SW corner Michigan and Roosevelt

Is it the Mich Ave Tower being built here? What exactly is being built there? Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Michigan Avenue supposed to have a streetwall? It appears, last I was in Chicago, that whatever is being built there has a long low-rise garage and, more importantly, places an ugly blank wall along Roosevelt Ave. west of Michigan Ave. Am I seeing things?>

Richard M. vs. Richard J. Daley

Okay, guys, I really want your insight into this, especially those of you who know Chicago and its history very well (b/c I sure as hell don't) What do you think of the different mayoral styles of the current mayor and his late father? Were they similar? Who was more effective? Who was better/worse for the city? Surely there are some similarities, but undoubtedly different times called for very different people. My take, from the best of what I know, is this: Richard J Daley took reigns in the 1950's, when Chicago was at its greatest peak, but was still largely industrial. It was a much more conservative city that was filled with families, and had a large population of black immigrants from the south that whities didn't want in their neighborhood. The car was beginning to dominate, as well. That reflected in his style--conservative. Also, he built the same public housing highrises that his son would now demolish. Even though he took control of a very powerful city, during the entire time he was in office Chicago would lose population and jobs to the suburbs, a process he knew he couldn't reverse. In a sense, R.J.Daley had to deal with a great city on its decline, and surely that made his job enormously tough! Richard M Daley, on the other hand, had a different city to deal with. It was a more diverse city in a more open-minded era, but also still had great issues with racial division and crime. He was dealing with a post-WWII city that had deindustrialized and had likely bottomed out. Yet luckily for him, it was a city that was still very healthy with a very strong financial presence (thanks in part to the CME formed in the '70's). But he had new energy and vision, but he was also lucky enough to take office during an economic boom (the '90's) and an era when people were starting to criticize sprawl and move into cities. The city's population leveled off and even increased, while Daley tapped into this newfound energy by measures to make the city and its neighborhoods more livable. Also, Daley had insight and vision for a new city--one with a 24/7 core rather than just a financial core. But should Daley take credit for his vision or is Chicago's rebound more a factor of demographics out of everyone's control (just as population losses in the 60's and 70's were out of his father's control)? Those are my thoughts. I would truly enjoy hearing opinions from anybody who is interested in this discussion >

Chicago: vertical and horizontal

As we see the city grow upward with new super towers like Trump and Waterview on the way, where do you see the high rise portion of the city spreading outward? It would imagine that that the area that will change most will be the west loop, between the river and the Kennedy, where the two metra stations futher solidify this area as the new office center of Chicago. N/S Wacker Drive is pretty well developed because of this proximity to rail and most of the new development should be west of the river. The west loop is downtown. So where else, away from this area? Will other parts of Chicago away from the central city and the lakefront sprout their own skylines? Will we ever see the concentration of high rises that you see in edge cities like the Woodfield area or suburban downtowns like Evanston in parts of Chicago away from the central core. Will continue growth in Hyde Park and on the U of C campus draw more high rises to this area? Other than height restrictions, how about city areas along the Kennedy near O'Hare where so many hotels and offices already exist? What areas do you see high rises spreading?>

Vacant Blackstone Hotel to become a Marriot Hotel

Blackstone Hotel to be re-opened Buyers of landmark hotel will restore buildingÂ's features, update rooms By Jeff Danna City Beat Editor File The Blackstone Hotel, 636 S. Michigan Ave., has been vacant since it was shut down in 1999, but Denver-based company Sage Hospitality Resources LLP purchased the building last month and plans to re-open it as a Marriott hotel. For five years ChicagoÂ's historic Blackstone Hotel sat vacant at Michigan Avenue and Balbo Drive, but it has finally been sold. Sage Hospitality Resources LLP, a Denver-based development company, signed a contract last month to rehab the 94-year-old hotel at 636 S. Michigan Ave., just south of ColumbiaÂ's South Campus Building, 624 S. Michigan Ave. The sale of the Blackstone marks the end of a five-year period during which the hotel was closed due to building code violations. Last year the BlackstoneÂ's owners at the time, the Heaven and Earth Inns Corp., run by spiritual guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, put the hotel up for sale, hoping to convert the rooms into luxury condominiums. Revenue from the sale of the condos was supposed to be used by the Maharishi World Peace Fund to promote global tranquility. However, those plans fell through, and Sage swooped in. Â"We have a program here at Sage to redevelop old buildings and convert them into luxury hotels,Â" said Kenneth Geist, the companyÂ's executive vice president of Sage Hospitality. Sage has converted historic buildings to hotels in major cities across the country. Geist declined to say how much Sage paid for the Blackstone, but YogiÂ's corporation initially asked for about $31 million, said Art Burrows, senior vice president of NAI Hiffman, the Oak Brook-based real estate company that brokered the sale. Sage had been eyeing the Blackstone since it was shut down, but when the World Peace Fund announced its intention to convert the rooms to luxury condos, the company was out of luck, Geist said. He explained the cost to redevelop the existing rooms would have exceeded the cost of purchasing the building. Burrows said renovating the Blackstone to make it into a hotel once again was a more logical idea than converting it to condos. Â"It was the most efficient way to deal with the landmark space,Â" he said. One of the primary reasons the condominium project fell through, Burrows explained, was that the renovations would involve rehabbing a large portion of the historic interior, and by sticking to the hotel layout, the owners could market more of the floor space. Burrows also said the owners would receive a larger investment tax incentive by operating a hotel rather than a residential building. The two parties involved in the transaction are in the middle of a due diligence period examining each otherÂ's financial records, Geist said. He expects this process to last until December. SageÂ's next steps are to develop an interior design concept, obtain a permit for the project and begin renovations. Geist said the entire project will take about three years to complete. Â"WeÂ're working with some of the most prominent architects and contractors in town,Â" he said. Geist declined to say which architects Sage is working with because the development firm has not signed any contracts. Geist said Sage is also working with the Chicago Landmarks Commission, the Illinois State Historical Society and the National Park Service to adhere to the rules about renovating such an historic building. The company plans to restore the buildingÂ's façade and Crystal Ballroom restaurant. Sage will also enlarge the BlackstoneÂ's rooms to meet todayÂ's standard hotel room measurements, Geist said. When the Blackstone was built, the typical hotel room was about 200 square feet; Sage will renovate the rooms to be about 350 square feet each. The renovated Blackstone will most likely operate as a Marriott-Renaissance brand hotel due to the buildingÂ's luxuries, Geist said. Burrows believes the new hotel will fit in nicely with the neighborhood. Â"ThereÂ's been a mass shift in wealth to this area,Â" he said. Â"What weÂ're seeing with the opening of Millennium Park is that thereÂ's a convenience factor.Â" Burrows explained that the BlackstoneÂ's location across from Grant Park in the South Loop will allow guests easy access to many of ChicagoÂ's cultural attractions. In its early days, the Blackstone serviced many U.S. presidents, including Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy. The building is also famous for its Â"smoke-filled roomÂ" where Warren G. Harding was chosen as the Republican PartyÂ's presidential nominee amid clouds of cigar smoke. Geist said the hotel will become as important an aspect of the city as it was before it closed. Â"It will have a tremendous impact on the area,Â" Geist said. Â"ItÂ's a shame this property has been boarded up for so long.Â" Mark Tester, vice president of convention sales at the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau, said the re-opening of the Blackstone will help ChicagoÂ's high hotel occupancy rates by providing additional lodging space for people in town for conventions and other large events. Â"Generally, we run out of rooms before we run out of exhibit space,Â" Tester said. Â"We can always use more quality properties.Â" In 2000, ChicagoÂ's hotels had an average occupancy rate of 65 percent to 70 percent, and two weeks ago the occupancy rate was up to 90 percent, Tester said. And with more hotels, he explained, Chicago will be able to host more simultaneous events. He also said since 9/11, the economy has picked up and hotelsÂ' profits have increased. Â"As long as the economy stays strong, the hotel industry should remain healthy,Â" Tester said. No matter what the re-opening of the Blackstone does for ChicagoÂ's hotel market, Tester, Burrows and Geist agree that having such a notable building open again will be an achievement in itself. Â"I look forward to having it back in the community,Â" Tester said. Â"ThereÂ's a lot of history there.Â">

In Downtown Chicago, Architects Return to 'Less Is More'

