CHICAGO | General Developments - Page 1686

LouisVanDerWright · #**33701** Posted **Jun 15, 2016, 5:04 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ardecila

Union $teelworker$...

Those containers are about $8000 each, so that's $225,000 for some scrap steel tubing and a few days of welders.

Still though, I'm sure this was much cheaper than the alternative of building a huge steel frame over the sidewalk like Legacy and Heritage did.

I'm sure it was massively cheaper, still an obscene price to pay to stabilize a 50'x 15' brick wall that could probably stand on it's own with only a few angle braces. Also, those containers cost only about $900 each, they are dirt cheap here because Chicago is the end of the line for most imports so they dump the containers here when they are done using them.

denizen467 · #**33702** Posted **Jun 15, 2016, 5:39 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SolarWind

Kinzie Street Reconstruction Phase II

Anyone know what the details are of the various phases?

spyguy · #**33703** Posted **Jun 15, 2016, 6:15 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by marothisu

Hope this is true.

Curbed had some updated renderings this week for the Nobu hotel. I'm hoping that's the final version vs. the last Booth Hansen design which was more fitting for the suburbs. The newer design is a bit taller thankfully with much more interesting details.

---

Columbia College to sell Johnson Publishing building

Interesting that they've completely changed their minds on the Ebony/Jet building. We see what's happening on one side with the preservation of the Essex Inn, but I wonder if this will be demolished and combined with the nearby lots for a much taller tower not unlike 1000 S Michigan or the previous Park Michigan proposal.

denizen467 · #**33704** Posted **Jun 15, 2016, 6:39 AM**

^ So there is no landmark district restriction or Friends Of The Seventies Streetwall that would hinder the demolition of this?

Ned.B · #**33705** Posted **Jun 15, 2016, 11:56 AM**

^The Essex Inn is in the process of receiving landmark designation to I'm assuming enable historic tax credits to be used on its renovation. Concurrent with this designation, the Landmark Commision conducted a study to increase the era of significance for the Michigan Boulevard District up to 1972 to include Essex, Borg Warner, and Johnson Publishing. While not officially adopted, we can probably assume with this study that any developer would have to preserve this building.

LouisVanDerWright · #**33706** Posted **Jun 15, 2016, 1:32 PM**

Ebony / Jet is one of those time capsules that needs total preservation. The photos of the current state of the interior posted a while back were stunning. There are very few seventies buildouts preserved to that degree anywhere. It was such a flash in the pan radical style that most people immediately tore it out as soon as their tastes changed. I don't think office has much of a place in this part of the city, but this building could work well as tech offices given the ready made funky interiors. Would be interesting if the city took the lead and maybe dedicated a floor to a tech incubator for underprivileged CPS students or something else fitting to its legacy.

SamInTheLoop · #**33707** Posted **Jun 15, 2016, 3:30 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by spyguy

Curbed had some updated renderings this week for the Nobu hotel. I'm hoping that's the final version vs. the last Booth Hansen design which was more fitting for the suburbs. The newer design is a bit taller thankfully with much more interesting details.

I do much prefer the new design as well. Very happy to see that it finally seems to be moving forward.....

However, I can't seem to remember - did this ever go to Plan Commission? I really want to say it never did, and I'm almost certain that it would need Plan Commission approval to proceed...............or, am I wrong here?

SamInTheLoop · #**33708** Posted **Jun 15, 2016, 3:34 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by emathias

Seeing as Crate and Barrel was started in Chicago, is headquartered in Chicagoland, and that their Michigan Ave location is their flagship store, I'm perfectly fine with them having a Michigan Avenue presence. They are another company that really ought to move their headquarters into the City.

Is Crate and Barrel struggling? I've wondered how they're doing, given the tremendous pressure and pace of change in retail in general. I hope they're holding their own at least.

And - totally agree - it would be awesome to have Crate and Barrel move its HQ downtown.....that would be a huge coup......

TimeAgain · #**33709** Posted **Jun 15, 2016, 3:44 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SamInTheLoop

I do much prefer the new design as well. Very happy to see that it finally seems to be moving forward.....

However, I can't seem to remember - did this ever go to Plan Commission? I really want to say it never did, and I'm almost certain that it would need Plan Commission approval to proceed...............or, am I wrong here?

It was approved by a plan commission last July, I believe.

r18tdi · #**33710** Posted **Jun 15, 2016, 3:59 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SamInTheLoop

I do much prefer the new design as well. Very happy to see that it finally seems to be moving forward.....

