I'm certainly hopeful but there hasn't been many instances in the last 15+ years that a developer has shown any interest in getting out of their comfort zones. Glass rectangles or squares and sometimes if they're feeling a little squirrely they may put a rounded corner on a side.
Not that this is happening any time soon, but I've gotta go with the Jahn design if only bc it saves the atrium of the original building, which is definitely worth saving. Imagine sitting in Daley Plaza without it. There's nothing like it in the city, or in the country really. It's playful and totally democratic. It's curves and open space are a welcome reprieve from the modernist buildings that surround it, and the fluid ambition of the Smith Gill design, while admirable if not totally realized, would destroy any sense of civic engagement. Jahn's tower is bold for sure but I'd like to see more renderings of it.
I love the Jahn design and I do believe the existing building can be repaired and updated. It certainly needs a cosmetic makeover to its cladding but I find the interior spectacular and modern mechanical engineering could probably fix a lot of the costly maintenance and operational issues.
I'm certainly hopeful but there hasn't been many instances in the last 15+ years that a developer has shown any interest in getting out of their comfort zones. Glass rectangles or squares and sometimes if they're feeling a little squirrely they may put a rounded corner on a side.
Don't forget an ambitious slice or cutout in those rectangles
I love the Jahn design and I do believe the existing building can be repaired and updated. It certainly needs a cosmetic makeover to its cladding but I find the interior spectacular and modern mechanical engineering could probably fix a lot of the costly maintenance and operational issues.
The big issue is the glass - should have been double pane thermal, instead single pane, making this a big greenhouse.
Somehow fitting that the State of Illinois building would cut corners to save money in the short term, pushing the cost onto the next year(s).
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Harry C - Urbanize Chicago- My Flickr stream HRC_OakPark
The man who trades freedom for security does not deserve nor will he ever receive either. B Franklin.
The cynical side of me hopes the Thompson Center is torn down so I don't have to always here how awesome of a building it is by everyone here. The atrium is very cool, but the building is a really inefficient usage of space in the heart of the city. I for one will be able to get behind that thing being torn down, because aside from the atrium I find the building to be atrociously clunky and just flat out ugly.
The cynical side of me hopes the Thompson Center is torn down so I don't have to always here how awesome of a building it is by everyone here. The atrium is very cool, but the building is a really inefficient usage of space in the heart of the city. I for one will be able to get behind that thing being torn down, because aside from the atrium I find the building to be atrociously clunky and just flat out ugly.
Not to mention unpleasantly hot inside on summer days. The architect definitely deserves a failing grade when it comes to designing an energy efficient building.
Not to mention unpleasantly hot inside on summer days. The architect definitely deserves a failing grade when it comes to designing an energy efficient building.
IIRC the architect specified thermal glass - the state overruled them.
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Harry C - Urbanize Chicago- My Flickr stream HRC_OakPark
The man who trades freedom for security does not deserve nor will he ever receive either. B Franklin.
Even with its shortcomings, IC adds an original, rich layer to the city's design vocabulary. It's just so unapologetically '80s. I can't think of another glass building that represents the decade so clearly other than Crain Communications. It would be a shame to lose that layer. A rehab + adjacent tower would preserve the past while also compensating for what it lacked.
What program is realistic for the Jahn design? It's a 57th St-esque billionaires' condo needle, but without the views of Central Park (or even Lake Michigan). The floor plates are too small for office or hotel. Just because we CAN build a building like that doesn't mean it makes sense to do so.
Unfortunately the atrium and plaza take up a huge portion of the Thompson Center block, so if both of those things are sacred cows, there's really no good way to get more square footage out of the site.
I would support a tear down if the replacement was something high quality like Smith+Gill's 3 tower scheme, which actually makes some programmatic sense, and still provides plenty of enclosed and open-air public space. Unfortunately developers will build the lowest common denominator if left to their own devices, while a government-led redevelopment will just turn into a Block 37 fiasco.
__________________ la forme d'une ville change plus vite, hélas! que le coeur d'un mortel...
What program is realistic for the Jahn design? It's a 57th St-esque billionaires' condo needle, but without the views of Central Park (or even Lake Michigan). The floor plates are too small for office or hotel. Just because we CAN build a building like that doesn't mean it makes sense to do so.
Unfortunately the atrium and plaza take up a huge portion of the Thompson Center block, so if both of those things are sacred cows, there's really no good way to get more square footage out of the site.
I would support a tear down if the replacement was something high quality like Smith+Gill's 3 tower scheme, which actually makes some programmatic sense, and still provides plenty of enclosed and open-air public space. Unfortunately developers will build the lowest common denominator if left to their own devices, while a government-led redevelopment will just turn into a Block 37 fiasco.
The only logical reuse for Thomson Center IMO is a casino and hotel. It's perfectly laid out for one, huge central floor with a giant atrium lined with balconies. It's basically got the same program as an Embassy Suites, just scaled up to a whole block with a ton of 80's flair. Make the casino operator buck up to reclad everything, this time with the correct materials so Jahn's design actually works. Rahm can finally get his airport express set up to funnel the jamokes straight from O'Hare right into the glamorous heart of Chicago where they can be quickly and efficiently stripped of all their money. Alderbeasties can also gamble away their bribes and kickbacks quickly and conveniently right across the street and launder the winnings. They have to keep the Thomson Center DMV open though, it can be one of the many fine features of the new Casino. That's the only place to go if you need DMV services.
I would rather lose the Thompson Center than plant the (seedy) seeds of an inevitable River North schlock district by having a casino in the Loop. And I'm a big defender of the Thompson Center. Developers and retailers would want to follow on with more low-brow entertainment and retail; even the existing theatre district could add fuel to that fire by being slowly repurposed for more low quality shows. Let's keep that stuff - and the ^"jamokes" - limited to the River North auto sewer for now.
Also, the "only place to go if you need DMV services" is the express counter two blocks south, at least for common services.
But I'm surprised that Rauner hired Smith Gill (as much as I'm happy to see their proposals); they were unlikely to come up with something realistic for typical Chicago price levels.
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