NATIONAL PERSPECTIVES NEW YORK TIMES In Downtown Chicago, Architects Return to 'Less Is More' By ROBERT SHAROFF Published: October 24, 2004 HICAGO AFTER a decade-long stretch of neo-this and neo-that apartment buildings, the city is returning to its modernist roots. A handful of new projects — the tip of a residential building boom that has transformed the downtown area in recent years — have reaffirmed the city's commitment to a style of architecture it basically invented in the late 19th century and refined for much of the 20th century into the "less is more" buildings that dominate through their powerful forms and ingenious construction. Advertisement The buildings that have caused the most stir are Erie on the Park, Kingsbury on the Park, Skybridge and Contemporaine. The first two — which are cater-corner from each other in River North, a SoHo-like neighborhood just north of the Loop central business district — are the first new steel and glass residential towers to be erected downtown in many years. The designer is Lucien Lagrange of Lucien Lagrange Architects, one of the most prolific residential architects in the city. Skybridge and Contemporaine, meanwhile, are by Ralph Johnson, who is the head designer of Perkins & Will, a firm with a long history of corporate and institutional work in Chicago. Skybridge is just west of the Loop in a neighborhood known as Greek Town while Contemporaine is in River North. For Mr. Lagrange, the buildings are something of an about-face. His work up until now has been firmly in the "neo" mode. With Erie and Kingsbury, however, Mr. Lagrange is reverting to his early days when he worked as a designer under Bruce Graham — the architect of such landmark structures as the Sears Tower and the John Hancock Center — at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. Erie came first. The spark, he says, was the building's irregular site. "The developer had an impossible piece of land," Mr. Lagrange said. "It wasn't clear anything could be built there. We looked at it and eventually decided to try a building shaped like a parallelogram. So it evolved into being a very modern building." Mr. Johnson, by contrast, has been a determined modernist for many years. What he has not been, however, is a residential designer. Skybridge and Contemporaine are his first residential projects. "I like residential because it's flexible," Mr. Johnson said. "Offices are blank, tenantless spaces, so you've got to keep them simple and boxy. But with these buildings, the success is more about the sculptural qualities." None of the buildings qualify as the most expensive in Chicago. "You can get a one-bedroom at Skybridge for $300,000 and a two-bedroom at Erie on the Park for the low $600,000's," said Thomas A. Gorman, a sales associate with Baird & Warner, a large residential real estate firm here. "The prices have brought in a younger buyer." They are, however, undeniably the buildings of the moment. Erie on the Park and the Contemporaine in particular have emerged as magnets for the city's creative community. "I had my eye on the Contemporaine from Day 1," said Steve Liska, chairman of Liska & Associates, one of the city's top graphic design firms. Mr. Liska recently bought a three-bedroom unit on the 10th floor of the 15-story building. "The architecture is so unique and interesting," he said. Julie Thompson, communications director for Leo Burnett Worldwide, one of the city's largest advertising agencies, says the opportunity to live at Erie on the Park actually influenced her decision to move to Chicago. "I was living in Minneapolis and had a job offer here," Ms. Thompson said. "And I said the only way I'm moving back to Chicago is if I can live in that building." She added that three other Leo Burnett executives also reside there. Colin Kihnke, president of the CMK Development Corporation, the developer of Contemporaine, said he "wanted a building people will talk about." He got one. Inspired by the Swiss architect Le Corbusier, the glass and concrete tower with numerous cantilevered balconies appears to float above a four-story glass box base. It looks like no other residential building in the city. The building has 28 units, all but three of which already have been spoken for at prices from about $400,000 to $1.7 million. At the top are four spectacular penthouses with large terraces and dramatic 20-foot and 32-foot atriums. "Luxury in modern terms means openness, space and transparency," Mr. Johnson said. "Not finishes. The finishes here are pretty basic." Jon Butcher, a local manufacturing executive, recently bought one of the penthouses for about $1.7 million and is spending nearly as much on elaborate additions that include a Japanese garden. "It's some of the most exciting space I've ever seen," Mr. Butcher said. "You walk out of the elevator and you're facing a waterfall and a dozen one-ton pine trees." Erie on the Park is a 25-story tower with distinctive exterior bracing that recalls the nearby John Hancock Center on Michigan Avenue. The Hancock Center is known in Chicago as "Big John." Erie has already been nicknamed "Little John" in the local news media. The building also has a number of irregular setbacks that allow for dramatic terraces. The building has 125 units that range in size from 800 square feet to 2,400 square feet. Prices range from $300,000 to around $1 million. "We sold 70 units the first weekend it was on the market and the rest within three weeks," said W. Harris Smith, a principal with Smithfield Properties, the developer of the building. "It was sold out six months before construction began." Kerry Grady, a partner with the local graphic design firm Grady, Campbell, bought a 1,700-square-foot unit. "The fact that it was a modern building was important to me," he said. "You want to be proud of where you live. I still get excited about living in the building." Ms. Thompson, meanwhile, says she wants to buy a second unit in the building as an investment. "I think the building will always have intrinsic value because of the design," she said. "Once you `go glass,' it's hard to go back.">

FLAT (out incredible)

When an expanding NYC in the early part of the 19th century decided it needed an orderly way of growing, it made a remarkably wise chose. It grided the entire northern 3/4 of Manhattan island with N/S avenues and E/W streets. But to make it work, New York had to flatten the terrain, remove the dips and the hills to make that marvelous platform on which the island has grown. Chicago had it easier. Just grid the streets. No hills. No dips. Just flat, flat land. Marvelously flat land. Ready to develop at a minute's notice. For all the love of the beauty that hills and mountains can create, in an urban sense they can be a pain in the neck for transportation and construction. and for the hustle and bustle for which cities are known. And with all that love of hills and mountains, we sometimes neglect to realize how beautiful flat land can truly be. And how outstanding a platform it is to build upon and to draw people together. Chicago turns flatness into an art form, in such the same way that San Francisco does with hills. The Chicago skyline rises dramatically and triumpantly on the flat plane, its presence noted from miles awy. Did you ever drive south on 294 from Great America and see Sears Tower in the distance. I have. That's dominance. Flatness makes Chicago accessible. It ties it all together. It makes it walkable. It allows for the spectacular formality of Grant Park. Two cities, Chicago and Milwaukee, are 90 miles apart on the shores of Lake Michigan. Both have done an admirable job of making their lakefronts an asset. But there is one big difference that comes to my mind: in Milwaukee, you have to go down hill, below the bluffs, to get to the beach and park. Beautiful, and in a way secluded that Chicago cannot match. But not easily accessible. Not made for walking. In Milwaukee, less a part of the city as a refuge from it. Clark, Lincoln, Archer, and others offer similiar pleasure. Downtown Chicago is a stage for some of the world's greatest architecture in part because it so flat, so conducive to displaying high rise structures. Our neighboorhoods are flat, grided, tied together. Walking is easy. Street life vibrant. And the skyline looms in the distance; we are all part of the same whole. Despite their distinctiveness, Chicago neighbors seamlessly flow together. A drive down a street like Milw Ave from the NW side draws you in, the skyline growing larger and larger until around Halsted, when you start becoming a part of it. I really believe that one of the biggest difference Chicago has from NY and LA is the unity that topography provides. No wide rivers like NYC, dividing the city into boroughs. No mountains spliting LA into city and valley. Just one beautifully unified Chicago. I love rough terrain. It is spectacular. I know the Midwest has less of it than other places, but I enjoy what I can get (the hills in Galena, downhill views of Lake Michigan, the rugged coast lines of Door County and Macinack, Brown County hills in fall, etc.) But flatness brings beauty, functionality, and urbanity to Chicago. I love it this way.>

Foggy Chicago, 10-23

I took a couple of pics this weekend when I made the trip from South Bend to Chicago: 1.Invisible Hancock 2.Invisible Sears 3.Construction 4. Two Towers 5. Robie House 6. U of C campus >

chicago 10/16

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googled Chicago aerials

Wow, this is an incredible shot, more aerials should be shot in winter >

How many Targets

It seems I keep on reading about these new Targets opening up in the city, here is another one. At least they seem to get better with each new one announced. CHICAGO-A West Ridge site formerly occupied by Venture and Kmart stores will be redeveloped by Target Corp., which is betting its drawing power and building designs will break a string of retail failures at 2112 W. Peterson Ave. The Minneapolis-based retail giant is buying the 6.4-acre site New Hyde Park, NY-based Kimco Realty Corp., which has owned the now shuttered Kmart since 1998. Target plans to build a 160,000-sf store, which unlike the current building, would front on Peterson Avenue. The building would have glass windows on the front and would have a green roof of at least 54,000 sf. The company aims to receive LEED certification from the US Green Building Council. Â"WeÂ've been able to do it for less than a 10% premium,Â" says Target Corp. development manager Ken Potts of the environmentally friendly building designs. Those measures are expected to cost about $3 million. Although Potts could not provide a cost estimate, other stores built by the company in the market have been in excess of $30 million. Potts says Target has bought sites across the county previously occupied by Kmart and Venture, two retailers who ran into financial difficulty. Â"We plan on being at this location for a long, long time,Â" says Potts, who eyes a summer 2006 opening for the store. Â"I donÂ't know exactly why the others left. WeÂ've been successful with our Chicago stores.Â" City officials offered a blunt assessment before the proposal got a favorable recommendation recently from the plan commission. Â"The other stores went out of business not because this site wasnÂ't successful, but the chains themselves werenÂ't,Â" says 40th Ward Alderman Patrick J. OÂ'Connor. Adds 50th Ward Alderman Bernard L. Stone, Â"The previous marketers really hid themselves from Peterson by not being on Peterson. ...This is a much better plan that anything thatÂ's been presented by anyone.Â" The site was originally used as an auto storage facility, Stone notes. OÂ'Connor adds there has been Â"tremendousÂ" interest in the site, although some of the proposed uses have been deemed Â"abhorrent.Â">

