[sentinel]

^^
http://www.uic.edu/depts/oaa/walkingtour/Netschtour/2.a.2-Forum%20from%20air.jpg
uic.edu

[Nowhereman1280]

^^^ Again, most university campuses look that sparsely populated about 80% of the time, its only during class changes that campuses get as busy as shown in the picture I just posted. If you would like, I will take pictures of how there is "nowhere for students to congregate" at Loyola's Campus, because there is no one just sitting around during classes... My point was merely to post photographic evidence that, at least during peak times of the day, the walkways were heavily used, you can post pictures of them empty, but the fact is that, at least when that picture posted was taken, they were being heavily used.

Also, if we are going to play tit for tat:

http://www.uic.edu/depts/oaa/walkingtour/Netschtour/6.0.2-Walkways.jpg
uic.edu

Also:

http://media.collegepublisher.com/media/paper519/stills/z8o5drqx.jpg
collegepublisher.com

[BWChicago]

Your slide is flipped.

[Nowhereman1280]

^^^ Haha, I noticed that too, but only after I found a small image of the original that was the exact opposite... This one is much better.

[Baronvonellis]

What was the point of the walkways? At first I thought it was an enclosed and climate controled space which would be helpful for Chicago winters, but I see in the pictures that they were total open to the elements.

Why is walking between buildings on the ground (like you do at every other campus) so hard that they would build these massive elevated walkways?

[VivaLFuego]

Why is walking between buildings on the ground (like you do at every other campus) so hard that they would build these massive elevated walkways?

Guess you had to be there at the time.

[harryc]

What was the point of the walkways? At first I thought it was an enclosed and climate controled space which would be helpful for Chicago winters, but I see in the pictures that they were total open to the elements.

Why is walking between buildings on the ground (like you do at every other campus) so hard that they would build these massive elevated walkways?

It was soo cool - the original design had a covering

There were many small buildings, it was a big time saver for some of us, and it was sooo cool.

[Saber925]

I attended "Circle" from '68 to '72. What I remember best about the elevated walkways was the ability to walk to all my classes on a rainy day without having to use an umbrella. LOL.

Of course, you had to dodge all the leaks from the overhead walkways!

[The North One]

The walk ways look cool, why would they take them down?

[BWChicago]

http://bit.ly/2GVMZW - 25 Page (!) article from Architectural Record on Circle Campus. This should answer a lot of questions about the design decisions.

[ardecila]

Modern pragmatic thinking would assume that the traditional method of connecting buildings with ground-level paths and streets would be the best situation.

Modernist architects were never ones to take anything on faith, though. Rather scientifically, they made hypotheses about building designs and then tested them in real life, often on university campuses that were open to avant-garde ideas. While many of these ideas are often judged to be failures, and some most definitely HAVE failed, there's no reason to throw the baby out with the bathwater and obliterate an entire period of architecture.

In regards to your specific question - the elevated walkways were intended to cut down on travel times between buildings by allowing access to multiple levels, decreasing stair congestion. They also functioned to shelter ground-level walkways below, which came in handy in adverse weather, and they allowed for the roofs of one-story buildings to become plazas, turning ugly and wasteful mechanical plateaus into pleasant outdoor gathering places.

[sentinel]

http://bit.ly/2GVMZW - 25 Page (!) article from Architectural Record on Circle Campus. This should answer a lot of questions about the design decisions.

I will admit, that's a cool find - thanks BW. #11 intrigues me because it shows something pretty different from what was actually built, aka the BSB monstrosity..

[Via Chicago]

Interesting plan, but the only reason it existed in the first place was due to the clear-cut of an entire city neighborhood (http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/3579.html). It embodied the worst aspects of urban renewal at that time.

[BWChicago]

Interesting plan, but the only reason it existed in the first place was due to the clear-cut of an entire city neighborhood (http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/3579.html). It embodied the worst aspects of urban renewal at that time.

It's incidental, though - would have been cleared even without UIC.

From the article:

The search for land began in
1954. Ninety sites were stud-
ied, four were given thorough
analysis by SOM, but one by
one it turned out all were un-
available. T o the rescue came
Mayor Richard J. Daley ("A
building mayor," says Parker
gratefully) with the offer of the
urban renewal land that became
Chicago Circle. It was eminently
accessible, and heartwarmingly
inexpensive: the city and federal
governments would pay all but
$4 million of its $27 million cost.
The university's problems still
weren't over, however. The prop-
erty Daley offered had been
scheduled for housing, and neigh-
borhood groups objected to the
switch. It took a Supreme Court
ruling to overcome their objec-
tions.
The results of the litigation
were the preservation of Hull
House (right), which pops up at
the east edge of the site, as a
gesture to the losing side; and
a substantial delay in the uni-
versity's timetable.

[Nowhereman1280]

That article brings up another reason why the tower must not be torn down. Not only is it a signature work of an entire career and genre, but it is an excellent example of another genre: Structural expressionism. If you read the section on the reasoning behind the form of the building, you understand that it is almost Dependant on the structure of the building. Particularly interesting is that the building distributes the increasing loads as you from top to bottom not by increasing the size of columns, but by increasing the number of columns. Its even more interesting to me now that I have read that.

[Baronvonellis]

WMS Gaming plans new NW Side building on river

http://www.chicagorealestatedaily.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=35511

This is really good news too. New office space outside of the downtown area is really rare. And a new public riverwalk as well. Bonus.

