CHICAGO | Highrise Projects & Construction

[denizen467]

Originally Posted by headcase

What is this "Willis Tower" thing of which you speak?

Just ran across this. This was the only regional/local item included in this otherwise national/international list. Which suggests that it's actually more the latter than the former.



http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1914815_1914808_1960618,00.html

Top 10 Worst Corporate Name Changes
In honor of Comcast's decision to start branding itself as XFinity, TIME takes a look back at other questionable company moniker swaps
By Claire Suddath Monday, Feb. 08, 2010

. . . [ 1 XFinity. 2 Accenture. 3 SyFy. 4 Consignia (U.K.). 5 Xe. 6 Altria. 7 WWE. 8 Spike TV. 9 AirTran ] . . .

10. It's The Sears Tower

It would be nice to attach your company's name to the tallest building in the western hemisphere, especially when the building's namesake hasn't occupied the space for more than 17 years. But when Willis Group Holdings decided to buy the rights to rebrand Chicago's Sears Tower as the Willis Tower on July 16, 2009, the London-based insurance company had no idea how strongly the Windy City felt about its 110-story icon. Local news outlets ran stories about angry residents. More than 97,000 Facebook users joined the group People Against the Sears Tower Name Change, and thousands more signed the online petition It'sTheSearsTower.com. Willis executives shouldn't have been surprised by Chicagoans' strong sense of tradition. Residents are still mad at Macy's for changing the name of its local department-store chain from Marshall Fields - a move that happened nearly three years ago.

[Busy Bee]

Field's to Macy's was only three years ago? That seems like an eternity ago - I still get newsletters and bumper stickers though from that Fields Forever activist group, they seem to still be going strong. Amazing, thats commitment.

[Nowhereman1280]

There were several cars parked on the ramp and site at the Chicago Spire today. I have no idea what they were doing though, but they were definitely parked on the other side of the gates from the street.

[ChiPsy]

^^ Jalopies or Jaguars?

Seriously, thanks for the update; small though it is, it kindles a little hope...

[Nowhereman1280]

^^^ It was a medium aged Mercedes and a couple Kias or something. It could have been a supervisor and a couple of minions just doing a walk through or something, but interesting none the less.

[Tom Servo]

Originally Posted by Nowhereman1280

^^^ It was a medium aged Mercedes and a couple Kias or something. It could have been a supervisor and a couple of minions just doing a walk through or something, but interesting none the less.

it was the mob. duh.

[Nowhereman1280]

I was thinking it was the crips, they love to roll in da Kiaz...

[patriotizzy]

Originally Posted by i_am_hydrogen

What's that beautiful modern building in that picture? The tallest one.

[colemonkee]

^ That would be One Museum Park. And that would also be one amazing photo. Beautiful work, as always, i_am_hydrogen.

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by patriotizzy

What's that beautiful modern building in that picture? The tallest one.

Well, it's actually two similar buildings. The photo shows One Museum Park West directly in front of One Museum Park.

[the urban politician]

McPier sells first $1.12B in bonds
By Kathy Bergen
Posted today at 1:13 p.m.

The agency that runs McCormick Place got long-awaited financial relief Wednesday with the sale of $1.12 billion in bonds to restructure old expansion debt and finance an addition to the convention center hotel.

[ardecila]

Hmmm.. I really hope they don't tear down more of those old warehouses. I remember last time McPier was pushing a new hotel, they were planning on tearing down the ABC Warehouse.

EDIT: Okay, turns out the expansion will be over the Hyatt's garage.

[Alliance]

I remember that hotel addition was supposed to be a pretty massive building, no?

[Loopy]

...

[Alliance]

I hope that atrocious Grant Park Tower 3 design is toast.

[J_M_Tungsten]

Originally Posted by Loopy

From the new Curbed Chicago! Hey which one of you guys is Mark Boyer?

http://chicago.curbed.com/archives/2010/...ng-to-the-south-loop.php#reader_comments

http://www.thepropertywatch.com/propertywatch/marketingimages/Central%20Station/Teaser.pdf

excellent news!

[Nowhereman1280]

^^^ How is that excellent news? It sounds to me like they are dumping the lot. That would seem to me to suggest that the Central Station development is in financial trouble. This would also mean that our hopes of a 70 or 80 story building being built there are basically shot...

[chicubs111]

^ yea...that is not good news at all...why would the developers of central station want to give up there last 2 prime pieces of real estate?...basically there tropy parcels of there whole freaking development!

[J_M_Tungsten]

Either way the property is sitting there, Central Station or not. Maybe someone will purchase the lot and not build the ridiculous GP3 and who knows whatever 4 would have looked like, and build something amazing.. Optimistic? Yes!

[ChiTownCity]

Well the one thing from that article I didn't know was that it was zoned for up to 900ft. Well maybe someone will buy it and develop it as soon as they get it instead of sitting on it...