Chicago's Sister Cities

I always wanted to see a complete list: http://www.chicagosistercities.org/ Accra, Ghana Amman, Jordan Athens, Greece Birmingham, England Casablanca, Morocco Delhi, India Durban, South Africa Galway, Ireland Gothenburg, Sweden Hamburg, Germany Kyiv, Ukraine Lucerne, Switzerland Mexico City, Mexico Milan, Itlay Moscow Osaka, Japan Paris, France Petach Tikva, Israel Prague, Czech Republic Shanghai, China Shenyang, China Toronto, Canada Vilnius, Lithuania Warsaw, Poland>

Magazine gushes over Daley's environmental record

Magazine gushes over Daley's environmental record October 28, 2004 BY JANET RAUSA FULLER Staff Reporter It's enough to make other big city mayors green with envy. Mayor Daley is one of the 50 top environmental power brokers in the nation, Organic Style magazine says in its November issue. Daley, ranked 28th and the only mayor to make the eclectic list of "eco-superstars," is lauded for his efforts to make Chicago "one of the most environmentally friendly cities in the world." "I always thought those of us who live in urban areas should be more concerned about the environment than anyone else," Daley is quoted as saying. Also making the list: potential first lady Teresa Heinz Kerry, who has given more than $200 million to ecological causes; Whole Foods Market president and CEO John Mackey, and actress Cameron Diaz, who tools around Tinseltown in a hybrid Toyota Prius. The magazine cites the July opening of Millennium Park as one of Daley's greatest projects -- though it neglects to mention the park opened four years late and cost three times what Daley had estimated. "But it happened in the end. There's so many cities that don't have anything like that," said Pam O'Brien, articles director for Organic Style. The magazine also mentions Daley-inspired touches such as rooftop gardens scattered across town that insulate and reduce pollution. The original one atop City Hall, installed in 2000 at Daley's request after he took a trip to Europe, is home to beehives that last year produced 150 jars of honey. The honey was auctioned off to benefit Gallery 37. There are more than 100 rooftop gardens on public and private buildings in Chicago, Environment Commissioner Marcia Jimenez said. Another Daley initiative for the city to get 20 percent of its electricity from renewable sources such as wind and solar energy should be complete next year, a year ahead of schedule, Jimenez said. "That's what a leader can do," she said. ------------------------------------------ I had no clue that 20% of Chicago's electrical needs were from renewable sources.>

Whats up with WGN News?

Okay, so I live in Washington, DC. I can't watch "Chicago Tonight" and all those other shows. I like to watch WGN News at night sometimes so I can see Chicago in action. But WGN News sucks. What's going on here? Every single day, they spend the first 30 minutes talking about murders, rapes, and fires--consistently. Given that WGN is Chicago's most nationally broadcasted channel, it gives a terrible view of Chicago to the country. Why do they do that? Either way, all I want to see is some footage of Trump and the Sun Times demolition--but allI get is death,murder, and the fuckin weather guy. What kind of perverse, sick news network is this?>

Chicago Nabs BP Spinoff

See Crain's Chicago Business Article below.The best part of the deal: absolutely no financial incentives from the city or state. City lands HQ of new BP petro biz By Julie Johnsson October 29, 2004 Coming full circle, BP plc plans to base the new headquarters of a $13-billion petrochemical spin-off in ChicagoÂ's Aon Center, which once housed world operations for Amoco Corp. With todayÂ's announcement, Chicago will gain a Fortune 200 company with a headquarters staff of 125 and an oil-industry leader that the city has lacked since London-based BP purchased Amoco in 1998. BP plans to spin off the subsidiary, which derives plastics and other products from oil, to investors in a mid-2005 initial public offering, a spokesman says. Â"WeÂ'll be a global company in a city thatÂ's a true global leader,Â" said Ralph Alexander, a BP veteran who will be CEO of the, as yet, unnamed company. It will employ another 200 workers in DuPage County and have 7,000 total employees in 27 countries. The City of Chicago didnÂ't provide any tax incentives for the headquarters move, Mr. Alexander said at a press conference Friday morning. Chicago Mayor Richard Daley welcomed todayÂ's news, which comes as the city has lost many of its largest and best-known companies to mergers, acquisitions and bankruptcy. Among the biggest: Bank One Corp., Amoco, Ameritech and Montgomery Ward. Â"WeÂ're the best city in the nation for headquarters and thank God (BP) agreed with us,Â" said Mayor Daley. News of the new headquarters follows BP's announcement in April that it would consolidate its Olefins and Derivatives business, which has been struggling financially. At the time, BP said some of the employees working at its North American chemicals headquarters in Naperville and Warrenville would be transfered to the spinoff (ChicagoBusiness.com, April 27).>

a Chicago can of worms?

Here's a post I'm already regretting making, a ridiculous can of worms that is probably going to go places I don't want to see it go, but what the hell... First, a little conceit. As a life-long Chicagoan and someone who has always had great interest in my city, I have to say that (first) I have no doubt about Chicago's greatness and global status and (second) through work I have done in Chicago's tourism industry, I have no doubt that others from across the US and around the world agree with me. It's almost: NO CONTEST. Nothing is fact, but here's about as close as you can get: Chicago does city, does urban, in a totally remarkable, mind boggling way. I've said it before and I'll say it again: in my eyes (for right or for wrong), I see NYC and Chgo as peer cities; I have never, ever traveled to NY and came home to a place which I consider to be the "Second City"; I'd be willing to say that the vast majority of Chicagoans see things that way and would be unshaken or unconsidered if others outside our area differed. It's more imporant to us how we see ourselves than how others see us. So, this board has me confused. What accounts for the large degree of Chicago trollers, the Chicago critics, even the Chicago haters? Is it, as I suspect, what others and what I post throughout this forum about our city that gets the juices flowing (especially the LA juices) in others? We all (me included) will get into discussions of other cities and throw in Chicago into the discussion; and sometimes that toss is gratuitous and disrespectful to the other city. My sixth sense about the LA situation is that it was the back-and-forth that has gone on here that has caused their dismissal of Chicago in that NY/LA coastal axis. And I don't think the guys posting it even believe it; I think they're trying to score points in light of how they feel Chicagoans here (including me) beat up on LA. Chicago has always been about bragging, about being bigger than big, about truly being that Windy City that promotes itself like no other. How much of that bravado is responsible for the digs and insults that Chicago gets here. Is it negativity to Chicago or is it negativity to what you and I post here that is responsible for the angst? DO CHICAGOANS BEHAVE WORSE (OR WORST) THAN FOLKS FROM OTHER CITIES ON THIS FORUM? I'm asking this as a serious question, in hopes of getting a serious answer.>