[Baronvonellis]

Thanks for explaning the reasoning behind the walkways. The thing about stair congestion sounds like a really weird reason for building walkways. I went to the University of Florida which is one the largest universities in the country and never had any problems with walking up stairs. Also, if the walkways were totally enclosed and climate controlled it seems like that would be really helpful, but I am sure you could still get wet and cold from the way they were built. With the wind in Chicago the rain and snow blows horizontally here alot. The pratical reasons for the walkways seem questionable.

I do agree that the walkways and greek amphitheatres on the tops of buildings would look really cool. I'm a big fan of brutalism and funky 60's architecture. There's alot of that in Florida. I wish I was there to see them in person.

[Mr Downtown]

Unlike most universities, Circle was to be built with all the lecture halls together, all the labs together, all the professors' offices together. This would enhance utilization of facilities, though it came at the cost of departmental cohesiveness and general rootlessness among the commuter students. Congestion was expected because there would be many thousands of students converging on the central complex of lecture halls all at once.

As for the site, I don't think it's right to say that the site was sitting waiting for the university. It was a last-minute entry and the furor over clearance of the neighborhood came while the site was being decided. See George Rosen's book Decision-Making Chicago-Style. The Genesis of a University of Illinois Campus. (1980, University of Illinois Press)

[BWChicago]

http://bit.ly/2kJRks - Excerpt from Book on SOM from during development - shows different buildings such as a conventional tower
http://bit.ly/5kViA - Excerpt from later book on SOM about overall campus
http://bit.ly/3CigiH - Late 1970s criticism of campus design
http://bit.ly/5rjN0 - 1996 Article on Renovation

[VivaLFuego]

Assorted development news:


Developer Sean Conlon plans a seven-story apartment building west of the Kennedy Expressway at 1100 W. Grand Ave., in a bet that demand for near-downtown residences will revive in coming years.
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/images/random/1100grandrendering.jpg

Also, the Hyde Park Herald is reporting on progress on the Shoreland restoration. Great news all around: financed via federal historic preservation tax credits, will be converted to 300-350 housing units, with between 100-200 parking spaces carved out of the basement. The ballrooms will be preserved and restored (previous plans had these becoming condominimium parking), possibly as restaurant space.

[denizen467]

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/images/random/1100grandrendering.jpg
Great news.
The only thing is ... who wants an apartment overlooking the Ohio Ramps? That's exactly the kind of situation where a tall tower would work...

[Busy Bee]

^ ithought the same thing when i saw this on Yo.

[a chicago bearcat]

WMS Gaming plans new NW Side building on river

http://www.chicagorealestatedaily.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=35511

This is really good news too. New office space outside of the downtown area is really rare. And a new public riverwalk as well. Bonus.

There is already a riverwalk that connects down to belmont on this site, it seems fine enough, aside from the fact that it doesn't connect to the rest of the riverwalk system north of here. If WMS is extending it at the back of the property they currently own, that's alright. But if they were paying for an extension of the riverwalk in conjunction with ComEd constructing one along their waterfront, and Gordon Tech allowing for one to be built behind their school. Then my ears would perk up and I would be interested, otherwise, it will be a welcomed distraction for waiting in line at dougs.

[wrabbit]

9/26. Wraps off of the Southern end of the Sullivan Center:


http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y150/wjcordier/P1240079.jpg


http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y150/wjcordier/P1240066.jpg


http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y150/wjcordier/P1240069.jpg


http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y150/wjcordier/P1240090.jpg

[the urban politician]

Love it

[VivaLFuego]

:slob: <drool>

[LaSalle.St.Station]

No Reason why, Wacker, is not extended south along river to 18 th street. River city should never have been allowed to be built on a public right of way...

[VivaLFuego]

No Reason why, Wacker, is not extended south along river to 18 th street. River city should never have been allowed to be built on a public right of way...

River City was built on railroad load, not public right of way.

[Mr Downtown]

Every time I talk about the Wells-Wentworth connector needing to be at least an 80-foot right-of-way, people say that River City prevents that from happening. But the bottom two floors of River City, the mostly vacant commercial space, are ordinary mushroom-capital slab construction, and the façade could easily be reconstructed 14 feet further west. In the teens and 20s, Chicago widened 118 miles of arterial streets (shown in purple) in exactly this way:

http://www.chicagocarto.com/burnham/images/arterial_widening.jpg

http://www.chicagocarto.com/burnham/images/refacing_lourdes.jpg

[sentinel]

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y150/wjcordier/P1240066.jpg
so lovely - THIS is worth saving :banaride:

[Via Chicago]

^
No argument there. I dont know if any of you have made it over to the Modern Wing at the AIC, but they have a simply mindblowing Louis Sullivan ironwork sketch on temporary display in the architecture/design room. The level of detail in his works (especially evident viewing the sketch up close) is really something.

[VivaLFuego]

Every time I talk about the Wells-Wentworth connector needing to be at least an 80-foot right-of-way, people say that River City prevents that from happening.

Out of curiosity, do you know if modeling shows that the connector will see very high traffic volumes? I feel like with the exception of special events in the area, Clark and Canal are both well below capacity, and most of the retail will be concentrated along Roosevelt (i.e. Wells-Wentworth generally appears to be set to be lined with residential, eventually), so intuitively I don't see the road being too high volume unless it were designed as a direct link from the Dan Ryan-Chinatown connector to Wacker Drive (as was the intention in the 1950s, of course).

[Kippis]

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y150/wjcordier/P1240066.jpg

That looks like magic. It turned out so much better than I originally anticipated!

