CHICAGO | The Elysian | 686 FT / 209 M | 60 FLOORS | COM

[the urban politician]

^ All due respect for you old timers (and I mean that), is this really going to turn into a "nostalgia for the gritty old River North" thread?

There is nothing wrong with a neighborhood's "manhattanization", insofar as I am concerned, which is exactly what has been going on in River North for decades. What's more concerning is the poor quality of many these developments.

Elysian is a breath of fresh air, all things considered. EnV, Contemporaine, Trump, Hotel Palomar, Sofitel Hotel (and perhaps some others I forgot) are some recent additions that I would like to see more of in the neighborhood, as they actually grace the neighborhood without insulting it.

[lawfin]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

^ All due respect for you old timers (and I mean that), is this really going to turn into a "nostalgia for the gritty old River North" thread?

There is nothing wrong with a neighborhood's "manhattanization", insofar as I am concerned, which is exactly what has been going on in River North for decades. What's more concerning is the poor quality of many these developments.

Elysian is a breath of fresh air, all things considered. EnV, Contemporaine, Trump, Hotel Palomar, Sofitel Hotel (and perhaps some others I forgot) are some recent additions that I would like to see more of in the neighborhood, as they actually grace the neighborhood without insulting it.

I think the issue is less the "Manhattanization"...at least as it understood as being a prevalence of tall building.....but more of the "conformitization" of the street level experience.......chain shops, blank concrete podia....do not make a enthralling experience at the street level.

The height is impressive in the area....indeed the River North / Streetorville area / Gold COast area are in many ways more impressively tall that just about any where outside of NYC and the Loop itself

[viewguysf]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

What's more concerning is the poor quality of many these developments.

That was exactly my initial sentiment when I saw the neighborhood after many years. Some of what replaced the old was not good; even more troubling was how many parking lots and empty lots there were. What was the point of tearing down some of the great old brick buildings for that?

Don't get me wrong, I love Trump Tower and many of the new structures. To me though, the fun street life and feeling of vibrancy and livability along the back streets was also gone.

[trvlr70]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

^ All due respect for you old timers (and I mean that), .

I was born in the 70s. Does that make me an old timer?

[VivaLFuego]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

is this really going to turn into a "nostalgia for the gritty old River North" thread?

Yes, gritty old Caribou Coffee

[BorisMolotov]

What was the point of tearing down some of the great old brick buildings for that?

Well when I'm walking down the street, brick buildings with shuttered doors and broken windows doesn't make me feel very safe. I would rather have (cringe) a concrete wall and chain retail than urban decay, which is just creepy.

[wrab]

^ Well, ya know, older buildings can be cleaned up.

[george]

Beaver's on Rush St. Before my time, but probably was not too far from the now, Elysian.



photo from Google Image Search linked to www.freddietieken.com

[Tom In Chicago]

I'm debating starting a thread in City Issues and moving all these posts. . . unless someone else does it first. . .

[i_am_hydrogen]

^Yes, this is getting waaay off topic.

George - Do you have any citation info for the photos you're posting other than Google? As Mark said in the forum-wide announcement: "Merely citing Google, Flickr, Wikipedia or some other host or search engine is *not* sufficient for your photo post to qualify. If you don't have the required information about a photograph, then don't post it."

If you cannot provide a website and/or photographer, I'm afraid your posts will have to be deleted.

[photoLith]

I like getting off topic like this, makes the threads much more entertaining and I learn more about the city when it goes like this.

[george]

^Hydrogen, understood. Above photo corrected. I'm tracking down the Hotsie Totsie image, to be corrected. I'm fascinated by this old Rush St. discussion. Maybe a new thread is in order. Good job keeping order.^

[the urban politician]

^ There's already an 'Old Chicago' thread in existence--perhaps that would be more suitable?

[george]

^Yes, that would work.^

[i_am_hydrogen]

Originally Posted by photolitherland

I like getting off topic like this, makes the threads much more entertaining and I learn more about the city when it goes like this.

Don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying the pictures and commentary. I've always been extremely fascinated by the old River North. I just don't think this thread is the proper place for that discussion.

[wrab]

6/12

[the urban politician]

^ Finally, at least some sort of ornamentation.

Thanks for the shot, wrabbit

[wrab]

^ You're welcome. More on the way.

[Jibba]

I can't get over how cheap this tower looks; it's almost like a set piece for a movie. It belongs in Hinsdale.

[Abner]

So what's going in at the base of this? Will it be one or two huge retail spaces? The problem I have with a lot of these buildings is that it absolutely kills retail variety at the street level when there's one retail space where there used to be eight (although I know in this case that would have been way in the past).