CHICAGO | Highrise Projects & Construction

[harryc]

[Mikemak27]

Th good folks at The Chicago Architecture Blog have some new info and renderings on the Fifeld Apartment Tower proposed at Chesnut and Orleans.

http://blog.chicagoarchitecture.info/201...ets-on-fifields-new-cabrini-green-tower/

[Koodoo25]

2/16/14

[Tom In Chicago]

Originally Posted by nergie

IIRC wasn't the vacant lot supposed to be the location of the Mandarian Oriental Hotel?

No. . . that was supposed to be built along Stetson at Lake Street. . . welcome to the neighborhood. . .

. . .

[Bambi]

Originally Posted by J_M_Tungsten

^Much agreed. They are doing a great job with addressing the awkwardness of the multiple levels in Lake Shore East too. I'm very excited to see what that narrow lot between the Aqua podium and BCBS Building will be. I forgot if anything was ever planned there. Anyone recall?


What a transformation. A golf course, to almost a fully formed skyscraper neighborhood (one pretty iconic-Aqua), in 20 years. Lots of open land yet for several more large projects! Let's see what the next 20 years hold for Lake Shore East!

Golf course? That land was originally a dump -- literally, Magellan has really done their work, I'm excited to see them pair up with Heinz to do the Wolf Point Development.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by Bambi

Golf course? That land was originally a dump -- literally, Magellan has really done their work,

it wasn't a dump when magellan got control of the land. it was a 9-hole golf coruse:


source: http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000N1wBzQwTWz4/s/900/900/Swissotel-Wacker-46973.jpg


and in an earlier life, it was a massive rail yard for the illinois central railroad:


source: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VBpb3jB8Dhc/UMN9LoyqqrI/AAAAAAAADcw/ncYuYmZwGRY/s640/Sitepic.jpg

[nergie]

Originally Posted by Tom In Chicago

No. . . that was supposed to be built along Stetson at Lake Street. . . welcome to the neighborhood. . .

. . .

Cheers

[george]

I played those par 3, 9 holes. ^Probably one of the most unique 9 holes with great views. The 9th hole was an almost island green, can be seen in that shot. Not to mention the driving range. A classic experience.

[harryc]

Originally Posted by george

I played those par 3, 9 holes. ^Probably one of the most unique 9 holes with great views. The 9th hole was an almost island green, can be seen in that shot. Not to mention the driving range. A classic experience.

It was pretty cool as tracks and warehouses back in the day - all you could see was the bottom of LSD and Standard Oil.

[harryc]

[Bambi]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

it wasn't a dump when magellan got control of the land. it was a 9-hole golf coruse:


source: http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000N1wBzQwTWz4/s/900/900/Swissotel-Wacker-46973.jpg


and in an earlier life, it was a massive rail yard for the illinois central railroad:


source: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VBpb3jB8Dhc/UMN9LoyqqrI/AAAAAAAADcw/ncYuYmZwGRY/s640/Sitepic.jpg

Technically at one point or another it was all a dump created and established by George Streeter, but the railyard was the dump-like wasteland I was referring to.

[SamInTheLoop]

^^^ Thanks for the photo updates, Harry. I'm really liking how Catalyst is turning out. Nice work by Brininstool and Lynch here. I suppose this is their first major project, post-short-lived bKL experiment.

And did we ever dodge a nuclear ICBM by having a new developer and architect take over this one! (previously it was hack/hack team of Gary Rosenberg and the always aesthetically-challenged Lucien Lagrange)

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by Bambi

Technically at one point or another it was all a dump created and established by George Streeter, but the railyard was the dump-like wasteland I was referring to.

Streeter had nothing to do with anything south of the river, his illegal land selling schemes were all for lakefront property north of the river mouth. the land the old IC railyard sat on (present day lakeshore east) was lakefill that was put there specifically by the IC so that they could have a massive rail yard at the river mouth.

[SamInTheLoop]

Originally Posted by marothisu

According to my newest map (https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=zts0oihWtDjk.kBT6CjkYv1Tw), here's what I have

* 100 W Monroe - 257 room Hyatt. Under construction
* 11 S Monroe - 380 room Residence Inn by Marriott. Under construction
* Franklin & Calhoun - 206 rooms, 18 stories of new building. Under construction/site prep

Then there's more not far away with the London Guarantee Building, new 27 story Hilton Garden Inn, Virgin Hotel, Atlantic Bank Building, Chicago Athletic Building. Then there's some more in River North like the Giordano's building, the office building on Rush & Erie, the new Godfrey Hotel, etc.

So, the major one amongst that cluster in the Central Loop (11 S LaSalle I think you meant) that is missing is the planned Kimpton conversion at 39 S. LaSalle, see linked-to article from Crain's. Not sure exactly how advanced plans are/when renovation is planned to begin, but I hope soon!

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/2...hotels-see-money-in-the-banking-district

[Rizzo]

Definitely was not a dump, but did it look like a dump? Kind of.....

http://www.flickr.com/photos/uicdigital/6144414307/

There's actually another photo somewhere at ground level with a couple abandoned boxcars and overgrown grass with some patches of trash. I'm sure it collected all sorts of discarded items but I would say that its underutilized state was a minor moment on this site's history. Lots of other photos show it as a busy railyard, and the golf course obviously.

Funny thing is how relatives of mine that haven't been to Chicago in ages ask me if I played on that golf course. Quite the look of confusion on their faces when I tell them it's been long occupied by towers.

[intrepidDesign]

On a day like today, I just had to take a long lunch walk around the neighborhood.

[sentinel]

^^Great pic, thanks

I wish that proposed tower to the north of Skybridge (with the funky rooftop) would move forward; the oh-so-slightly angled one..

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

Streeter had nothing to do with anything south of the river, his illegal land selling schemes were all for lakefront property north of the river mouth. the land the old IC railyard sat on (present day lakeshore east) was lakefill that was put there specifically by the IC so that they could have a massive rail yard at the river mouth.

Part of the lakefill (between Michigan and Stetson roughly) was actually construction debris from the 1873 fire. IIRC most of the soil came from lake dredging though.

[Ch.G, Ch.G]

Originally Posted by Hayward

Definitely was not a dump, but did it look like a dump? Kind of.....

http://www.flickr.com/photos/uicdigital/6144414307/

There's actually another photo somewhere at ground level with a couple abandoned boxcars and overgrown grass with some patches of trash. I'm sure it collected all sorts of discarded items but I would say that its underutilized state was a minor moment on this site's history. Lots of other photos show it as a busy railyard, and the golf course obviously.

Funny thing is how relatives of mine that haven't been to Chicago in ages ask me if I played on that golf course. Quite the look of confusion on their faces when I tell them it's been long occupied by towers.

Whoa, the difference is pretty staggering.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by SamInTheLoop

So, the major one amongst that cluster in the Central Loop (11 S LaSalle I think you meant) that is missing is the planned Kimpton conversion at 39 S. LaSalle, see linked-to article from Crain's. Not sure exactly how advanced plans are/when renovation is planned to begin, but I hope soon!

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/2...hotels-see-money-in-the-banking-district

Yep, definitely meant 11 S LaSalle. I'll need to add the one at 39 S LaSalle. Thanks! I realized that it was that one which has had street level scaffolding up for a few weeks and not 11 S LaSalle. Though I'm sure 11 S LaSalle has had some up too.