[Kippis]

I have nowhere near the photography skills of many of the other posters here, but I thought that I should share some images I took from the Tribune facility at Halsted & Chicago Ave.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h48/kippis05/100_1660.jpg

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h48/kippis05/100_1657.jpg

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h48/kippis05/100_1678.jpg

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h48/kippis05/100_1662.jpg

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h48/kippis05/100_1676.jpg

Does anyone know what the project from the picture above is? I haven't got the slightest clue. All I know is that it's on Kingsbury & Erie. Thanks :tup:

[Mr Downtown]

Out of curiosity, do you know if modeling shows that the connector will see very high traffic volumes?

Until we know the uses that will be on the Riverside Park land, I don't think any serious modeling can take place. And it's a little strange that it will pass under Roosevelt with no connection. However, I feel like there will eventually be demands for it to carry two moving lanes in each direction, so I want to be certain there's enough ROW to allow curbside parking to shelter and make pedestrians feel more comfortable there. The last thing we need is another auto sewer like Clark, used as a 50 mph offramp.

[sentinel]

revised Reva and David Logan center for performing arts at the University of Chicago (sorry but this is the largest photo I can find)
http://arts.uchicago.edu/i/logan/logan_rendering.jpg

[wrabbit]

Kippis, good to have you on board - please keep posting pics.


revised Reva and David Logan center for performing arts at the University of Chicago (sorry but this is the largest photo I can find)
http://arts.uchicago.edu/i/logan/logan_rendering.jpg

Thanks very much for this, Sentinel. Looks promising.

[ardecila]

Out of curiosity, do you know if modeling shows that the connector will see very high traffic volumes? I feel like with the exception of special events in the area, Clark and Canal are both well below capacity, and most of the retail will be concentrated along Roosevelt (i.e. Wells-Wentworth generally appears to be set to be lined with residential, eventually), so intuitively I don't see the road being too high volume unless it were designed as a direct link from the Dan Ryan-Chinatown connector to Wacker Drive (as was the intention in the 1950s, of course).

The Central Area Action Plan calls for a direct linkage to the Dan Ryan ramps at Cermak, although I assume traffic-calming and other measures would be in place to slow down the freeway-speed traffic.

On the other end, I don't think there are any plans to connect to Wacker. That would require some serious road construction on the Franklin Point site, and the various development proposals haven't mentioned anything of the sort.

[spyguy]

Does anyone know what the project from the picture above is? I haven't got the slightest clue. All I know is that it's on Kingsbury & Erie. Thanks :tup:

Parc Huron. Thanks for the photos and welcome.

revised Reva and David Logan center for performing arts at the University of Chicago (sorry but this is the largest photo I can find)


Looks good, although I can't really form an opinion from that (the website says the final design will be unveiled in November). The lowrise structure seems to have changed the most, with a nod to the Edward Dart structure they're going to demolish.
http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/3084/williamsmodel.jpg
The performance space at the top of the tower will be spectacular.

[ardecila]

I'm sure Tod Williams Billie Tsien will do a good job.

[BWChicago]

Anyone hear if they will be adding back the missing cartouches on CPS between the first and second floors at the intersections?

[ardecila]

^^ Any pictures of these?

EDIT: Found one. Wow... is the ornamentation that's up currently the same as the original? If this slide is any evidence, then the original ornamentation was much more organic, with tendrils and things extending outwards over cornices and mullions. The stuff up today is very repetitive and 1-dimensional compared to this older stuff... And I love the frosted glass on the clerestory panels, which somebody thought would look better in clear glass... And even the hardware on the retractable awnings is curvilinear and Sullivan-styled.

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/5176/s15b.jpg

[BWChicago]

^^ Any pictures of these?

EDIT: Found one. Wow... is the ornamentation that's up currently the same as the original? If this slide is any evidence, then the original ornamentation was much more organic, with tendrils and things extending outwards over cornices and mullions. The stuff up today is very repetitive and 1-dimensional compared to this older stuff... And I love the frosted glass on the clerestory panels, which somebody thought would look better in clear glass... And even the hardware on the retractable awnings is curvilinear and Sullivan-styled.

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/5176/s15b.jpg

To my knowledge, the rest is all original, I think what you're seeing is just a result of reflections and lighting. Although it looks like some of the iron overlapped the window frames and string courses in a way it doesn't now, I'm not sure what to make of that. Does seem more organic if they are literally bursting out of their frames. The only things missing are those cartouches (which you can see make a big difference in the texture of the iron) and, I think, the kickplates. Notice also that the cartouches have the initials SM in them, for Schlessinger & Mayer, the original owners of the building. I believe Siry's book said the cartouches were removed in the 50s or 60s.

The clerestory panels were something like Luxfer Prism Glass (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/05/prism-glass.php) which isn't made anymore. The only other change I'd like to see at CPS is that the windows on the round corner were originally single panels rather than double-hung, which gave it more verticality.

[wrabbit]

Wow - the cartouches make the facade look really lush.

[ethereal_reality]

Notice how absolutely HUGE the cartouches were.
Compare them to the people standing on the sidewalk.

Wouldn't it be great if they found them in some old warehouse someday.
(wishful thinking on my part)

[BWChicago]

This is a bit of a stretch, but they remind me a bit of the Pritzker Pavilion.

[ethereal_reality]

spyguy posted this on the SSC site.

Since the Spire thread is closed.....I'll post it here.
I'm not in finance, so I'm not sure if this good or bad news.
Can anyone here help explain?


http://www.sbpost.ie/themarket/nama-to-leave-out-anglos-us-loans-44427.html

Nama to leave out Anglo’s US loans
20 September 2009 By Richard Curran and David Clerkin

Anglo Irish Bank is set to exclude almost all of its €10 billion US loan book from its transfer of assets to the National Asset Management Agency (Nama), in a move that will pave the way for a quick sale of these loans to another institution.

