CHICAGO | Boom rundown - everything over 12 floors. v5

[i_am_hydrogen]

Taken today:

[honte]

^ "Manure at the oK corral."

Thanks for all the great photos. No matter how good the photographer, there's only so much you can do to help this one...

[ardecila]

I don't think it's so bad. It's way better than a lot of River North towers.

The K Station area looks really awesome from an aerial view. I expect one of these per month, hydro.

You can also see the platform that Trio built over the Metra tracks. Hopefully they do a similar cover-the-tracks between 353 Desplaines and the mid-rises to the south. A nice landscaped promenade could be created here.

[i_am_hydrogen]

Taken today:

[BVictor1]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainm...jan20,1,2479082.story?ctrack=6&cset=true

Getting the max out of minimalism
Helmut Jahn redefines skyscraper formula with his first condo tower in Chicago

By Blair Kamin | TRIBUNE CRITIC
January 20, 2008

Life isn't fair, and neither are the ebbs and flows of architectural celebrity.

Twenty-three years ago, Helmut Jahn was the talk of the architecture world -- a pop star/fashion plate splashed on the cover of GQ, his cool blue eyes peering out from under a light-brown gangster hat. Today, his star has been eclipsed by such megawatt architects as Frank Gehry and Zaha Hadid. Yet he's better than ever, as he makes clear in his first residential high-rise in Chicago.

[harryc]

[Alliance]

Originally Posted by honte

^ "Manure at the oK corral."

Thanks for all the great photos. No matter how good the photographer, there's only so much you can do to help this one...

Sad as it is, its better than half the towers on the northside, and as faar as height for its location, we couldn't ask for more. It really moves the boundries of the skyline.

[harryc]

Details of the curtain wall ( not a facade because there is no wall behind it ? )

These are webshots - click on the image for the original size.

[Eventually...Chicago]

buildings like allure, vision on state and the conc. jungle of the river north area are simply urban density adders. They are meant to be cheap, forgettable, and very occupied. Any great city in the world has a lot of plain buildings which provide the market to make the beautiful ones (spire, trump, and like 10 others u/c right now) possible. So lets ease up a bit on the high rises outside the downtown area, they are serving their purpose well.

Does anyone have an update on x/o, park michigan, or Park 1000? I'm assuming that park michigan is dead?

Also, there is a purple facade building that is on south michigan that has had scaffolding up for at least a year. Does anyone know what is going on here? Is this supposed to be part of the park michigan development?

Thanks!

[BVictor1]

Originally Posted by Alliance

Sad as it is, its better than half the towers on the northside, and as faar as height for its location, we couldn't ask for more. It really moves the boundries of the skyline.

Sure we could ask for more, and we should ask for more. I'd have taken a 20-story beauty over a 40-story turd any day.

So-No 01/19/08

[VivaLFuego]

Originally Posted by Alliance

Sad as it is, its better than half the towers on the northside, and as faar as height for its location, we couldn't ask for more. It really moves the boundries of the skyline.

By "northside", do you mean River North, or the entire north lakeshore? If the former, well, yeah probably, unfortunately. If the latter, I'll just register my vote as vehemently disagreeing with you...

[Loopy]

Originally Posted by Eventually...Chicago

buildings like allure, vision on state and the conc. jungle of the river north area are simply urban density adders. They are meant to be cheap, forgettable, and very occupied. Any great city in the world has a lot of plain buildings which provide the market to make the beautiful ones (spire, trump, and like 10 others u/c right now) possible. So lets ease up a bit on the high rises outside the downtown area, they are serving their purpose well.

I agree. But there still are some very disturbing buildings being built. Just go stroll by the almost completed Marquee Michigan sometime. It's positively horrifying. Then when you come upon the Columbian, Michigan Avenue Tower and Vision on State, buildings that we used to groan about, you realize that these buildings are worlds better than Marquee. It was a real eye-opener for me.

Originally Posted by Eventually...Chicago

Does anyone have an update on x/o, park michigan, or Park 1000? I'm assuming that park michigan is dead?

Also, there is a purple facade building that is on south michigan that has had scaffolding up for at least a year. Does anyone know what is going on here? Is this supposed to be part of the park michigan development?

Thanks!

First, regarding Park Michigan; Yes, the blue-gray painted Victorian facade is the old YWCA that was planned to be incorporated into Park Michigan. The developer of Park Michigan and Park 1000 wasn't paying attention to Ward politics and got burned. Hard to say if they're dead, lets just say that the developer was persuaded by circumstances to learn to enjoy being a parking lot operator.

[brian_b]

As far as the Allure at K Station goes, it wouldn't be so bad if they left it as unpainted concrete. They have been using some pretty ugly bricks down at the base of it, and I'm pretty sure they'll be using some matching paint above street-level.

[the urban politician]

^ When did brick become an ugly cladding material?

[harryc]

A quick ride by shooting

[brian_b]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

^ When did brick become an ugly cladding material?

Have you seen the bricks they chose for this site?

[Chicago Shawn]

Originally Posted by ardecila

I don't think it's so bad. It's way better than a lot of River North towers.

The K Station area looks really awesome from an aerial view. I expect one of these per month, hydro.

You can also see the platform that Trio built over the Metra tracks. Hopefully they do a similar cover-the-tracks between 353 Desplaines and the mid-rises to the south. A nice landscaped promenade could be created here.

Well, I hate to be Debbie Downer, but the platform over the tracks is only for an elevated surface parking lot for the Jewel. I suppose it does make some use of otherwise unused air rights.

I don't think the Allure is deplorable yet, but we have more of the same coming soon and K Station will be one big sea of blandness. The high density and addition of retail where neither existed before is the only saving grace here. As far as the next two towers between Halsted and Des Plaines, think of slabed out versions of the Allure. Hopefully that will change over time.

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by brian_b

Have you seen the bricks they chose for this site?

Would it happen to be in this picture (yellowish brick structure on the right):

[wrab]

I could be imagining things, but looks to me as though Magellan has updated their Lake Shore East map slightly:


http://www.lakeshoreeast.com/site-plan-map.html

The footprint of site "C" - where the Arquitectonica tower will stand - has been consolidated from what were three separate sites into one, as the renders would suggest. So a confirmation of sorts on the more massive of the AQ designs. Site C is also the only of the future site footprints to have a letter designation, apart from the mysteriously-named "Site O" adjacent to Aqua - so looks like it's batters-up for the AQ tower.

Also, the Swisshotel Ballroom is designated in light blue - has Magellan acquired it for development as well?

[jpIllInoIs]

^ Looks like Upper Wacker will be extended to provide a front door to Arquitectonica.. and hopefully put a nice looking end cap on the road!