[spyguy]

New York doesnt seem to have much respect for their older buildings

Neither do we, but at least they have good reason to demolish their buildings for tall towers whereas we have surface parking lots literally across the street.

[the urban politician]

State Street, demolition of two worn, but otherwise very nice buildings:

http://198.173.15.21/ccao/ParcelDetails.asp?PIN=17032060010000&CalledBy=&DialogYN=

http://198.173.15.21/ccao/ParcelDetails.asp?PIN=17032060020000&CalledBy=&DialogYN=

Rush Street, which I wish they were limited to...

http://198.173.15.21/ccao/ParcelDetails.asp?PIN=17032060090000&CalledBy=&DialogYN=
http://198.173.15.21/ccao/ParcelDetails.asp?PIN=17032060100000&CalledBy=&DialogYN=

^ I hate to say this, but even the ardent preservationist within me isn't exactly stirred up over this.

I'm actually a bit reassured. Those buildings aren't all that impressive in my book. Chicago has lost (and preserved) much nicer structures than those.

[budman]

943 N. is especially interesting. At the least, they should build a sliver building that would bring them more visibility and save this one in the process.
^I thought this building was already knocked down and replaced with the Walgreens at State and Walton? I dont think this building is around anymore....can anyone confirm?

[BWChicago]

943 N. is especially interesting. At the least, they should build a sliver building that would bring them more visibility and save this one in the process.

Looking at a Google map aerial compared to the map on the Crain's story, I don't see the Barney's building as encroaching on the 943 footprint.

[nomarandlee]

Thats odd, the images aren't showing up for me when they did this mourning. Anyone else have that?

The State street side buildings look a bit above average but not exceptional. I don't think meet the qualifications of preservation, far better has been torn down in the city. The Rush street single level stores are quaint and have nice windows but I think single level retail looks outdated or small timel in that area.

Funny that over at SSC a week ago we were talking about more density on Rush and now this comes up. If Barney's come up with a half way descent building (which I am betting they would) I think it will be an upgrade that will probably be worth it. If it looks like they are planning to put up a clunker then I may change my mind.

[spyguy]

Probably seems bad of me to say this, but I sort of like the Rush St. stores like Chico's and Bang & Olufsen - I wonder where these stores will relocate to.

[spyguy]

Paul Vranas (http://vranas.typepad.com/paul_vranas_chicago_busin/2007/01/retail_redevelo.html) has a little bit more info on his website.

Commercial building approximately 90,000 square feet
98 feet tall
No parking

Basically demolishes the following stores:
The Denim Lounge, Alternatives, Quatrine Furniture, Tender Buttons, Chico's, Bang & Olufsen, Mondeli Lounge, Papa Milano, & G'Bani

Couldn't they just build an extra floor or two on top of the existing Barneys? If none of them relocate, it would suck to lose all that retail for one store expansion.

[the urban politician]

^ I love the 'no parking' part.

And regarding the other stores, I"m sure if they really want to be downtown, they will find space to rent. Nothing like a good game of real estate hardball to get a place kickin'

That's why I kind of wonder if Trump's tactics, as asshole-ish as they are, aren't exactly the right dose of medicine for Chicago's luxury residential market

[Chicago Shawn]

^I thought this building was already knocked down and replaced with the Walgreens at State and Walton? I dont think this building is around anymore....can anyone confirm?

Yes, the 943 building is already gone. I went by there today, and it was replaced already by the new Walgreens. The Cook County website is out of date. I'll reserve my judgement untill we see the plans for the replacement building, but I am really not expecting anything special.

[honte]

^ Thanks for clearing this up. So, this was the old Natarus offices? It looks much different to me in the photo - a ghost from the past.

[AdrianXSands]

Paul Vranas (http://vranas.typepad.com/paul_vranas_chicago_busin/2007/01/retail_redevelo.html) has a little bit more info on his website.

Commercial building approximately 90,000 square feet
98 feet tall
No parking

Basically demolishes the following stores:
The Denim Lounge, Alternatives, Quatrine Furniture, Tender Buttons, Chico's, Bang & Olufsen, Mondeli Lounge, Papa Milano, & G'Bani

Couldn't they just build an extra floor or two on top of the existing Barneys? If none of them relocate, it would suck to lose all that retail for one store expansion.


This whole Barneys thing sound like a DISASTER just like the whole Macys thing was! Why sacrafice buildings and 9 businesses for a store that very few people shop at!?

[AdrianXSands]

^ also, I really like all those one story shops down there. It brings a certain quaintness that area.

[Steely Dan]

i've had to delete several posts from this thread to keep it on track. this is not the "let's whine about macy's and some perceived loss of chicago" thread. this thread is strictly for discussion about low-rise developments currently under construction and proposed in chicago.

[ardecila]

The Palmer House needs to assert its presence better on State Street. For years, I had no idea the building was a hotel. AFAIK, their only signage is the script titling on their 2 entrance canopies. Oh, and the Hilton logo on the fire escape; is the fire escape gonna go? I REALLY hope so, it's such an eyesore in that location.

[SamInTheLoop]

The Palmer House Hilton's State street retail frontage looks to be all but vacated now with one store left to close, and the State STreet entrance has been shuttered. Does anyone know what the timeline for the renovation is ?

The street is really coming back nicely with the exception of the landmark office towers that are now in limbo because of the Federal Office expansion.


Honestly I wish the Feds would move forward quickly and select which option of the plan they are going with - to somewhat relieve the block of its current state of "limbo" It seems like its such a long-range thing which is kind of frustrating...

[denizen467]

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007

Chicago tops US property hotspots
By Daniel Pimlott in New York

Published: January 29 2007

Chicago shot to the top of the list of the hottest US office property markets last year as investors flocked from the east and west coasts towards cheaper prices in the Windy City.

The amount of office property changing hands in downtown Chicago soared to more than 26m square foot last year, nearly tripling from the year before, and shooting past midtown Manhattan’s property market, according to data from Cushman and Wakefield, the property services company.

Across the US office property sales were at their highest ever, with total sales volumes jumping 40.5 per cent to $134.9bn.

In Chicago the total value of property sold in the central business district rose from $3.3bn to $5.25bn, according to Jones Lang Lasalle.

Midtown was the second most active office property market in the US last year, with nearly 21m sq ft sold last year, up nearly 9m from 2005.

Sales in Chicago were driven by a number of large office buildings coming onto the market. In 2006, 9 buildings costing more than $200m were sold, compared to 5 the year before.

The top price tag was taken by the Citadel Center at 131 South Dearborn Street, housing the Citadel hedge fund, which was bought by Richard Gans, a New York investor, for $560m from Prime Group Realty Trust. The Prudential Plaza building was the second most expensive property sold at $465m, while a new building at 1 South Dearborn came in third at $350m.

Chicago, as well as cities like Dallas and Atlanta, benefited as competition for sales in gateway cities such as LA, San Francisco and New York drove office property prices to their highest ever level this year, pushing investors to seek value in second tier cities, said Janice Stanton, senior managing director at Cushman Wakefield.

Meanwhile, low interest rates have encouraged buyers to look at larger properties and assume more debt.

Prices per square foot in downtown Chicago came in at $300-$400 last year, compared with $1,200 in midtown Manhattan.

Chicago’s success was a feature of booming US commercial property market, Ms Stanton said. ”Real estate easily outperformed all other asset classes last year,” she said. “Office is particularly hot.”

The success of Chicago as a centre for derivatives exchanges has in recent years spawned a large support sector in the city, which has also helped to spur the property market. “That has been one of the growth engines in the economy,” said Bruce Miller, a managing director at Jone Lang Lasalle. Law firms, in particular, have been one of the main driving factors in Chicago’s expanding office real estate market.

If the sale of Equity Office Properties, the Chicago-based company which owns more than 10m sq ft in the downtown area, goes ahead, then this year could even beat 2006. But excluding that, analysts say so much property changed hands last year - more than a sixth of the entire Chicago downtown - that sales must drop in 2007.

Chicago is second only to New York in terms of the number of the biggest US companies which locate their headquarters there. United Airlines is moving its headquarters to downtown Chicago from the suburbs, Mittal announced it would locate its headquarters in downtown Chicago at the end of 2005 and Boeing moved to Chicago from Seattle in 2000.

However, in recent years the city has lost other headquarters, such as Ameritech, BankOne, Quaker Oats, and Amoco. Analysts say that currently the numbers of firms moving to locate their headquarters in the city against those leaving is fairly evenly balanced.

Other markets that saw big changes in office property sales include Dallas, where more than twice as much property sold in 2006, at over 7.5m sq ft, as it did in 2005. Atlanta saw sales shoot up from just over 600,000 sq ft to more than 5m.

[nomarandlee]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chi-0701300489jan31,1,6148755.story

Lakefront bridge proposals are moving slowly

By Blair Kamin
Tribune architecture critic
Published January 31, 2007


There was optimism in the air two years ago when the City of Chicago held a lakefront pedestrian bridge competition and announced winners for five sites -- North Avenue, Lake Shore Drive at the Chicago River, 35th Street, 41st Street and 43rd Street.

Not much visible has happened since then, much to the relief of historic preservationists who want to save the existing North Avenue Bridge, a 1940s classic with an elongated steel arch. Meanwhile, just a year after introducing the idea, the Art Institute of Chicago in 2006 won city approval for a pedestrian bridge designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano that will span busy Monroe Drive. Private donors last year gave $14 million for the 620-foot-long bridge that will link the museum's under-construction Modern Wing with Millennium Park.

"Private pocketbooks are easier to pry open than public pocketbooks," said Brian Steele, a spokesman for the Chicago Department of Transportation, explaining the relatively slow pace of the city-sponsored bridges.

City transportation officials, it turns out, are grinding forward on the South Side pedestrian bridges selected in the design competition. They have commissioned preliminary engineering studies for those spans -- a curving, single-tower suspension bridge at 35th Street by Teng, a Chicago architectural and engineering firm, and a pair of S-shaped bridges for 41st and 43rd Streets by Chicago architects Cordogan, Clark & Associates.

The combined cost of the studies is about $2 million. Ground for these bridges may not be broken until 2009 or 2010, Steele said. Developers in the reviving North Kenwood and Oakland neighborhoods consider the new bridges crucial to improving lakefront access from the areas--and, thus, their real estate prospects.

