[i_am_hydrogen]

A link to The Children’s Memorial Hospital Site Re-Use Feasibility Study Handbook can be found at the following site:

http://cmhplanning.blogspot.com/

[Patel]

http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/theskyline/2009/10/a-chicago-conference-to-debate-the-future-of-the-skyscraper-in-the-age-of-global-recession-and-clima.html

October 16, 2009

A Chicago conference to debate the future of the skyscraper in the age of global recession and climate change

There's an important conference coming up next week in Chicago.

It's called "Evolution of the Skyscraper: New challenges in a world of global warming and recession." If it turns out to be more than a show-and-tell session of big projects--some finished, others dead in their tracks, still others (like Russia's planned Gazprom Tower, at left) generating opposition--it could help evolve new models for skyscraper design once the economy picks up again.

This is a professional conference, I hasten to add, and it isn't open to the public or inexpensive. Nonetheless, I draw it to your attention because the subject matter is of broad interest and the lineup of speakers is star-studded: Eric Trump of the Trump Organization; John Portman, the Atlanta architect and developer; Mohamed Ali Alabbbar, chairman of Emaar Properties, the developer of the Burj Dubai; Mayor Richard M. Daley; and Adrian Smith, the chief architect of the Trump and Burj projects.

The conference will be held on Thursday, Oct. 22, and Friday, Oct. 23, at Hermann Hall, 3241 S. Federal St., at the Illinois Institute of Technology. The organizer is the Chicago-based Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.

...


more in the link

[spyguy]

Are 'Igoe Lofts' supposed to refer to residential lofts or office space?

Originally they were considering a residential conversion, but I think for now it will remain as office space.
---

http://www.vidaley.com/index.aspx?loc=2&dbx=348&sub=1

Alderman Vi Daley will host a community meeting regarding the redevelopment of the Lincoln Park Hospital (Grant) and its parking structure located at Lincoln Avenue and Wester Street.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009 6:30PM at the St. Vincent dePaul Center, 2145 N Halsted.

Developers propose a mixed-use reuse of the existing structures (residential, commercial and retail).

[emathias]

A link to The Children’s Memorial Hospital Site Re-Use Feasibility Study Handbook can be found at the following site:

http://cmhplanning.blogspot.com/

I'm bemused that their public meeting 3 presentation has 12 (out of 67) pages devoted to photos of vegetables.

[aic4ever]

http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/theskyline/2009/10/a-chicago-conference-to-debate-the-future-of-the-skyscraper-in-the-age-of-global-recession-and-clima.html

October 16, 2009

A Chicago conference to debate the future of the skyscraper in the age of global recession and climate change

There's an important conference coming up next week in Chicago.

It's called "Evolution of the Skyscraper: New challenges in a world of global warming and recession." If it turns out to be more than a show-and-tell session of big projects--some finished, others dead in their tracks, still others (like Russia's planned Gazprom Tower, at left) generating opposition--it could help evolve new models for skyscraper design once the economy picks up again.

This is a professional conference, I hasten to add, and it isn't open to the public or inexpensive. Nonetheless, I draw it to your attention because the subject matter is of broad interest and the lineup of speakers is star-studded: Eric Trump of the Trump Organization; John Portman, the Atlanta architect and developer; Mohamed Ali Alabbbar, chairman of Emaar Properties, the developer of the Burj Dubai; Mayor Richard M. Daley; and Adrian Smith, the chief architect of the Trump and Burj projects.

The conference will be held on Thursday, Oct. 22, and Friday, Oct. 23, at Hermann Hall, 3241 S. Federal St., at the Illinois Institute of Technology. The organizer is the Chicago-based Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.

...


more in the link

You know it's interesting. This is exactly the time skyscrapers SHOULD be getting planned and started, to take advantage of finishing when the economy is back up again. But nobody builds with their own money anymore. So whatever, I guess.

[Nowhereman1280]

A few quick notes from the far north:

1. The Domincks on Foster and Sheridan is going to be closing any day now. The food is all marked down and the shelves are almost empty. Looks like our new corner-friendly, roof-top parking, neighborhood grocery store should be under-construction soon!

2. Has anyone heard the rumors of a potential Trader Joes at that same corner? I heard they are tearing down both the McDonalds and the 4+1 on the south corners of that intersection and that one of the two plots will have a TJ's on it. Anyone know whats up with that?