The nationalised bank - which ramped up its US lending activities from €1 billion in 2004 to €10 billion this year - has received approaches from a number of potential buyers of the loan book, which consists primarily of commercial property investment loans in New York, Chicago and Boston.

...It is unclear whether some high profile Anglo loans, such as the facility it provided to developer Garrett Kelleher for work on the proposed site of the Chicago Spire, will be included in the Nama transfer.

[FlashingLights]

spyguy posted this on the SSC site.

Since the Spire thread is closed.....I'll post it here.
I'm not in finance, so I'm not sure if this good or bad news.
Can anyone here help explain?


http://www.sbpost.ie/themarket/nama-to-leave-out-anglos-us-loans-44427.html

Nama to leave out Anglo’s US loans
20 September 2009 By Richard Curran and David Clerkin

Anglo Irish Bank is set to exclude almost all of its €10 billion US loan book from its transfer of assets to the National Asset Management Agency (Nama), in a move that will pave the way for a quick sale of these loans to another institution.

The nationalised bank - which ramped up its US lending activities from €1 billion in 2004 to €10 billion this year - has received approaches from a number of potential buyers of the loan book, which consists primarily of commercial property investment loans in New York, Chicago and Boston.

...It is unclear whether some high profile Anglo loans, such as the facility it provided to developer Garrett Kelleher for work on the proposed site of the Chicago Spire, will be included in the Nama transfer.

It doesn't mean anything, there is not enough information to make any long term judgments.

Assuming the loan included Chicago Spire loan, we don't even know, the loan would be passed on to the government (NAMA) and sold to a different institution. This could be bad if there were certain clauses written into the loan about meeting requirements such as tenants or cash flows that had to be met from the project. Normally that is required on loans of this sort and could be enforced. That is all speculative, but it's probably not good if it happens in my opinion. At the same time it could just be a transfer and remain at the current status quo.

You have to remember though that long term debt shouldn't be confused with short term liquidity or cash flows from the project. Also, you wouldn't factor in any of the sunken costs.

If you were a financial manager you would probably check the current cash flow loss on this project upkeep, taxes etc. Ignore sunk cost and then determine if you could bleed cash flows long enough to be able to pay back the loan and turn a profit.

[emathias]

Notice how absolutely HUGE the cartouches were.
Compare them to the people standing on the sidewalk.

Wouldn't it be great if they found them in some old warehouse someday.
(wishful thinking on my part)

Is that a Klan rally?

[J_M_Tungsten]

9/26. Wraps off of the Southern end of the Sullivan Center:


http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y150/wjcordier/P1240079.jpg


So the whole lower level of the building is being redone like this then? It will really look nice when completed.

[ardecila]

Is that a Klan rally?

Nope, just a bunch of manikins. Believe it or not, the use of human-shaped heads on manikins is a relatively recent invention. Before the 1960s or so, clothiers thought realistic heads would be creepy, so they just used headless figures, sometimes with conical necks like this one.

Today, we have the opposite sentiment, where headless manikins are seen to be unnatural and kinda creepy.

[BWChicago]

http://bit.ly/2fhyY4 - 1904 article on ornamental ironwork at Schlesinger & Mayer/Carson Pirie Scott (download for better image quality). On closer inspection, there are a number of details that were removed when their fasteners rusted away. They are: at the intersection of the mullions and spandrels above the first 3 bays west from the alley, where the marquis/port cochere/canopy originally was before being moved two bays west (shame, since that's such clear structural expression, and more organic too), parts of the wreaths on the lintels above the second story windows that extended onto the cornice, the wreaths, curlicues on the lintels below the second story windows, and the previously mentioned wreath-cartouches. I think that covers it.

http://bit.ly/1zhsSZ - I recommend seeing Joseph Siry's book on Carson, Pirie, Scott also, it's extremely thoroughly researched.

It would be a shame if they don't bring back the cast iron details in this restoration after being so meticulous in the cornice work. The cornice was done as perfectly as possible, I would hope that they put the same effort into the much more visible and well-documented base. Although, what we have seen so far is the Holabird/Roche and Burnham Additions; maybe those details are the last bit?

[J_M_Tungsten]

^^^Unreal how ornate building facades used to be!

[Nowhereman1280]

Everyone keep an especially close eye on the old Prentance hospital at NU. I have a friend who is working in the psych ward there and says that most of the floors are now unoccupied and that NU plans to have it vacant by two years from now. She says that they are planning on tearing it down. If anyone hears anything about the dumbasses at NU trying to move forward with that let everyone know. That is one building Chicago can't afford to lose...

[harryc]

Sept 21 - last loads up
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_8TC_VUmf9Fw/SsFp8fOKsEI/AAAAAAABbpA/J1EhuWH3Bhg/s800/P1540960.JPG

Sept 23 - crane being packed away.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_8TC_VUmf9Fw/SsFp-T0-EHI/AAAAAAABbpI/o_EkbS9RSyI/s800/P1550414.JPG

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_8TC_VUmf9Fw/SsFqAYSu7eI/AAAAAAABbpQ/frHFJ4a66Jk/s800/P1550493.JPG

[the urban politician]

Everyone keep an especially close eye on the old Prentance hospital at NU. I have a friend who is working in the psych ward there and says that most of the floors are now unoccupied and that NU plans to have it vacant by two years from now. She says that they are planning on tearing it down. If anyone hears anything about the dumbasses at NU trying to move forward with that let everyone know. That is one building Chicago can't afford to lose...

