CHICAGO | Highrise Projects & Construction, v7

[harryc]

Originally Posted by BonoboZill4

I know Linea has been done for a while and maybe I'm just crazy, but I do not remember there being a giant box on top of it when it was finished up. It is so large that you can see it from street level.

Here is what I am talking about:

Anyone have any idea what this might be? Maybe Nick has a shot from his helicopter of it recently haha

Dec 2016

[BonoboZill4]

Well then, that answered my question pretty quickly. I guess I must have just missed seeing it because of the lines that are on it that sort of blend it in with the building's design. Whether intentional or not is another story.

Thanks guys!

[LouisVanDerWright]

Originally Posted by Fvn

It's the Airconditioning/elevator core... been there since the building was finished

It's a fitting tribute to the water towers of old!

[Jim in Chicago]

Originally Posted by Chicago Shawn

Another surface lot may disappear soon.

I’ve seen plans for the mid-block lot at 717 South Clark. 29 floors/314’-9”, 349 units, 96 parking spaces. The building at 719 South Clark where Palmer Printing, the last printer of Printers Row was, would be saved and incorporated into the project. Architect is HPA.

No renderings, but typical glass box above parking. While the overall parking ratio is low, the narrow site means it gets stacked between levels 2-4.

Design subject to change, but they are going for a 12 FAR in a DX-12, thus it will be as of right. Out to bid right now.

Originally Posted by r18tdi

Niiiice. Though I'm surprised the the number of units (or perhaps some other factor) wouldn't trigger the PD process, regardless of underlying zoning?

Originally Posted by Randomguy34

I was surprised too, so double checked to make sure this was right. Turns out the threshold for residential developments in a DX-12 is 330 ft and 350 units.

Preliminary work is now going on at the site.

Palmer completed their move out a couple months ago.
The surface lot closed up on about October 1st - I'm guessing the end of their lease.
This morning there is a drilling rig on site doing what I assume is soil testing.

I'm still looking for any renderings showing what they're actually proposing to build. In terms of a glass box "on top of" parking, I've read elsewhere that the plan was to use the Palmer Printing building for parking (the place is build like a battleship) and put the housing units on what is currently the surface parking area. I'm still not sure how they're going to cram in that many units, those lots are very narrow from front to back.

In related news, they're almost finished with the facade work on the ArtCraft building across the street. The repairs to the brickwork and ornamentation are finished, they've built up the cornice that had been lost at some point, and they're cleaning it all at the moment. She is going to be a thing of beauty. So nice to see something restored for once.

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by Jim in Chicago

Preliminary work is now going on at the site.

Palmer completed their move out a couple months ago.
The surface lot closed up on about October 1st - I'm guessing the end of their lease.
This morning there is a drilling rig on site doing what I assume is soil testing.

I'm still looking for any renderings showing what they're actually proposing to build. In terms of a glass box "on top of" parking, I've read elsewhere that the plan was to the the Palmer Printing building for parking (the place is build like a battleship) and put the housing units on what is currently the surface parking area. I'm still not sure how they're going to cram in that many units, those lots are very narrow from front to back.

In related news, they're almost finished with the facade work on the ArtCraft building across the street. The repairs to the brickwork and ornamentation are finished, they've built up the cornice that had been lost at some point, and they're cleaning it all at the moment. She is going to be a thing of beauty. So nice to see something restored for once.

^ Great update. A lot of good news in this post.

I guess I don't understand what is so special about the Palmer Printing Building? Seems like a giant, blank bunker to me. If anything, if they are going to preserve it it would be nice to at least punch in some active retail space along the base.

Good news about the building across the street! Would love some pics (or perhaps I will see it in person some day). I love that they actually rebuilt a lost cornice.

[Mr Downtown]

^Palmer Printing, originally First National Bank's records storage, is late 1930s Moderne. Restrained rather than exuberant ornament. Marvelous brickwork. Perfect for modern retail since it has no streetside windows that would have to be closed up or opaqued. I've sent CMK a note about an expanding retailer that I think would be the perfect tenant.

[Jim in Chicago]

Originally Posted by Mr Downtown

^Palmer Printing, originally First National Bank's records storage, is late 1930s Moderne. Restrained rather than exuberant ornament. Marvelous brickwork. Perfect for modern retail since it has no streetside windows that would have to be closed up or opaqued. I've sent CMK a note about an expanding retailer that I think would be the perfect tenant.

I agree that it is a great example of distinguished and restrained Moderne architecture and I'm glad they aren't just bulldozing it. It was actually on the Architectural tour the last couple years.

One of the problems with that site is giving access to whatever parking they come up with. That alley is very narrow - I've heard too narrow to enable vehicles to make a turn in and out of a garage entrance. There is no access onto Polk without mowing down the restaurant building on the corner, so a parking solution like at Burnham Pointe across the steet there the parking access is off of Polk isn't an option. There are two existing curb cuts onto Clark for the surface lot. I'm not an expert on parking access regulations but I'd think that an additional access point onto Clark st. could be controversial? There are certainly a number already - one for the unfortunate 5/3 bank parking lot, a very odd one for a tiny time of parking for Digitital Realty, the two for the surface lot - and then across the street one for the parking garage and another for a small building that has been many things including a tire shop that has been vacant for several years. That's a lot of cuts already.

Interestingly, I recently ran across a vintage photo of the ArtCraft building that showed a Sinclair gas station where that surface lot now is. There could certainly be some remediation of the soil required.

[sentinel]

Hotel Julian on Mich Ave is now open - nice pics in the article:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/kamin/ct-biz-hotel-julian-kamin-1012-story.html

[SolarWind]

October 11, 2018

[BrinChi]

Gr333n during OHC

From Soho House:


From top of 151 N Franklin:

[BonoboZill4]

Renelle:

[BonoboZill4]

The Mill:



Gr333n:

[PittsburghPA]

Union West

[colemonkee]

Did someone on the right soil their britches again?

Originally Posted by BrinChi

[emathias]

Originally Posted by BrinChi

Gr333n during OHC

From Soho House:
...

Geez. Last time I was at Soho House they wouldn't allow photos. They made it seem like it was to protect the privacy of their fancier members but maybe it was because photos like that one make them look like a worn out, cut-rate, former Soviet resort located on the north shores of the Black Sea.

[10023]

It’s been a couple years since I’ve been at the Chicago one, but it looks like they need to replace some of those sofa cushions.

[harryc]

Oct 13

[BonoboZill4]

Man... the Lincoln Commons thing would have looked so great with terra cotta detailing, huh?

Still a good project regardless!

[10023]

^ it’s a pretty ugly building really.

[ardecila]

It’s no uglier than the modernist towers that Lincoln Parkers are used to along the lakefront. Definitely more attractive than some of them. In a planning sense it’s only 2 blocks from one of CTA’s biggest North Side hubs at Fullerton, so it’s certainly better than the lakefront in a planning sense as well.

Overall I think Lincoln Commons is pretty good. All parking and loading is underground, there is continuous retail and plaza space along Lincoln, they preserved the old hospital steam plant, etc. Best of all, McCaffery didn’t let the Lincoln Park NIMBYs turn their buildings into brick-and-precast “traditional” schlock. We’d be lucky if other big developments out in the neighborhoods were all this good (lookin at you, Atrium Village).