CHICAGO | The Elysian | 686 FT / 209 M | 60 FLOORS | COM

[oshkeoto]

"Sorry to burst anybody's bubble, but I don't really think the buildings (other than the Talbot) on that block are THAT noteworthy, other than for their historic-ness. I certainly don't see any significant amount of detailing (that we love so much about the pre-war era) in these buildings, again aside from the Talbot Hotel."

But that's not the point. The street itself is gorgeous; it has a kind of scale and homeyness that are unmistakably urban Chicago. Any city can have highrises; not every city has 19th century wood frame cottages next to their highrises.

"Considering the nice design of the Elysian and the use of limestone on the lower levels, I'll wager that the Elysian Part II (or 10 E Del) will likely be a worthwile replacement."

Has any new construction adequately imitated old styles? I don't think I've seen any.

[honte]

Originally Posted by oshkeoto

But that's not the point. The street itself is gorgeous; it has a kind of scale and homeyness that are unmistakably urban Chicago. Any city can have highrises; not every city has 19th century wood frame cottages next to their highrises.

Yeah, I've got to agree here. None of these are exactly stand-outs in the architecture department, but it is so charming to come across a pocket of Victorian buildings in the middle of downtown. I will miss them. This kind of stuff used to be all over River North, and it's really taken it on the chin due to this boom.

And 10 E. Delaware is so bad, there's not much I think it would be a good replacement for.

[Dan in Chicago]

Originally Posted by oshkeoto

Has any new construction adequately imitated old styles? I don't think I've seen any.

There's one. In Washington DC they recently expanded a famous 10-story condo building (the Kennedy-Warren) by adding a wing according to the original plans, doubling the building's size. The results match the original section completely!

But my point is to agree with you -- in almost every case, attempts to capture the look of old architecture are just plain weak. Sticking a gable on top of a strip mall does NOT give it the feeling of a traditional village downtown! Duh. The only postmodernist I admire is Michael Graves, because he doesn't use classical motifs to recreate "ye olde" whatever, he rearranges the motifs and has fun with them.

[honte]

Originally Posted by Dan in Chicago

There's one. In Washington DC they recently expanded a famous 10-story condo building (the Kennedy-Warren) by adding a wing according to the original plans, doubling the building's size. The results match the original section completely!

But my point is to agree with you -- in almost every case, attempts to capture the look of old architecture are just plain weak. Sticking a gable on top of a strip mall does NOT give it the feeling of a traditional village downtown! Duh. The only postmodernist I admire is Michael Graves, because he doesn't use classical motifs to recreate "ye olde" whatever, he rearranges the motifs and has fun with them.

The proposed Union Station plan here seemed pretty darn good too, although this is another case of dusting off the old plans and trying to reassemble an old project. I can't think of anything either that was from scratch and very convincing.

Of course, I'd much rather they hire Norman Foster to put a glass egg on top of Union Station than try to match the Burnham, since I doubt they'll do a flawless job. We'll have to see...

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by honte

The proposed Union Station plan here seemed pretty darn good too, although this is another case of dusting off the old plans and trying to reassemble an old project. I can't think of anything either that was from scratch and very convincing.

^ The Harold Washington Library is, as far as I have seen, easily as good as anything built in that era

[honte]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

^ The Harold Washington Library is, as far as I have seen, easily as good as anything built in that era

^ Yikes! Have you gone inside?

And while I like the building, the outside in detail will never compare to its neighbors. It's a pleasant postmodern building.

[Mojava]

There's usually a clause that states a completion date. If they cant make the completion date then the buyer has a right to cancel the contract

[BVictor1]

There's some new information on the Elysian. Also, some information not posted in the article is the fact that McHugh will be working on this building.

Here is a link to the article:
http://www.newcityskyline.com/ElysianResumesWork.html

[spyguy]

Nice. I look forward to seeing this one actually under construction after so many years.

Unrelated, I like the new NewcitySkyline logo.

[Marvel 33]

Originally Posted by spyguy

Nice. I look forward to seeing this one actually under construction after so many years.

Unrelated, I like the new NewcitySkyline logo.

Thanks Spyguy!

[Steely Dan]

the report from newcityskyline last week said work would resume this monday, so has anyone spotted any work crews at the site so far this week?

[Marvel 33]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

the report from newcityskyline last week said work would resume this monday, so has anyone spotted any work crews at the site so far this week?

On Monday, I saw people walking around the site, looking at blueprints and talking. Tuesday on my way home I stopped again and there was a little bit of activity but not much going in terms of heavy equipment and such. This morning, however, I walked by the site on my way to work and there was a lot more activity going - quite a few trucks were parked inside the site and the heavy equipment was in full use. They were moving dirt around and there was a big truck unloading more equipment.

I live three blocks away from the site so I'll keep you guys informed of the progress and I'll try to take some pictures of the work activity tomorrow morning.

We are aslo going to have weekly construction progress photos of all the bigger projects we have in Chicago as of next week in NewcitySkyline.

[Steely Dan]

^ so, would you say that it's safe to bump this one back into "site prep/demo" now?

[kazpmk]

excellent news.

[Chi_Coruscant]

http://chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=21670

Developer of Elysian Hotel nears deal on construction loan

The developer of the Elysian Hotel & Private Residences in the Gold Coast is close to landing a $203 million construction loan from a German lender after an earlier loan fell through.

Hypo Real Estate Capital Corp., a subsidiary of Munich-based Hypo Real Estate Group, has agreed to provide the loan, which is expected to close in September, a source says. The 60-story project last summer received a commitment for about $60 million in equity financing from Arcapita Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of a Bahrain bank.

Yet the development at 11 E. Walton St. is several months behind schedule, fueling speculation that it was having trouble securing financing. Chicago-based LaSalle Bank Corp. had tentatively agreed to be the lead lender on the project last year, but that deal fizzled.

Financing, however, was never a problem, says David C. Pisor, president and CEO of Elysian Worldwide LLC, the project's developer. It simply has taken much longer than expected to get a foundation permit for the building, he says.

The project includes four stories of underground parking, adding to the project's complexity and contributing to the delay, he says.

Mr. Pisor declines to confirm the Hypo loan but says that buyers have signed contracts about 125, or 66%, of its 188 hotel suites.

Unlike a traditional hotel, which is owned by a single investor, the Elysian is a condo-hotel, in which hotel units are sold to individual investors much like regular residential condos. Owners can use the suites when they please or let the hotel operator rent the units when they are away.

[chicubs111]

Does this mean we have to wait till september for construction to begin? Please god i hope not..just start this thing already.

[SteelCity15]

looks great, fits my favorite style of architecture.

[spyguy]

Finally! I've been waiting for this beauty to start for a long time now

[kazpmk]

another 700 footer for chicago. Great news.

[Steely Dan]

better late than never, i suppose.

page 1 of the rundown has been updated accordingly.