Less clear is the fate of the other winning designs: the Lake Shore Drive pedestrian bridge, by Wight & Company with Edward Windhorst Architects, a moveable span that echoed historic Chicago River bridges with a single swooping truss, and a replacement North Avenue Bridge, by PSA-Dewberry's Chicago office, which called for a boldly curving profile inspired by sand dunes.

The city hasn't commissioned preliminary engineering studies for either bridge, Steele said, adding that they were always lower on the priority list than the South Side bridges.

The winning design for the Lake Shore Drive bridge, he added, does not rule out architect Santiago Calatrava's proposal for a towering, cable-stayed bridge at the same location because the city is not contractually obligated to build the competition winners. Calatrava included the bridge in his latest plans for the 2,000-foot Chicago Spire, which would rise nearby.

Saying that much has changed with the site, including the Chicago Spire proposal and the planned development of nearby DuSable Park, Steele said city officials would be open to reviewing Calatrava's concept. But so far, he added, "we simply don't have enough detail to know whether it's something to move forward with."

----------

bkamin@tribune.com



Copyright © 2007, Chicago Tribune

Tribune Image...
http://www.cordoganclark.com/projects/municipal/41st_43rd/page.html
http://www.cordoganclark.com/projects/municipal/41st_43rd/1.jpg

[honte]

^ Great news all around! The South Side bridges should be built ASAP. Meanwhile, the LSD bridge was underwhelming and the Calatrava should be seriously considered in its place.

Saving North Avenue Bridge is a MUST and the City has actually implied that it might be open to doing so. The pressure should be kept on this issue, however.

[VivaLFuego]

Saving North Avenue Bridge is a MUST and the City has actually implied that it might be open to doing so. The pressure should be kept on this issue, however.

It just seems foolish to demolish a ramped bridge that is otherwise in pretty decent shape and could be rehabilitated. Why not use the money to build a new bridge elsewhere?

[honte]

^ If I recall, the city claims the existing bridge's slope does not meet ADA standards (this should be checked independently). In any case, it's not a cause for tearing anything down. Do you throw out your heirloom china because it doesn't fit in new the china cabinets?

In this scenario, they should build a new underpass for ADA standards, and rehab the existing bridge. They also could build anew, as you suggest.

Come to think of it, this was the Richard Rogers plan more or less. How foolish of them not to select this great architect.

[Chicago Shawn]

^Yeah, that Richard Rogers plan was wicked awesome. A mini St. Louis arch with a cable-stayed bridge hanging from it.

[wrabbit]

Toronto Star/Feb 01, 2007 04:30 AM
Martin Knelman
Entertainment Columnist
Massive Change was the name of Bruce Mau's controversial museum show about new frontiers in the creative world and how design is shaping human destiny. Now Toronto's design guru is planning a massive change of a more personal nature. He's heading for Chicago, the Star has learned, where his firm Bruce Mau Design will open an office before the end of June.

The reason: greater business opportunities, because the high-end corporate clients Mau attracts are far more likely to be based in the United States than Canada, giving him a chance to spread his gospel that design is not just an add-on but a crucial part of creating identity for a building or an institution. It's thanks to Mau's impact that graphics and logos have climbed to the top of the creative chain.

So what can Chicago offer that Toronto does not?

A presence in the U.S. increases the opportunity, says Mau's business partner, Miles Nadal.

Sources say there are other factors that make Chicago attractive. Increasingly since 9/11 high-end clients and partners prefer not to cross the border for a meeting. And Mau was seduced when Chicago, unlike his hometown, embraced Massive Change during its run at Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art last year.

"The light went on for both of us when we saw how everyone in Chicago, including the mayor, the artists and senior management teams, embraced Bruce," Nadal recalls. "I don't think Bruce has been given as much recognition in Toronto as he deserves."

Mau first made his mark with cutting-edge designs and memorable logos but he wasn't content to stop there. He has also had a huge impact as a lecturer who writes books, and even mounts museum shows to illustrate his points. Not perhaps since communications oracle Marshall McLuhan has a Torontonian loomed so large in the arena of cultural-theory gurus with an international following.

"We want to be in the place where the greatest talent lives," say Nadal, chief executive officer of MDC Partners, who three years ago bought a controlling interest in Bruce Mau Design.

Still, over the past two decades while working and living in Toronto, Mau has managed to attract top creative collaborators, including two of the world's top architects, Frank Gehry and Rem Koolhaas of the Netherlands. And his list of clients has included Indigo Books & Music, Roots Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario, movie mogul Barry Diller and the New York Jets football team.

"Our philosophy is to help our partners grow," Nadal said yesterday. "Bruce and his firm are already global leaders. But the opportunity is 20-fold greater if you have a presence in the United States. And U.S. budgets tend to be 10 to 20 times greater than those of comparable Canadian firms."

Mau and his wife, Aiyemobisi Williams, have told friends they are shopping for a house in Chicago and looking for schools for their three children. Williams, though not nearly as well known as her husband, is also well known in Toronto arts circles. She recently joined the board of The Walrus magazine.

Increasingly in recent years, Mau has spent much of his time in airports and on the road meeting clients, mostly in the U.S. This week he was in Michigan and New York City, and unavailable for comment.

According to Joanne Balles Crosbie, president of Bruce Mau Design, the idea of moving his family to Chicago is under consideration but has not been finalized. And the firm will keep its Toronto office (on Spadina near King) open even if Mau does not reside here.

"This is an expansion, not an exodus or a mass exodus," Crosbie says. "Bruce's presence will still be felt here."

Maybe, but the way things are going it seems likely that Bruce Mau's Toronto era is coming to a close, and his Chicago surge is about to unfold.

"Bruce is one of Canada's great treasures," says Heather Reisman, president of Indigo. "He's brilliant, caring, optimistic, visionary and passionate. It seems to ever be the case that Canadians must go abroad before being full appreciated. Fortunately in this case I believe he is moving but not leaving."

Matthew Teitelbaum, president of the Art Gallery of Ontario, is of two minds. "I'm never thrilled when an important cultural leader goes south of the border, because people like Bruce help create the public conversation in Toronto. But the reality is that it is a fluid world with people moving in both directions across the border. And Bruce is responding to a clear opportunity to have a larger presence beyond this city."

It remains to be seen how massive a loss that will represent for Toronto.


Mau's impact widespread
Here is a selection of designs from Bruce Mau Design’s portfolio since the firm was established in 1985:

* Art Gallery of Ontario logo.

* The New York Jets football team hired Mau to design the graphics and communications program for a flashy New York Sports and Convention Centre and stadium, working with blue-chip architects Kohn Pedersen Fox.

* Updated signage for the home-grown clothing and leather goods retailer Roots Canada; redesigned its flagship store on Bloor St.

* S,M,L,XL, a sweeping architectural monograph — 1,376 pages with 2,000- plus illustrations — on the studio of Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and the impact of architecture on contemporary society, sharing authorship with Koolhaas.

* Created the logo, signage and in-store graphics for the Indigo Books & Music chain.

* Seattle Public Library with Rem Koolhaas.

* Signage for the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMa) in New York.

SOURCE: BRUCE MAU DESIGN/STAR LIBRARY

[sentinel]

^^ Wow! This is fairly big news - I had heard rumors that he was going to be moving but now to have confirmation - this is pretty exciting!

[honte]

^ Yeah, just great! Welcome, Bruce!

[Chicago3rd]

^ If I recall, the city claims the existing bridge's slope does not meet ADA standards (this should be checked independently). In any case, it's not a cause for tearing anything down. Do you throw out your heirloom china because it doesn't fit in new the china cabinets?

In this scenario, they should build a new underpass for ADA standards, and rehab the existing bridge. They also could build anew, as you suggest.

Come to think of it, this was the Richard Rogers plan more or less. How foolish of them not to select this great architect.

There is plenty of traffic in that area to support both bridge and tunnel.

[budman]

Did anyone go to the Friends of Downtown luncheon yesterday where they discussed the central area action plan? If so, was anything interesting discussed? I missed it because I was at the Chicago Loop Alliance annual meeting/luncheon.

[headcase]

Did anyone go to the Friends of Downtown luncheon yesterday where they discussed the central area action plan? If so, was anything interesting discussed? I missed it because I was at the Chicago Loop Alliance annual meeting/luncheon.

Victor, Shawn and myself were all there. I know Victor was taking notes, but I haven't noticed him posting since early yesterday....

There was alot interesting discussed, including long range mass transit options/plans, projected numbers of residential/commercial buildings, along with the sites that are expected to build on.

If you have something specific, ask away and I'll do what I can, I don't take notes, so it will be whatever I can pull off the top of my head.

Hopefully one of the other two will post.

SSDD

[budman]

Thanks headcase. Out of the things you mentioned, I would be interested in hearing about the sites that are being planned and what is being planned for them, and the projected demographics and/or overall development picture...

[the urban politician]

Did they talk about building heights and density?

Also, what were some of these long range transit plans?

[hoju]

Trib article that shows some promising signs of emergent pro-TOD candidates in the aldermanic elections:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0702020180feb02,1,4284828.story?coll=chi-news-hed
Rivals seeking notch in the Bungalow Belt
2 incumbents defending development in their wards

By Dan Mihalopoulos
Tribune staff reporter
Published February 2, 2007

The bungalow-lined streets of the Northwest and Southwest Sides are among the city's most popular for families, but two veteran aldermen in those areas face tough campaigns from challengers who say development is coming too slow to the tranquil neighborhoods.

City Council incumbents Virginia Rugai (19th) and Patrick Levar (45th) are strong allies of Mayor Richard Daley and are supported by two of the few Democratic ward organizations that remain vibrant. Yet both are opposed by candidates from within their own political organizations.

Terry Boyke, a former top aide to Levar, blames the alderman for vacant lots near Milwaukee and Lawrence Avenues, once a popular shopping destination.

Boyke was a lifelong precinct worker with the 45th Ward Democrats and was on Levar's staff for eight years before quitting last summer. Levar speaks of Boyke's defection as a personal betrayal.