South Loop becoming a true neighborhood

A great new article highlighting what is happening in the South Loop In-fill housing, shops, restaurants, foot traffic... The S. Loop is starting to feel like a neighborhood Trying to keep up with new construction projects in the South Loop is a little like trying to count stars in the night sky, only with each passing year, thereÂ's less and less dark empty space between the bright points south of Van Buren. After years of gradual growth, the South Loop is casting off the last vestiges of a dingy, industrial past and beginning to glow with the light of a diverse, livable neighborhood. The transition has been taking place incrementally for so long that itÂ's hard to say when the South Loop started to feel truly comfortable. The area, bounded roughly by the lake, the river, Van Buren and Cermak, has long had the cityÂ's greatest cultural attractions – the Art Institute, the Museum Campus, the Harold Washington Library, Soldier Field, Grant ParkÂ…But for years, residential development occurred in isolated bursts that seemed like they might never coalesce or take full advantage of that impressive institutional base. Printers Row, centered around the converted printing houses of South Dearborn, was the closest thing to a real neighborhood pocket, with its vertical loft apartment buildings and the foot traffic created by the attendant ground-floor retail. But this was an island, as were Dearborn Park I and II, immediately south, and the early phases of Central Station, an 80-acre project south of Grant Park. Between these and other spheres of development was space – interrupted by old warehouses and storage buildings, a junkyard here and a transient hotel there – that few wanted to traverse on foot. ItÂ's only in the last couple of years that the neighborhood has hit something like critical mass. For some, the watershed was marked by the opening of a Starbucks on Roosevelt Road – the green light for gentrification in the eyes of many – while for others, the neighboring Jewel grocery store signaled the birth of a real neighborhood. Now itÂ's hard to keep up with the commercial development. A new Target has opened at 1154 S. Clark, and State Place, a mixed-use project finishing construction at 11th and State, includes a full-service Walgreens, a 26,000-square-foot Multiplex Clubs health club with spa services and a Charter One Bank – all part of the 65,000-square-foot Shops at State Place. The block-long development also includes 243 condos in a 24-story tower and three mid-rise buildings above the retail. Pointe 1900, another mixed-use project, at 1900 S. State, includes 38,000 square feet ground-floor commercial, including Bank One, Subway Sandwiches, a nail spa, a dry cleaner, Athletico and PalaggiÂ's, an Italian restaurant and café. A number of other new residential developments include at least small retail components, and other commercial ventures are opening in existing space, such as a Potbelly Sandwich Works and a new wine shop, both planned for Printers Row. The new shops finally are starting to provide the goods and services taken for granted in most city neighborhoods, but just as important, theyÂ're building foot traffic and friendly facades and street life – the milieu of a neighborhood and not that of an ersatz collection of bunker-like townhouse and condo developments. The lack of restaurants in the South Loop used to rank just behind the absence of a grocery store as the biggest complaint among even the neighborhood faithful who extolled the virtues of a quiet, uncongested spot so close to Loop offices. Now, enough restaurants have opened that the South Loop actually is becoming a destination for diners from other parts. The stock of Printers Row establishments – HackneyÂ's, SRO, Bar Louie, Trattoria Caterina and others – has been steadily augmented by spots throughout the neighborhood. The Chicago Firehouse Restaurant, built in a renovated firehouse at 1401 S. Michigan, has gained neighborhood fans with its steaks, seafood and charm. Owner Matt OÂ'Malley recently opened Grace OÂ'MalleyÂ's, a cozy spot serving pub food, at 1416 S. Michigan, and the Wabash Tap, an informal restaurant and bar with live music on weekends, at 1152 S. Wabash. Restaurateur Jerry Kleiner is starting to do for the urban mystique of South Wabash what he and partner Howard Davis did for the former packing and produce houses of West Randolph. In addition to Gioco, a regional Italian restaurant at 1312 S. Wabash, he has opened Opera, a modern Chinese restaurant with Â"the color and feelÂ" of the Chinese opera, and Saiko, which serves sushi, steaks and other Japanese dishes with French and American twists – all on the same block. The dark superstructure of the el and the aging facades of Wabash used to make the street slightly forbidding, but on this block at least, a new patina – and new patrons – have transformed a slice of Old Chicago from obsolescent to romantic overnight. Other new restaurants include South City Tavern, 1530 S. State; Orange on Harrison, 75 W. Harrison; Room 12, 1152 S. Wabash; the ButcherÂ's Dog, 649 S. Clark; and Oysy, 888 S. Michigan. Like new retail, the restaurants are building foot traffic and giving pedestrians something to look at besides blank walls, fast food joints and surface parking lots. But the main ingredient in foot traffic is feet, which is why the most important development in the South Loop continues to be residential. Nearly every block these days hosts a construction crane, a sign touting new homes for sale or a condo building that didnÂ't exist last year. At press time, New Homes counted more than 30 new residential developments underway, totaling more than 4,500 housing units marketed or under construction in the neighborhood, and many more are on the drawing board. The cityÂ's Central Area Plan projects that 70 percent of residential growth downtown between now and 2020 will occur in the greater South Loop. Too much density is a problem in many city neighborhoods, especially downtown, but for years, the South Loop suffered from too little. Early residential projects there often were low-density developments of townhouses and single-family homes, which did little to liven up the areaÂ's sparse streets. However, as property values and comfort levels have grown, developers increasingly have turned to highrise construction, which is bringing enough population to support new amenities. The pace of building is dizzying in ChicagoÂ's fastest growing neighborhood. At press time, New West Realty had just 22 of 78 units left at WOWÂ's 15th Street Lofts, priced from $199,000 to $350,000, and the company sold 70 condos in less than a month at Lakeside Tower, a 19-story highrise with 143 units at 16th and Indiana, where homes are priced from the $200s. Other condo towers that had not yet been officially announced at press time include an 18-story highrise planned by Winthrop Properties for 733 S. Wells and a second highrise by Russland Capital Group similar to its successful Michigan Avenue Tower project, a 29-story condo building at 13th and Michigan. Co-developers Bruce Fogelson and Shai Lothan are planning a 16-story condominium highrise at 776 S. Dearborn and a 12-story tower at 777 S. Dearborn. Sales, at least at many projects, appear to be moving at a brisk pace. More than 500 potential home buyers showed up recently at a grand opening for the Columbian, a 46-story tower with 220 condos priced from the mid-$200s to $1.5 million and marketed by Equity Marketing Services, at Michigan and Roosevelt. Equity also hit a homerun with Metropolitan Tower, taking 100 deposits in the projectÂ's first weekend. Buyers have flocked like moths to the famous blue light atop the former Britannica Center office building as Metropolitan Properties converts the classic art deco structure into 245 condos at 310 S. Michigan. Neighborhood boosters can say with all seriousness, if you havenÂ't been to the South Loop in six months, you havenÂ't been to the South Loop. And the biggest is yet to come. Rezmar Development Group is getting ready to launch Riverside Park, a 62-acre mixed-use project on the site bordered by Roosevelt Road, Clark Street, the Chicago River and 16th that will take 10 years to build. When completed, the massive development will include more than 4,000 residential units, a landscaped riverwalk, up to 670,000 square feet of retail space and parks, plazas and parking (see sidebar). Â"This will give South Loop residents a place to shop in the city, so that people can stay in their own neighborhood,Â" says Judi Fishman, vice president of Rezmar. Â"IÂ've been to all the community groups – they want the retail, the restaurants and recreation for older children.Â" A diverse community So, who are all these people snapping up new homes in the South Loop? The question may seem simple, but itÂ's not an easy one to answer. The South Loop is the best place to be if youÂ're young and single, the young singles say, because if itÂ's not where the action is, itÂ's close and comparatively affordable. Young parents think itÂ's a great place to start a family, and empty nesters tell you itÂ's the place to go after youÂ've raised one. Students and stockbrokers, stay-at-home moms and retirees. Straight, gay, married, single. African American, Asian American, white. Among the neighborhood faithful, wildly different people all seem to feel that the South Loop was tailor made for them, and in a sense, theyÂ're all right. Diversity is important to the highly diverse crowd that lives in the South Loop, though few mention it without prompting. Heterogeneity is a fact of life here perhaps more than anywhere else in Chicago, and the mostly middle-class residents are as unselfconscious about it as they are appreciative. This is literally a new neighborhood. Not an old one rediscovered, but carved whole cloth from industrial loft buildings, old railroad land, junkyards and parking lots. Starting from scratch wasnÂ't easy, but it has allowed the city to plan for growth and put a solid new infrastructure in place. In the same way, an unusual social infrastructure has emerged, one that is solidly middle-class, diverse and down to earth. The South LoopÂ's status as a Â"new neighborhood,Â" careful attention from the city and a location that allows the South Loop to identify with both the South Side and downtown have combined to create a place unlike any other in the city. Dorothy Strojana moved from the suburbs to the South LoopÂ's River City, the serpentine concrete complex along the river that has its own grocery store, health club, shuttle bus, clubhouse and private year-round marina. Â"I love the building, itÂ's like a city within the city,Â" says Strojana, a 34-year-old Polish immigrant who came to the U.S. more than a decade ago. Â"And I consider it very safe. IÂ'm not afraid to walk on the street. I walk everywhere.Â" Except to work. Unlike many South Loop residents who move to the neighborhood so they can walk to Loop offices, Strojana makes a reverse commute to Northbrook, where she sells cars. Â"There are a lot of things going on in the city,Â" Strojana says. Â"The suburbs are boring. IÂ'm single, so thereÂ's more happening here. ItÂ's close to the action.Â" Close but not too close. Her studio at River City was $182,000 at a time when even small condos under $200,000 are becoming hard to find at developments in downtown neighborhoods. Prices have been rising in the South Loop, but the neighborhood still offers some comparatively affordable units as well as a stock of larger homes that attracts families. June Gin grew up in Chinatown, which these days, is considered just outside the South Loop. Her husband, Bruce, is from Elk Grove Village and after they married 18 years ago, they lived first in Chinatown and then for more than a dozen years, in the Near Southwest neighborhood of Bridgeport. When two sons came along – one now four and a half and the other nearly three – their 1,600-square-foot house suddenly felt cramped. Â"We were looking for a bigger house,Â" says Gin, 42. Â"We had children late in life, so when we had our first son, the house started to seem too small. We knew we wanted to stay in the city, and my preference was for the South Side because thatÂ's where I grew up.Â" South Siders as a rule are suspicious of the North Side, and North Siders attach as much reality to the South Side as they do to Mandalay. Somehow both can feel comfortable in the South Loop: North Siders perhaps because they consider it a quiet corner of downtown, and South Siders because they see it as an extension of the South Side, a spot with some of the Near North SideÂ's advantages and none of its snobbery. Â"First we looked in the West Loop, but I wasnÂ't as comfortable there,Â" Gin says. Â"The West Loop was too yuppie, a lot of young couples and not as many families. Bridgeport is very family-oriented, and I like that.Â" She and her husband, a programmer for IBM, settled on a four-bedroom townhouse at Kensington Park, a development by Belgravia Group, at 18th and Indiana, where units in the first phase were priced from the $550s. In some ways, Gin is surprised to find herself in the city with two children. She always thought sheÂ'd raise her family in the suburbs. But she says, the public schools have improved (she likes the new teaching academy on Cermak, which includes a working grade school, a pre-school, daycare and a community center) and there are private schools nearby. Â"I grew up in the city, so I can appreciate the benefits of having a diverse neighborhood and for my kids to have friends who are diverse,Â" Gin says, noting that there should be plenty of children for them to play with. Â"There are always a ton of mothers with strollers when you walk down Indiana.Â" The neighborhood also is home to plenty of couples who packed away their strollers years ago. Vince Hartigan and his wife, Kitty, moved to the South Loop after their youngest daughter went off to college. TheyÂ'd raised a family in Lake Forest and were ready for a change. Â"In the Â'80s a lot of yuppies started to move into Lake Forest,Â" says Hartigan, a retail stockbroker with Salomon Smith Barney. Â"There was a lot of wealth and all the toys, and we decided to move.Â" The Hartigans have been in the South Loop for about a decade, in a townhouse in Dearborn Park I. It sits in a pleasant row of red brick homes with terraces that overlook a grassy courtyard, but the community shows best once youÂ're inside it. From State Street, most of Dearborn Park I turns a blank wall with small sporadic windows to the neighborhood. When it was built, there was little to face, and itÂ's a measure of neighborhood progress that the Chicago Homes, in Dearborn Park II, turn traditional porches onto State. Â"I had to move my car just now and saw two young women with their children and dogs,Â" Hartigan says from his Dearborn Park home. Â"ItÂ's interesting. I think there are a lot of young families here who didnÂ't want to move out to the suburbs and two-career families who want to save on the commute, as well as people like us who cashed in and moved down.Â" Diversity was key for Steve Scott and his partner as well. Scott, 52, is an associate producer at the Goodman Theatre, and his partner works as an actor and teaches at Roosevelt University. Â"We decided we wanted to be closer to downtown and have more of an urban lifestyle,Â" says Scott, who lives in Folio Square, a loft conversion in Printers Row. Â"We both moved to Chicago because we wanted to be in the city. We found the South Loop to be interesting and varied and very convenient, and at that point, very affordable.Â" TheyÂ'd lived in Lakeview too, but he likes the fact that this is a new neighborhood. The South Loop, he says, has grown naturally into a diverse community, a fact on which few residents dwell. Â"ThatÂ's one thing that really appealed to us,Â" Scott says. Â"In terms of race, age, ethnicity, a fairly sizable gay community interspersed, it seemed in many ways the perfect city community: very heterogeneous and diverse in the right way, unselfconsciously.Â">