3. Great news on the Loyola front! Loyola University will no longer be tearing down Alumi Gym (the big old red-brick gym visible from the Loyola El Stop thats right next to the tracks). They are now planning to renovate it into a student center which would retain most of the original character of the building. I have heard that the plans for this are absolutely sick and include things like the old gym with elevated track being retained as a dining hall or student lounge space and the track being turned into a balcony/loft space in the two-story exposed truss room. This, in my opinion, is the strongest marker yet that Loyola is shifting its development strategy to something more sustainable, preservationist, and community oriented. You can pin all the responsibility for this sudden change of heart on both the topics of tearing down Alumni and not building a true student center on the new director of student life who is truly visionary. I am going to poke around and see if I can get some plans.

Alumni gym photo: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Alumni_Gym,_Loyola_University_Chicago.JPG

[denizen467]

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=35828

West Loop commuter market adds 16 vendors
By: Lorene Yue Oct. 16, 2009

(Crain's) — The Chicago French Market has signed 16 more vendors to the year-round indoor market scheduled to open in mid-November.

A Belgian fry shack, a cured meats seller and a raw-foods restaurant are among the sellers that will be part of a 15,000-square-foot European-style market connected to the Ogilvie Transportation Center. The Chicago French Market is part of the MetraMarket concept, a 100,000-square-foot development bounded by Lake, Canal, Washington and Clinton streets.

The market includes a CVS store that’s already open and a 2,045-square-foot Lavazza Italian Café scheduled to open later this year. Ten other retailers, including a third location for Pastoral Artisan Cheese, Bread & Wine, were announced in August [SEE BELOW].

. . .

The retailers announced Friday are:
-Abbey Brown Soap Artisan
-Bowl Square, a Korean restaurant
-Buen Apetito, a Mexican eatery
-Chundy’s Gourmet, an Indian-fusion restaurant
-City Fresh Market
-Delightful Pastries
-Frietkoten, a Belgian “fry shack”
-Fumare, a cured meats store
-Juicy Orange
-Les Fleurs
-Necessity Baking Co.
-Pop This, gourmet popcorn
-Produce Express
-Provo’s Village Bake Shoppe
-Raw
-Saigon Sisters, a Vietnamese eatery

----------

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=35193
Specialty food shops on menu in West Loop commuter marketplace
By: Lorene Yue Aug. 19, 2009
(Crain’s) — Pastoral Artisan Cheese, Bread & Wine joins a list of specialty food stores . . .
-Albano’s Deli, an Italian specialty store.
-Canady Le Chocolatier.
-Chicago Organics grocery store.
-Completely Nuts.
-Flip Crepes.
-Fraternite Notre Dame bakery.
-Sweet Miss Giving’s bakery.
-Vanille Patisserie pastry shop.
-Wisconsin Cheese Mart.

[the urban politician]

A few quick notes from the far north:

1. The Domincks on Foster and Sheridan is going to be closing any day now. The food is all marked down and the shelves are almost empty. Looks like our new corner-friendly, roof-top parking, neighborhood grocery store should be under-construction soon!

^ Good news.

Chalk that up as a victory for the "disappearing urban corners" crowd. :tup:

[the urban politician]

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=35828

West Loop commuter market adds 16 vendors
By: Lorene Yue Oct. 16, 2009

(Crain's) — The Chicago French Market has signed 16 more vendors to the year-round indoor market scheduled to open in mid-November.

A Belgian fry shack, a cured meats seller and a raw-foods restaurant are among the sellers that will be part of a 15,000-square-foot European-style market connected to the Ogilvie Transportation Center. The Chicago French Market is part of the MetraMarket concept, a 100,000-square-foot development bounded by Lake, Canal, Washington and Clinton streets.

The market includes a CVS store that’s already open and a 2,045-square-foot Lavazza Italian Café scheduled to open later this year. Ten other retailers, including a third location for Pastoral Artisan Cheese, Bread & Wine, were announced in August [SEE BELOW].

. . .