"I treated Terry like he was a member of the family," Levar said. "He told me he was leaving to become a developer and a builder. We had a party for him and gave him Cubs stuff."

Boyke soon began running to unseat his old boss. He said Levar told him that he plans to bequeath his job to his eldest son, which the alderman denies.

Boyke said Levar doesn't work hard enough, citing as one example that the alderman has only attended a handful of more than 40 Police and Fire Committee meetings at City Hall in the last four years.

"Is that the kind of dedication that you want in your local public official?" Boyke asked.

The incumbent counters that he is "just a neighborhood guy" who focuses most intently on local issues and would rather be in his ward than at City Hall. His proudest accomplishments include new streetlights near the ward's Catholic churches and a Jewel grocery store at the faded Six Corners shopping area, where Milwaukee, Cicero Avenue and Irving Park Road cross.

Levar said he is in discussions with Starbucks for the chain's first outlet in the ward, on Cicero.

He defended his 2005 decision to oppose a condominium and commercial project near the Jefferson Park CTA terminal, saying he always defers to residents within 250 to 300 feet of a proposed development.

"This is the Bungalow Belt," said Levar, who wore a Bears cap and sweatshirt to an interview at a diner on Milwaukee this week. "This is a great place to raise a family."

Boyke said the neighborhood should offer more pedestrian-friendly amenities near the CTA train and bus stations, which are used by thousands of commuters each weekday.

"We have to give them a reason to stay," he said. "We are not a destination. We are a place to pass through."

Boyke said he envisions the area near the Jefferson Park CTA terminal becoming more like the nearby Lincoln Square neighborhood, where condos and shops have sprouted near train stops.

Also opposing Levar are real estate agents Anna Klocek and Robert A. Bank.

Across Chicago, in the 19th Ward, Rugai's opponents do not dispute that the Beverly and Mt. Greenwood neighborhoods are popular with families. But they say Rugai has not done enough to encourage development near the ward's eight Metra stations and along Western Avenue and 95th Street.

Rugai points to the first, newly opened Starbucks in Beverly and other projects as signs of progress.

"It takes more time than we all would like, but it's happening," she said.

Challenger John Somerville is a third-generation Democratic precinct captain in the ward, with close ties to Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart. One of Somerville's brothers testified during last year's City Hall corruption trial, alleging he owed his city promotion to doing political work for the Daley machine.
Somerville, an assistant Cook County state's attorney, acknowledged that the ward is "real stable and a great community."

"The tougher challenge is getting to the next level, like the Bulls did after their first [NBA] championship," he said. "You know it can be done because you see it happening in other places in the city."

Somerville's campaign fliers feature photos of boarded-up buildings in the ward. "Is this Ginger Rugai's idea of good development?" the ads read, using the alderman's nickname.

Rugai countered that the photos are of buildings owned by a local property owner who backs Somerville.

Rugai's other re-election foe is Timothy Sheehan, a real estate agent and political neophyte who is relying largely on members of his large family who live in the ward. Sheehan also could benefit from voters who confuse him with former sheriff Michael Sheahan and his politically powerful, Southwest Side clan.

Sheehan said he realized that there was a thirst for change in the ward when he saw Somerville win 41 percent of the vote against Rugai four years ago.

"There is a building boom throughout the city and in nearby suburbs, which are reinventing themselves around train hubs," Sheehan said. "Let the marketplace come in."

The 19th Ward is a bastion of South Side Irish political power, perhaps second in influence only to the Daley family's Bridgeport base.

Rugai was an aide to state Sen. Jeremiah Joyce, a Southwest Side Democrat and top mayoral strategist, before she became alderman in 1991. Her daughter and the mayor's eldest daughter are friends.

The alderman rebuts her rivals by noting the recent construction of a Borders bookstore, a Panera Bread restaurant and a Chipotle Mexican Grill near 95th and Western. The intersection is slated to get a new Starbucks, a Jamba Juice and a Potbelly Sandwich Works shop in the fall.

"This community has changed for the better in the past 16 years and there is more to come," she said. "The housing values have never been higher, and that doesn't happen by luck."

[nomarandlee]

Great article...Boyke is absolutely right. Outside of downtown the immediate Jefferson Park station area should be one of the most dense in the city given its transit access and interconnectedness. I hope he succeeds.

[honte]

People are talking about the McDonalds over at State / Chicago now in the Boom Rundown thread. I figured I'd try to move the conversation over here rather than continue it there...

I have a burning question about the history of that McDonalds. I hope someone can help me.

Specifically, I remember Natarus around 2000 declaring that the land now occupied by the McDonalds was a terrible eyesore. The whole 1/4 block, from the corner all the way to the edge of Loyola's tower, was going to be a city park. The city did manage to acquire the small, existing McDonalds, the Burger King (competition for McDonalds), a vacant lot, and maybe one other small retail building. The building at the far east was unable to be acquired for some reason.

Then, the next thing I knew, there is a new McDonalds being built on that site. Furthermore, the city "park" is a tiny spot only one or two lots wide. And, icing on the cake, the "park" is fenced and gated, and basically serving as a seating area for the privately-owned McDonalds!

So my question is, what the hell happened? Was this as nasty a deal as it appears to me (kill McDonalds' competition and finance it with city money, then build a pocket park for their semi-exclusive use)? I think the McDonalds is larger and now has a drive-thru when it didn't before. Someone please correct me with the real history!!

[the urban politician]

^ This odd grip-hold McDonald's has on Chicago's city govt just perplexes me.

McDonald's has its HQ in Oak Brook. What the hell?

[denizen467]

^ What I wouldn't do for a Carl's Jr. in Chicago.

Now, what about the SE corner of Chicago/State? Wasn't there mention in the last couple years of that church doing a larger, or mixed-use, building there?

[spyguy]

^ This odd grip-hold McDonald's has on Chicago's city govt just perplexes me.

McDonald's has its HQ in Oak Brook. What the hell?

They still give a lot of money to city institutions even though they are based in Oak Brook.

[honte]

Some great news from the Landmarks front... The following buildings / districts are in various stages of becoming official landmarks:

1. The Metropolitan Community Church at 41st and King Drive!! This is fantastic because some of you will remember the outrageous proposal to tear this building down several years ago, which was countered by strong community activity to save it.

2. Home Bank and Trust Building, 1200 N. Ashland Avenue. Rumor has it that Walgreens coveted this great, Classical / Art Deco limestone bank for its next suburbanized crap development. Praise to the city and the alderman for stepping in to prevent this from happening.

3. The Ukrainian Village Extension (actually, this would be the second one I believe) is moving forward. The rough boundaries are Thomas St. on the north, Rice St. to the south, Leavitt St. to the east, and Western Av. on the west. This might make UK Village the largest protected area in the city.

[headcase]

2. Home Bank and Trust Building, 1200 N. Ashland Avenue. Rumor has it that Walgreens coveted this great, Classical / Art Deco limestone bank for its next suburbanized crap development. Praise to the city and the alderman for stepping in to prevent this from happening.

3. The Ukrainian Village Extension (actually, this would be the second one I believe) is moving forward. The rough boundaries are Thomas St. on the north, Rice St. to the south, Leavitt St. to the east, and Western Av. on the west. This might make UK Village the largest protected area in the city.

#2 -- Is that the bank on the NW corner of Division and Ashland? I assume it is, every once in a while I loose my mind. I took the time to look it up, it is. Great building.

3# -- That would put my current residence in the protected area.

SSDD

[the urban politician]

Referring to the article posted above by Hoju:

That Patrick Levar guy seems like such a shmuck. Hopefully he gets ousted

[Marcu]

Referring to the article posted above by Hoju:

That Patrick Levar guy seems like such a shmuck. Hopefully he gets ousted

He won't. The other 3 will split around 60% and Levar will carry 40%. This plays out over and over in Chicago. I'm starting to think that if an incumbent is challenged by only one candidate, he just gets another candidate to run against him to split the challenger vote.

[the urban politician]

He won't. The other 3 will split around 60% and Levar will carry 40%. This plays out over and over in Chicago. I'm starting to think that if an incumbent is challenged by only one candidate, he just gets another candidate to run against him to split the challenger vote.

^ Isn't there a run-off election when that happens?

[Marcu]

^ Isn't there a run-off election when that happens?

My mistake. I meant 50/50 with one of those being split 2 or 3 way by the challengers.

[Frankie]

West Side growth spurs Jewel site

Full-size grocery slated for Fulton River District

Jewel Food Stores is seeking to profit from the residential boom on Chicago's Near West Side — and also grab business from rival Dominick's Finer Foods LLC — by opening a full-size grocery in the Fulton River District.
Minneapolis-based SuperValu Inc., which owns Jewel, plans to break ground this spring on a 2.6-acre site at the southwest corner of Kinzie Street and Desplaines Avenue, part of a broader rollout of Jewels in the area (Crain's, Oct. 2).

The 65,000-square-foot store, slated to open in spring 2008, is expected to draw customers not only from the Fulton River District but River West and the West Loop.

The Fulton River neighborhood has seen more than 1,500 townhouse, condominium and rental units built in the past five years. And nearly 3,000 more units are under construction or planned in the area, including a six-building, 2,400-unit development by Fifield Cos., and three buildings with a total of 210 units by RDM Development & Investment LLC.

'WAITING A LONG TIME'

A full-size Jewel/Osco can expect to draw customers from the entire West Loop, says James Kutill, a vice-president with Appraisal Research Counselors, a Chicago real estate consultancy. The West Loop, bounded by the Chicago River on the east, the Kennedy Expressway west, Roosevelt Road south and Ohio Street north, has added 11,500 residential units over the past 15 years, with potential for 3,600 more in the next two years, he says.

"The numbers suggest the area would support a full-size grocery store," he says.

The two closest full-size groceries, owned by Dominick's, are less than a mile away each, one at Madison Avenue and Halsted Street in the West Loop and the other at Grand Avenue and Columbus Drive in Streeterville. "Those would be the closest competitors. But I think this will affect any grocery store within a 15-minute drive," Mr. Kutill says.

Nearby residents say a local grocery is long overdue. "We've been waiting a long time. The area is growing rapidly and we need retail," says Linda Ewing, president of the Fulton River District Assn., a local civic group. "We want to develop it into a walking neighborhood."