Cabrini Green Demolition/Redevelopment

Has anyone noticed that more Cabrini Green high rises are finally coming down? There was a huge gap where nothing was getting demolished, but now several buildings have been or are being demolished. These ones are: the two or three on the west side of Larrabee north of Division (639 West Evergreen and 1340 North Larrabee are some of these) and 714 West Division. What's odd is that there is no plan for development on this land, unlike on the "Cabrini" (older high rises) land. Also, that building on the SE corner of Division and Larrabee looks like it has been ready for demolition for sometime but continues to remain up (probably due to a court order). What's shocking about all of this is that you can clearly see the "Green" (newer buildings) courtyard from Larrabee now, which you weren't able to before. By my count, when 714 is down, there will be only 3 "Green" buildings left. Thoughts? Rumors on which buildings are coming down next?>

cool marina city U/C pic.

i love shots of chicago landmarks when they were under construction, and i came across this one of marina city and thought it was very interesting, so i decided to share it with all of you. one thing to note is how tall the cores were built in relation to the construction of the floors. pretty cool photograph. feel free to post pics in this thread of other landmark chicago structures when they were U/C.>

Getting sick of Walgreens

This article sums up what is going on everywhere in Chicago. Walgreens is eating up retail space everywhere, it seems: http://www.**************/index.php/p...ity-charter_82 The Walgreens amendment to the Chicago city charter Posted on December 22, 2005 by Alison Soltau This just in from our man Â"The BenchÂ" in Irving Park: When the Mobil station at the corner of Irving Park Road and Pulaski Road was bulldozed in late summer I was curious about the lotÂ's fate. I assumed it would become a higher-line condo project, similar to the luxury home developments a few blocks west. Or even better, some new and strange addition to this major intersection. But it was not to be. InsteadÂ… I believe there is a little known codicil in the Chicago city charter which requires all citizens to never be further than 500 yards from a Walgreens at any time. OK, maybe a half mile. Or maybe Walgreens has a lien on every property in the city, just in case.>

While CTA is struggling, Metra is expanding services

I was never fully aware of how active Metra has been in expanding service. I always assumed that Metra was created as a commuter railroad using existing freight right-of-way lines (which is true), but I was not aware that Metra has been actively extending these lines and increasing services considerably. Although many of us are L lovers, one cannot deny that increasing Metra service and extending its lines outward only expands downtown Chicago's gravitational pull further and further outward and draws people into the EVIL vortex of the mighty Central Area---HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! (that was a wicked laugh) Anyway, I encountered 3 press releases from the Metra website of extensions/expansions that will be completed by early next year and was taken aback. Were any you guys aware of how active Metra is? Here they are: North Central Service: The North Central Service [NCS] opened in 1996 making it the first new commuter rail line in the region in 70 years. The line extends 53 miles north from ChicagoÂ's Union Station to Antioch and serves ten communities in parts of Cook and Lake counties, plus a transfer station at remote parking lot F at OÂ'Hare International Airport. Through 2005, the NCS has consisted of five weekday inbound and five outbound trains and has served approximately 4,500 passenger trips daily. The NCS will increase service to up to 22 trains each weekday. The additional trains will provide a better spread of service options throughout the day and early evening to better meet the increased demands in the marketplace. The expansion of service also provides a greater opportunity for Metra to capture more OÂ'Hare Airport trips and to build upon the growing suburb-to-suburb market by partnering with select business centers to implement connecting shuttle services. In addition to increased service, access points on the NCS are also expanded. Four new stations have been constructed at Grayslake, Schiller Park, Franklin Park and Rosemont with a fifth station, Grand/Cicero, opening later in 2006. Infrastructure improvements include the addition of a second track, crossovers, signals and other track configurations. Service is scheduled to begin in January 2006. Union Pacific West Service: The Union Pacific West [UP-W] Line currently extends nearly 36 miles west from ChicagoÂ's Ogilvie Transportation Center to Geneva, serving communities in parts of western Cook, DuPage and Kane counties. The Union Pacific West Line service provides 59 weekday trains and serves approximately 29,000 passenger trips daily. A spread of weekend service is also available throughout the day and evening. In January 2006 the completion of the eight mile extension of the UP-W from Geneva to Elburn will help meet the needs of the substantial residential growth along the rail corridor. The western portion of the extension includes two new stations at LaFox and Elburn, 600 new parking spaces, and a new coach yard. The new coach yard, along with additional track and signals will increase track capacity for both commuter and freight trains and provide a more efficient operation. As part of MetraÂ's larger capital improvement plan, Bunker Road has been extended north of Keslinger Road to provide access for the new LaFox station. The route extension will ease parking congestion at the Geneva Station where ridership is constrained due to the lack of parking. In addition to serving its largest customer market, ChicagoÂ's Central Business District, the UP-W rail extension will also enhance suburb-to-suburb opportunities for Kane county commuters who will benefit from Â"peak directionalÂ" service frequency to access employment markets along the rail line. SouthWest Service: The SouthWest Service [SWS] extends 29 miles from ChicagoÂ's Union Station to 179th Street in Orland Park, serving communities in Cook County. Until expansion, the SouthWest Service has consisted of eight inbound and eight outbound trains and has served over 6,800 passenger trips a day. Due to its limited service, Pace Route 835 supplements SouthWest Service throughout the day with additional rush hour, midday and evening trips. In January 2006, the completion of the 12-mile extension of the SWS from Orland Park to Manhattan will help meet the areas ever increasing population growth. The SWS schedule will expand significantly from todayÂ's 16 trains to 30 trains. The additional trains will provide a better spread of service options throughout the day and early evening to better meet the changing needs in the marketplace. In addition to the recently completed Palos Heights station, new stations along the line extension will provide better and more convenient options for Will County commuters. Locations include Laraway Road in New Lenox (summer 2006) and a station in Manhattan. Three miles of new double track have been installed and the 12-mile extension upon previously freight-only track will allow for the increase in Metra train service. Signal upgrades will enhance safety and improve operations for corridor commuters. To provide customers more flexibility and additional convenience, more than 4,000 parking spaces have been added along the line.>