^ Sigh...

I recommend you pass this info along to NearNorthGuy at SSC.

[wrabbit]

Everyone keep an especially close eye on the old Prentance hospital at NU. I have a friend who is working in the psych ward there and says that most of the floors are now unoccupied and that NU plans to have it vacant by two years from now. She says that they are planning on tearing it down. If anyone hears anything about the dumbasses at NU trying to move forward with that let everyone know. That is one building Chicago can't afford to lose...

There'd better be a big stink if/when NU goes after Prentice.

[Nowhereman1280]

^^^ I plan on being involved. I'll chain myself to the building if I have to. We only have what? Four Goldberg buildings in Chicago? He is one of the modern masters, his work must be preserved at all cost. Tearing down Prentice is like tearing down the IBM building or Daley Center or Marina City, it simply cannot be allowed. I hope the ability to identify Goldberg to the average person by saying "he designed Marina City" will make it very easy to get overwhelming public support for preserving it. Just about everyone I talk who has seen this building loves it in the same way they love Marina City and River City (most people have no idea what Astor Tower is).

The worst part about it being torn down is that it would be so easy to re-adapt. Yes it would suck to renovate it into a new hospital, but it would make excellent condos or, even better, an absolutely stunning hotel. Also, this building doesn't have the typical stigma of being an abandoned hospital since it was a maternity ward and was a place where new life was brought into the world and there were almost no deaths. They could even make the roof of the base a garden for the guests or residents of the building. I would pay good money to live in this building or stay there.

Everyone start sending letters to SOAR and Reilly:
http://www.landmarks.org/ten_most_2009_9.htm

^ Sigh...

I recommend you pass this info along to NearNorthGuy at SSC.

Would you let him know for me? I try to avoid SSC, just not my cup of tea...

[the urban politician]

^ I already did

[Hayward]

Anyone know what is happening with the site of the 3 story building being demolished just beyond Barney's? It's been driving me nuts. Day by day they are carefully taking it down.


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2653/3961418544_9fcf2c77fa_b.jpg

[wrabbit]

Side canopy at Sullivan Center, circa 1903:

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y150/wjcordier/carsonp3.jpg
http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/fa267/sullivan/carsonp3.jpg

[VivaLFuego]

^Ogden School demolition and reconstruction. New school building - no surface parking. Not sure what the State Street frontage will be like but I have to assume no retail or anything.

[BWChicago]

Side canopy at Sullivan Center, circa 1903:

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y150/wjcordier/carsonp3.jpg
http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/fa267/sullivan/carsonp3.jpg

Yeah, that's what I was saying moved down 2 bays at some point. The ornate chains and hangers are gone too obviously.

[ardecila]

^Ogden School demolition and reconstruction. New school building - no surface parking. Not sure what the State Street frontage will be like but I have to assume no retail or anything.

Nope. Still, it could be worse... the historic signage from the old building is mounted on this wall, there's a mini lobby with stairs down to the parking garage at the center of the facade, and a bay of floor-ceiling windows next to it. There's also an entrance to the school on the northeast corner, although from the plans it's not clear if the entrance is a real one or merely a fire entrance - I guess that's at the school's discretion. On the downside, there's also a loading dock on the SE corner. The curb cut/garage door are around the corner along Walton, but it should give some unpleasant odors and a dead blank wall to the pedestrians on State. Really, it's not a huge deal... Rush and Dearborn are both far more pedestrian-friendly.

East Elevation
http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/224/ogdeneast.jpg
Source: http://www.pbcchicago.com/upload/6693.pdf

[ardecila]

As a side note, I'm very curious about the massive school construction program currently underway. Many of the schools being built are in older neighborhoods with historic schools. Are the new buildings replacing older ones? I can't imagine a need for additional schools in neighborhoods where the population is down from the 1950s peak and the existing schools are under-utilized and only half-full.

Adaptive re-use may be feasible for some of the older schools, but not for all of them. Turning them over to charter schools only creates a huge amount of waste and redundancy in the education system as charter schools exist side-by-side with traditional publics.

If Ogden is an indicator of a larger trend, then the sheer size of the school construction program would indicate a massive citywide demolition of historic schools, but I've heard no preservationists clamoring. CPS' plan to build schools in parks should also lead to a massive loss of park space, but Friends of the Parks is not clamoring.

What's really going on?

[spyguy]

If Ogden is an indicator of a larger trend, then the sheer size of the school construction program would indicate a massive citywide demolition of historic schools, but I've heard no preservationists clamoring.

I think Riis and Washburne got some attention, Westinghouse as well perhaps.

And I think the preservation community needs to be a little more proactive if they want to save Prentice. All the signs indicate that NU has no intention of preserving Prentice, so why wait for them to announce the inevitable?

[george]

9-29

Nature Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo Lagoon

http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/6928/natureboardwalkatlinprkk.jpg

http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/1145/natureboardwalkatlinprk.jpg


930 N Rush

http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/9048/930nrush2.jpg

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/7172/930nrush1.jpg

[Mr Downtown]

CPS' plan to build schools in parks should also lead to a massive loss of park space, but Friends of the Parks is not clamoring.

The hell they aren't. (http://fotp.org/advocacy/parks-under-siege)

[ardecila]

The hell they aren't. (http://fotp.org/advocacy/parks-under-siege)

Thanks - I guess I should have checked my facts. It's sad that this hasn't received any publicity - something that affects normal Chicagoans in their home neighborhoods - but FotP got in the papers for opposing that air-balloon ride at Navy Pier. :koko:

[emathias]

Anyone know what the deal is with the city replacing the sidewalk corners of what seems like a significant chunk of downtown blocks, ostensibly to add blind bumps (or whatever those are called)? Is there a project website that shows what corners are slated to be completed and a timeline?