The store will have two levels: The main floor will be 45,500 square feet and built to meet the rising grade of Desplaines. A lower level will house loading docks, offices, storage and a food-preparation area.

CHALLENGING SITE

SuperValu also is planning to create a walkway connecting the store to one of the RDM condo buildings nearby. The walkway could house up to 9,000 square feet of additional retail, says Joseph McKeska, vice-president of store development for SuperValu.

The exterior of the Jewel/Osco will be finished in limestone, and there will be an outdoor deck with seating overlooking a planned city park. The building also will have an environmentally friendly "green roof" filled with foliage.
Mr. McKeska acknowledges that the $19-million project is more challenging than construction of most of the area's 175 Jewel/Osco stores.

The location is about one-fourth the size of the typical eight-to-10-acre development site, and the property was more expensive, he says. Additionally, 90-foot-long caissons will have to be driven into the ground to elevate the store and a parking deck 24 feet above grade level. The additional height leaves room for a proposed high-speed rail line that may someday connect the Loop to O'Hare International Airport. Chicago, which owns the right-of-way for the rail line, created a $4-million tax-increment financing district to compensate Jewel/Osco for the additional construction expense.

"We've had to be more creative with this project than our typical suburban store," Mr. McKeska says.

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/images/random/og020507w.gif

A rendering shows what the River West Jewel will look like.

[honte]

^ I don't mind the look of the new Jewel stores, but you do sometimes wish they'd just make them all look different if they're bothering to hire an architect.

Even if the O'Hare express never gets built, it is good to see the city moving to protect rights of way that might be used somehow in the future.

[Mr Downtown]

I think the right of way being protected is actually for the Clinton Street subway connection, rather than the Airport Express project.

And when are caissons "driven into the ground?"

[brian_b]

West Side growth spurs Jewel site
'WAITING A LONG TIME'

A full-size Jewel/Osco can expect to draw customers from the entire West Loop, says James Kutill, a vice-president with Appraisal Research Counselors, a Chicago real estate consultancy. The West Loop, bounded by the Chicago River on the east, the Kennedy Expressway west, Roosevelt Road south and Ohio Street north, has added 11,500 residential units over the past 15 years, with potential for 3,600 more in the next two years, he says.

"The numbers suggest the area would support a full-size grocery store," he says.

The two closest full-size groceries, owned by Dominick's, are less than a mile away each, one at Madison Avenue and Halsted Street in the West Loop and the other at Grand Avenue and Columbus Drive in Streeterville. "Those would be the closest competitors. But I think this will affect any grocery store within a 15-minute drive," Mr. Kutill says.

Nearby residents say a local grocery is long overdue. "We've been waiting a long time. The area is growing rapidly and we need retail," says Linda Ewing, president of the Fulton River District Assn., a local civic group. "We want to develop it into a walking neighborhood."


Typical real estate person :koko: I live in the area and walk to the Dominick's at Skybridge. I'm not the only one, either. Just eyeballing it tells me that at least 1/3rd of that store is pedestrian shoppers. I wouldn't be surprised if it was 50% either. I see a lot of people walking with Dominick's bags up in the area of this Jewel store too.

[budman]

Also, I talked to someone at Fifield yesterday, and I was told that the tower(s) at kinzie between Jefferson and Clinton will break ground in October of this year.

[LA21st]

These so called retail and real estate experts dont know much. Most people would rather walk to these grocery stores. Gold Coast, Streeterville, West Loop.
South Loop. The new Dominicks on Grand draws ALOT of pedestrians carrying grocery bags to LakeShore East, because they dont have a store yet.

[Chicago Shawn]

Referring to the article posted above by Hoju:

That Patrick Levar guy seems like such a shmuck. Hopefully he gets ousted

Thats my current Alderman, and I can't stand him. He hates density, and refuses to draft a comprehensive plan for the community; which of course allows him to pander for votes on every project which requires a zoning change or varriance. As soon as someone complains, which always happens, the project must be dumbed down a notch. He goes even farther that and tried to block a developer from building a four-flat as of right under existing zoning by blocking the building permit untill the city's law dept. told him he was out of line. He wanted to downzone the entire stretch of Milwaukee Avenue from Irving to Devon giving him even more political pandering, as any new developement would then require zoning adjustments.

Recently he ordered the city to demolish a couple of houses across from the Metra station, but refuses to sell the lot untill he sees how the new condo flats next door mesh with the neighborhood. Even though developers are making offers for the site to build low-rise condos, he would rather have a vacant lot in the center of the community because he hates multi-family housing. Another site across from the Metra station, formerly a concrete plant sat abondonded for a long time as well because even though developers came forward with plenty of offers, he would not approve of anything other than single family homes. Across the street from the huge transit center! What a waste of space.

He has no leadership skills or vision, he is a flip-flopper whom wants to keep the status quo, as if this ward is destine to be placed in a snowglobe. Its real sad to call that POS strip mall at six corners his best accomplishment. That thing is a suburban trash eyesore that further devistated the retail in Six Corners.

Rumor has also been going around that Lavar does not use up his allotment of menu money from the city, and turns the remainder back into city hall.

Last month Lavar's minions were out putting up ugly, enormous bill-board size campaign signs in people's yards. There are roughly 4' by 8', almost as wide as Lavar's fat ass.

So, you can bet your ass that I will be not be voting for him; in fact my family up here signed a petition to put Boyke on the ballot. I'll keep my fingers crossed, but I honestly doubt he will win.:(

[b-s]

He has no leadership skills or vision, he is a flip-flopper whom wants to keep the status quo, as if this ward is destine to be placed in a snowglobe. Its real sad to call that POS strip mall at six corners his best accomplishment. That thing is a suburban trash eyesore that further devistated the retail in Six Corners.

:yuck: :irked: :grrr: :eviltongue:

[Chicago Shawn]

Typical real estate person :koko: I live in the area and walk to the Dominick's at Skybridge. I'm not the only one, either. Just eyeballing it tells me that at least 1/3rd of that store is pedestrian shoppers. I wouldn't be surprised if it was 50% either. I see a lot of people walking with Dominick's bags up in the area of this Jewel store too.

Yeah no kidding. I used to live in Presidential Towers and was really happy when the Dominick's in Skybridge opened because the Presidentail Marketplace is over priced. I know plenty of other residents which did the same, and started walking over the Kennedy for groceries.

[alex1]

^^ Wow! This is fairly big news - I had heard rumors that he was going to be moving but now to have confirmation - this is pretty exciting!

this is big news. While Bruce isn't as strong in actual design as some other noteable chicago design firms (mainly Segura, 3st, Studio Blue and SamataMason), his thinking is perhaps tops. Especially when mixing in urban design issues.

He'll join a vastly improving Chicago design community.

[VivaLFuego]

Thats my current Alderman, and I can't stand him. He hates density, and refuses to draft a comprehensive plan for the community; which of course allows him to pander for votes on every project which requires a zoning change or varriance. As soon as someone complains, which always happens, the project must be dumbed down a notch. He goes even farther that and tried to block a developer from building a four-flat as of right under existing zoning by blocking the building permit untill the city's law dept. told him he was out of line. He wanted to downzone the entire stretch of Milwaukee Avenue from Irving to Devon giving him even more political pandering, as any new developement would then require zoning adjustments.

Recently he ordered the city to demolish a couple of houses across from the Metra station, but refuses to sell the lot untill he sees how the new condo flats next door mesh with the neighborhood. Even though developers are making offers for the site to build low-rise condos, he would rather have a vacant lot in the center of the community because he hates multi-family housing. Another site across from the Metra station, formerly a concrete plant sat abondonded for a long time as well because even though developers came forward with plenty of offers, he would not approve of anything other than single family homes. Across the street from the huge transit center! What a waste of space.

He has no leadership skills or vision, he is a flip-flopper whom wants to keep the status quo, as if this ward is destine to be placed in a snowglobe. Its real sad to call that POS strip mall at six corners his best accomplishment. That thing is a suburban trash eyesore that further devistated the retail in Six Corners.

Rumor has also been going around that Lavar does not use up his allotment of menu money from the city, and turns the remainder back into city hall.

Last month Lavar's minions were out putting up ugly, enormous bill-board size campaign signs in people's yards. There are roughly 4' by 8', almost as wide as Lavar's fat ass.

So, you can bet your ass that I will be not be voting for him; in fact my family up here signed a petition to put Boyke on the ballot. I'll keep my fingers crossed, but I honestly doubt he will win.:(
Sounds like he's as bad as they come. When is the election? And what is his expected majority? Maybe we could get a grassroots thing going to put this guy out of a job.

[denizen467]

The two closest full-size groceries, owned by Dominick's, are less than a mile away each, one at Madison Avenue and Halsted Street in the West Loop and the other at Grand Avenue and Columbus Drive in Streeterville. "Those would be the closest competitors. But I think this will affect any grocery store within a 15-minute drive," Mr. Kutill says.
And this genius real estate person also isn't aware that there's a Jewel at Grand Plaza (significantly closer than Streeterville).

[Mr Downtown]

Not full-size, and not technically a Jewel. It's "Grand Plaza Market/by Jewel-Osco."

[budman]

Not full-size, and not technically a Jewel. It's "Grand Plaza Market/by Jewel-Osco."

^That may be true, but it is still a grocery store owned by Jewel that people go to instead of the two stores mentioned because it is closer than those two (I am one of those people;)). For this reason, the article or the source should have mentioned it, and they lose a tad of credibility by failing to do so.

[VivaLFuego]

^ Yeah but that article reads more like a press release, so I wouldn't expect it to be the epitome of objectivity and fact-checking.

[budman]

Haha:haha: You got that right. Besides, I am enthusiastic about this new Jewel and the continued development of this neighborhood. Hopefully we will see something in the Metra Market at some point...does anyone have any updates on this? Or whether Cassidy Tires is planning on remaining on Canal street, between Fulton and Kinzie?

[Alliance]

The National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum, which opened in 1996 with more than $1 million in city subsidies, is deep in debt and looking for a way to stay open at 1801 S. Indiana.

This is sad. This museum is PHENOMENAL. Some of the most meaningful art I've ever seen. I bet if a bunc of veterans show up and lobby this thing would have no problem being approved.