The retailers announced Friday are:
-Abbey Brown Soap Artisan
-Bowl Square, a Korean restaurant
-Buen Apetito, a Mexican eatery
-Chundy’s Gourmet, an Indian-fusion restaurant
-City Fresh Market
-Delightful Pastries
-Frietkoten, a Belgian “fry shack”
-Fumare, a cured meats store
-Juicy Orange
-Les Fleurs
-Necessity Baking Co.
-Pop This, gourmet popcorn
-Produce Express
-Provo’s Village Bake Shoppe
-Raw
-Saigon Sisters, a Vietnamese eatery

----------

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=35193
Specialty food shops on menu in West Loop commuter marketplace
By: Lorene Yue Aug. 19, 2009
(Crain’s) — Pastoral Artisan Cheese, Bread & Wine joins a list of specialty food stores . . .
-Albano’s Deli, an Italian specialty store.
-Canady Le Chocolatier.
-Chicago Organics grocery store.
-Completely Nuts.
-Flip Crepes.
-Fraternite Notre Dame bakery.
-Sweet Miss Giving’s bakery.
-Vanille Patisserie pastry shop.
-Wisconsin Cheese Mart.

^ Wow, I'm beyond impressed. I look forward to visiting this market in a couple of months. Things like this will only make Metra (and arguably, locating one's offices downtown) more appealing.

[spyguy]

New Chicago Theological Seminary - Nagle Hartray
60th and Dorchester
http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/7425/ctsjm.jpg
Unfortunately, the University is going to destroy the nearby community garden because they claim they need it as a construction staging area. The groundbreaking ceremony was Thursday although construction won't begin until March.

Update renderings of the hospital pavilion - Viñoly
http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/9747/hospital1.jpg
http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/1738/hospital2.jpg
http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/4005/hospital3.jpg
http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/8334/hospital4.jpg

[VivaLFuego]

Update renderings of the hospital pavilion - Viñoly
http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/9747/hospital1.jpg

Does this mean U of C desires to demolish the remaining residential stock on Maryland to create some useless open space right next to a huge frickin park? Or are the happy picnicers just in the architects imagination so that all may bask in magnificent vistas of his... thing?

[a chicago bearcat]

Does this mean U of C desires to demolish the remaining residential stock on Maryland to create some useless open space right next to a huge frickin park? Or are the happy picnicers just in the architects imagination so that all may bask in magnificent vistas of his... thing?

I'm guessing the second, but if Vinoly could get his way, I'm sure he'd knock down everything in the world that in some way obscures one of his "gems".

I'm surprised he is getting this job, I'd heard that he was being sued for a multitude of problems in his other buildings. Such as the collapse at the Pittsburgh Convention Center.

[Via Chicago]

^ Wow, I'm beyond impressed. I look forward to visiting this market in a couple of months. Things like this will only make Metra (and arguably, locating one's offices downtown) more appealing.

Agreed, great to see that they followed through on the vision, and that it didnt just become another Jamba Juice/Panda Express food court (Im looking at you, Union Station).

[ardecila]

Wow... I guess Vinoly never really moved beyond the 80s? What a dull and unimaginative hospital building. It looks like any generic modernist hospital in any city across the country, only more imposing and forbidding. Doesn't suggest care or alleviation of suffering to me.

[Via Chicago]

Wow... I guess Vinoly never really moved beyond the 80s? What a dull and unimaginative hospital building. It looks like any generic modernist hospital in any city across the country, only more imposing and forbidding. Doesn't suggest care or alleviation of suffering to me.

It seriously looks like they picked that building out of a catalog...

[ardecila]

It's a shame, since Vinoly did such a good job with the GSB. I guess the U of C spent all of their architecture budget on the new Arts building and had none left over for the hospital.

[wrabbit]

^ LOL. Sure has some serious horizontals - maybe Vinoly's nod to the Prairie School?

But the pass-through at the base is a nice gesture.

[Nowhereman1280]

^^^ I dunno I really like it.

Speaking of U of C buildings. Has anyone seen the new utility plants U of C has built? The South Campus one is pretty good, but the West Campus Utility Plant is phenomenal. I just wandered across it today and I think it competes with such gems as the Lloyds Building in London...

I can't find any good photos of it on the internets though... Anyone know who is the architect?

Here is the, imho, less impressive south campus one:

http://www.burnsmcd.com/portal/pls/portal/docs/1/232565.JPG
burnsmcd.com

[wrabbit]

Chicago has some of the best-looking utility plants on the planet.

[the urban politician]

I like the U of C hospital.

I think we all need to remember that hospitals are different from office/hotel or residential buildings. The most cutting edge of designs just isn't called for. Hospitals call for a bit more conservative design that puts people at ease. Some sexy, James Bond-esque glass dome kind of thing when I'm being admitted to the hospital for rectal bleeding just doesn't...work.

