CHICAGO | Boom rundown - everything over 12 floors. v5

[emathias]

Originally Posted by honte

Yes Steely, but it's also extending to the south where there is an existing historic Italianate building. So much for Friedman Properties' "commitment to preservation."

I find this unacceptable because the site is roughly 80% vacant lots, and they are branding this as three hotels - meaning that separate structures, which could preserve the historic building, would be no skin off their backs.

Last, the architecture is deplorable. The stupid wave thing is tacky, tacky, tacky - a lame attempt to rip off Three Museum Park, and who knows why you would want to rip that off anyway. Where is the spirit of Gyo Obata in this office?

1) The rezoning sign on fence for that site says "building to remain"

2) If you look at the bigger rendering instead of just spouting off a mildly libelous rant, it appears that the "historic Italianate building" you reference IS being preserved since it still exists in the picture. The second, detail rendering doesn't include that building, because it's essentially just an elevation.

3) The wave thing is tacky, but I don't think it would take much to get them to omit that from the final product. Here's to hoping :-)

[aaron38]

Lots of renders today.
501 N Clark: Looks like it belongs more in Times Square, but I agree, it'll be great for streetlife. I don't hate it, but it's not really good either.

Theatre Lofts: I like the tower, and the mosaic quality of the facade. Still waiting for developers to stop putting a good tower on top of a crap base though.
My wife thinks it looks like a dorm. Not sure if that's good or bad.

[harryc]

Coffe break - they are drinking Dunkin Donuts coffe, there was a Dunkin donuts here before.


Haddock st.


Heavy lifting involved


Tall lobby


Patterns

[VivaLFuego]

Originally Posted by honte

Yes Steely, but it's also extending to the south where there is an existing historic Italianate building. So much for Friedman Properties' "commitment to preservation."

I find this unacceptable because the site is roughly 80% vacant lots, and they are branding this as three hotels - meaning that separate structures, which could preserve the historic building, would be no skin off their backs.

Are you sure? It looks like that 3-story Italianate building (painted pink) is still on the far south side of the block in that rendering.

EDIT: mathias pointed this out already apparently. But you won't get much argument from me on the general tackiness of the architecture. In a certain sense, it'll fit in as framing the River North park, along with Rainforest Cafe, Grand Plaza, and the Farallon (the latter which has a nice Red Lobster in its base! Probably one of the worst of all the parking blobs from this boom, in fact)

[harryc]

Top of this column


The edge


The forms march on


Beams




Panoramic


From above



Site Prep
Caissons
Mat & Core
2008

[VivaLFuego]

Originally Posted by ardecila

Found some updated renderings for 1260 West Madison, which everybody in the West Loop seems to hate. It is an extremely urban design that we'd be lucky to get in River North or South Loop, let alone all the way out at Madison and Throop.

Looks satisfactory to me; agreed on the relatively "urban" design particularly for its context in the grand locus of NIMBY tomfoolery. To where do I cut the check to Alderman Burnett so this thing gets approved?

[budman]

Originally Posted by VivaLFuego

Are you sure? It looks like that 3-story Italianate building (painted pink) is still on the far south side of the block in that rendering.

EDIT: mathias pointed this out already apparently. But you won't get much argument from me on the general tackiness of the architecture. In a certain sense, it'll fit in as framing the River North park, along with Rainforest Cafe, Grand Plaza, and the Farallon (the latter which has a nice Red Lobster in its base! Probably one of the worst of all the parking blobs from this boom, in fact)

^That Red Lobster has actually been replace by a Chase branch...which looks BETTER there than the Red Lobster did, if you can believe that. Also, isnt that 501 N. State the site where the planned Hyatt boutique hotel was going to be (which I thought was a long way off). The rendering is awful, but I agree with the others that it looks like we might get some much needed street life there.

[honte]

Originally Posted by emathias

2) If you look at the bigger rendering instead of just spouting off a mildly libelous rant, it appears that the "historic Italianate building" you reference IS being preserved since it still exists in the picture. The second, detail rendering doesn't include that building, because it's essentially just an elevation.

Soooo sorry to waste your time with my "ranting." People make mistakes; and furthermore this issue had already been discussed on this board, so any move to save the building is news.

In any case, if they are saving the building, great. The render is out of wack and the placement of the street sign makes it look like that building is one of the others across the street. I did look into it, however, and you are right, so good for Friedman and good for Chicago. Now at least I can forgive them for building crap.

[SamInTheLoop]

Originally Posted by budman

^That Red Lobster has actually been replace by a Chase branch...which looks BETTER there than the Red Lobster did, if you can believe that. Also, isnt that 501 N. State the site where the planned Hyatt boutique hotel was going to be (which I thought was a long way off). The rendering is awful, but I agree with the others that it looks like we might get some much needed street life there.

I had been thinking the same thing re: the proposed Hyatt Place - however if you look at the rendering, it appears Hyatt Place will be one of the 3 hotels in this project (it's the one with the more modern design).

Definitely agree that this is not very good architecture (being generous). If this is HOK, then why do I get the feeling that the other Friedman hotel project on Dearborn that they are finishing up was also HOK. They are only about 10 yrs behind the times with this schlocky pomo, or whatever you want to call it. However, like others great street life-enhancer...