This museum is too great to lose.

[pip]

Museum sings for its supper, strikes sour note with neighbors

February 7, 2007
BY DAVID ROEDER Sun-Times Columnist

The idea is causing problems with a recently formed civic group, the Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance. The organization's treasurer, Jeffery Ayersman, forwarded to the Sun-Times e-mails he's sent to the city questioning whether the museum's plans abide by terms of the museum's redevelopment deal. The city gave the museum the roughly 29,000-square-foot building with the requirement that its use remain "compatible with the nature and character of the Prairie Avenue Historic District." Ayersman couldn't be reached for followup questions.


The neighbors are worried that a banquet hall will cause problems with traffic and late-night partygoers.




The Prairie District group organized itself to oppose what it views as intrusive condo towers for the area, so Keepman expressed surprise his museum has become a target. "We're actually trying to do something good for the neighborhood," he said.



They should rename the Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance to POE (People Opposed to Everything).

[SamInTheLoop]

They should rename the Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance to POE (People Opposed to Everything).

Absolutely - although they deny it, this group is hardcore NIMBY. The fact is there is a broad spectrum in this city as far as "community groups' " NIMBYness, and this one falls off the end of that spectrum...

[nomarandlee]

http://www.suntimes.com/business/248328,CST-FIN-carsons08.article

Recipe for Carson's site: Food

February 8, 2007
BY FRAN SPIELMAN AND SANDRA GUY Staff Reporters

A "hybrid" grocery store and food emporium to serve the Loop's burgeoning population of residents and college students will anchor retail development of the landmark State Street building that includes soon-to-be-closed Carson Pirie Scott & Co., sources said Wednesday.

The anchor tenant could not be identified, but sources likened the store to a combination Whole Foods and Treasure Island. However, spokesmen for several grocers contacted this week have denied any involvement, including Fox & Obel, Fresh Market, Potash Bros., Sunflower Markets, Treasure Island, Wal-Mart and Whole Foods.

City Planning and Development Commissioner Lori Healey refused to discuss the plans, except to say that Joseph Freed and Associates, owner of 1 S. State, has lined up marquee tenants and, "I anticipate they'll have something fairly exciting to announce soon."
Healey didn't hesitate when asked to describe the kind of development the city would like to see in the 250,000 square feet of space in the Carson's building earmarked for retail.

"Diversity. Bring back some different uses," she said. "We'd like to see unique retail. We'd like to see grocery. We'd like to see the things that we really need downtown. With our student population and our growing residential population, it's very important to encourage grocery stores to look down in our new neighborhood of the East Loop."

Bon-Ton Stores Inc., which owns Carson's, last summer announced that it was closing the State Street store that has been a Loop fixture for more than a century. The store will remain open until March, and Bon-Ton is searching for another Chicago site where it hopes to build a more cost-efficient store.

The entire complex includes 1 million square feet, but Carson's uses only about 600,000 square feet of it for retail. Roughly 250,000 square feet will be converted to retail. The remaining 350,000 will be reserved for office and school uses.

Paul Fitzpatrick, managing director of Joseph Freed and Associates, said earlier this week that he expects to have an announcement about leases by the end of February.

In the past, Fitzpatrick has talked about a mix that includes retailers, restaurants, entertainment uses and grocery stores.

The food emporium wasn't the only promising news for State Street.

At Wednesday's City Council meeting, Mayor Daley introduced an ordinance that would authorize the city to sell the landmark Page Brothers Building, 177 N. State, to Marc Realty for $1.62 million.

After paying a price $125,000 above the building's appraised value, Marc Realty plans a $1.5 million renovation of the seven-story building, including facade restoration, a new lobby entrance for upper floor tenants, roof repairs and a partial green roof.

The developer plans to fill the first two floors with a restaurant and retail stores.

Built shortly after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the Page Brothers Building was designed by John M. Van Osdel, described as one of the city's first professional architects.

"It's a beautiful building," Healey said. "Revitalizing that building with new uses -- it's going to be great for the north half of State Street."

fspielman@suntimes.com

sguy@suntimes.com

[honte]

^ Excellent!

[VivaLFuego]

^ Yeah, great news about both of those. I really hope the Loop population can sustain a full-service grocer at this point...

[sentinel]

^ Yeah, great news about both of those. I really hope the Loop population can sustain a full-service grocer at this point...

Agreed, but keep in mind that it isn't solely residents of the Loop proper that would benefit from this type of service, but people who work in the Loop as well and commute, because it's still a great convenience to be able to do a little grocery shopping before/after work, as well as being able to get something to eat (quickly) rather than going to a restaurant, which makes it an added convenience. Great news overall.

[Mr Downtown]

I'm very surprised to hear that Whole Foods "denied any involvement." Wink, wink.

[trvlr70]

I'm very surprised to hear that Whole Foods "denied any involvement." Wink, wink.

Tell us what you know S.T.A.T.!

[museumparktom]

I would like to see a shop like one I saw in Central London called Fortnum and Mason. It would be a perfect fit for the architecture of the Carson Building. [url]http://www.fortnumandmason.com/[url/]

[pip]

Construction Set for 200,000-SF Retail Site
By Gina Kenny Email this story | Printer-friendly | Reprints

MetraMarket(For more retail coverage, click GlobeSt.com/RETAIL.)
CHICAGO-Construction is expected to begin soon on the more than $40-million MetraMarket, the 200,000-sf, ground-level retail redevelopment being created beneath overhead commuter rail tracks. The first phase of the development, approximately 66,000 sf on the south block, is 50% preleased, says Jim Whittington, managing director of finance and investments for US Equities Realty.

Paris-based Sebastien Bensidoun has signed a 15,000-sf lease to anchor the redevelopment while Providence, RI-based CVS is adding a 14,000-sf location in the new two-block retail area north of the Ogilvie Transportation Center. Caffe RoM, a European coffee bar by day and wine bar in the afternoon and evening, will occupy 2,900 sf on Canal Street, between Randolph and Washington streets.

The MetraMarket is expected to have restaurants, a newsstand or bookstore and other food businesses such as an ice cream emporium. Developer US Equities Realty is currently in “serious negotiations” with “a number of other” potential tenants. “There have been leases drafted back and forth that we anticipate signing in the next month or so,” Whittington tells GlobeSt.com. “We would be making announcements of those at that time, but one will be a white tablecloth restaurant.”
Ogilvie Transportation Center is visited by 95,000 commuters daily, topped only by nearby Union Station. In addition, the Chicago Transit Authority’s Green Line station at Clinton Street sees 2,260 commuters a day.

The more than $40-million project is reactivating a 95-year-old building bounded by Canal, Clinton, Lake and Washington streets. Although terms of the Bensidoun and CVS deals were not disclosed, asking lease rates for MetraMarket space ranges from $30 per sf to $60 per sf net plus expenses, Whittington says. Construction is expected to take six to nine months, with the first occupancies expected in the late summer or early fall. About 100,000 sf is already being used as a parking garage.

The second phase of the project will be the north block, bounded by Randolph, Lake Canal and Clinton streets. The spaces in the north block are expected to be larger and may contain some “destination oriented retailers,” Whittington says. The second phase is expected to begin in 2008.

http://www.globest.com/news/839_839/chicago/152773-1.html

[Chicago Shawn]

^Good news, but I'll believe it when I see some construction activity. This thing has been delayed for a long time now. If it ends up anything like the Reading Market in Philly or St. Lawrence Market in Toronto, it will be an instant hit. On a side note, the renovation of the old Northwestern powerhouse has been outstanding. It shines like a polished gem.


Museum sings for its supper, strikes sour note with neighbors

February 7, 2007
BY DAVID ROEDER Sun-Times Columnist
Financial trouble at a Chicago museum is turning into a real estate controversy on the Near South Side. The National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum, which opened in 1996 with more than $1 million in city subsidies, is deep in debt and looking for a way to stay open at 1801 S. Indiana. Its answer thus far: lease part of its space for a catering and banquet facility.
The idea is causing problems with a recently formed civic group, the Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance. The organization's treasurer, Jeffery Ayersman, forwarded to the Sun-Times e-mails he's sent to the city questioning whether the museum's plans abide by terms of the museum's redevelopment deal. The city gave the museum the roughly 29,000-square-foot building with the requirement that its use remain "compatible with the nature and character of the Prairie Avenue Historic District." Ayersman couldn't be reached for followup questions.

The neighbors are worried that a banquet hall will cause problems with traffic and late-night partygoers. Sources said the museum is negotiating a lease with Marc Curtis, owner of the Black Orchid Supper Club at 230 W. North. They said it's a seven-year deal with an option to buy.

Matt Keepman, chairman of the museum's board, said no decision on the property is final. But he said the lease would involve only one floor of the four-story building, leaving the rest for the museum. He said that doesn't violate the deal with the city.

Keepman would not confirm a source's account that his organization is more than $700,000 in debt. "We are looking at all options for the property," he said, adding that none presupposes the museum ceasing to exist.

A source said city officials, concerned about the museum's leadership, have urged it to sell the building to one of several civic-minded buyers, one of whom has an idea for putting more than one small museum into the space. The building has been appraised at $2.5 million, the source said.

Ayersman also criticized the museum for trying to evict a ground-floor tenant, the Cafe Society restaurant, allegedly to clear the way for the banquet lease. Keepman said the group has started eviction proceedings because of late rental payments.

The Prairie District group organized itself to oppose what it views as intrusive condo towers for the area, so Keepman expressed surprise his museum has become a target. "We're actually trying to do something good for the neighborhood," he said.


What Assholes! How the hell do you complain about traffic from a banquet hall when you live next door to the largest convention center in the world. Get a clue about where you live, this is not some gated community in South Barrington. This new group is dangerous. Thank goodness X/O is already approved. I bet they will try to block the McCormic Place Hotel expansion as well.

[Loopy]

I'm very surprised to hear that Whole Foods "denied any involvement." Wink, wink.

Indeed, this could explain the decided lack of any Whole Foods build-out activity at Southgate.

