CHICAGO | General Developments - Page 2209

ardecila · #**44161** Posted **Mar 4, 2019, 11:00 PM**

^ Friedman owns most of those buildings, and opposes any attempt to landmark them. Dude carries a lot of clout.

On the other hand, these:
42 East Superior Street
44-46 East Superior Street

would almost certainly shut down the highrise proposal for that site.

I almost wonder if this is a kind of backhanded way for Reilly to quash that highrise proposal for good, and all the other buildings are just smoke screen? They are all single lot Victorian buildings from roughly the same era, but they're very scattershot and don't really fit as a "district".

emathias · #**44162** Posted **Mar 4, 2019, 11:14 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by spyguy

Some pretty big preservation news: 15 buildings are being considered for preliminary landmark recommendation.

642 North Dearborn Street
14 West Erie Street
17 East Erie Street
110 West Grand Avenue
1 East Huron Street
9 East Huron Street
10 East Huron Street
16 West Ontario Street
18 West Ontario Street
212 East Ontario Street
222 East Ontario Street
716 North Rush Street
671 North State Street
42 East Superior Street
44-46 East Superior Street

This could be a sizable step to curbing the unending demolition of charming lowrises in River North and Streeterville.

How do buildings get added to that list? The condo association I'm in controls three 1890s buildings on Huron and I think the ownership might be interested.

I also think it's odd there are no buildings on Clark or Wells.

the urban politician · #**44163** Posted **Mar 4, 2019, 11:27 PM**

Not sure why 642 N Dearborn is under consideration when 650 N Dearborn is way the hell more interesting. I mean, 650 N Dearborn is one of the most distinctively "welcome to the arcane design language of the 19th century" buildings in downtown Chicago.

Agreed that we need more buildings on Wells and Clark. I'd rather see more groups of buildings landmarked than just individual ones

harryc · #**44164** Posted **Mar 5, 2019, 3:28 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by spyguy

Some pretty big preservation news: 15 buildings are being considered for preliminary landmark recommendation.

642 North Dearborn Street
14 West Erie Street
17 East Erie Street
110 West Grand Avenue
1 East Huron Street
9 East Huron Street
10 East Huron Street
16 West Ontario Street
18 West Ontario Street
212 East Ontario Street
222 East Ontario Street
716 North Rush Street
671 North State Street
42 East Superior Street
44-46 East Superior Street

This could be a sizable step to curbing the unending demolition of charming lowrises in River North and Streeterville.

west-town-brad · #**44165** Posted **Mar 5, 2019, 2:36 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by the urban politician

Not sure why 642 N Dearborn is under consideration when 650 N Dearborn is way the hell more interesting. I mean, 650 N Dearborn is one of the most distinctively "welcome to the arcane design language of the 19th century" buildings in downtown Chicago.

Agreed that we need more buildings on Wells and Clark. I'd rather see more groups of buildings landmarked than just individual ones

Is this proposal for a city or federal landmark district? And don’t both require buildings to be continuous to qualify as a “district”?

ardecila · #**44166** Posted **Mar 5, 2019, 3:33 PM**

^ I think they will be individual landmarks, not a district. The Landmarks Ordinance is pretty flexible on criteria.

Quote:

Originally Posted by emathias

How do buildings get added to that list? The condo association I'm in controls three 1890s buildings on Huron and I think the ownership might be interested.

I also think it's odd there are no buildings on Clark or Wells.

I would reach out to Brendan Reilly ASAP. If this is actually a proposal with legs, then it means Reilly supports it and/or is leading the charge...

jc5680 · #**44167** Posted **Mar 5, 2019, 5:58 PM**

Quote:

Steppenwolf Theatre, known for bold moves, plans a new $54M theater-in-the-round project on Halsted Street

In a development likely to reshape, and possibly reignite, the Halsted Street corridor in Lincoln Park and impact the fiscal and artistic fortunes of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company for years to come, the storied Chicago theater is to break ground Tuesday on an ambitious and costly $54 million project that will create a new education center and a 400-seat theater-in-the-round, built on the parking lot south of the theater’s current 1650 N. Halsted home.

The long-in-gestation building, which has been designed by the Chicago architectural firm of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill and the British theater design company known as Charcoalblue, is expected to open in the summer of 2021…

ardecila · #**44168** Posted **Mar 5, 2019, 6:32 PM**

Thank god. That awful parking lot will go away.

