CHICAGO | Boom rundown - everything over 12 floors. v5

[Chicago Shawn]

Originally Posted by observer

I have heard through the grape fine that Lucien Lagrange is designing office tower for that site...so who know what we will get....could have a mansard roof on the top.

Its not Po-Mo, but it is still preliminary at this point. Although the recent article link posted did state that Prime Group was already courting potential tenants.

I for one, am 100% in favor of office at this location. Our office market's geographic center continues to push westward, and we need the West Loop to continue a mixed-use balance to support that. Too much exclusive residential development puts the West Loop at risk of becoming a NIMBY rat nest like the lost cause of nearby West Loop Gate. Yes, rental apartments generally have fewer complainers, but a rental building can always go condo. I have heard that some folks in Riverbend are already bitching about Wolf Point, which of course has had no public release of any rendering or even massing image, only one image-less newspaper article.

Plus, given the typical nature of office buildings, this will give us some much needed height in this area; more than a typical rental tower would have provided.

[killaviews]

Originally Posted by AdrianXSands

oh man, that'll look really nice. and that's a really sweet shot of the gen. growth building. (one of chicago's best kept secrets if you ask me!) now if only we can do something about the PoMo crap next door, we'd be set!

I think General Growth is calling to be facadism. Its a good looking building, but it needs height.

[BVictor1]

Originally Posted by killaviews

I think General Growth is calling to be facadism. Its a good looking building, but it needs height.

Facadectomy my ass, blow that little bitch up.

Originally Posted by honte

Unfortunately, his most talented Modern designers (you know, the people who designed the towers you actually like by LaGrange) have either quit or been fired.

Really, where didi you hear that? If that's true, it's a damn shame, because they were the talent of the firm.

[Nowhereman1280]

^^^ Completely agree Bvictor, blow the General Growth building up, not only is it an unattractive design, but its way to short and in not so great condition.

[pilsenarch]

Originally Posted by BVictor1

Facadectomy my ass, blow that little bitch up.



Really, where didi you hear that? If that's true, it's a damn shame, because they were the talent of the firm.

Yes, they/he were/was "let go" due precisely becasue they were so talented and Lucien deemed them a threat to his ego if he kept them around any longer then absolutely necessary....he figures he can just hire them back if need be, which, unfortunately, has happened in the past...it's a rotten profession....

[EarlyBuyer]

Photo's taken by EarlyBuyer 2/9/08

[Pandemonious]

Went for a long walk with my camera today.







This boom is so damned amazing. Trump is just now starting to peek into the skyline from the south side, and there are almost too many cranes to count.

[ardecila]

I found this image for a Greektown condo project called "Iliad". I assume the developer is the same one who's doing "Odyssey Lofts" across the street, named "W Developments". They have done several other West Loop projects as well.

Anyway, it appears to contain the Hellenic Museum that held a design competition years ago. Strangely, Iliad's architects (Hirsch Assoc.) were not in the design competition, which was won by Pappageorge/Haymes (big surprise there). Is this a more recent plan?

[10023]

^ Eww, what is that?

[Tom Servo]

Originally Posted by ardecila

I found this image for a Greektown condo project called "Iliad". I assume the developer is the same one who's doing "Odyssey Lofts" across the street, named "W Developments". They have done several other West Loop projects as well.

Anyway, it appears to contain the Hellenic Museum that held a design competition years ago. Strangely, Iliad's architects (Hirsch Assoc.) were not in the design competition, which was won by Pappageorge/Haymes (big surprise there). Is this a more recent plan?

OMG WHAT IS THAT?!

[Pandemonious]

^A fucking trainwreck of a design?

I thought something more like 25-30 stories was in planning for that site (Van Buren and Halsted)?

I would rather have that empty lot there than that piece of shit to be honest. It is a prominent site, and just half a block from the el... it deserves at least 30 stories, and for being in such a highly visible location.. needs to be a great design..

With how absolutely amateur and shitty that rendering is, I assume that this may not be the current real proposal for the site.

[cbotnyse]

Originally Posted by AdrianXSands

and that's a really sweet shot of the gen. growth building. (one of chicago's best kept secrets if you ask me!):

I cant stop laughing.

[SamInTheLoop]

^ Unfortunately, that is the typical quality of a Hirsch rendering, at least judging by the contents of their website......it's sad but I unfortunately care very little about anything that happens west of the expressway........largely just a massive lost cause...

[honte]

Originally Posted by Pandemonious

I would rather have that empty lot there than that piece of shit to be honest. It is a prominent site, and just half a block from the el... it deserves at least 30 stories, and for being in such a highly visible location.. needs to be a great design..

No kidding. The lack of taste, it's just unreal. I guess if you took the tower off the parking and abolished the PoMo "accents," it might be acceptable.

Even better than the vacant lot would be to have Turek Hardware back.

[Chicago Shawn]

^ Wow, that is truly vomit inducing. Its just so awful, I don't know where to begin.

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by honte

No kidding. The lack of taste, it's just unreal. I guess if you took the tower off the parking and abolished the PoMo "accents," it might be acceptable.

Even better than the vacant lot would be to have Turek Hardware back.

^ But that's not a parking podium. I think what Ardecila is saying is that the tower rises above the Hellenic Museum.

[VivaLFuego]

Originally Posted by BVictor1

Facadectomy my ass, blow that little bitch up.

Finally we agree .....I think General Growth has numerous very attractive features, but it's hard to make the case that it's architectural significant historically in anything other than the absolutely most academic sense, and it is becoming a horrid underutilization of a prime site that should be more 40-50 stories, not 5.

On the subject of aesthetics, I don't think much comment is really necessary on the Iliad. If something's gonna be a nightmare, it'd better at least inject some serious density and street vibrancy a la Grand Plaza.

[Dan in Chicago]

I am willing to bet that it is a parking podium. No local ethnic museum can support 5 stories of solid museum space. It would be almost as big as the MCA if you don't count the latter's atrium. The Polish Museum is, what... two rooms? And there are lots more Polish in Chicago than Greeks.

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

^ But that's not a parking podium. I think what Ardecila is saying is that the tower rises above the Hellenic Museum.

No, the Hellenic Museum is on the first floor and in the basement. The entire rest of the podium is parking.

[edsg25]

[QUOTE=Pandemonious;3343794]



I'm writing this one big and colorful for the emphasis it needed.

Look at this photograph.

Does this not look like it could have been lifted from the view of the skyline from Lincoln Park with the condos on Lakeview, LPW, and Clark to the right (where the South Loop towers stand) and the skyline magically turned in reverse?

talk about a mind-blowing photo...or at least that was the effect on me.