[sentinel]

Not really sure where to put this but the Chicago entry in the History Channel City of the Future/22nd century won in the National competition, over NYC and LA. The winning scheme was designed by Urbanlab, a firm here in Chicago:
http://arcchicago.blogspot.com/

[honte]

^ Wow, I'll bet there's going to be a party on Morgan Street tonight... let's hope they can move into more built work now.

[sentinel]

Agreed. I remember Sarah Dunn had just started teaching at UIC as an adjunct when I was a wee undergrad. Ah, memories of the old days.

[brian_b]

Re: Powerhouse. I haven't seen any photos of it posted here, so one of these days I'm going to have to walk the block to it and take a photo of it at dusk. The restoration job was nothing short of fantastic.

As for the city of the future, I'm curious if there is a possibility of building a prototype of the Eco-Boulevard concept. We should pester the Mayor to give it a shot.

[SamInTheLoop]

So does anyone have ANY good news to report from the aldermanic candidate forum in the south loop last night?

[Loopy]

So does anyone have ANY good news to report from the aldermanic candidate forum in the south loop last night?
No good news. None.

[BorisMolotov]

Well was there any news at all?

[pottebaum]

Recipe for Carson's site: Food
http://www.suntimes.com/business/248328,CST-FIN-carsons08.article

[ardecila]

Indeed, this could explain the decided lack of any Whole Foods build-out activity at Southgate.

I thought that was due to the flea market....

[Loopy]

^Well, that was my last crackpot theory.

Last weekend I went into the Southgate project and visited all of the open stores and snooped around a little.

Two of the of the three anchor tenants had activity; Office Max was open and DSW was installing finishes and displays. But, Whole Foods had taken down their sign and there was absolutely no build-out in progess in their space. Very strange.

[Patel]

I do not know if this belongs in this section. Feel free to move it if needed.

Venice of the Midwest?
(http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/nance/248284,CST-FTR-urban08.article)
February 8, 2007
BY KEVIN NANCE Architecture Critic

If this were "American Idol," the Chicago architecture firm UrbanLab would have just scored its first recording contract.
http://media1.suntimes.com/nixoncds/image/020807future.jpg_20070207_22_01_42_34-116-165.imageContent
UrbanLab principals Martin Felsen and Sarah Dunn, who beat out seven Chicago teams last fall for a $10,000 prize in the History Channel's "City of the Future" competition, crushed the winning teams from New York and Los Angeles in Internet voting for the national prize and an additional $10,000.
A Webcast about the contest -- whose goal was to envision what the three cities might look like in the year 2106 -- will be posted on www.history.com/designchallenge starting today. Celebrity architect Daniel Libeskind, who designed the master plan for Ground Zero and hosted the online proceedings, will announce UrbanLab's winning project, which envisions a network of water-recycling "eco-boulevards" encircling Chicago.
"It's wonderful to win, and I'm excited that the project will be viewed by more people because of it," Dunn said Wednesday. "Maybe it'll contribute to the conversation in Chicago about the sustainability of our greatest natural resource -- fresh water from Lake Michigan -- in the coming decades. In fact, our idea is doable, really, tomorrow. You don't have to wait 100 years."
With its mantra of "water is the new oil" in the 22nd century, UrbanLab's concept features a system of canals and other technologies that would treat 100 percent of Chicago's wastewater and storm water and return it to the Great Lakes Basin.
"It's a huge natural resource for Chicago, but even some of our bordering municipalities have declared water shortages recently," Felsen said. "We're assuming it's always going to be there, but like every natural resource, it will get used up eventually if we don't take care of it."
UrbanLab's waterways would also create a closed loop around the city, becoming a social, recreational and cultural amenity that would spur residential development in currently landlocked and/ or underserved areas along the southern and western portions of the city.
"I think the introduction of eco-boulevards in this democratic way, like fingers from the lake that come through the city and allow everybody access to water, helps make it part of the social fabric," Dunn says. "Living on the South Side, as I do, and not being too close to the lake, it would be nice to have that possibility."
Architect Douglas Garofalo, one of UrbanLab's rivals in the first round, applauded the winners.
"They had such a smart scheme that took on this issue of resources, and it's fantastic that they won," he said. "On the national level, they beat out some pretty important and talented people."
They included New York's Architecture Research Office, which took second place with an apocalyptic vision of repurposed Manhattan streets that are flooded due to the effects of global warming, and Los Angeles' Eric Owen Moss Architects, which came in third with a plan that found new uses for outmoded freeways.
According to Mike Mohamad, senior vice president of marketing at the History Channel (which organized the contest as a companion to its series "Engineering an Empire"), UrbanLab received more than 50 percent of about 10,000 votes cast.
"They took a very hard look at the issues and how we might confront them 100 years from now," he said. "There was a lot of deep thinking there, and I think the voters agreed with it."
It helped, probably, that the Chicago Architecture Foundation, which hosted the local competition, alerted its 30,000-strong mailing list to the Web vote, and that Felsen and Dunn, who teach at the Illinois Institute of Technology and the University of Illinois at Chicago, respectively, drew strong support from their academic communities.
"I think Martin and Sarah are brilliant, and I'm excited that they won," said CAF president and CEO Lynn Osmond. "They're fabulous architects, and it's great to see Chicago beating out L.A. and New York for once."
What will the UrbanLab partners do with the prize money? "Our credit-card companies," Felsen said, "will be interested in the news."

Chicago
Chicago "City of the Future" - Project Overview:
Created by UrbanLab
Growing Water
In 2106, water will be the world's most valuable resource: the new oil. UrbanLab's project envisions Chicago evolving into a model city for "growing water" by creating a series of Eco-Boulevards spread throughout the city. The Eco-boulevards will function as a giant "Living Machine" which will treat 100% of Chicago's wastewater and stormwater naturally, using micro-organisms, small invertebrates (such as snails), fish and plants. Treated water will be harvested and/or returned to the Great Lakes Basin. Ultimately, the Eco-Boulevards will create a closed water loop within Chicago.

The Growing Water project is inspired by three historic Chicago engineering feats:
The "Emerald Necklace" of public parks, boulevards and waterways, which will be greatly supplemented by the new Eco-Boulevards,
The reversal of the Chicago River, which UrbanLab proposes to un-do in order to retain (not drain) Lake Michigan; and,
The Deep Tunnel, which UrbanLab proposes to re-program to house mass-transportation trains.

Daniel LibeskindExpert's Corner
Commentary from Daniel Libeskind

Chicago
"The city of Chicago winner - Urban Lab - takes its inspiration from the wonders of water. By focusing on ecosystems as living dimensions of the city, the proposal creates a green infrastructure. The authors aim at creating a self-sufficient living system, by proposing a 100% saving, recycling and "growing" of water resources. This visionary project envisions the creation of boulevards, water ways and a renewed sense of the interconnectedness of resources in the City. The idea is a powerful one, and the projected vistas remind us of the utopian dreams of 19th and 20th century architectural visions. The kind of life that is implied is one where skyscrapers are standing in green fields; where the word "urban" looses all its historical and social connotations. Are we on the threshold of a viable reality? Or, does this project reveal all the contradictions of modern society and the notion that nature has lost all its "naturalness."

[Chicago2020]

:cheers:

When will they air the Chicago episode on History Channel Enginnering and Empire

[Alliance]

Will it even be aired?

[Patel]

Will it even be aired?

http://www.history.com/marquee.do?content_type=Marquee_Video_Clips&content_type_id=52918&display_order=5&marquee_id=51808

I do not get sound on my computer at work mabey this video will tell if and when it will play.

[LA21st]

Not sure if this was posted before.



Jameson Realty Group:
LOFT SALES UNDERWAY AT 154 WEST HUBBARD IN RIVER NORTH

CHICAGO—Sales are underway at 154 West Hubbard, a timber-loft conversion in the premiere River North neighborhood.

Plans for the 6-story adaptive-reuse brick elevator building call for 18 timber-beam lofts plus about 3,700 square feet of first-floor commercial space, said Charles Huzenis, president of the Jameson Realty Group, exclusive sales and marketing agents for the development.

The loft condos will feature 2 bedrooms or 2 bedrooms plus a media room. All of the residences will have 2 baths. Base prices start in the mid-$500,000 rage and go to the high-$900,000 bracket.

“This is a rare chance to get first-quality renovation in one of the few remaining loft buildings available for conversion in the hot River North neighborhood,” said Huzenis.

Plans for 154 West Hubbard call for such amenities as roof-top terraces, a video intercom system and attached garage parking. All of the lofts will feature a balcony, 12-foot to 14-foot ceilings, premium hardwood flooring and industrial steel windows.

“One of the most attractive features found in these lofts is the abundance of amenities included in the purchase price,” Huzenis said. “For example, all of the lofts come with in-unit washer and dryer. Most developments charge extra.”

Some of the other luxuries included in the purchase price include: gourmet kitchens with stone countertops, custom Italian cabinetry by Copat and a Jenn-Air stainless-steel appliance package with side-by-side refrigerator freezer with icemaker, self-cleaning gas range, microwave and dishwasher.

Master baths showcase stone countertops and tile, an oversized shower with body sprays, whirlpool tub, a Kohler elongated toilet and Copat cabinetry. Secondary baths also have stone countertops and tile, a soaking tub and Copat cabinetry.

The lofts also are pre-wired for Category-5 and RG-6 telephone and cable.

Unit 203, a corner loft floor plan, features a long, gallery-style hallway perfect for hanging art. At the end is a powder room.

Around the corner, another corridor leads to the large 16-by-10-foot dining room which opens to the kitchen. The kitchen opens to the 13-by-18-foot Great Room, which has sliding doors leading to the balcony.

Back down another hallway are the bedrooms. The master bedroom measures 13 by 15 feet and has a 10-foot-long walk-in closet. The master bath has double vanities, a walk-in shower and a whirlpool tub. The secondary bedroom measures 11 by 10 feet and has it’s own full bath.

“River North is one of Chicago’s most vibrant downtown neighborhoods with plenty of entertainment and dining options,” Huzenis said.

Bounded by Michigan Avenue on the east, the Chicago River on the south and west and Chicago Avenue on the north, River North is flourishing. Residents are just a few blocks west of world-class shopping on Michigan Avenue’s “Magnificent Mile,” State Street retail shops, the downtown theatre district, Chicago Symphony, Lyric Opera and Art Institute.