Tall towers and how they create Chicago focal points

So this is in response to the thread about the Sears tower dominating the skyline. Their have been so many threads about ranking city skylines. But I must say we are extrodinarily lucky in Chicago. Not only because of all our tall towers, but that our supertalls are spaced out, and not clustered together. This tradition continues with Trump and Waterview Tower. I feel that each of the current and future supertalls ground a certain defineable area of Chicago; they are gateways, or icons of areas, so to speak. I see it this way: JHC: Tip of Mag mile Aon: Edge of Millennium park Sears: Heart of the Loop Trump: Mag mile meets Chicago river Waterview: Loop meets Chicago river I'm not counting the AT&T tower, keeping with Chicago tradition of not recognizing F'ing spires as supertalls. So, now I have a question. What other areas would you like to see grounded with a supertall? There are some obvious choices. Wolf Point: The N & S branches of river converge Fordham Sp.: Chicago river meets Lake Michigan and possible focal points: Chinatown, South loop, Western edge of Lincoln park (the actual park, not neighborhood). What would you guys list?>

best location for the next 1000 footer

As many of you may have caught on, I hate how the west loop is full of parking lots, and I refuse to believe that there is no office market. Anyway, when the office market gets up and going again, there is a parking lot west of the presidential towers and before the kennedy that would be perfect for the west loop to have its own peak in the skyline. I played with google earth and came up with this.... The new building is somewhat a rip off of citi group's tower in NYC, but i like the design and this will get built once Bank of America decides to come to Chicago and build a landmark tower. Here's the site: Here's the view from the Kennedy: (i made it a little too fat) Here's from the Ike: doesn't block the sears tower and its westside dominance And the greatest improvement, from the south coming in on the Dan Ryan: My question, is there any development planned for this site? And if so, I hope to God it has some height on it.>

Will Chicago Always be Part Of The "Big Three"......

Hong Kong ( For Sure! ) New York ( Bank On It! ) Here is the part where you will think I'm crazy.......... With London going bezerk in Canary Wharf, in time for the 2012 Olympics......... We all know the story with Dubai.........Singapore is already top four as it is and closing.......... Then there's ShangHai that is vying for world attention and improves its skyline annually........... So how set in stone is it that Chicago will forever hold it's position? It has always fascinated me how Chicago determines what projects are necessity and which ones are taboo. I believe that we would have already been number two if not number one had Wolf Point, 7 South Dearborn, Miglin Beitler and a laundry list of other "wish-list" towers had reached their 'groundbreakings', unfortunately, these testemants of prosperity met the same fate that I am almost postive will become of the Fordham Spire. I say it is time to reach for the skies like never before, If I had been Mayor you better believe that 7SD would be casting it's shadow all over the loop. I am sick of the 40-story fortress that has become Chicago. It's time to offer tax breaks and whatever else it takes to these developers who have lacing the loop with 1000fters on their agendas. While we plop 40- story condos on parking lots,( That get swallowed in the grand skeem of things anyway ) other cities with the go-getters are building outward and upward at a dizzying pace. The Sears Tower has dominated for thirty years now and has unequivocally served it's pupose, but it seems that these sacred cows in office are't willing to top it. I love the Sears and it is honestly my favorite building in the world but I realize that it is time for it to bow down to a new king of the city. I believe that the love for it has inadvertently ( or ) advertently been the ultimate demise of so many projects in the city it's shameful, if we do not surpass the Sears Tower than we are telling the world that we have given up. The future of Chicago is not admiring 1729ft. it's building beyond it. I know it's an exciting time with alot on our plate but afterall proposals are just that, Proposals! Alot of people are gleeming because we got the Trump, honestly I have veiwed it as a tragedy since the day he announced that they scaled back the design from 150 stories to avoid terrorism ( I guess planes can't hit a 92 story building ) after that I knew the road to super towers would be awfully bleak for Chicago. Waterview is a nice addition but hardly a show-stopper and it seems most other projects ( Not All ) are of the "Ho-Hum" "La Di Da" variety. In conclusion, short of guaranteeing, I will begrudgingly say, that I am almost certain that we will not see a 2000ft. or even 1500ft. project beyond "approved" within the next decade to further immerse ourselves within the "Big Three.">

Valuable land; no gentrification/limited reuse

What do you do with what should be prime real estate, but conditons on the ground fight mighty hard against redevelopment? The following locations offer naturally stellar waterfront locations that have been crippled by human usage for over 100 years: Calumet region shoreline (Lake Co, IN): short of some disasterous areas in NJ, it would be hard to think of a landscape more brutalized by the hands of man than this steel making area. Shoreline casinos is basically all that has been done to readpt the waterfront to recreational/pleasure usage. The real question here: how many years and decades would it truly take to turn around the Hammond, E Chgo, Gary waterfronts, horribly scarred by industry, but possessing unparralleled prime shoreline so close to Chgo? South Chicago/South Works: similiar to above. the plans have been in place for a long time. Not much has happened. Can upscale housing and quality redevelopment go in here, separated as it is by South Chicago and South Shore to the nearest comparable community, Hyde Park? Waukegan/North Chicago: industrial, blue collar cities, with Waukegan having a port. The industry's dead and redevelopment is needed (and hopefully occur without the poor being squeezed out). The amount of infastructure work is daunting, but could the North Shore extend not only from Evanston to Lake Bluff, but to No. Chgo and Waukegan, as well? Lakes in Lake County: Fox Lake is not Lake Geneva, but it's pretty damned attractive. What once was "summer cottages" dot the shoreline of Fox Lake, Lake Zurich, and others. One would have thought that tear-downs would have discovered this prime waterfront real estate years ago, but it hasn't happened (even in relatively close-in Lk Zurich). It's not that I want to see trophy homes dot the shore of Fox Lake; it's just I'm surprised it hasn't happened. Rogers Park: nothing at all like any of the above (and industry has never been an issue), but why is this neighborhood so resistent to gentrificaton and redevelopment? All the lakefront neighborhoods to the south clearly are. Other inland neighborhoods on the city's northern fringe (W. Rogers Park, Peterson Pk, Hollywood Pk, Sauganash, Edgebrook) are doing quite well (with admittedly a larger stock of suburban like homes than Rogers Park can offer). Meanwhile, Evanston is damned beautiful across city limits. How can Rogers Park, with its lakefront, prime North Side location, an major university campus (Loyola) be so resistent to change. Do you agree or disagree with the observations on the above and are there other such communities that you can identify?>

LOL at these people

http://forums.espn.go.com/espn/thread?threadID=3002822 North Carolina better than Chicago? Come on.>

Can you mix purple and yellow and get red?

