CHICAGO | Boom rundown - everything over 12 floors. v5

[spyguy]

http://www.suntimes.com/business/roeder/669790,CST-FIN-roeder28.article

McCaffery aims to fit with Flair
DAVID ROEDER

Chicago developer Dan McCaffery has taken control of a site in River North and is moving forward with plans for an apartment high-rise. Working with architect Joseph Antunovich, McCaffery has turned in plans that would relate the building to a much smaller neighbor -- a three-story building at 214 W. Erie that dates from the 1880s.

...puts a low-rise section next to Flair House. The high-rise part is dubbed Flair Tower. It would reach to 26 stories and contain 201 units.

[spyguy]

http://chicagorealestatedaily.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=27258

Legal dispute tying up possible BP office site

By Eddie Baeb

A large West Loop property that’s in the running to be a new office building for oil giant BP PLC is ensnared in a legal dispute over who controls the site.

Des Plaines-based MR Properties LLC early this year sued parking lot operator Andriyous Youkhana, MR’s equity partner on the property, alleging that Mr. Youkhana is thwarting MR’s effort to buy the site outright.

[BVictor1]

I think that we can chalk up another construction start for 2007. While coming into work this morning, I noticed a 3rd crane on the Museum Park Place 2 site and it was moving. Didn't get a close view because I was on LSD but it appears to be a go. I'll swing by the site later to make sure, but I'm changinh the status on Emporis.

[honte]

Originally Posted by spyguy

http://www.suntimes.com/business/roeder/669790,CST-FIN-roeder28.article

McCaffery aims to fit with Flair
DAVID ROEDER

Chicago developer Dan McCaffery has taken control of a site in River North and is moving forward with plans for an apartment high-rise. Working with architect Joseph Antunovich

Someone save us.

I guess The Bernardin made a great impression on McCaffery - or, wasn't he the developer on that one too?

[Nowhereman1280]

^^^UGGGG OMG NO!

I just figured out what building the Bernardian is! SICK! I HATE THAT BUILDING! I have to see it out my window all day every day, it is a complete blemish on my view! Its like "look at all the pretty buildings and that pile of shit right in the middle". I hope this building doesn't look as bad as that one. Its just so cheap looking.

I looked at this guys architecture website and it looks like a pile of pomo junk, not looking forward to this tower...

I'm not kidding, I literally cringe every time I see the Bernardian!

[VivaLFuego]

From the front page, the old design for Flair:



So, lop off a couple floors and you get the idea.

[10023]

Positively vomit-inducing.

[Alliance]

Come on, you need at least 5 pieces of flair.

Actually, 5 would induce a coma, and I garuntee there are 5 on the U/C list. No wonder some question Chicago's architectural integrity.

[left of center]

^ eh, compared to the Bernadin, its a slight improvement. The Bernadin was your classic hole punched window concrete box tower, with some precast detailing added to the lower portion of the building and on the windows. Atleast the flair seems to have more of a glass cladding with less exposed concrete.

the balconies will end up looking like ass, however. The roof might end up nice if they actually end up using copper. Itll be lame, but not outright gaudy and lame, like the Bernadin, and a load of other projects that have been built.

Lets just be glad that for the most part, these crappy projects arent too tall (with a special exception being Grand Plaza... so god awful, ugh.)

[Northwest]

Originally Posted by X-fib

What is the tower on the far right, just to the left of Sears? Waterview? Wolf Point? Something closer?

Is that really Elysian? It looks bigger than 686', but distance vs. size can be deceiving. It is a nice addition to Chicago's skyline from this view.

[spyguy]

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/671674,hosp112807.article

Experts: Helipad atop Children's proposed hospital is 'high-risk'

November 28, 2007
BY FRAN SPIELMAN

Children’s Memorial Hospital’s plan to put a heliport atop its proposed, $1 billion hospital in Streeterville ran into more turbulence Wednesday: Safety experts hired by a community group concluded that a “hostile physical environment” with building obstructions and high winds makes the helipad “high-risk.”