River North’s eclectic entertainment, dining and cultural offerings draw people from throughout the metropolitan area. Popular nightclubs include the House of Blues, Narcisse, Clark Street Ale House, Baton, Blue Chicago, Buzz, Excalibur, Hard Rock Café and the Redhead Piano Bar.

“The neighborhood has some of the best restaurants in the city,” Huzenis said. Loft buyers at 154 West Hubbard will be within a short stroll to such fine River North restaurants as: Ben Pao (52 W. Illinois), Big Bowl (159 W.Erie), Butterfield 8 (713 N. Wells), the Chicago Chop House (60 W. Ontario), Ed Debevic’s (640 N. Wells), Harry Caray’s (33 W. Kinzie) and Shaw’s Crab House (21 E. Hubbard).

River North also has a thriving Gallery District with premiere art galleries such as the Aldo Castillo Gallery (233 W. Huron), the Carl Hammer Gallery (740 N. Wells) and the Judy A Saslow Gallery (300 W. Superior).

Fashionable clubs are House of Blues (327 N. Dearborn), Baton Show Lounge (436 N. Clark), Blue Chicago (534 N. Clark), Excalibur (632 N. Dearborn), Hard Rock Cafe (63 W. Ontario), the Redhead Piano Bar (16 W. Ontario) and Swank (710 N. Wells).

The River North neighborhood also has new river-front parks, river walks, health clubs and great expressway transportation.

For more information on purchasing a loft at 154 West Hubbard, please call Jameson Realty Group at 312-751-0300, or visit: www.jameson.com.


Copyright © 2007 BIRDVIEW Technologies. All Rights Reserved. Information Deemed Reliable But Not Guaranteed. © 2007 Jameson Realty Group. Equal housing opportunity. Privacy Policy. Terms & Conditions.

[ Web Assistant -- Restricted Access Only ]

[LA21st]

154 W. Hubbard.

http://jameson.com/hubbard154rend.jpg

[LA21st]

The Axis. 1600 N. Halsted (North Ave).

http://www.atproperties.com/devImages/img_full/5c3330d81b94a62bb9f562cc4ce846fd.jpg

[budman]

Not sure if this was posted before.



Jameson Realty Group:
LOFT SALES UNDERWAY AT 154 WEST HUBBARD IN RIVER NORTH

CHICAGO—Sales are underway at 154 West Hubbard, a timber-loft conversion in the premiere River North neighborhood.

Plans for the 6-story adaptive-reuse brick elevator building call for 18 timber-beam lofts plus about 3,700 square feet of first-floor commercial space, said Charles Huzenis, president of the Jameson Realty Group, exclusive sales and marketing agents for the development.

The loft condos will feature 2 bedrooms or 2 bedrooms plus a media room. All of the residences will have 2 baths. Base prices start in the mid-$500,000 rage and go to the high-$900,000 bracket.

“This is a rare chance to get first-quality renovation in one of the few remaining loft buildings available for conversion in the hot River North neighborhood,” said Huzenis.

Plans for 154 West Hubbard call for such amenities as roof-top terraces, a video intercom system and attached garage parking. All of the lofts will feature a balcony, 12-foot to 14-foot ceilings, premium hardwood flooring and industrial steel windows.

“One of the most attractive features found in these lofts is the abundance of amenities included in the purchase price,” Huzenis said. “For example, all of the lofts come with in-unit washer and dryer. Most developments charge extra.”

Some of the other luxuries included in the purchase price include: gourmet kitchens with stone countertops, custom Italian cabinetry by Copat and a Jenn-Air stainless-steel appliance package with side-by-side refrigerator freezer with icemaker, self-cleaning gas range, microwave and dishwasher.

Master baths showcase stone countertops and tile, an oversized shower with body sprays, whirlpool tub, a Kohler elongated toilet and Copat cabinetry. Secondary baths also have stone countertops and tile, a soaking tub and Copat cabinetry.

The lofts also are pre-wired for Category-5 and RG-6 telephone and cable.

Unit 203, a corner loft floor plan, features a long, gallery-style hallway perfect for hanging art. At the end is a powder room.

Around the corner, another corridor leads to the large 16-by-10-foot dining room which opens to the kitchen. The kitchen opens to the 13-by-18-foot Great Room, which has sliding doors leading to the balcony.

Back down another hallway are the bedrooms. The master bedroom measures 13 by 15 feet and has a 10-foot-long walk-in closet. The master bath has double vanities, a walk-in shower and a whirlpool tub. The secondary bedroom measures 11 by 10 feet and has it’s own full bath.

“River North is one of Chicago’s most vibrant downtown neighborhoods with plenty of entertainment and dining options,” Huzenis said.

Bounded by Michigan Avenue on the east, the Chicago River on the south and west and Chicago Avenue on the north, River North is flourishing. Residents are just a few blocks west of world-class shopping on Michigan Avenue’s “Magnificent Mile,” State Street retail shops, the downtown theatre district, Chicago Symphony, Lyric Opera and Art Institute.

River North’s eclectic entertainment, dining and cultural offerings draw people from throughout the metropolitan area. Popular nightclubs include the House of Blues, Narcisse, Clark Street Ale House, Baton, Blue Chicago, Buzz, Excalibur, Hard Rock Café and the Redhead Piano Bar.

“The neighborhood has some of the best restaurants in the city,” Huzenis said. Loft buyers at 154 West Hubbard will be within a short stroll to such fine River North restaurants as: Ben Pao (52 W. Illinois), Big Bowl (159 W.Erie), Butterfield 8 (713 N. Wells), the Chicago Chop House (60 W. Ontario), Ed Debevic’s (640 N. Wells), Harry Caray’s (33 W. Kinzie) and Shaw’s Crab House (21 E. Hubbard).

River North also has a thriving Gallery District with premiere art galleries such as the Aldo Castillo Gallery (233 W. Huron), the Carl Hammer Gallery (740 N. Wells) and the Judy A Saslow Gallery (300 W. Superior).

Fashionable clubs are House of Blues (327 N. Dearborn), Baton Show Lounge (436 N. Clark), Blue Chicago (534 N. Clark), Excalibur (632 N. Dearborn), Hard Rock Cafe (63 W. Ontario), the Redhead Piano Bar (16 W. Ontario) and Swank (710 N. Wells).

The River North neighborhood also has new river-front parks, river walks, health clubs and great expressway transportation.

For more information on purchasing a loft at 154 West Hubbard, please call Jameson Realty Group at 312-751-0300, or visit: www.jameson.com.


Copyright © 2007 BIRDVIEW Technologies. All Rights Reserved. Information Deemed Reliable But Not Guaranteed. © 2007 Jameson Realty Group. Equal housing opportunity. Privacy Policy. Terms & Conditions.

[ Web Assistant -- Restricted Access Only ]
^Um, Butterfield 8, one of the great restaurants they mention as within walking distance, has been closed for 2 years, and burned to the ground not long after it closed. Pretty funny.

[LA21st]

^
LOL. There are also far better restaurants and bars then the ones they mentioned. That area is chock full of them.

[Frankie]

Continuing Burnham's dream? Sounds like a plan

By John McCarron who teaches
consults and writes on urban affairs
Published February 12, 2007


What, in the name of Daniel Burnham, should be done to celebrate the centennial of "The Plan of Chicago"?

It's a question worth asking, what with the 100th anniversary of the 1909 plan fast approaching. Certain civic groups already are drawing up lists and laying their own plans. A focus group of planning wonks and opinion leaders has been formed to discuss message and "branding" ... a sure sign some serious tub-thumping is in the works.

So it's not too soon to weigh in, dear readers, if you have ideas about how our city, region and state should commemorate what was then, and remains to this day, a historic breakthrough in the way we think about our future.

Why historic? Because it was the first large-scale attempt in this country to redirect the growth of a city and its surrounding countryside to benefit all who would live there in the future.

Before 1909, before the Commercial Club of Chicago commissioned architect Daniel Hudson Burnham and his assistant Edward Bennett, cities were generally assumed to be hopelessly unmanageable places. This was especially true in democratic America, where there are no kings or dictators to order massive changes in the cityscape the way Napoleon III redid Paris in the mid-1800s. In this country, where every man is sovereign, the look and habitability of cities was determined by countless individual decisions made by self-interested landowners and investors, burghers and businessmen.

Oh, there were a few rules. Thanks to the ordered mind of Thomas Jefferson, the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 and succeeding laws created a grid system of townships that still gives order to cities of the Midwest. And there were solo acts of foresight, as when the draftsman who first platted Chicago for the canal trustees wrote along the right margin, by the lakefront, the words "forever open, clear and free."

But by and large, save for some fancy architecture here or some donated space there, turn-of-the-century Chicago, for all its boomtown energy, was a cramped, sooty, stinking place all but empty of spirit-lifting vistas and public spaces. No wonder the business bigwigs of the Commercial Club, having seen the power of planning at the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, turned to Burnham, who had directed construction of the fair's White City, to do something about the mess.

Much of what Burnham and Bennett recommended never got built. We have no Vatican-scale city hall at Halsted and Harrison Streets; no lakefront highway running all the way to Milwaukee; no Washington-style limits on the height of downtown office buildings. That's probably just as well.

Yet the legacy list of what we do inherit from Burnham is remarkable, and not just because he and Bennett had no way of anticipating the city-bending power of the automobile, or of air conditioning, or of air travel. No, what really impresses is that so much of the plan got done despite the greed of developers, the venality of politicians, the fickle nature of public taste and opinion.

Maybe that's how to mark the plan's centennial--get a few more things done.

We could rededicate ourselves to finishing those pieces of the plan that should have been but never were. Or that got done but were subsequently compromised.

The plan, for instance, called for a circumferential highway at the western edge of the city to divert pass-through traffic away from downtown. So let's revive the controversial Crosstown Expressway concept and link O'Hare International and Midway Airports using both road and rail.

The plan envisioned the city and inner suburbs surrounded by a green crescent of forest preserves. That happened, but Cook County politicians have let the preserves fall into disrepair. Even now they're trying to raid forest funds to cover deficit spending by the county proper, much of it on patronage-padded payrolls. So let's stop the raid and instead expand and enhance the forest preserves. And while we're at it, let's make sure the collar counties outside Cook continue to expand and maintain their own green crescents for generations unborn.

