russia; Pyeongchang, South Korea; and Salzburg, Austria — lobbied furiously at the last major meeting before the I.O.C. vote in Guatemala City on July 4.

“We realized we should keep a low profile and not intrude on the 2014 bidding,” Ryan said.

Ryan paid particular attention to last Wednesday’s public presentations by the 2014 bid cities. Each had 15 minutes to pitch its case to a packed assembly with speeches and videos, a sort of dress rehearsal for the final presentations to the full international committee session in Guatemala.

“It was interesting to see the important emphasis on government participants and the varied approaches to legacy,” Ryan said. “It was interesting to see the range of people on the podium.

“We also saw the importance of technology,” he added, referring to the technical glitches that delayed some of the presentations.

Ryan did not expect to be at the Guatemala meeting. The I.O.C. restricts appearances and activities by bid hopefuls until the deadline for submission of formal applications on Sept. 15.

By the time of the 2016 Olympics, 20 years will have passed since the last Summer Games in the United States (Atlanta 1996). Geography also favors North America after Summer Games in Australia (Sydney 2000), Europe (Athens 2004), Asia (Beijing 2008) and Europe (London 2012).

Luciano Barra, a longtime international sports administrator from Italy who has been involved in numerous bids and helped run the 2006 Turin Winter Games, views Chicago as the early favorite.

“It’s the first time we see a candidature from the U.S. which is presented in a way that is not just a private business,” he said. “This is the first time we see something close to what is expected.”

But political issues invariably come into play, too. The Bush administration’s unpopularity abroad apparently did not help New York’s bid for 2012.

“The international status of the U.S. government and its policies will always be a factor,” Ryan said. “We’ll have a change of administration. Even if people are critical of the U.S. government administration and its policies, I believe Americans are respected and well liked as a people. I don’t get any anti-Americanism.”

Chicago has a key ally in Ueberroth, who organized the 1984 Los Angeles Games.

“I’ve watched Chicago in these very early steps and they’re doing it just right,” he said. “They’re meeting with people and trying to learn — win or lose — how they can submit a bid that is responsive to the international movement.

“The whole process works very well for a city if they do it right. In this case, they’re humble, they’re walking the halls, they’re meeting a lot of people. I think the leadership has understood.”

Lots of good news in there...lets keep reworking that bid.

There's already a Chicago 2016 Olympics thread, guys

Washington is Oregon's Canada

Providence and Chicago
 

Someone suggested moving the headquarters to Chicago. It seemed as if you were trying to bolster the perception of Providence in response to that. I merely provided reasoning that backed the moving proposal. I think comparatively there are major advantages to be had by moving the hq to Chicago. Maybe i'm a bit cynical, but the fact people have 'hearts' in Providence may not be enough. Several huge companies have moved here, and for them its about the quality of business AND quality of life. A lot of people at the bank may have gone to school at 50 different colleges for all i know, not just Brown and *ahem* RISD (banking?). These cats have shareholders to answer to and 'heart' and alma mater don't cut it with a lot of those scallywags.

Moving a headquarters costs alot of money, too (speaking of answering to shareholders). I mean things like quality of life and talent pool are key factors in long term profitability in a location, but alex1 was simply pointing out that Providence isn't a bad location in either of these regards.

I mean in any merger, the acquiring firm would assess the combined employment and physical asset situation and the decision would probably make itself, no politics/preferences required.

I have a friend that works as an analyst for LaSalle. This whole deal is just bad news for him. He's pretty much losing his job no matter what.

Was wondering if anyone here is familiar w / 1720 S Michigan. Specifically, 2bds / 3bds, some of these seem to have nicw outdoor balconies / terraces.

Website doesn't quote prices....anyone here have an idea or know the range?

^I think for two bedrooms its about $310-330k, 11-20 floors up. It looks like it will be a pretty cool building and assessments are ok (about $300). Still pretty expensive for me and the lady, but decent for the area and lower than the lofts conversions and museum park, or anything else farther north. One thing I didn;t like was it will have exposed concrete in the units and hallways (from seeing 1620 next door).

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...l=chi-news-hed

U. of. C. gets $35 million gift for art center

By Charles Storch
Tribune staff reporter
Published May 3, 2007, 11:17 PM CDT

A Chicago investment banker and his family are giving $35 million to the University of Chicago for a planned $100 million arts center that is to serve the campus and its South Side neighbors.

The gift by David and Reva Logan and their family is one of the larger single donations made to the U. of C. and is the biggest earmarked for the arts there, the university said Thursday.

University President Robert Zimmer said the donation "will enable us to proceed with the building in an expeditious way." He said the center, eyed for the south end of the campus, is expected to be a "transformative facility" for the school, widely known as a bastion for Nobel Prize-winning research in economics and science.