[Sir Isaac Newton]

Originally Posted by Alliance

Come on, you need at least 5 pieces of flair.

Actually, 5 would induce a coma, and I garuntee there are 5 on the U/C list. No wonder some question Chicago's architectural integrity.

No doubt there are probably 5 flops that are currently on Chicago's U/C list. But the statement "no wonder some question Chicago's architectural integrity" seems just a tad silly. Does Chicago have an architecture czar or architecture council that judges the architectural merits or each proposed highrise? And then that czar or council has the power to decide whether or not to approve any given project, based on how good or bad they deem the highrise to be from an architectural point of view?

Each highrise is designed by an individual architect or achitecture firm. The city/mayor can be proactive in trying to lure renowned architects to build in Chicago or pursuade developers to make adjustments to a proposed highrise to make it look more aesthetically pleasing...but the level of influence that the city/mayor has in this area is very limited. Chicago has many beautiful buildings, and at the same time, it's to be expected that there are some duds out there and there will be a few more duds that are built. But to imply that the dud buildings out there are a result of some sort of imaginary betrayal of "architectural integrity" by the actual city of Chicago seems pretty silly.

[Dr. Taco]

Originally Posted by left of center

Lets just be glad that for the most part, these crappy projects arent too tall (with a special exception being Grand Plaza... so god awful, ugh.)

true. I've never noticed the bernadin until today. its pretty gross, but I didn't even know it existed

[Dr. Taco]

Originally Posted by spyguy

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/671674,hosp112807.article

Experts: Helipad atop Children's proposed hospital is 'high-risk'

November 28, 2007
BY FRAN SPIELMAN

Children’s Memorial Hospital’s plan to put a heliport atop its proposed, $1 billion hospital in Streeterville ran into more turbulence Wednesday: Safety experts hired by a community group concluded that a “hostile physical environment” with building obstructions and high winds makes the helipad “high-risk.”

Its a good thing we have streeterville experts on the case

[VivaLFuego]

I said it a couple weeks back but I think it got missed.....

Steely, fyi 541 Cornelia is "On Hold", held up in court. The owners of the building next door sued to prevent construction because they believe the foundation work will irreperably damage their building. So who knows what the timeline is like on this one....but it's certainly not imminently U/C (though hopefully I eat my words shortly...good bit of high-density infill)

[i_am_hydrogen]

Originally Posted by spyguy

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/671674,hosp112807.article

Experts: Helipad atop Children's proposed hospital is 'high-risk'

November 28, 2007
BY FRAN SPIELMAN

Children’s Memorial Hospital’s plan to put a heliport atop its proposed, $1 billion hospital in Streeterville ran into more turbulence Wednesday: Safety experts hired by a community group concluded that a “hostile physical environment” with building obstructions and high winds makes the helipad “high-risk.”

Should the conclusion of these experts really come as a surprise considering that they were paid by SOAR?

[Alliance]

Originally Posted by Sir Isaac Newton

But to imply that the dud buildings out there are a result of some sort of imaginary betrayal of "architectural integrity" by the actual city of Chicago seems pretty silly.

I never implied that. Don't make things up.

[Mr Downtown]

Was it really a surprise that the experts paid by Childrens Memorial concluded that everything would be peachy?

[the urban politician]

^ Just what I was thinking

[aaron38]

Originally Posted by VivaLFuego

I said it a couple weeks back but I think it got missed.....

Steely, fyi 541 Cornelia is "On Hold", held up in court. The owners of the building next door sued to prevent construction because they believe the foundation work will irreperably damage their building. So who knows what the timeline is like on this one....but it's certainly not imminently U/C (though hopefully I eat my words shortly...good bit of high-density infill)

This doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Waterview did their foundation just fiine without damaging the neighboring buildings. Surely the engineers can do the sam here with a much smaller building.

Hopefully the engineers did their job and these are just unfounded fears. This is a building I really want to see come together. I'm in that area a lot, and it's great infil, and an area that could really use more density.