There doesn't seem to be much prioritization, with some corners that were almost new having been replaced in River North while others that are dangerous to walk on from cracking not even having survey markings yet.

[VivaLFuego]

Anyone know what the deal is with the city replacing the sidewalk corners of what seems like a significant chunk of downtown blocks, ostensibly to add blind bumps (or whatever those are called)? Is there a project website that shows what corners are slated to be completed and a timeline?

There doesn't seem to be much prioritization, with some corners that were almost new having been replaced in River North while others that are dangerous to walk on from cracking not even having survey markings yet.

They spent all summer replacing all of the relatively new ADA-compliant crosswalk cuts in the West Loop with even newer ADA-compliant cuts. I assume some guys made some calls to some other guys because someone needed work. If we're lucky it was paid for by stimulus funds so it was 'free money'.

[Nowhereman1280]

^^^ Its not just downtown and the west loop. About 30-40% of the corners in Edgewater and Rogers Park are in the process of being replaced or have been replaced, many of them needed it badly too. They have also been going full-out repaving roads up here, seems like every third street is torn up and awaiting resurfacing.


Looks like much of it might be stimulus funded, there are several projects listed here that include new ADA rams:
http://www.americantowns.com/in/eastchicago/news/digging-into-shovel-ready-projects-in-the-east-chicago-area-169064

Edit:
Actually the Reader says this:
http://chicago.straightdope.com/sdc20090917.php

Lifecycle of a "detectable warning surface"... Sooo true:
http://www.cartype.com/pages/4254/chicago_sidewalk_and_budget_

[the urban politician]

And I think the preservation community needs to be a little more proactive if they want to save Prentice. All the signs indicate that NU has no intention of preserving Prentice, so why wait for them to announce the inevitable?

^ All signs indicate that NU has no intention of preserving any property that it owns.

So what I think Preservation Chicago should do is undergo a thorough analysis of all of NU's property in the Chicago area and consider it endangered. It should actually get a movement started to work with the University directly to change its policy towards its own real estate.

[cbotnyse]

spyguy take the day off?

http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/09/buyer-misses-target-date-to-close-on-old-post-office.html

Buyer misses target date to close on old post office
September 30, 2009 3:31 PM | No Comments
British developer Bill Davies has not met today's goal of closing on Chicago's behemoth old post office, according to a statement released by the U.S. Postal Service.

During an auction in August, Davies won the right to purchase the two-block-long building for $40 million. Davies still has until Oct. 10 to close, "after which time the buyer relinquishes all rights to the property," postal service spokesman Mark Reynolds said in the statement.

"We are disappointed with the turn of events, but given the interest shown during the auction process, we will be reviewing our options," Reynolds said.

-- Melissa Harris

[Patel]

some more on the PO


http://www.suntimes.com/business/1799251,chicago-old-post-office-deal-093009.article

Old post office deal now in question


September 30, 2009

BY DAVID ROEDER Staff Reporter
The sale of the Old Chicago Main Post Office remained a muddled affair today after the buyer who won it at auction missed a deadline to close the deal.

Bill Davies, a globe-trotting investor who pledged $40 million for the vacant hulk at the Aug. 27 auction, did not close the sale despite having the available funds, said an attorney representing him. The property’s seller, the U.S. Postal Service, had him put down a $4 million deposit after the auction and he was required to pay the balance by today.

Why he did not couldn’t be determined. The postal service said in a statement that the sales contract gives Davies a 10-day “cure period,” extra time to rectify any defaults, and that it will work with him in the meantime.

“The contract stipulates that the buyer still has until Oct. 10, a 10-day period, in which to settle and acquire the property, after which time the buyer relinquishes all rights to the property,” the statement said. “We are disappointed with the turn of events but given the interest shown during the

auction process, we will be reviewing our options.”

Those options could include opening talks with the bidder who finished second at the auction with a last offer of $39.5 million. That bidder is Investor Immigration Funds Inc., a partnership represented by Chicago immigration lawyer Nathaniel Hsieh.

Hsieh said his group intends to close the sale in 15 days if given the chance. He said he expects to be the ultimate purchaser of the 2.7-million-square-foot building that spans the Eisenhower Expy.

“If they can’t close today, they’re not going to close in 10 days,” he said of the Davies bid. “We can get this done. Legally and economically, it just makes sense for the seller to to come to us.”

Hsieh said his group consists of mostly Chinese and Russian investors. “This is actually our very first venture,” he said.
The post office, 433 W. Van Buren, has been the subject of many plans over the years and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Davies has not explained what he wants to do with the property and has avoided interviews. He has failed at a number of attempts to redevelop parts of Liverpool, England, is former hometown.

Hsieh said his team wants to take over plans previously developed for the post office. Crafted Walton Street Capital, the plan called for razing part of the massive building and retrofitting the rest of it for a hotel, offices and condominiums.

[Via Chicago]

930 N Rush

http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/9048/930nrush2.jpg



Maybe its just me, but fancy wood paneling dosent seem like the best exterior choice for a city like Chicago. That nice sheen is going to look like hell after a few winters. Theres simply some things you cant do in a cold weather climates you can do in a warmer area, and Im not sure why developers keep forcing the issue.

