CHICAGO | Boom rundown - everything over 12 floors. v5

[left of center]

Originally Posted by Chicagoguy

The Old LaStrada? Is it not there anymore? Just curious if something was planned in its place?

An extremely narrow condo tower that will do an excellent job of blocking the hideous Doral Plaza from Millenium Park

[Chicagoguy]

Originally Posted by SolarWind

July 1, 2008

Thanks for the update on the LaStrada Site. And what work is being done on this one? Hopefully something to make it look nicer? I wish they would just tear the ugly thing down. It would give us so much space for a new tower or two!

[photoLith]

I heard somewhere that they were replacing just the top 15 stories with new cladding, i hope thats not true though, since that would probably look even more horrific. I agree, they should tear it down. I always thought it was the ugliest thing in the city when I lived there. Im sure people share the same sentiments no matter if they lived there or not. In anyones opinion, is this is the ugliest building in the city, if not, what is?

[Marcu]

^ I personally think it's a hideous bulky piece of crap. It doesn't even look like a building that can house people, but rather as some sort of massive virtual warehouse resembling a radiator. Some people for some reason, however, have an affinity for it.

Unfortunately, the condo conversion means this building will be with us forever and we can all agree that in the renders it looks awful. I would've preferred a tear down, or in a world not subject to the laws of physics, demo-ing the center to make it 2 separate leaner buildings with new windows.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by photolitherland

In anyones opinion, is this is the ugliest building in the city, if not, what is?

mid-continental plaza is a fine building. yeah, it's big, but i'm an american, i like big stuff. the nice clean international style cladding is going to be majorly messed with and what was once a nice sober austere backdrop to the flamboyance of the michigan avenue streetwall is now about to become one of the biggest architectural blemishes on the cityscape.

[wrab]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

mid-continental plaza is a fine building. yeah, it's big, but i'm an american, i like big stuff. the nice clean international style cladding is going to be majorly messed with and what was once a nice sober austere backdrop to the flamboyance of the michigan avenue streetwall is now about to become one of the biggest architectural blemishes on the cityscape.

^ And its big mid-century commercial floorplate makes for some dark, narrow residences to boot...shoeboxes, really, or caves.

[trvlr70]

Without doubt, it is one of the most reviled buildings in all of Chicago. It looks like an industrial radiator cover....just hideous. I can't remember, but I recall an architectural critic refering to it as a "monolithic grey tombstone hulking over Grant Park", or something to that effect.

Although it would never occur, a teardown would be ideal....and think of all that recycled scrap metal.

Initially, I was absolutely not in favor of the condos, but this thing really can't get any worse. Perhaps[maybe] this could be an improvement? We'll just have to wait and see.

[Chicago Shawn]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

mid-continental plaza is a fine building. yeah, it's big, but i'm an american, i like big stuff. the nice clean international style cladding is going to be majorly messed with and what was once a nice sober austere backdrop to the flamboyance of the michigan avenue streetwall is now about to become one of the biggest architectural blemishes on the cityscape.

Agreed 100%. Not the greatest building in the world, but it served as an excellent contrast to the streetwall below. The building itself has a nice modernist design, it was just the size that was oppressive. I have always liked it, especially the block long retail arcade on two levels.

[Tom Servo]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

mid-continental plaza is a fine building. yeah, it's big, but i'm an american, i like big stuff. the nice clean international style cladding is going to be majorly messed with and what was once a nice sober austere backdrop to the flamboyance of the michigan avenue streetwall is now about to become one of the biggest architectural blemishes on the cityscape.

amen to that.

[cbotnyse]

mid-continental plaza also provides some serious bulk to the skyline at night. I think it blends in very nicely(at night). It does stand out during the day (not in a good way) and will be exponentially worse now.

the video for the condos does look pretty sweet though. Seems like some good urban living. http://www.parkmonroe.com/index.asp (click on the virtual tour)

[VivaLFuego]

...I sort of like Mid-continental, and must avert my eyes to the rape and pillage that is commencing on its upper third. And it's best not to think about the imminently ruined postcard skyline. Hopefully the nearby Legacy will distract the eyes from the "Park Monroe" monstrosity.

It's not aesthetically "pleasing" but it's not supposed to be.