[emathias]

Agreed, great to see that they followed through on the vision, and that it didnt just become another Jamba Juice/Panda Express food court (Im looking at you, Union Station).

There's already one in the main terminal building, so having a second one of mall stores wouldn't have worked anyway - they had to go unique to have any hope of pulling people outside the normal terminal.

[a chicago bearcat]

I like the U of C hospital.

I think we all need to remember that hospitals are different from office/hotel or residential buildings. The most cutting edge of designs just isn't called for. Hospitals call for a bit more conservative design that puts people at ease. Some sexy, James Bond-esque glass dome kind of thing when I'm being admitted to the hospital for rectal bleeding just doesn't...work.

Bertram Goldberg puts me to ease. This makes me keenly aware of the fact that every room will be exactly the same as the one used for an entirely different purpose 3 floors down on the other side of this mammoth complex.

[harryc]

Update renderings of the hospital pavilion - Viñoly
http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/9747/hospital1.jpg


I can't stop thinking of Thunderbirds (1960s) F.A.B.

[aic4ever]

^^^ I dunno I really like it.

Speaking of U of C buildings. Has anyone seen the new utility plants U of C has built? The South Campus one is pretty good, but the West Campus Utility Plant is phenomenal. I just wandered across it today and I think it competes with such gems as the Lloyds Building in London...

I can't find any good photos of it on the internets though... Anyone know who is the architect?

Here is the, imho, less impressive south campus one:

http://www.burnsmcd.com/portal/pls/portal/docs/1/232565.JPG
burnsmcd.com

Helmut did them both. I bid on the masonry work for both of those buildings a few years back. Bovis built them. I thought they were both pretty phenomenal at the time. Hadn't realized they were done. Will have to take a look the next time I get down that way.

[Mr Downtown]

^Still with the flat panels trying to approximate curves. It's like trying to build Marina Towers out of Legos.

Will someone somewhere please give Helmut the budget to use curved panels sometime so he can get it out of his system?

[Nowhereman1280]

Helmut did them both. I bid on the masonry work for both of those buildings a few years back. Bovis built them. I thought they were both pretty phenomenal at the time. Hadn't realized they were done. Will have to take a look the next time I get down that way.

Well they aren't quite finished yet, they are putting the finishing touches on the West Campus one. I'm not sure, but I think the South Campus one is completed.

[BVictor1]

.

[pilsenarch]

^Still with the flat panels trying to approximate curves. It's like trying to build Marina Towers out of Legos.

Will someone somewhere please give Helmut the budget to use curved panels sometime so he can get it out of his system?

:haha:

[emathias]

I don't know who Carlos Diniz is, but he has some interesting artwork, some of which includes sketches for various (and variously mislabeled) plans in Chicago:

Carlos Diniz of Edward Cella Art+Architecture (http://www.edwardcella.com/html/ArtistResults.asp?offset=&artist=81)

[Taft]

Some interesting detail pics from the still under wraps Sullivan Center: http://designslinger.com/2009/10/20/sullivan-in-detail.aspx

[BVictor1]

http://midwest.construction.com/features/archive/2009/1009_C_MansuetoLibrary.asp

New library combines underground storage, automated retrieval, and glass-dome top

To keep its growing collection of rare research materials readily accessible and yet safe, the University of Chicago chose a unique design for its new Mansueto Library.

By Mike Larson

When the University of Chicago’s new Joe and Rika Mansueto Library opens its doors to faculty, students, and visiting researchers in the spring of 2011, it will combine distinctive above-ground architecture with a sophisticated and effective underground storage and retrieval system.

Designed by world-renowned Chicago architect Helmut Jahn of Murphy/Jahn Inc. and built by Barton Malow Co., this one-of-a-kind library will feature reading and work areas enclosed by a four-story glass-and-steel dome above ground and a five-story-deep climate-controlled underground storage vault that will protect and automatically deliver up to 3.5 million periodicals, books, and rare archival research materials.

http://midwest.construction.com/images/2009/0910_C_02_crosssection.jpg


http://midwest.construction.com/features/archive/2009/1009_C_MansuetoLibrary.asp

[the urban politician]

Sorry to repost this, but I don't know if we're talking about over 12 stories or not, so I thought I'd post this info in this thread as well:

It was posted at the Yo that "several tall, mixed use buildings" have been proposed in Logan Square (near Milwaukee and California) and that Ald Flores is holding community hearings to consider them.