[spyguy]

If anyone is interested:
The next meeting of the Milwaukee Avenue Advisory Panel has been scheduled for 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 1st at the Urban Vineyard Church located at 2145 N. Maplewood Avenue. The Panel will meet with the development team to discuss proposed development guidelines and principles for the Milwaukee Avenue commercial corridor. Additionally, the development team will be presenting information regarding the use of TIF funds from the Milwaukee-Armitage TIF District. This meeting will be open for the public to observe.

Supposedly the developer wants to build two "large" buildings near Milwaukee and California. I'm getting conflicting info on the size of the project, so if anyone attends please take notes :)

[a chicago bearcat]

^ All signs indicate that NU has no intention of preserving any property that it owns.

So what I think Preservation Chicago should do is undergo a thorough analysis of all of NU's property in the Chicago area and consider it endangered. It should actually get a movement started to work with the University directly to change its policy towards its own real estate.

I think you'd first want to contact Landmarks Illinois (LPCI) (http://www.landmarks.org/). They have an actual organizational structure that will be necessary if any type of analysis is to be done.

If NU moves they'll probably put it on their Chicagoland watch list (http://www.landmarks.org/chicago_watch.htm), it coupled with volunteer protest support, would probably be able to garner a lot more media, and political coverage.

[a chicago bearcat]

Maybe its just me, but fancy wood paneling dosent seem like the best exterior choice for a city like Chicago. That nice sheen is going to look like hell after a few winters. Theres simply some things you cant do in a cold weather climates you can do in a warmer area, and Im not sure why developers keep forcing the issue.

I'd like to hear the response to that argument in Finland, where a recent modern wooden town initiative is doing wonderfully.

[emathias]

Maybe its just me, but fancy wood paneling dosent seem like the best exterior choice for a city like Chicago. That nice sheen is going to look like hell after a few winters. Theres simply some things you cant do in a cold weather climates you can do in a warmer area, and Im not sure why developers keep forcing the issue.

I wouldn't worry about the weather. I'd be worried about vandals here, though.

[Busy Bee]

If ultra hard, dense and dimensionally stable woods like Ipe are used it will be more than fine. Ipe is like wooden steel, but doesn't corrode, and if treated properly will essentially last forever.

[aic4ever]

Maybe its just me, but fancy wood paneling dosent seem like the best exterior choice for a city like Chicago. That nice sheen is going to look like hell after a few winters. Theres simply some things you cant do in a cold weather climates you can do in a warmer area, and Im not sure why developers keep forcing the issue.

The wood is Ipe. The stuff is virtually indestructable. The only thing that might be interesting to keep an eye on over the next couple years is how it weathers. Ipe turns silver over time. One thing to watch for will be that the south face might silver faster than the east face or the west face of the taller portion. Other than that, due to its resilience, Ipe is used very commonly on exteriors these days. I see it all the time.

[aic4ever]

They spent all summer replacing all of the relatively new ADA-compliant crosswalk cuts in the West Loop with even newer ADA-compliant cuts. I assume some guys made some calls to some other guys because someone needed work. If we're lucky it was paid for by stimulus funds so it was 'free money'.

Ran into the contractor's super the other morning. Turned out to be a guy I worked with at a previous employer. We chatted for a bit. The work is, I believe, part of a Department of General Services JOC contract. 620 street corners in total. No idea how it's funded. Would make sense for it to be stimulus money for the city to bother with it as that massive of a JOC order, though.

[VivaLFuego]

Ran into the contractor's super the other morning. Turned out to be a guy I worked with at a previous employer. We chatted for a bit. The work is, I believe, part of a Department of General Services JOC contract. 620 street corners in total. No idea how it's funded. Would make sense for it to be stimulus money for the city to bother with it as that massive of a JOC order, though.

Hopefully, but it may not be. Those links posted previously show that this is complying with a settlement, which also explains why it's being run by General Services rather than Streets & San or CDOT.

Something about this entire ordeal is surreal to me. 99.5% of American communities have built environments that are utterly hostile to handicapped individuals (i.e. lacking sidewalks, crosswalks, any curb cuts at all if a curb even exists, etc.) and yet Chicago taxpayers, who live in and support one of those most handicap-friendly built environments for a large city on the entire planet (between the sidewalk network, the accessible transit system, and so on), are the ones stuck with a large bill to comply with a legal requirement to replace thousands of curb cuts that were ever so slightly too steep.

[wrabbit]

If ultra hard, dense and dimensionally stable woods like Ipe are used it will be more than fine. Ipe is like wooden steel, but doesn't corrode, and if treated properly will essentially last forever.

The wood is Ipe. The stuff is virtually indestructable. The only thing that might be interesting to keep an eye on over the next couple years is how it weathers. Ipe turns silver over time. One thing to watch for will be that the south face might silver faster than the east face or the west face of the taller portion. Other than that, due to its resilience, Ipe is used very commonly on exteriors these days. I see it all the time.

Thanks for that. I wasn't even familiar with Ipe wood before. Apparently, the entire Coney Island boardwalk is made of the stuff. Amazing, the things you learn every day.

[emathias]

Hopefully, but it may not be. Those links posted previously show that this is complying with a settlement, which also explains why it's being run by General Services rather than Streets & San or CDOT.

Something about this entire ordeal is surreal to me. 99.5% of American communities have built environments that are utterly hostile to handicapped individuals (i.e. lacking sidewalks, crosswalks, any curb cuts at all if a curb even exists, etc.) and yet Chicago taxpayers, who live in and support one of those most handicap-friendly built environments for a large city on the entire planet (between the sidewalk network, the accessible transit system, and so on), are the ones stuck with a large bill to comply with a legal requirement to replace thousands of curb cuts that were ever so slightly too steep.