Can you mix purple and yellow and get red? Maybe you should. Is it time to examine the CTA rapid transit lines at the far north end of the system? For an eternity, the purple line has been a logical extension of the red, a set up that has created an unnecessary switching of trains at Howard Street on what could be viewed as a single set of tracks. Could the purple line be eleminated (or reserved only for its express service) and be incorporated into the red? The downside (if any) would mean relatively larger numbers of empty seats using the multi-carred red line as it moves northward through Evanston and into Wilmette. But the expense of such emptiness would be more than off-set by the savings and convenience of eliminating separte lines where not warranted. The third line to converge at Howard is the yellow. The name Â"Skokie SwiftÂ" has been relegated to history. It is hardly even appropriate at a time when a new station is being added on Oakton Street to serve downtown Skokie and, I believe, one considered for Crawford. Presently the yellow line cuts through Evanston without a stop, but the city of Evanston wants to see that changed. It has proposed that CTA add stations (where they once existed on the old North Shore line) at places like Dodge, Asbury, and Ridge...stations that would serve the southern fringes of Evanston and the northern most parts of Rogers Park, as well. Why not have the CTA go back to the drawing boards on this one. All they have to do is think of the former configuration of the blue line (OÂ'Hare-Congress, OÂ'Hare-Douglas) to create a more efficent movement of people on the far north side and near north suburbs. The plan would be thus: eliminate both purple and yellow lines (while retaining the purple Â"Evanston ExpressÂ") combine them into an extended red line service with Dempster (eventually replaced by Old Orchard)-95/Ryan and Linden-95/Ryan branches.>

DePaul Men's BBall game in Lincoln Park?!?

Thursday morning, sitting in the Bodleian library, I checked my inbox and had five or six emails from friends back in Chicago. These were not emails asking how my thesis proposal went or how my stress level was; they were emails concerning the Men’s DePaul/Hofstra game. As an alumnus of DePaul’s undergraduate program, I of course like to see them do well in the NIT, but that had nothing to do with the reason for the emails either; instead, it was the atmosphere at McGrath Arena. The place was apparently electrifying. Every email raved about the sellout crowd and the energy that the team had playing in front of their fans in Lincoln Park. Now this is interesting because many people have been calling for an on-campus arena for years with no avail, but this game against Hofstra just may have shown the DePaul authorities what an on campus arena could do for the program and the university. I also am in this camp and have wondered aloud how different the student body would be if we could watch the Blue Demons right around the corner from Kelly’s and McGee’s. I have also heard stories from old alumni about the days at Alumni Hall on Belden Ave, specifically how enthusiastic the student body was for DePaul basketball. An enthusiasm that is nowhere to be found today. This being said, what are the hopes that this momentum can get a few more games in Lincoln Park next year with future plans at building an 8-10,000 seat arena on the Lincoln Park campus. Now, I am well aware of the space limitations in Lincoln Park, but I also know that the university owns a good deal of land there, ie, block north of Fullerton where Blockbusters sits. In addition, there is the Children’s Memorial site opening up in a few years. Even though it is a rather oddly shaped parcel, I am sure something can be constructed. However, what are some other ideas where this arena could go and is it even feasible? I think this is one of the things DePaul needs to continue to transform itself into a respectable university………why, because the school spirit and pride will follow, creating a “real” college experience in Lincoln Park.>

The Chicago Effect - Would Chicagoans reject MKE if Natl Guard is put in?

As everyone in this Chicago section of SSC is well aware, many of you take day trips, spend weekends, and even buy homes and condos in Wisconsin and the Milwaukee area. Yesterday one of Milwaukee's aldermen brought up crime enforcement in the city, and called Mayor Barrett to allow Wisconsin National Guard forces to patrol and enforce the law. While only 50-75 National Guard MPs would be used - it's still a very scary thought - Milwaukee's police force can't control the violence?? And it could open the door for many more troops to be placed. Which brings up my question to you for this thread. IF Mayor Barrett fails and Milwaukee lands National Guard forces to protect the peace - does that make you weary to travel to Milwaukee? Would this have an effect on Chicagoan spending in the Milwaukee area? Would you ever feel safe if you did?>

OT: Canada

Let me know if this is too far off topic for this board, but am I the only person who really underrated Canada's presence in the international skyscraper community? From SSP: RANK CITY COUNTRY: BUILDINGS - HIGHRISES - POPULATION 1 New York City USA: 2,704 - 2,446 - 8,104,079 2 Toronto Canada: 1,961 - 1,715 - 2,481,494 3 Chicago USA: 1,059 - 1,058 - 2,862,244 4 Tokyo Japan: 971 - 930 - 8,524,495 5 Vancouver Canada: 684 - 563 - 545,671 6 London United Kingdom 7 Hong Kong China 8 Mexico City Mexico 9 Montreal Canada 10 Los Angeles United States 11 Sydney Australia 12 Ottawa Canada Props to the Maples.>

Chicago Skyline on Paint (Real Cool!!!)

This is the Chicago skyline from the west. It is still unfishined so i will add more detail such as more buildings, trees and the sky. My goal is to reach all the way to the north where the JHC is. Sorry its a little big.>

Landmark thread (stuff that is saved or should be)

Another idea I just got for a thread, Some things are saved and some arent. Some things should be saved and some shouldnt. I think news about the sort could be put here.>

McCormick East and Sports Finals

Watching the NCAA B-Ball tourney I am feeling disgruntled. Even though Chicago would make one of the best locations for such an event as a Final Four or Super Bowl (I think Chi and NYC could be maybe only two northern cities who could attract more then one and done Super Bowls if given the facilities) Chicago gets skipped over because we don't have a massive indoor sports facility. Given that there is sporadic talk about decommissioning or tearing down McCormick East would it be beneficial and realistic to think about converting and rehabbing it to making it an indoor stadium capable of hosting such events? Even though those events would be sporadic it could still host winter mega-concerts and even that damn circus that displaces the Bulls/Hawks for weeks during the winter. I am not sure what is going to be done with the temporary seats of an Olympic stadium but maybe it would be cheaper to reuse those seats and put them in a reconfigured McCormick Place East. One could even sell the naming rights to help go towards reconstruction. Now I am not sure if the proportions are at all suitable to turning it into an indoor stadium or not but if they are is it worth thinking about?>

Status of Gino's on Rush?

Does anyone know what the status of Gino's is on Rush Street? I believe it has been shuttered for at least a year (probably longer) but I think it also has a sign on it that suggests it will reopen. Along with Uno's and Due's, this was one of the real places where deep dish pizza took off in popularity and its graffiti covered walls (and even dripping candles) were appreciated by generations of Chicagoans. I know Rush is getting awfully pricey, but it sure would be nice to see this classic reopen.>

Heller International Building on fire near Loop

Anyone have pics? By Jason Meisner Tribune staff reporter Published March 28, 2007, 12:50 PM CDT Firefighters were responding this afternoon to an extra-alarm blaze on the roof of a high-rise building in the West Loop in downtown Chicago. The fire broke out shortly before noon in the Heller International Building, 500 W. Monroe St., just west of the Chicago River. The blaze was confined to a maintenance or air-conditioning unit on top of the building, fire officials told CLTV. Firefighters called for a second alarm and five ambulances to be sent to the scene, police Officer Laura Kubiak said. No serious injuries had been reported. Kevin Smith, spokesman for the city's Office of Emergency Management and Communications, said fire crews were on the scene but he did not know whether any evacuations had been ordered. Witnesses who work in a building at 1 S. Wacker Dr. said thick black and gray smoke could be seen pouring from the top of the building on Monroe shortly after noon. Chicago Fire Department representatives did not immediately return phone calls. CTA spokeswoman Ibis Antongiorgi said three bus routes were being rerouted around the fire scene. She said the No. 60/Blue Island, No. 124/Navy Pier and No. 157/Streeterville would be affected until firefighters clear the scene. Copyright © 2007, Chicago Tribune>

The 2 most appropriate Macy's/Field's questions for this September

As the deal isn't going to be any more done than it is now as the name Field's comes off the stoes and Macy's (dare I say Macy*s?) goes up, I can't think of any more appropriate questions to ask than the following: 1. Is Macy's a New York store or a national store? 2. Are there any true "local" department stores out there today? My answer: Macy's is a national chain, no different than Sears or Penny's in the sense that it doesn't rely on any one city to be its focus. Sure it started in New York, but Federated has operated it from Cincinnati for years. And many cities, such as San Francisco, have had Macy's for so long it seems home grown. Macy's is no more New York than was a Dayton Hudson run Marshall Field's, with Mpls HQ, the real Chicago. In essence, the only connection left to the grand old stores is (was) the names. Period. Local department stores, and local specialty stoes, are as dead as a door knob. It didn't take Macy's to hammer in the last nail. They don't exist. The Carsons that will close its doors on State is so far removed in ownership and structure from the original Carson Pirie Scott that its hard to see a relationship at all. Rare was the local department store with the local name run differently than a corporation's chains in other cities, still operating under their local name. For years, Dayton Hudson ran Field's, Dayton's and Hudson's identically, only the names on the stores different (even the merchandise tags contained all three stores). Marshall Field's, Carson Pirie Scott, Wieboldts, Boston Store, the Fair, Sears, Wards, Goldblatt's all lined State Street, a collection of department stores that no site in the world came close to equally. With the closing of Carsons and the conversion of Field's, not a one of those buildings will bear the name of the stores mentioned above (although a smaller version of Sears still precariously remains). We weren't shocked when Wiebolt's shut its doors, when the Fair became part of Wards, when Goldblatt's succumbed to the discounters. Why should we be surprised to see what happened to Field's and Carsons? It's a different Chicago and a different State Street today. One would have to be insane to say it was a worse Chicago and a a worse State Street based on the changes to what were always the street's two shining lights and chief attractions: Marshall Field & Co. and Carson Pirie Scott & Co. Time didn't pass Chicago by, but it certainly did the grand age of department stores. We'll survive.>