The Center for the Creative and Performing Arts is to be named for the octogenarian couple, who met while attending the U. of C.

David Logan received his undergraduate and law degrees there. Reva Logan delayed her education because of their marriage but later completed her degree at Roosevelt University and became a teacher.

David Logan is managing partner of Chicago-based Mercury Investments. He also is a stalwart advocate for the arts in Illinois and was on the Illinois Arts Council from 1976 to 2006. His wife's family also has been active in the arts: Her brother Allan Frumkin was a prominent gallery owner here and in New York. The couple collect photography and artists' illustrated books.

David Logan said he and his family approached the U. of C. about the donation. He said he was asked whether they would like to fund a theater or some other piece of the center. He replied that he wanted to do something far more ambitious.

He said he was making the gift for his wife, who is in declining health, and in memory of his mother. David Logan's mother wanted her son, who grew up in the Humboldt Park neighborhood and used to pal around with Saul Bellow, to go to the best school possible.

"I have been amazed at what I have been able to do in philanthropy and work," he said. "It's a great tribute to America."

In addition to the arts, the Logans have donated to education, religious, scientific, journalism and community causes here and around the country.

The arts center has been proposed for a site at 60th Street and Ingleside Avenue. It would be south of the Midway Plaisance and on the same block as the Midway Studios, where sculptor Lorado Taft once worked.

It is to include a multipurpose performance hall, three small theaters, music practice rooms and a recording studio and will serve students, faculty and Hyde Park residents.

Five prominent architectural teams are vying for the commission, and one is to be selected later this spring, Zimmer said. The center is expected to be completed in 2011.

http://www.suntimes.com/business/370...etry04.article

Poem's verses of fortune
REAL ESTATE | With Lilly backing, poetry group closes on prime home

May 4, 2007
BY DAVID ROEDER droeder@suntimes.com

Hog Butcher for the World, Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat, Home to a Place where People who like Poetry can Meet.

Pardon the desecration of Carl Sandburg's lines, but it is inspired by a literary turn in the Chicago real estate market. Poetry has bought property, and will put up a building. The Muse is news.

Chicago's Poetry Foundation, which publishes the 95-year-old Poetry magazine, has closed on the purchase of the southwest corner of Dearborn and Superior for $6.7 million. The site includes two small buildings and a parking lot, which the foundation plans to replace with a "national home" for the art it celebrates.

"We certainly hope the building will reflect our vision, which is to give poetry a greater presence in our society," said foundation spokeswoman Anne Halsey.

It could also become a testament to Chicago's role in the national culture. Harriet Monroe founded Poetry magazine in 1912, giving a platform to writers before they became famous, and getting under the skin of Easterners who couldn't imagine anyone on the prairie thinking refined thoughts.

Banish the thought that rhyme and reason are missing in Chicago's construction boom.

Where did Poetry get the money? Alas, think drugs.

Ruth Lilly, in her 90s and an heiress to the Eli Lilly and Co. drug fortune, in 2002 began lavishing money on the foundation's forerunner. She never attached strings and, judging by ensuing litigation, seldom followed the rituals of estate planning.

The gift, paid as an annuity, has a present value of $175 million, Halsey said. It is intended to ensure Poetry can publish in perpetuity, and has helped the foundation launch conferences and readings locally and around the country.

It also caused an intellectual imbroglio among people who thought the windfall would change the foundation, and cause it to champion a populist style of composition that they detest. Others were upset that the foundation took the trustee of Lilly's estate to court, seeking damages when a loss in the value of Eli Lilly stock cut the size of the bequest.

Two courts in Indiana treated the foundation's complaint like it was doggerel, and handed down rejection slips. In March, the Indiana Supreme Court declined to issue its own review.

Halsey said the issue has been put aside, and that the foundation remains grateful for Lilly's support. The goal is to have the building open by 2010, she said.

U.S. Equities Realty, a firm well versed in the Chicago market, advised Poetry in the transaction. Halsey said the foundation is interviewing architectural firms, and hopes to pick one this summer.

The job is small but with epic aspirations. The foundation is mandating an ecologically friendly building that translates some of poetry's enduring spirit into glass and steel. Halsey said the project will include a garden, a reading room, and free access to the foundation's collections that are now in the Newberry Library. She compared it to New York's Poets House.

The property was acquired from owners affiliated with a law firm Serpico, Novelle & Petrosino, that has offices there.

So yes, it was poets negotiating a land deal with lawyers. There's enough material there for a poem of Wordsworthian scale, or maybe a grand opera.

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/1...0070503tc2.jpg