However, I can't seem to remember - did this ever go to Plan Commission?

In July it was approved, I think, but as a much shorter design.
Link

msu2001la · #**33711** Posted **Jun 15, 2016, 4:11 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by the urban politician

Garmin? Who the hell goes to Garmin for anything? Besides, I don't really think electronics retailers belong on major shopping avenues unless they are iconic (ie Apple).

Garmin only has 2 retail locations. Chicago and Miami.

The point of the store is not to sell devices, necessarily. It's more of a showroom to display new products.

Apple is not iconic. Pretty much every suburban mall has an Apple store these days. They have 9 stores in Illinois alone and they all look basically the same.
http://www.apple.com/retail/storelist/

BWChicago · #**33712** Posted **Jun 15, 2016, 10:30 PM**

It would be a real shame to lose Crate & Barrel, one of the only PoMo buildings in Chicago that's not hated as much as it's appreciated. Lots of writeups in architecture books about Crate & Barrel.

ardecila · #**33713** Posted **Jun 15, 2016, 10:55 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by BWChicago

It would be a real shame to lose Crate & Barrel, one of the only PoMo buildings in Chicago that's not hated as much as it's appreciated. Lots of writeups in architecture books about Crate & Barrel.

PoMo? How do you figure? Just because it was built in the 90s? I put it in the same camp as Richard Meier's buildings. Pretty much unreformed Modernism.

BWChicago · #**33714** Posted **Jun 15, 2016, 11:22 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ardecila

PoMo? How do you figure? Just because it was built in the 90s? I put it in the same camp as Richard Meier's buildings. Pretty much unreformed Modernism.

I'd rank it as in the same modernist-influenced postmodern camp as the Xerox, Quaker, and 333 Wacker buildings.

harryc · #**33715** Posted **Jun 16, 2016, 2:42 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by BWChicago

I'd rank it as in the same modernist-influenced postmodern camp as the Xerox, Quaker, and 333 Wacker buildings.

brandon03 · #**33716** Posted **Jun 16, 2016, 1:35 PM**

Ace Hotel: Pouring about a third of the first floor today. The batch method (crane and concrete bucket) doesn't scale well to large floor slabs I guess, they had to upgrade to a continuous pipeline.

Was wondering how they would fit a boom concrete pump on Morgan and two trucks to service it. They skipped Morgan altogether and set up camp in the propane distributor's yard instead.

Via Chicago · #**33717** Posted **Jun 16, 2016, 1:36 PM**

God damnit

http://chicago.curbed.com/2016/6/15/...worker-cottage

Why even have a demolition hold in the first place. The city always lets it happen anyway.

SamInTheLoop · #**33718** Posted **Jun 16, 2016, 2:09 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by BWChicago

I'd rank it as in the same modernist-influenced postmodern camp as the Xerox, Quaker, and 333 Wacker buildings.

Getting OT, but what's postmodern about xerox or quaker? I don't see it......

LouisVanDerWright · #**33719** Posted **Jun 16, 2016, 2:23 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SamInTheLoop

Getting OT, but what's postmodern about xerox or quaker? I don't see it......

Just like Modernism, there are multiple sects of post-modernsim. You had the playful guys like Stanley Tigerman who were merely gesturing at past styles or literally incorporating the purpose of the building into the design (I.e. Anti cruelty society which saves pets and looks like a dogs face). The playful pomo really died off and got absorbed into the traditionalists like Philip Johnson who was like "let's make buildings look like antique furniture" which eventually was totally misunderstood by idiots like LaGrange who at this point just apes old styles. But then you had the post modernists who didn't really abandon the principles of Modern design, just the strict ridgity of it all. Jahn was right in the middle of that and Xerox is a perfect example of it. It rejects the notion of just being an efficient square divorced from its site. It embraces circles and curves. It flares out at the base. It has a changing facade pattern that rejects the idea of perfectly scaled grids, etc. This school ultimately let to stuff like Thompson center where even the idea of using restraint in color and material goes out the window.

Other buildings in this same vein include 333 Wacker, the building at Madison and Wells posted by Harry, and a lot of other buildings in the Loop that still seem "modernist" from our perspective, but were actually quite radical departures from theies dominated orthodox at the time.

PS didn't mean to put the emoticon in the header, just bumped it without noticing, not being smug lol

Chi-Sky21 · #**33720** Posted **Jun 16, 2016, 3:03 PM**

A hotel next to a propane distributor's yard...what could possibly go wrong?! What a great view too!