The proposed development is supposed to take up "several lots", as per their reporting, and the developer will seek TIF funds. About 25% of the units will be designated as "affordable".

The hearing will be open to the public and held from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, at the Urban Vineyard Church, 2145 N Maplewood Ave in Logan Square.

Ald Flores seems to be reasonable when it comes to TOD, so this is great news so far.
__________________

[the urban politician]

No joke: Work begins on Hellenic Museum (http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/article.pl?page_id=2313&plckController=Blog&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&plckPostId=Blog%3a32246edb-06fb-4784-9008-b3233e7480b9Post%3ab40a7145-ec3b-4b19-ad4e-2cc7e526c8fb&sid=sitelife.chicagobusiness.com)
Posted by Shia K. at 10/21/2009 11:01 AM CDT on Chicago Business

After 17 years of fundraisers and politicking, construction crews started demolition work Wednesday at the site of the National Hellenic Museum on Halsted Street in Greektown.

[Patel]

WTF is going on with this PO deal?




http://www.chicagorealestatedaily.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=35882

Old Main Post Office sold to original winner

By Andrew Schroedter, Oct. 21, 2009

(Crain's) — English developer Bill Davies has completed his acquisition of Chicago’s Old Main Post Office, roughly two months after he agreed to pay $40 million for the property at auction.

Sources say Mr. Davies renegotiated a lower price for the nearly 3-million-square-foot structure that straddles Congress Parkway downtown at 433 W. Van Buren St. But that new amount could not be determined.

The deal closed today.

...

Mr. Davies was supposed to close the transaction on Oct. 10 but his firm, International Property Developers North America Inc., and the postal service were unable to reach an agreement on issues regarding the property’s eventual redevelopment.

...

[Patel]

BTW the city budget sux



http://www.suntimes.com/news/cityhall/1837948,daley-budget-chicago-city-hall-102109.article#

Mayor Daley defends decision to raid city's reserves


October 21, 2009

BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter
Mayor Daley’s decision to raid $420 million from mid- and long-term reserves is like robbing from a retirement fund to pay your mortgage and buy groceries — and even Christmas gifts.

He’s not only siphoning $370 million in parking meter money and $50 million from the Chicago Skyway lease to fund day-to-day operations and hold the line on taxes, fines and fees in 2010.

He’s using $35 million of that money to provide property tax relief:koko: — by doling out $200 grants to homeowners hardest hit by the phase out of the seven percent cap on property tax assessments.

After introducing his $6.14 billion budget and delivering his budget address to the City Council today, Daley defended his decision to risk the city’s bond rating by raiding reserves he once called untouchable.

“It’s called rainy day funds. It’s called economic sadness. That’s what you have and that’s what it was prepared for. . . . Leasing public assets for a rainy, rainy day. And this is a flood day and a flood year,” Daley told the Chicago Sun-Times editorial board, using the same language he once used to declare those funds off-limits.

“If I didn’t have this creative, innovative management style about leasing public assets, we would not be talking about that. You’d be talking about raising taxes . . . because it’s such a deep recession. . . . It’s gonna be longer than people expect. I’ve talked to business leaders all over. They’re not creating jobs.”

But if Daley truly believes his gloomy prediction that the recession will drag on for years, what does he plan to do to balance the 2011 budget, which is expected to be his platform to run for re-election?

“That will be my worry next year — and I’ll be in here explaining my position in next year’s budget. . . . I’m only focussed on this year’s budget — not next year’s. . . . You have to get through this year,” the mayor said, cutting off the conversation.

In exchange for a combined $3 billion, private contractors got the right to pocket Chicago Skyway tolls for the next 99 years and parking meter revenues for the next 75 years.

If the City Council goes along with the mayor’s plan, those reserves will be down to just $730 million.

Ald. Joe Moore (49th) was one of the few aldermen to openly criticize the mayor’s risky move. Painful as it may be, Moore would have entertained spending cuts or a tax increase.

“They’re all very, very tough alternatives. But do we spend away our assets . . . jeopardizing our bond rating, jeopardizing the future health of this city?” he said.

“Everything should be on the table. What I’m not comfortable with is mortgaging our children’s future. . . . What’s gonna happen in 2011, 2012, when we have the same revenue shortfall and yet, all our quick-fixes are done?”

