CHICAGO | General Developments - Page 1268

XIII · #**25341** Posted **Aug 19, 2014, 3:15 PM**

Another Loop office to hotel conversion coming up. This time on 39 S Lasalle:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/busine...819-story.html

Rizzo · #**25342** Posted **Aug 19, 2014, 5:40 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by XIII

Another Loop office to hotel conversion coming up. This time on 39 S Lasalle:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/busine...819-story.html

Excellent to hear! Some of these old vintage office buildings are in rough shape. Glad so many of them are being put to better uses and restored.

killaviews · #**25343** Posted **Aug 19, 2014, 5:43 PM**

Exterior work is already in progress.

the urban politician · #**25344** Posted **Aug 19, 2014, 5:46 PM**

Wow, the central Loop is really going to feel different in a few years.

intrepidDesign · #**25345** Posted **Aug 19, 2014, 5:50 PM**

^
I did a google search to see if there were any old photographs of this building with the cornice intact (I'm assuming there was one) and couldn't find any. Has anyone heard if there are plans to restore it?

SamInTheLoop · #**25346** Posted **Aug 19, 2014, 5:53 PM**

Have been waiting for this one. What a great project this is going to be. 281 rooms, restaurant and bar, ballroom. This is really a golden age of adaptive reuse and/or restoration of historic Loop office buildings...

SamInTheLoop · #**25347** Posted **Aug 19, 2014, 6:02 PM**

I've been watching the construction from above, and have a question for anyone close to the project or who has had an even better/more frequent view: for the paths that are now being constructed (currently on the west side of the park), how are they getting the material (assuming that it is concrete, appears to be from a distance) there? I've noticed no concrete trucks, and no pumps/lines in this entire area.............

For the massive soil movement, they have a conveyer system set up that's been pretty neat to watch at work.....

SamInTheLoop · #**25348** Posted **Aug 19, 2014, 6:06 PM**

Not posting in the apartment tower thread because this is about the retail component in particular. I noticed that Eater Chicago a month or two ago reported that the third floor Sandoval food hall opening has been delayed from November until April now. In itself, probably not that surprising. However, I do need to say that this better be now timed with a bunch of additional retail/entertainment/dining openings, or CIM Group starts to look really very bad with there (lack of) progress at Block 37. Where is the movie theater? Where is the bowling venue? Where are the additional retailers? Where are the restaurants? The clock is ticking. CIM Group has now owned Block 37 for 28 months. There should have been much more visual progress by this point in time.

ardecila · #**25349** Posted **Aug 19, 2014, 6:50 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by intrepidDesign

^
I did a google search to see if there were any old photographs of this building with the cornice intact (I'm assuming there was one) and couldn't find any. Has anyone heard if there are plans to restore it?

No plans to restore the cornice. It's a tricky beast - the building was first built in 1893 but extended eastward in 1898 and upward (by one floor) in 1903. That last renovation removed the original cornice and substituted a new one, but that was gone after a decade or two.

The freeze/thaw cycles and rainwater tended to pop these massive terracotta projections off the buildings and onto the heads of pedestrians below. Architects designed them to look pretty and meet certain design ideals, but they didn't have access to lightweight materials and modern waterproofing. No surprise that Monadnock and the Art Deco buildings to follow did not have projecting cornices at all.

intrepidDesign · #**25350** Posted **Aug 19, 2014, 6:58 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ardecila

No plans to restore the cornice. It's a tricky beast - the building was first built in 1893 but extended eastward in 1898 and upward (by one floor) in 1903. That last renovation removed the original cornice and substituted a new one, but that was gone after a decade or two.

The freeze/thaw cycles and rainwater tended to pop these massive terracotta projections off the buildings and onto the heads of pedestrians below. Architects designed them to look pretty and meet certain design ideals, but they didn't have access to lightweight materials and modern waterproofing. No surprise that Monadnock and the Art Deco buildings to follow did not have projecting cornices at all.

Thanks for the insight! The fiberglass cornice restorations ive seen are really nice, was hoping for something along the lines of the restoration down the street from me in the WL on Madison.

wierdaaron · #**25351** Posted **Aug 19, 2014, 7:29 PM**

[mispost]

marothisu · #**25352** Posted **Aug 19, 2014, 7:33 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by killaviews

Exterior work is already in progress.

Why are people so slow on this? The exterior work on this place started a few months ago. Crain's had an article about this in December and it's been talked about already. This is nothing new

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/artic...nking-district

killaviews · #**25353** Posted **Aug 19, 2014, 7:34 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by the urban politician

Wow, the central Loop is really going to feel different in a few years.

Kimpton + Hyatt + Marriott Residence Inn = 918 rooms in one Chicago block.

I'm even more excited about new bars and restaurants.

marothisu · #**25354** Posted **Aug 19, 2014, 7:37 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by the urban politician

Wow, the central Loop is really going to feel different in a few years.

Yeah, if people are smart enough to keep their stuff open later in that part of the Loop. Logic tells you they'll start having later hours, but you never know.

BB 1871 · #**25355** Posted **Aug 19, 2014, 8:02 PM**

According to CAB, the old Lakeshore Athletic Club (seen in background) is coming down. A permit was issued yesterday for its demolition. Some interesting news/speculation in the article.. whoa
http://www.chicagoarchitecture.org/2...-to-come-down/

[/QUOTE]

BB 1871 · #**25356** Posted **Aug 19, 2014, 8:03 PM**

Double

Skyguy_7 · #**25357** Posted **Aug 19, 2014, 8:57 PM**

^Whoa. I believe there's an innuendo in the article- pardon the speculation and sexism, but I can think of only one architect who would be so kind to bake cookies for her clients..

DePaul Bunyan · #**25358** Posted **Aug 19, 2014, 9:07 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skyguy_7

^Whoa. I believe there's an innuendo in the article- pardon the speculation and sexism, but I can think of only one architect who would be so kind to bake cookies for her clients..

http://studiogang.net/people/paigeadams

When not conceptualizing interior environments, Paige can be found in the kitchen developing recipes for her blog, Last Ingredient, where she shares her latest culinary creations. She has won numerous food competitions including the Marshall Field’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Contest.

You might be on to something...

LouisVanDerWright · #**25359** Posted **Aug 19, 2014, 9:17 PM**

I was walking by the Realtor's site the other day and saw them moving that equipment in. I asked one of the workers if they were planning on replacing it with another building and they said "not yet", whatever that means.

Loopy · #**25360** Posted **Aug 19, 2014, 9:27 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skyguy_7

^Whoa. I believe there's an innuendo in the article- pardon the speculation and sexism, but I can think of only one architect who would be so kind to bake cookies for her clients..

I know a few architects that would do a lot more than bake cookies to land a job like that.