The plan, in an appendix on legal implications, suggests the state legislature might want to create a "Greater City of Chicago" empowered "to purchase or condemn land far beyond its own corporate limits" in furtherance of Burnham's vision. Better tread carefully here because there's no love in suburbia for anyone or anything that trumps local autonomy. But what would Burnham say about the unplanned sprawl of ticky-tacky strip malls that blight much of northeastern Illinois? Likely he would insist on some vision--and some teeth--for the newly created Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. So should we all.

Impossible? The Plan of Chicago was impossible. Yet here we are, almost a century later, by far the richer for its ambition.

[Taft]

** Deleted for copyright infringement **

- Dylan Leblanc

[honte]

Sun-Times reports today that the 1515 N. Halsted store will replace the existing New City YMCA (we knew this was coming), anchoring the two bottom floors of a new midrise.

While I think the increasing density over here is great, and it would be especially great if this new midrise were good architecture, I am wondering if anyone else will miss the New City Y? I happen to think its colorful, somewhat off-the-wall '70s architecture is really cool. There's not a lot of color around that part of town.

[Chicago2020]

Lets finish those islands and extend Northerly Island to Jackson Park Like originally planned :banana:

How much do you guys think that will cost? :shrug:

http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/Cities/imgb/imgb3/150a.jpg

[pip]

Since 2002 how can well over a thousand units a year be under construction and never more than a few hundred a year be completed up through 2006?

[VivaLFuego]

Lets finish those islands and extend Northerly Island to Jackson Park Like originally planned :banana:

How much do you guys think that will cost? :shrug:

http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/Cities/imgb/imgb3/150a.jpg

How about turning the Congress Parkway into an actual parkway? It's hideous in its current form. Use the extra ROW that was included next to the Blue line tracks (originally for the CA&E Interurban, which obviously is never coming back)

[Alliance]

One thing Chicago's skyline has been lacking, as part of natural formation, is the great perspective/depth you can achieve with scalloped harbors and islands (Hong Kong).

I almost feel that Chicago should build a smaller version of itself on an island. One half (East or west) should be park/community space (Millennium Park 2?). The other half should be skyscrapers (one supertall and a few others of varying heights...maybe an offshore LSE is a good comparison here, but without complete encapsulation of the park.)

Other suggestions:

Replace the L (at least downtown, ala London's Circle Line) with a more elevated monorail or maglev train, with elevated green platform hubs with commercial areas below throughout the city.

A skyscraper development rising out of the waters of the lake (Dubaian palm fonds with the bases under water?

The expansion/development (as in park and public space) of Northerly Island towards and connecting to grant park and the incorporation of Navy Pier type piers (developed and green).

Congress Parkway into an actual parkway would be great...but then I suppose you'd want to turn Congress Park into an actual park too :)

[ardecila]

How about turning the Congress Parkway into an actual parkway? It's hideous in its current form. Use the extra ROW that was included next to the Blue line tracks (originally for the CA&E Interurban, which obviously is never coming back)

You're assuming, of course, that demand will never exist for additional trackage on the Blue Line.

[denizen467]

the last time Loyola University proposed an expansion into the lake using landfill, environmentalist, Canada, and other Great Lake's States had a fit about it and Loyola had to back off.
I know that other states in the Great Lakes basin complain about water pollution and about siphoning off too much water for distant suburbs, but what's their angle on lakefill - is it a question of pollution? If so, isn't lakefill done using just earth, sand, stone, etc. anyway as opposed to garbage?

[Frankie]

The Tribunes take on Roundy's entering Chicago ....

Roundy's joins Chicago grocery fray
Milwaukee chain plans rapid expansion here

By John Schmeltzer
Tribune staff reporter
Published February 13, 2007


Declaring there aren't enough grocery stores in the Chicago region, a Milwaukee-based supermarket chain says it plans to plant its flag with a new west Lincoln Park store and follow it with a rapid expansion in 2008.

Roundy's Supermarkets Inc., which tried to enter Chicago market four years ago through an unsuccessful acquisition of the Dominick's supermarket chain, announced Monday that it would come to Chicago on its own by opening its first store in the Clybourn Avenue-North Avenue retail corridor.
The company did not give a time frame on the first store. But, during the next three years, the chain said it would open as many as a dozen stores here and offer employment to about 2,000 people. It currently operates 153 stores, mainly in Wisconsin and Minnesota.

"We see Chicago as an additional market for us to grow into," said Robert Mariano, chairman and chief executive of Roundy's, which operates stores under three banners--Pick 'n Save, Copps and Rainbow.

"We see the [Chicago] market as underserved and have the distribution capacity, as well as the management team, knowledge and experience, to grow rapidly," he said, declining to reveal under what name the Chicago stores will operate.

While Mariano now runs the Milwaukee chain, he is intimately familiar with the Chicago market.

He served as president and chief executive officer of Dominick's in the late 1990s, a time the chain was rolling out its "Fresh Store" concept. That concept was canceled when California-based Safeway Inc. acquired Dominick's in 1999 for $1.85 billion.

Since that acquisition, however, Dominick's has suffered. It lost customers and market share after it stumbled with the introduction of the Safeway private-label program. It has closed 30 stores, leaving it with 83 when it completes the latest round of closings in April. It now has a market share of about 15 percent.

Jewel-Osco, which is now owned by Eden Prairie, Minn.-based SuperValu Inc., operates nearly 200 stores Chicago market and has a market share of 45 percent.

Mitch Corwin, an analyst with Morningstar Inc., said Roundy's is evaluating the Chicago market properly.

"For a big market, Chicago doesn't have a lot of large players," he said, noting that in California the nation's three largest grocers along with a large independent are battling for market share. "It is unusual for a player to have more than a 40 percent market share."

Bill Bishop, chairman of the Barrington-based Willard Bishop Consulting, said: "There is a real evolution in what people are looking for in food stores."

As a result, he said, "There could very well be an opportunity for a couple of really viable new supermarket competitors in the Chicago market."

Roundy's first Chicago store is to be an 80,000-square-foot, two-level store, to be built at the site of the New City YMCA, 1515 N. Halsted St. The YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago sold the 8.5-acre site last year to a real estate partnership planning a mixed-use facility. The site is less than eight blocks from one of Dominick's higher-grossing stores, at Division Street and Clybourn Avenue.

Corwin, predicted Roundy's could face difficulty achieving enough scale to compete against Jewel-Osco. "Chicagoland has been traditionally brand loyal, and it will not be easy to introduce a new brand into this marketplace," said Corwin.

----------

jschmeltzer@tribune.com

[Frankie]

Another Hotel changing names.....

New name, image for Blues hotel
Change in operator to bring upscale push

By Kathy Bergen
Tribune staff reporter
Published February 13, 2007


One of Chicago's more widely recognized inns, the House of Blues Hotel, will take a fresh name and image this spring as new operators attempt to push the 353-room hotel further upscale.

Gemstone Hotels & Resorts International LLC, the hotel operator, said a $17 million renovation will transform the Marina City property into a more chic and luxurious destination, to be renamed in May as the Hotel Sax Chicago, in deference to the city's musical traditions.
The hotel will continue its strategic partnership with the adjacent House of Blues music club, part of an entertainment-venue chain purchased late last year by Los Angeles-based Live Nation.

"We wanted to relaunch and reposition the property," said Mark van Hartesvelt, a Gemstone principal. "House of Blues has not made a major initiative to create a big brand called House of Blues Hotels." The Chicago property is the only House of Blues Hotel, he said.

Acknowledging that there is risk is dropping a well-known brand name, he said, "You have to be concerned, but our affiliation with the club is so strong, and we're packaging so well together, that I hope we'll be fine."

Park City, Utah-based Gemstone manages 20 independent boutique hotels and resorts in the U.S., including the Carlton Hotel in New York, the Mosaic in Beverly Hills and the Hotel ZaZa in Houston.

When the ZaZa opened people wondered what it was, "and now it's one of the better known hotels in Texas and around the country," van Hartesvelt said.

The Chicago hotel's location should help the relaunch, said one observer.

"I presume they feel the location and the House of Blues next door are sufficient to be a draw, and that they have enough repeat business and identity so they can change the name to something that gives an image of a more avant-garde or lifestyle hotel," said Ted Mandigo, a hotel consultant based in Elmhurst.

Still, "I think they may wind up with a little shift in occupancy as they go through the renovation," he said, "and they'll need to go through aggressive marketing to retain guests with the . . . change in style."

New York-based design firm McCartan, founded by Colum McCartan, plans an eclectic look, mixing 17th Century French Salon with modern touches, with a mix of furnishings from India and Europe.

The renovation will transform each guestroom as well as the lobby and bar/lounge area. About 10,000 square feet of meeting, ballroom and function space will be added.

"We're positioned now just below the Kimptons and the Ws, but not a lot--we consider them our competitors," said van Hartesvelt. With the renovation, the company is aiming for the level of the Fairmont or the Conrad, "just below the Four Seasons and Peninsula," he said.

The target clientele is a slightly younger crowd, ranging from 25 to 55, he said.

"We focus on the experiential and theatrical side, we're kind of the alternative," he said, noting that the music, the lights, and even the attitude of the employees shift throughout the day and evening.

Bethesda, Md.-based LaSalle Hotel Properties purchased the hotel and adjacent retail and parking operations early last year for $114.5 million from Los Angeles-based HOB Entertainment Inc.

The deal included Marina City's 900-car public garage and about 115,000 square feet of retail space leased to tenants such as Smith & Wollensky steakhouse, Bin 36, 10Pin bowling and a Crunch gym facility.

Guests will continue to have quick access to those businesses.

Gemstone was retained as the hotel-management company last March, taking over from Loews Hotels.

The hotel will continue cross-promotions with the House of Blues music venue, including hotel packages with tickets to concerts.

Mario Mazzini, formerly general manager of Le Meridien Chicago, has been hired as the general manager.

Le Meridien was rebranded last year as the Conrad Chicago.

----------

kbergen@tribune.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm kind of exicted for this relaunch of the House of Blues, it was starting to look a little out dated and this new renovation sounds promising.