Still, most aldermen tired of walking the tax plank welcomed Daley’s decision to steer clear of increasing taxes or fees on voters still fuming about the steep schedule of rate hikes tied to the parking meter deal.

Over the last two years alone, the mayor has raised taxes, fines and fees by a whopping $329 million, including the largest property tax increase in Chicago history.

“If it wasn’t for those [reserve] funds, we’d be in a boat without a paddle right now,” said Finance Committee Chairman Edward M. Burke (14th).

Budget Committee Chairman Carrie Austin (34th), who will preside over City Council budget hearings, was asked whether a tax increase could get 26 votes with an angry electorate and the 2011 election right around the corner.

“Absolutely not — and I would be one of those who would not sign onto it,” she said

[ardecila]

I really don't understand all the bitching. Isn't this WHY we have all this money set aside? The other two solutions are tax hikes and spending cuts.

Tax hikes are problematic for many reasons, but first and foremost is that we've already HAD tax hikes, very recently, for both property and sales taxes. Any further taxes will only serve to depress economic activity further, which in turn reduces tax revenue, or at the very least quell any hope for growth.

Spending cuts are problematic because they mean that people lose their jobs - the LAST thing Chicagoland needs is more unemployed people, who place strain on society without contributing anything. There's also the competitive argument - Chicago loses ground on other cities when spending is cut. Our high level of spending on schools, parks, and infrastructure is a key factor in Chicago's domestic success. While we cut back, other cities may have better financial situations and will be able to outpace Chicago in their efforts to reduce congestion, provide newer and better utilities and services to attract business, and improve their quality of life.

Really, this is a GOOD thing, but we have to remain vigilant. These funds won't last very long if tax revenues do not begin to increase, SOON.

[Nowhereman1280]

I'm all for using these funds in this manner. If this were a boom year and the city still had a deficit, then I would be against it, but its not a boom year, its the worst year on record since the Great Depression. Like Daley said, today is a very very rainy day. Heck, most other US cities are in the exact same, if not worse, pickle. If Chicago comes out of this having maintained its services and not raised taxes, that makes us even more appealing than other cities that have raised taxes or cut services and we attract more people and end up with more tax revenue. With the demographic shift back towards urban cores that has been occurring, we could see major cities start to run heavily in the black as hundreds of thousands of high-income citizens move back in and buy more goods and services and, most importantly for us skyscraper nerds, drive up the price of(and therefore demand for) expensive condos.

[nomarandlee]

WTF is going on with this PO deal?

http://www.chicagorealestatedaily.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=35882

Old Main Post Office sold to original winner

By Andrew Schroedter, Oct. 21, 2009

(Crain's) — English developer Bill Davies has completed his acquisition of Chicago’s Old Main Post Office, roughly two months after he agreed to pay $40 million for the property at auction.

Sources say Mr. Davies renegotiated a lower price for the nearly 3-million-square-foot structure that straddles Congress Parkway downtown at 433 W. Van Buren St. But that new amount could not be determined.

The deal closed today.

...

Along with others I mostly had my poo gun out any idea that a two week Olympics would have have any real effect on any real estate projects however this whole post games PO negotiation makes me wonder if the effects a games would have had on unrelated development was a tad bit underestimated. Supposedly the Chinese bid that offered +30 billion also lost the taste for anywhere near that price after we Chicago didn't get the games.

[nomarandlee]

http://www.suntimes.com/news/neighborhoods/1839341,CST-FIN-Pullman22.article

Will Pullman Park become Chicago's next neighborhood?
PULLMAN PARK |
Bank proposes full range of development on site of old steel plant -- if Council goes along

October 22, 2009

BY MARK J. KONKOL Staff Reporter/mkonkol@suntimes.com

The ruins of a rusted steel plant in the middle of a food desert could bring a new neighborhood and economic revival to Chicago's struggling South Side. At least, that's the plan.

Park National Bank hopes to build Pullman Park -- complete with big-box retail stores, a full-service grocery, hotel tower, community recreation center, park, senior apartments and more than 1,200 homes -- on the former Ryerson Steel property between 103rd and 111th along the Bishop Ford Expy. near the historic Pullman district.

The bank's not-for-profit community development arm, Park Bank Initiatives, recently submitted a request to the City Council for zoning changes needed to start the ambitious plans for the 138-acre site, purchased last year for nearly $25 million.

