CHICAGO | General Developments

[VivaLFuego]

nevermind, already a thread

[left of center]

Originally Posted by BWChicago

the century is the one on the corner. the consumers is the one that's doomed

ahh, thats a shame. glad the century will be saved, but really would've been nice to see both survive. i guess one beats none

[Mr Downtown]

^That's really the dilemma for GSA. They will need federal office space, and it makes sense for it to be on this half-block. But there are four buildings of near-landmark quality with different floor-to-floor heights. How to decide which ones to save?

When they began, they were of the opinion that 202 (Century) was the most important because it was Holabird & Roche. But veneration of H&R is actually a pretty recent phenomenon, 202 is not that remarkable a building, and the skin is in terrible shape. I and others began making noise that the Benson & Rixon and Bond buildings were the ones that were unique in Chicago, because we have so little late 30s/early 40s building stock.

I'm not sure whether any decision, other than to make short-term use of the Bond Building, has actually been reached. The most logical thing (to me) would probably be to sacrifice Consumers (220) along with the two little buildings next door, and save the other three. But Benson & Rixon, with its glass block, will be kind of funky to use as offices. Maybe it can be courtrooms or something.

[Rizzo]

Sorry I got the names mixed up. BTW, I thought I remember seeing very conceptual renderings where both highrises were saved, while the small structures in between were demolished. The void was filled with a glass highrise. I would have preferred that concept.

[left of center]

Originally Posted by Hayward

Sorry I got the names mixed up. BTW, I thought I remember seeing very conceptual renderings where both highrises were saved, while the small structures in between were demolished. The void was filled with a glass highrise. I would have preferred that concept.

fully agree. it just irks me every time a pre-war structure buys the farm, especially if its in a salvageable condition. I understand that it makes sense to keep the new federal buildings in and around the Federal Center, but man, there are so many empty lots in the West and South Loop, do we really need to demolish an otherwise satisfactory building just to replace it with something of roughly equal density?

I understand the futility of even arguing this, but what is life but an exercise in futility? If it doesn't find its end with a wrecking ball, surely it will when the sun goes supernova

[left of center]

Im not sure if there is a seperate thread for this. If so, any mod feel free to delete/move this post

http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune....orks-plan.html

City Council approves South Works plan; Daley floats tech park at Michael Reese

Even as speculation swirls over who will lead Chicago in the post-Richard M. Daley era, the mayor's agenda for re-shaping the city rolls on.

Backing a request from Daley, the Chicago City Council today agreed to kick in up to $98 million in infrastructure costs for the long-dormant expanse of lakefront property that once housed the U.S. Steel South Works plant, according to Molly Sullivan, a spokeswoman for the city's Department of Community Development.

Meanwhile, Daley announced that the city is considering a tech park at the former Michael Reese Hospital campus, the Tribune's Clout Street blog reports.

The city demolished all but two buildings on the campus, which was co-planned and partly designed by Walter Gropius, founder of the Bauhaus school in Germany, to make way for an Olympic Village if Chicago won the bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.

Rio de Janeiro won the bid instead, leaving the future of the 37-acre South Side site in doubt.

Chicago developer Dan McCaffrey, together with U.S. Steel Corp., plans to transform the nearly-barren, almost 580-acre South Works site into a $4 billion minicity of high-rises aparments, town homes, parks, shops, offices and medical facilities that would be home to 150,000 people.

...

[Nowhereman1280]

That would actually be an excellent location for a tech park if it weren't for the fact you'd be completely wasting lake front views. They should have thought of this before they tore all the old buildings down which would have made excellent offices and labs for tech companies.

[BWChicago]

Originally Posted by Nowhereman1280

That would actually be an excellent location for a tech park if it weren't for the fact you'd be completely wasting lake front views. They should have thought of this before they tore all the old buildings down which would have made excellent offices and labs for tech companies.

Hear hear. They certainly had that high-tech look even though they were 50 years old.

[OhioGuy]

The world's highest ice rink will be coming to Chicago this winter...

Hancock adding skating rink on 94th floor

Ready to take your skating game to a new level?

The John Hancock Observatory -- on the 94th floor -- aims to please.

It'll house a 1,000-square-foot skating rink, open to the public from January through March.

...

The offering is meant to help lure folks to the floor during the winter months, and joins an open-air-viewing Skywalk and a newly liquor license-equipped Lavazza Espression Cafe as attractions.