Yeah, I think the ethics of groups that sue the big cities over this are despicable, personally. They sue big cities because it's easier for them then suing the thousands of small towns and private commerical locations where it's impossible to live in a wheelchair without a dedicated helper or, at the very least, a car. As unfunded mandates go, the ADA, while of noble intention, is a horrid law.

[aic4ever]

Hopefully, but it may not be. Those links posted previously show that this is complying with a settlement, which also explains why it's being run by General Services rather than Streets & San or CDOT.

Something about this entire ordeal is surreal to me. 99.5% of American communities have built environments that are utterly hostile to handicapped individuals (i.e. lacking sidewalks, crosswalks, any curb cuts at all if a curb even exists, etc.) and yet Chicago taxpayers, who live in and support one of those most handicap-friendly built environments for a large city on the entire planet (between the sidewalk network, the accessible transit system, and so on), are the ones stuck with a large bill to comply with a legal requirement to replace thousands of curb cuts that were ever so slightly too steep.

I should probably clarify that I'm assuming it's running through DGS JOC. It could very well be a CDOT JOC, too. I just know that DGS runs the biggest JOC contracts so it makes the most sense.

The reason I speculate that it's stimulus is that, when reading the settlement article, it sounded like the city said, "yeah we'll take care of it as we go" more than "we'll spend the money to do it all at once." Kind of seems to me like they would have done it in a much more piece-meal fashion if not for the stimulus funds.

[ChicagoChicago]

Maybe its just me, but fancy wood paneling dosent seem like the best exterior choice for a city like Chicago. That nice sheen is going to look like hell after a few winters. Theres simply some things you cant do in a cold weather climates you can do in a warmer area, and Im not sure why developers keep forcing the issue.I live near "The Pony" bar in Lakeview, and they simply re-seal their facade every spring. It's held up fine, but the winters and southern exposure do tend to bleach the redwood.

[Mojava]

9-29

930 N Rush

http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/9048/930nrush2.jpg


what's going in here again? lululemon?

[emathias]

what's going in here again? lululemon?

gay bathhouse

[VivaLFuego]

gay bathhouse

Thank goodness, that block can finally start reclaiming its former elegance.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2480/3575724077_98557fbe17_o.jpg

[emathias]

Thank goodness, that block can finally start reclaiming its former elegance.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2480/3575724077_98557fbe17_o.jpg

I was just playin' with the bathhouse comment, but I'm amazed at how much more risque cities were back in the late 60s, early 70s. I mean Times Square was famously notorious, but there's a video on YouTube where Friedman claims one of the ideas for remaking River North was to line Ontario and Ohio with strip clubs - and River North was already pretty wild at the time.

I've also read than in the late 1920s, early 1930s the area south of Washington Square (Clark/Dearborn, two blocks north of Chicago Ave was notorious enough that during the Century of Progress fair, there were "tours" of the area for people to see the wild lifestyles of residents. These days, even Boystown is tame by comparison.

I suppose I wouldn't want things to be quite as seedy as Times Square at it's seediest, but a little more variety across the breadth of human experience might not be such a bad thing.

[ardecila]

Eh... the risque factor is a bit over-rated. It really becomes a problem when you try to go out for some groceries or a sandwich at night and you not only must navigate the drunk "entertainment-seekers" but also the other seedy elements that such establishments attract.

In New Orleans, the general debauchery of the French Quarter draws plenty of tourists, but it's also a huge turn-off for families, and nobody really even bothers trying to attract families into the downtown area except for a handful of museums. Downtown has also become an absolutely shitty place for daily needs, with no grocery store and limited shopping.

I'm perfectly acceptable with strip clubs and cabarets and such in a city, it's just that when they are geographically concentrated, they tend to do more bad than good for the city overall.

[Busy Bee]

Families!?! Ha, who needs families??? Wait, other than the human race...

[EarlyBuyer]

Photo by EarlyBuyer

The Parkhomes at Lakeshore East nearing completion.

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/5080/dsc0022mh.jpg

[emathias]

Families!?! Ha, who needs families??? Wait, other than the human race...

We don't need human children when we can do this (http://www.channel4.com/programmes/my-monkey-baby)!

[wrabbit]

Photo by EarlyBuyer

The Parkhomes at Lakeshore East nearing completion.

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/5080/dsc0022mh.jpg

Too much going on in those facades. And I'm getting really bummed by all of the dull dark brick getting slapped on new projects around town.

[spyguy]

October Landmarks Commission

2800 N. Milwaukee 35th Ward
(Milwaukee-Diversey-Kimball Avenue District)
Proposed conversion of a 6-story masonry commercial building to include
ground-floor retail, a 2nd-floor community arts center, and 28 upper-floor
affordable residential units. The project includes new ground-floor
storefronts and other exterior alterations; refacing existing signage; and
additions of a 7-story masonry stair tower, a 2-story masonry retail addition
along Milwaukee Avenue, and a 1-story masonry retail addition along
Diversey Avenue

Previous rendering:
http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/6527/sachs20building.jpg

[ardecila]

^ I met the developer who was behind the original artist-loft proposal. He was actually a decent guy, unlike some developers who seem kinda slippery. I wonder if he's behind this latest proposal?

[spyguy]

^ I met the developer who was behind the original artist-loft proposal. He was actually a decent guy, unlike some developers who seem kinda slippery. I wonder if he's behind this latest proposal?

Brinshore Development and Hartshorne Plunkard.