CHICAGO | General Developments

[MayorOfChicago]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

What is being built just east of the Kennedy and north of the Kohl's store? Some large concrete shell going up. It looks like a huge big box of some sort.

762 person, 2-story sports and rec facility.

http://www.cityofchicago.org/content...enda_Votes.pdf

[LouisVanDerWright]

^^^ I feel like I do this with great frequency, but:

WHIRLEYBALLLLLL!!!!!

[Vlajos]

From Crains:

Downtown apartment market 'on fire' in first quarter
By: Alby Gallun May 19, 2014

Downtown landlords worried about a potential apartment glut can breathe easier, at least for a little while.

Demand for apartments surged in the first quarter, boosting rents and occupancies at high-end downtown buildings after worrisome declines in the previous two quarters, according to a report from Appraisal Research Counselors, a Chicago-based consulting...

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/reale...553D0914134E6S

[BVictor1]

http://politics.suntimes.com/article...5192014-1156pm

Lakefront campus recommended for George Lucas interactive museum

MON, 05/19/2014 - 11:56PM
FRAN SPIELMAN

Chicago’s lakefront museum campus is the recommended spot to house a project with blockbuster box office potential: an interactive museum spearheaded by movie mogul George Lucas to house his formidable collection of artwork and film-making memorabilia.

While a mayoral taskforce has suggested the site, Lucas — the Star Wars mastermind — has not made a final decision about whether Chicago will be home to the museum. Lucas’ hometown of San Francisco remains in the running — even after a federal panel rejected the picturesque Presidio site that was the filmaker’s top choice.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel gave a dozen civic leaders one month to find an accessible site in Chicago that’s large enough to house a museum “comparable to other major cultural institutions” that does not “require taxpayer dollars.”

[Baronvonellis]

So it would be on the big parking lot closer to the Planetarium?

[emathias]

Originally Posted by Baronvonellis

So it would be on the big parking lot closer to the Planetarium?

It's not clear from that story, but that would certainly have the best views of the city. But something tells me it's the smaller lot immediately east of the Field Museum that's under consideration.

[Busy Bee]

It should be built as part of or at least adjacent to MSI in Hyde Park. Hello... Museum of SCIENCE and INDUSTRY! The Museum Campus has enough attractions already, and Hyde Park could use the influx of visitors. They could even rename the 55-57st Station Endor or something.

[harryc]

Across the street (W) from the old Fulton Cold Storage - does this mean that they are asking that the project's required parking (?) be counted as spots nearby ?

[LouisVanDerWright]

Originally Posted by emathias

It's not clear from that story, but that would certainly have the best views of the city. But something tells me it's the smaller lot immediately east of the Field Museum that's under consideration.

No, it's the lot by the Planetarium. The lot by the Field is nowhere near large enough for an institution of this size. This museum would sit right on the stem of Northerly Island.

Edit: Apparently they are talking about the Soldier Field Parking lots??? The Tribune is saying so at least:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/busine...,4099646.story

[LouisVanDerWright]

Originally Posted by Busy Bee

It should be built as part of or at least adjacent to MSI in Hyde Park. Hello... Museum of SCIENCE and INDUSTRY! The Museum Campus has enough attractions already, and Hyde Park could use the influx of visitors. They could even rename the 55-57st Station Endor or something.

No, it should go wherever gets us the museum. We can't be pushy when it comes to a free $1 billion investment in Chicago's future and tourism industry. Also, the museum campus is already unmatched in the world, this Lucas Museum will only further cement that position as the greatest collection of Museums around.

[ChiHi]

Originally Posted by Busy Bee

It should be built as part of or at least adjacent to MSI in Hyde Park. Hello... Museum of SCIENCE and INDUSTRY! The Museum Campus has enough attractions already, and Hyde Park could use the influx of visitors. They could even rename the 55-57st Station Endor or something.