Downtown Politics - 42nd Ward - Brendan Reilly

I think that the 2nd Ward Aldermanic Race thread was quite succesful in keeping the development threads clean of political posts. And the resulting discussions in that thread have been useful. So here goes it for the 42nd Ward political issues. Post your Brendan Reilly, SOAR, WLCO posts here.>

CUBS & SOX

Spring is in the air; you can feel it through the rain drops. There is nothing like the start of another baseball season. What kind of season do you guys think the Cubs and the White Sox will have in 2007??????????? GO CUBS! GO SOX!>

what is it about Chicago....

If I were to come up with one word that best describes the prevailing feeling that comes from the posts of the Chicago forumers, that word would be passion. What do you think it is about Chicago that makes us so passionate about our city? What qualities does Chicago have that illicits that response from us?>

Excessive Wrought-Ironism

Is it getting a little out of control? Too much of a good thing is not good....>

red line isn't "dangerous," is it?

I've received very strong mixed opinions about it... To start, I'm a suburban 19 year-old who likes going downtown. Me and my equally naive suburban friends wanted to take the red line from the loop to chinatown, but I have heard it's dangerous. These people say I should be afraid of getting mugged either on the train or at the Cermak Platform. This sounds overblown to me; I think these people are concerned with the people on the train from neighborhoods other than loop and chinatown. Also, it's me and 3 or 4 male college friends, travelling on what would be lunch time on a weekday. I'm sorry if this sounds like an incredibly stupid question to hardcore urban people, but your opinion is appreciated.>

The Thompson Center: Architecture gone good or bad

It seems to be one of the more controversial buildings downtown, and I would like to know what the forumers here think.>

Global Warming Chicago style...

As a comedian once said, "Where is Global Warming when you need it!!!" This week long weather of 4 degree highs and -4 degree colds(not factoring in windshills) has been nuts. I cannot remember a time when a stretch of a week, temps have stayed this low for this long. I mean today get up, -2 for most of the day. Boy, the "Chicago is windy and cold" stereotype proves true for the month of Feb.>

Removal of Expressway: The effect on neighborhoods

First new thread, I made up like in 9 months. I was thinking about expressway that leads to sprawl and I know how forumers hate sprawl and love rapid transportation. I am wondering if there are removals of expressways(including Chinatown feeder, Ohio feede, LSD, etc) in Chicago(land), which one will be the most effective, least effective, postive or negative in terms of moving people around and neighborhoods. If the expressways are removed, what is it replace by? New neighborhoods, strip malls, boulevards, parks, a ground-level rapid transportation, a wall, etc? Since it is getting late, one of my ideas was to remove the Eisenhower and replace it with a real Congress Parkway with the Blueline as a subway to rejoin the city. I think removal of the Eisenhower is the most effective in Chicago compare to the others.>

Union Station towers

Did anyone catch this week's Crain's? It had a great article in a commercial real estate section about failed projects in the city (Loop circulator, Helmut Jahn's plans for Navy Pier, etc.). Nice group of pix. Anyway, one of the failed projects mentioned was that plan to add to neoclassical towers atop Union Station. Before reading Crain's, I thought the idea was still alive. Does anyone know anything about its status. I remember the plans were pretty cool, including extending the atrium in the station's main waiting room.>

which super tower site offers best sights?

Welcome. It's the super battle of the super towers's super sites! No, it's not about the towers...just where they are located. Which of the five (we'll include Chicago Spire...since the "site" is already in place) has the most beautiful, the most dramatic, the most eye catching location? I'll try my hand at summarizing (without offering a choice): JOHN HANCOCK: the only one on the Magnifcent Mile (which alone earns it high praise), it emerges from what is arguably the ritziest location of all the towers and the blocks around it get more tourist/out-of-towner foot traffic of all the locations making it an incredible high energy location. The streetscape is elegant, the tower dominates that special view coming south on LSD, it plays off beautifully when juxtaposed with the Drake, Palmolive, WTP SEARS: in Chicago, the business community steadily moved westward towards the Metra Stations. Sears Tower rises out of the most massive, the densest location of all the towers. Wacker Drive (along with LaSalle Street) is one of the two most prominent streets in the business district. While not directly on the river, Sears is close enough and high enough to dominate the south branch. None of the towers are as close to the expressway system as Sears, heightened its role as beacon of the city's core when driving in-bound. And Sears's location alone comes with a front door...the remarkable entry point offered by the Eisenhower Expy going through the old post office...emerge at the east side and you are overwhelmed by the view. AON: where once there was just one street wall, the Michigan Avenue built in the post-fire era, now there are three with the additon of Randolph and Roosevelt. Grant Park is Chicago's front yard and the Aon dominates its landscape. The domination is even greater in Millennium Park...and what building wouldn't want that as its forefront? If the utlimate view of Chicago is the Grant Park walls of high rises, Aon beats the competition based on promience of the site. TRUMP: the globally unique, tower-lined main branch of the Chicago River...what a powerful and distinctively Chicago site. Add to this that Trump serves as the nexus, the connecting point between Loop and Mag Mile and draws its vistas from both. The straight ahead view north from the Loop on Wabash or south from Rush Street on the opposite bank offer a Board of Trade type of perspective on LaSalle Street. As for immediate neighbors, how can you beat being included in a view that offers Wrigley, Trib Tower? CHGO SPIRE: the linear Chicago skyline from the lakefront is sliced in half here at the river, Loop to the south, Near North Side to the north. It embraces the lake the way that Trump embraces the river. While probably the least "in the center of things" location, the location is arguably the most dramatic and the one best suited to highlight a building of such height, a signature location by any measure. ******************** iÂ'm sorry, but some of those pictures of above make me think tha chicago is the daniel radcliffe of cities.....totally confident and not the least bit modest.>

Unbuilt Chicago

I think that there has been exhibits and/or pictures published of the proposed and unbuilt high-rise buildings for Chicago. Here's a home thread. Please contribute.>

CHICAGO: America's most centralized city?

Is Chicago arguably America's most centralized city? Please understand that if the answer is either "yes" or "no", there are no awards or penulties either way. Having that title gives us no leg up (or down) compared to other cities. It is just a neutral question about organization. Giving some comparisons: • of course New York City is centered around Manhattan. But Manhattan is a borough, not a CBD, a downtown, a city center. And Manhattan itself is anything but centralized with its linear shape, its two business concentrations (downtown and midtown) and its ability to spread power thoughout the lower two portions of the island. • San Francisco has a robust downtown, but so much of what makes the city tick actually happens outside the downtown core. Places like GG Pk, the Marina, the GG Bridge, Haight Ashbury, the Castro, etc., are well removed from the downtown core. • highly urbanized Boston revolves around separates core areas downtown and in the Pru Center area in backbay. • LA speaks for itself in how many "centers" it maintains away from downtown, many of which were healthy places when its downtown (long since on a tremendous upswing) was in decline. Downtown LA is hardly the locus for the San Fernando Valley • Governmental DC spreads its attractions out in an area that includes far more than downtown Washington. In Chicago, however, the Loop and other power centers like Michigan Avenue's Mag Mile are joined into one solid core. A city built on the concept of concentric rings, everything in Chicago is pulled towards the center. The periphery hardly suffers; in fact it thrieves on the concept of the power of the downtown core. All the wonderful things that make areas like Lincoln Park, LakeView, Wicker Park, Hyde Park, etc., the fabulous and complete urban environments that they are comes from their proximity to the city's core; they are beneficaries of the core's greatness as are suburbs like Evanston and Oak Park which offer close access to it. So how about it, guys, does any other city come close to Chicago in "centralization" .....with the repeated caveat that being on top here is neither a plus or a minus, just an "is"....and that cities mentioned above (SF, Bos, NY, DC, LA) and others are doing things just as well as we are even if they are not as centralized.>