Also looks like they are putting a new screening element on the garage - which will improve the appearance massively, but I'm surprised they aren't adding floors to the garage to make up for the lost surface parking lot. IIRC the garage was designed for vertical expansion, but maybe Steppenwolf is expecting more of their guests to use Uber and Lyft?

harryc · #**44169** Posted **Mar 5, 2019, 7:22 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ardecila

Thank god. That awful parking lot will go away.

Also looks like they are putting a new screening element on the garage - which will improve the appearance massively, but I'm surprised they aren't adding floors to the garage to make up for the lost surface parking lot. IIRC the garage was designed for vertical expansion, but maybe Steppenwolf is expecting more of their guests to use Uber and Lyft?

IIRC they ran out of money and it stood derelict for a year or so - surely looked like it was planned to go higher.

aaron38 · #**44170** Posted **Mar 5, 2019, 8:38 PM**

It's not clear to me, is this an addition to the existing Steppenwolf building, or a replacement?

Nevermind, should have read the article first.

Quote:

Phase three, destined for some point in the future, involves a top-to-bottom rehab of the original theater, the company’s home since 1991.

r18tdi · #**44171** Posted **Mar 5, 2019, 9:48 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by harryc

IIRC they ran out of money and it stood derelict for a year or so - surely looked like it was planned to go higher.

It always reminded me of Egypt where almost everyone leaves exposed unfinished rebar on top of buildings to claim U/C status for tax advantages.

ardecila · #**44172** Posted **Mar 6, 2019, 1:54 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by r18tdi

It always reminded me of Egypt where almost everyone leaves exposed unfinished rebar on top of buildings to claim U/C status for tax advantages.

They do that in Mexico as well; not for tax reasons but simply to provide the flexibility to add floors later as family grows, or to provide an additional advantage when selling a home.

People make decisions very differently in the absence of zoning. Why would you NOT future proof your home in this way unless the government has explicitly banned it?

Of course, with much more rainfall, snow, and freeze/thaw cycles in Chicago that approach is more difficult here, and out of the question in tightly zoned residential areas.

marothisu · #**44173** Posted **Mar 6, 2019, 12:59 PM**

There is a proposal for the current 1 story building at 155-159 W North Ave to be demolished, replaced with a new 6 story, 35 unit with ground floor retail and 14 interior parking spots building. This is near the 101 North or whatever they call it - new luxury building at North & Clark. Demo permit for the current building was actually issued yesterday.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/15...!4d-87.6338174

sentinel · #**44174** Posted **Mar 6, 2019, 6:19 PM**

Additional renders for the proposed Steppenwolf Theater addition:

(Images from Smith+Gill)

wchicity · #**44175** Posted **Mar 6, 2019, 7:02 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by sentinel

Additional renders for the proposed Steppenwolf Theater addition:

(Images from Smith+Gill)

Looks good. Rahm was tweeting out pictures from the groundbreaking ceremony yesterday, so I guess it's already close to being U/C?

sentinel · #**44176** Posted **Mar 6, 2019, 7:30 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by wchicity

Looks good. Rahm was tweeting out pictures from the groundbreaking ceremony yesterday, so I guess it's already close to being U/C?

Really? Huh I missed that; will check out..

Edit: Good catch, didn't realize they were that far along!

BonoboZill4 · #**44177** Posted **Mar 6, 2019, 7:52 PM**

I'm always down for more theaters. Great!

Busy Bee · #**44178** Posted **Mar 6, 2019, 9:55 PM**

Who owns that parking lot to the north of the theater? I nearly got heat stroke moving my cousin into the house next to the lot and some dude in the alley talked my uncle into giving him a beer. It was like 100 that day.

the urban politician · #**44179** Posted **Mar 7, 2019, 4:38 AM**

Read this little tidbit, didn’t see it mentioned before:

CedarSt Cos. closed on a 10K SF lot at the southeast corner of Broadway and Foster in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood for $1.75M. It plans to build a mixed-use 27-unit apartment building with 6K SF of ground-floor retail. Working with LEVEL Architecture, the company plans to break ground later this year and start leasing in the spring of 2020. CedarSt also secured a $6M acquisition/construction loan from Associated Bank. Daniel Barrins of Associated Bank managed the loan and closing.

Read more at: https://www.bisnow.com/chicago/news/...medium=Browser

ardecila · #**44180** Posted **Mar 7, 2019, 5:08 AM**

^ That's too bad, the southeast corner has a nice traditional Chicago corner building with a currency exchange and a pizzeria.

Especially sucks when 75% of Broadway is suburban crap and this development doesn't really move the needle...

Also, there's a six-story building planned for Ogden and Erie (615 S Ogden). Big improvement over the 1 story blank wall garage that used to be there. Demo is underway.