Also, in regards to the west half of the block where the almost complete Friedman hotel project, I just checked out Friedman's website, which was just redesigned. The southern half will be an 11-story garage (rendering on site). Although mention was made of the residential tower that will go just to the north of the garage, no details or renderings on the site yet... I don't have high hopes for the residential tower's design, if Friedman's hotel projects are any indication - hopefully HOK isn't the design firm. I unfortunately predict another exercise in timidity - one of these hybrid towers that tries to be a little pomo here, a little modern there, because of course this is the only route to contextual quality and sensitivity........ very unsophisticated approach...

[SamInTheLoop]

Posted today on Bidclerk.com - I can't identify the tower from the following details that were given:

- condo
- 41 stories
- 435 units
- estimated start June 2008

Anyone know it?

[SamInTheLoop]

And Fifield's clever tower names go on:

The Site A towers are named Alta at K Station and Vector at K Station.

So it's

- Left Bank
- Echelon
- Alta
- Vector
- ???
- ???

Ohhh I want to live there now.

Cool names, unfortunately not changing the visual appeal of the buildings...

[ardecila]

They're picking absolutely the WRONG names for the Art Deco style they've chosen.

Names like Echelon, Alta, and Vector all have very modern, technological connotations to them IMO. Then again, single-word names kinda do that no matter what the word actually is. Look at how many trendy restaurants have one-word names.

If I was Fifield's marketing team, I would have found a theme for all the buildings that could be carried over into building motifs and building names. As it stands, the buildings will be Art Deco, but they will have little of the fine detail that real Deco buildings had in reliefs and murals.

The fact that Fifield chose a glassy style for the eastern sites and Deco for the western sites also really bugs me. It's unjustified architectural monotony. If Fifield had mixed up the styles a little bit, putting glass next to Deco and interspersing them, it would make for a much more interesting district.

[Dan in Chicago]

Just to keep things clear, Vector at K Station is the one that recently started construction. I went by the site on Sunday, and no foundation work has begun on Alta. I'll check 565 Quincy on Thursday. Also, 501 North Clark has been added to Emporis as building 321830.

[BVictor1]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/c...-american-book-0129jan29,0,4167998.story

Preservationists raise flag about plans for second McCormick convention hotel
By Kathy Bergen | Tribune staff reporter
11:38 AM CST, January 29, 2008

Plans to build a second convention hotel near McCormick Place may run into a wall--a historically significant red brick wall, to be exact--as preservationists are raising a red flag about the potential loss of the 1912 American Book Company building on the proposed site.


http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-wed_mccormickjan30,0,1486832.story
McCormick hotel up against a wall
By Kathy Bergen | Tribune reporter
January 30, 2008

[BVictor1]

http://www.suntimes.com/business/roeder/766443,CST-FIN-roeder30.article

Lubavitch Chabad defers its dream
Real estate | Site at Clark and Chestnut sold to LG to build 15-to-20 story condo high-rise

January 30, 2008
BY DAVID ROEDER Sun-Times Columnist

For months, people living near the southwest corner of Clark and Chestnut wondered about the hole in the ground. The owner, Lubavitch Chabad, planned a Center for Jewish Life on the site, but couldn't raise the money.

ALSO IN THE ARTICLE

GOING UP: D2 Realty Services Inc. has retooled its plans for 1000 S. Clark, property it bought in 2006 for $10.4 million.

[SamInTheLoop]

^ from Roeder's column today - the new architect is Booth Hansen (great news!) and it will now have 500 apartment units...

[museumparktom]

500 units - What was the old number?

[Tom Servo]

Originally Posted by SamInTheLoop

^ from Roeder's column today - the new architect is Booth Hansen (great news!) and it will now have 500 apartment units...

best news i've heard all year! that AWFUL curve pos dies, and booth hansen is the architect on this new development? can this happen more often???
i'm not normally a praying man, but if you're up there, please let this happen more often, superman!

[VivaLFuego]

Originally Posted by SamInTheLoop

Also, in regards to the west half of the block where the almost complete Friedman hotel project, I just checked out Friedman's website, which was just redesigned. The southern half will be an 11-story garage (rendering on site).

I suppose it could be worse...

[VivaLFuego]

Originally Posted by BVictor1

http://www.suntimes.com/business/roeder/766443,CST-FIN-roeder30.article

Lubavitch Chabad defers its dream
Real estate | Site at Clark and Chestnut sold to LG to build 15-to-20 story condo high-rise

January 30, 2008
BY DAVID ROEDER Sun-Times Columnist

For months, people living near the southwest corner of Clark and Chestnut wondered about the hole in the ground. The owner, Lubavitch Chabad, planned a Center for Jewish Life on the site, but couldn't raise the money.

ALSO IN THE ARTICLE

GOING UP: D2 Realty Services Inc. has retooled its plans for 1000 S. Clark, property it bought in 2006 for $10.4 million.

15-20 story building with only 2 units per floor. I'm guessing they'll probably also include 2.5-3 parking spots per unit. What a disgusting waste of a prime development site. Apparently, Reilly was "impressed" with the proposal. Thanks alot, Alderman Hack.

RIP Cineplex Odeon