Soldier Field already looks like a spaceship so I think a Star Wars museum would fit in quite nicely down there. And since the city doesn't really allow tailgating, might as well dump the parking lots.

[ardecila]

Tailgating isn't a god-given right, especially for stadiums on scarce downtown land. The Park District should find a way to encourage picnicking, though. People would have to lug their grills out of the garage... big deal. Even in the heart of the South, people do this at Ole Miss so they can be on campus and not in a parking lot.

Not a tailgate in sight - just an awesome pre-game festival.

[LouisVanDerWright]

^^^ People already do that in the park along the harbor there. I've been there several times and they throw huge BBQ's. We may as well accept this as a city and start our own "parkgating" tradition. Who wants to hang out in a parking lot when you can hang out in a park?

[wierdaaron]

I've seen lots of people tailgating at pay parking lots in the south loop on game-days. I don't really understand it, as it seems like they drive into the city to sit in a parking lot a few blocks from the game and then go home. But I dont try to understand sports fans.

[Via Chicago]

have to love the Bears fans crying foul over potentially losing a crappy parking lot. you got your taxpayer-funded stadium, be happy. (what would they have done had the parking all been buried to begin with?)

anyway, its far from a sure thing. we'll see if Chicago even gets selected. but the potential tourism dollars between this + Obama library is pretty enormous.

[LaSalle.St.Station]

Sun times ( Fran Spielman ) reports that Friends of The Parks is coming out against the site for the Lucas museum. Cant say I disagree, lake front should be free and clear. Maybe they could repurpose the lakeside center and rebuild it as a museum over lake shore drive.

[nomarandlee]

I agree with you and Friends of the Park.

One could make a real good argument though that replacing a parking lot and what id effective dead space between two huge megabuildings in Solider Field and Lakeside Center isn't taking anything away from the lakefront.

Still, if one bends the rules for this time then really the ordinance is meaningless.

[ardecila]

Mr. D covered this pretty definitively before... there IS no ban on buildings or even commercial uses for the lakefront outside of Grant Park. The city must apply a special level of scrutiny under the Lakefront Protection Ordinance, but the prohibition against buildings only applies to Grant Park (and even then, only north of 11th Place).

Allowing the Lucas Museum is not "bending" the rules. There is no rule to bend; if the Park District is a willing lessor and Lucas a willing lessee, then the museum is entirely legal. It must follow a special set of city review procedures to make sure it does not blight the lakefront, but that's very different from a ban - it's more like a complicated form of Planned Development.

[Mr Downtown]

^Well restated.

I just keep thinking about all the buildings in this city that need new uses so they can be saved. This museum (or a presidential library) could give desperately needed new life to the Hotel Guyon or Allstate Building, Fisk Generating Station or one of the Pershing Road CMD buildings. My personal choice would be to have it revive three or four connected Motor Row buildings. What a shame to clutter the lakefront with a big new building whose patrons will never look out any windows, in a spot that's frankly no more accessible than Damen & Pershing.

[wierdaaron]

Originally Posted by Mr Downtown

What a shame to clutter the lakefront with a big new building whose patrons will never look out any windows

Interesting point. Perhaps my favorite spot in the city for views is the steps outside of Adler Planetarium, where people inside are all looking at the ceiling. At least at Shedd they make use of their lake view in the main auditorium. But if it's already called Museum Campus it doesn't seem too brazen to plop another museum there.

If they do any new work in the area perhaps they can somehow remind the world that 12th street beach exists. I don't know if it needs an ad campaign or better signage/routing but it seems like a well-kept secret.

I like the idea of a historic building conversion but I doubt Lucas et al would go for that. They most likely want to be able to architect the whole experience from scratch.

Speaking of historic conversions, Crain's says the old/current CPS building at Clark/Adams (block-buddies with the Marquette bldg) may be going apartments. The columnar design doesn't really scream "welcome home!" but that area could sure use a kick in the pants.