[Haworthia]

I think it adds some grit to the Chicago skyline. It's tall, massive, a little rough looking, and demands attention. I don't want to see any work done on it. It's like putting makeup on a career boxer. It will just look ridiculous. It's as ugly as it's supposed to be.

[Alliance]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

mid-continental plaza is a fine building. yeah, it's big, but i'm an american, i like big stuff. the nice clean international style cladding is going to be majorly messed with and what was once a nice sober austere backdrop to the flamboyance of the michigan avenue streetwall is now about to become one of the biggest architectural blemishes on the cityscape.

ROFL. Mid-Continental is a suffocating presence in Chicago. This isn't Texas, we're not about "big" just for "big's" sake. I'd like to think Chicago has gotten past the point where we get architecutral boners for things because they're big. Its not even big in a good way...its OBESE, its drab grey belly flapping over and trapping the little children along S. Michigan.

The "nice clean international style cladding" might be nice up close, but even from 2 or 3 blocks away, the facade dematerializes into a confused mass. This building is already a huge disaster, no more "sober" or "austere" than a dead body swinging over South Michigan streetwall.

This POS toaster should have long been demolised. The building is perhaps the worst placed in Chicago. It becoming this laugingstock is simply no less than it deserves. Its lot could house 2, even 3, virile new towers with a real and permenant presence. Personally, I think Goettsch Partners should be publically humiliated for this and its undone every good thing they've ever done for the city, perhaps even taking them the other way. This is perhaps the most retarded major developemnt in the city (not that it hasn't always been so).

[honte]

I'll chime in that I love MCP and this alteration is going to be a universally disliked change - bringing the haters and the lovers together in a collective circle of shame.

MCP is beautiful from nearly every angle, especially from the ground up. If it were in the West Loop, no one would have any issue with it.

Last, I want to say I am saddened that so many are calling for the demolition of a block-long, 50-story skyscraper. I think the revision underway is infinitely better than the unbelievable waste of environmental resources this would constitute.

[JMO_0121]

The only good thing about this transformation is that people living there will have views to kill for.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by Alliance

.its OBESE, its drab grey belly flapping over and trapping the little children along S. Michigan.

EXACTLY, that's why i like it so much. it's so oppressive and "un-pretty". the michigan avenue streetwall is pretty. pretty is for housewives and little girls. mid-continental is an inhuman structure, a monolith from a different dimension inhabited by mythological giants. it's the challenge that it presents that makes me admire it all the more.

the condo conversion facade redo is going to obliterate its "monolithicness", and hence destroy this building's entire raison d'etre.

[Buckman821]

I think it was an absolutely hideous building but unfortunately I think it is going to get significantly worse. Its such a fat ugly building. Imagine what we could have with the same amount of square footage in a slender form.

[Pandemonious]

I actually kind of like MCP. From a pedestrian perspective, standing right next to the tower and looking up its facade, it is perhaps one of the mose impressive buildings in the city. The tightly spaced verticality of its facade spread out over the overwhelmingly massive surface of its E and W facades is quite awe-inspiring from a neck craning close up view. From far away, it looks like an enormous cooling tower or something, and is perhaps poorly placed in the skyline, but adds a nice diversity of building bulk along the Mich Ave streetwall IMO. Perhaps when more tall and thin towers (like Legacy) are built in the vicinity, it will help it fit in better. Someone already mentioned the two story block long retail space. Workers from all around the area I am sure have eaten/eat at the Under 55 cafeteria thing in the basement. The tower adds a lot to the area, and definitely doesn't deserve to be torn down.

I definitely am opposed to the facade being altered, and think it will make the tower look awkward. Oh well...

[simcityaustin]

So will the entire building be reclad at least, or will it be 1/2 glass 1/2 old cladding? (That would be an ugly mess if it's the latter)

Here's a snap of the Peshtigo site.
It's a bad shot, but thought some people might want to see what it looks like now.



Here is Streeter Place



The Clare:






353:










All of these were taken last Sunday.

[Chicago Shawn]

Originally Posted by simcityaustin

So will the entire building be reclad at least, or will it be 1/2 glass 1/2 old cladding? (That would be an ugly mess if it's the latter)

The latter, which is why this conversion will suck so much.