The project would be built in phases at a pace determined by economic conditions, bank officials said. The immediate focus will be luring big-name retailers to a stretch of land fronting the Bishop Ford in the economically depressed and underserved part of town.

Smaller retail stores built with historic Pullman-esque facades -- creating an entranceway to the nearby historic district -- would follow on 111th Street. And, eventually, plans call for building town houses, row houses and single-family homes on wide lots with a 10-acre park and giant sports complex inside a former stainless steel processing building.

But first, the bank must cut a tax increment financing deal with Mayor Daley's administration and get the project approved by the City Council. The city planning commission could consider the plan next month and forward it to the City Council for approval in December.

Ald. Anthony Beale (9th) said he'll lead the push to get the project approved. It's the kind of project Chicago needs to embrace -- especially following the city's Olympic letdown, he said................

More in link

site diagram in Sun-Times
http://media1.suntimes.com/multimedia/102209pullmanmap_cst_feed_20091022_00_16_58_4759-400-255.imageContent

[Busy Bee]

^I thought it was as much as 3000 homes, or is this a different project still?

[ardecila]

^I thought it was as much as 3000 homes, or is this a different project still?

It is the same project, but the housing mix and density has not yet been decided. I believe Park National is seeking approval for 3000, with the ability to reduce the number of units later on depending on sales.

Man, what a joke. You could drop this in Hoffman Estates or Yorkville or something and nobody would know the difference, it's so suburban... they're not even installing any connections to the west, although one would really make sense at 107th or 106th to access the north part of Pullman and the Metra station. To top it all off, there's a power center with a massive parking lot and retention ponds along the highway. :yuck:

And that's not even mentioning the fact that a billion-dollar investment is about to be made extending the Red Line 1.5 miles to the west, while the aldermen are busy sending the desperately-needed major retail to a parking lot along I-57.

[Mr Downtown]

^Where do you suggest the highway-oriented retail be put instead?

[emathias]

...
Man, what a joke. You could drop this in Hoffman Estates or Yorkville or something and nobody would know the difference, it's so suburban... they're not even installing any connections to the west, although one would really make sense at 107th or 106th to access the north part of Pullman and the Metra station. To top it all off, there's a power center with a massive parking lot and retention ponds along the highway. :yuck:

And that's not even mentioning the fact that a billion-dollar investment is about to be made extending the Red Line 1.5 miles to the west, while the aldermen are busy sending the desperately-needed major retail to a parking lot along I-57.

While I share your general disdain of the form of the development, and it could be improved, if the article is correct about the size of the site, this plan is not end-of-the-world bad by any means.

138 acres is just over 1/5th of a square mile, so even discounting the senior housing, 1,200 home at, reasonably in this kind of area, 3 people per home works out to a square-mile density of about 18,000 - 50% higher than the City average. Not bad. 3,000 homes on 138 acres would be very dense indeed, since at 3 people per unit (1.5 is the average downtown, but I think there'd be a higher mix of familes in this development), would be 9,000 people on 1/5 of a square mile, so 3,000 units on 138 acres with a family-style per-unit average would give it a population density of 45,000/sq mile - not far off Gold Coast densities.

[VivaLFuego]

Between the wretched economy and the incredibly unpleasant location (quite far from downtown or any major employment district), I'm willing to adhere to the adage that in this case, any economic development is better than no economic development, even if 'any' means craptastic bigboxorama next to the interstate. Frankly, on many levels, this wouldn't be a bad place for a Walmart (which the city needs more of in some areas just for the tax revenue). Besides, it's not like we're talking about the construction of a giant stripmall with outlots in a dense urban location like Roosevelt/Ashland or Division/Clybourn, or a drive-thru McDonald's at Chicago/State, or some absurd notion like that... ;)

That said, ardec does raise a point that should be considered, ideally, for every single Planned Development and development-related TIF subsidy, which is the proposal's impact on and relation to the existing and planned comprehensive transportation and land use context- a conversation and analysis which of course never happens 'round these parts.

[ardecila]

If they want to get TIF funds, they should at least provide for connectivity at 106th and 107th Pl. Build bike trails or something - you're only crossing a lightly-used rail line, so no need for bridges or anything expensive. If they want to link the architecture of the houses into Pullman, then they shouldn't shy away from actually connecting to Pullman.

I have no problem with the density, per se. