That's awesome! What this project probably should have been in the first place.

^ Totally agree that it's what the project should have been.....or actually, a composition mix like OBP in Streeterville I think would have worked just fine too (maybe 65-85% rental/remainder condo) - of course with the right price points at this location. Just a tremendous misjudgement to start with the inverse and then go all condo (massively ambitious scale of condo development for anything post Global Financial Crisis). Just made no sense.

That being stated, this article feels highly speculative and aspirational. Reads like just something the developer hopes to be able to do. I truly hope they pull it off. I'm less than enthusiastic about the odds here.

Also, it's always been unclear to me what the actual nature of their financing agreements were.....would love to get the details and had hoped one of the town's prominent real estate reporters would have surfaced what was really going on there.

This would make a huge impact on the skyline, especially when viewed from the very common Alder spot. As others noted, surprised it was not adjusted to renting earlier.

I wonder if this will impact the potential of a second NEMA?

In a positive or negative way? Could see it delaying NEMA 2 until demand is right but 1000M could hopefully lock it in if developers think that corner of South Loop is hot

For those who've been around for awhile, you'll remember this project was originally a rental/condo mix.

When they changed the design, it went all condo, which I always thought was foolish.

Glad to see potential new life breathed into this project, it's been around for some time now.

Maybe they'll even revive the original bad-ass design!

http://www.trbimg.com/img-560eaade/t...02/600/338x600


Oh what could've been.......

The height was nice but I like the curviness of this one ^^^

Yea could go either way. Maybe it'll give them incentive to go higher...

Responding to this six weeks later, lol...

Lagrange is the go-to guy for traditional or deco highrises in Chicago and he is widely known in the RE industry for this. The only reason Related hired Stern for OBP is because they already had a relationship from several projects in New York and LA.

Can you suggest any other local architects who offer that kind of cachet for traditional design (whether deserved or not) and an understanding of highrises?

Remember, the limit is 900' in the landmark district, so the original design would still have to be vertically modified to fit.

That and the foundation is already in place and who's to say the original had the same caisson locations.

^ I wasn't being serious.


My actual fear is that we ultimately end up with something like this on this site:

https://i.postimg.cc/prhvgJ1T/old-1000-s-michigan.jpg

This would be the worst. Horrible.

That's an outdated design, but as far as something of that massing, something that extends the street wall, I would be thrilled if something like that gets built. Put in a nice stone façade, a good lobby and I'm sold.

This would also be fine. Its an empty freaking lot for pete's sake.

That street wall composition was the best thing about the original design of 1000M, that and it was unique.

I doubt we'll see any changes to the design.

The developers probably want to hold onto as many condo buyers as possible, although I'm sure they will have to buy out some contracts to create a usable block of apartments amid the condos.

Yeah good question. Maybe 1980s-era Adrian Smith for NBC Tower? Or early 2000s SBC for their good awful precast pomo condos? :haha:

How would that work in an all-rental building?

At any rate,

“The exterior of the building would remain substantially as previously approved,” Francis Greenburger, chairman and CEO of New York-based Time Equities, added.

I had this precise thought as I was thinking about this article and specifically that quote a bit more! That doesn't compute. I'm actually going to go ahead and predict changes to the design are likely if they can pull an all rental version together. Think about 111 W Wacker changes in terms of the very broad strokes way in which changes might occur - project density/unit count, floor plans, floor plate, massing, height, etc etc. I would expect from a pure project economics standpoint. None of this is to say that an all rental design by necessity is precluded from being very strong in its own right....in terms of bold design, for height obsessives even (just look to NEMA for inspiration)

Again, the article struck me as reflecting an aspiration.....my read is that the expressed desire to not have substantial changes to the exterior design may be part of that - eg would rather not go back thru the entitlement process/amendments, so hopefully we can just switch to rental within the existing approved envelope......all very hopeful.

Something about this developer team.....I just.....don't know.....never has inspired confidence. As ever would love my skepticism to be proven overdone in the end.

i'm not fully in the "height exclusively for the sake of height" camp, but in this particular spot, having something really tall to bust through the "south loop lull" and help tie the new cluster down at central station back into the rest of the skyline would be really nice to see, IMO.

https://i.postimg.cc/x8NNBnCF/south-loop.png

here's to hoping!

The article doesn't say all-rental, just "primarily" rental. Which could be anything from 100% rental to 60% rental (and 40% condo).

Adrian Smith certainly has done this work in the past (NBC Tower, AT&T, Rowes Wharf in Boston, etc) but it would be VERY off-brand for AS+GG today. Not to mention they have effectively specialized in supertall structures, which makes them irrelevant for most Chicago developers. We did get some subtle historic nods on Trib Tower though.