[Nowhereman1280]

^^^ I have a recurring dreams about the Hancock building that usually involve weird external elevators built like a skip on the outside of the building and they usually start collapsing in my dream or the Hancock starts to sway ridiculously because of some natural disaster.

Well last night I had a dream like that except that this time a massive 10 story tall pig was on the loose downtown and it started like hoofing the side of the Hancock building and making it sway wildly. Lol, it was hilarious.

Now I'm sure I'll have some fucked up dream about ice skating on the 94th floor...

[trvlr70]

Now that's just weird!!!

[i_am_hydrogen]

It seems very Dubai-esque.

[emathias]

Originally Posted by Nowhereman1280

That would actually be an excellent location for a tech park if it weren't for the fact you'd be completely wasting lake front views. They should have thought of this before they tore all the old buildings down which would have made excellent offices and labs for tech companies.

It might have made a more interesting spot for an incubator complex than Goose Island did, and a lakefront location could be a nice selling point, but it's not very well connected to where most knowledge workers currently live and I'm guessing it would have taken quite a lot of rehab work to bring the buildings into a state that would be attractive to new companies.

I'm not saying the idea is a bad one, but I don't think it would have been quite the instant success you seem to be implying it would have been.

[emathias]

Originally Posted by OhioGuy

The world's highest ice rink will be coming to Chicago this winter...

Hancock adding skating rink on 94th floor

I can't imagine trying to skate on a rink that's only 1,000 square feet.

[george]

I like the synthetic ice part.^

[Nowhereman1280]

Originally Posted by emathias

It might have made a more interesting spot for an incubator complex than Goose Island did, and a lakefront location could be a nice selling point, but it's not very well connected to where most knowledge workers currently live and I'm guessing it would have taken quite a lot of rehab work to bring the buildings into a state that would be attractive to new companies.

I'm not saying the idea is a bad one, but I don't think it would have been quite the instant success you seem to be implying it would have been.

I don't even think that the architecture or anything would have been what make the park tick. Hint: what what the original economic engine of the South Side?


Railroads.

What is today's railroad? The internet.

Most of the major fiber paths come together on Chicago's South Side and data center space is at a premium in the area. This could have easily been provided with the fastest pipes in the world and would have become an excellent incubator for all of the technology companies associated with such requirements. I know for sure my company would have considered relocating there from LA. We want to move to Chicago, but there is nowhere that suits our needs outside of the suburbs. So instead I'm stuck living out here in this hell-hole LA AND Michael Resse got partially torn down...

[Chicago3rd]

Photos from this past winter and the completed project. Am so happy most of the parking is on the roof and giggly that the building abuts the sidewalk and has a second entrance onto Lincoln. Looks very nice....for a grocery store and 1000 times better than most in this city:
From the NE Corner









NW
Corner of Lincoln Ave and Berwyn







West




Really happy they have a second entrance on Lincoln just for pedestrians.


Looking south on Lincoln (Foster is first intersection)


Looking north on Lincoln (from same as above)

[the urban politician]

^ Thanks for the pics.

But to be honest, I'm a bit disappointed.

It looks horrible. It still has surface parking and it doesn't hold the corner.

I really hope that Chicago doesn't acquiesce to this kind of design for a grocery store. That last thing I want to see is this low quality design all over the city.

[Rizzo]

Agree. That's a ton of linear feet without a single usable entrance.

[Chicago3rd]

Originally Posted by Hayward

Agree. That's a ton of linear feet without a single usable entrance.

NW corner of building is and entrance and it is usable. A person in a wheel chair will be at that door without going through a parking lot at the same point that walking pedestrians are. On the SW corner at the start of the store the ramp starts and goes approx 1/4 the length of the building with access for foot and wheel traffic. So I guess I don't understand what your point is.

I too wish all the parking was on top and maybe one day we will get a few more stores that don't have these types of lots..but what maybe 15 spaces here short term and handicap. On the northside there is also a patio with seating and umbrellas. I know that I too am really opposed to the little surface parking area...everytime I pass the 3500 N Broadway Jewel and it above store parking and sliver surface parking (pedestrians have to negotiate the parking lot (heavy heavy car traffic) just to get to the one front door. Would love for that store to take the plunge add 1/3 to their store by pullling the store to the Broadway sidewalk....make all marking on the roof.

Maybe it would help if you shared an example of a great urban grocery store then I will be able to understand your points of concern?

It is a lot better than the old one. The old one was 2/3 surface lot and 1/3 store. Guess maybe that contrast is making it hard for me to be unbiased.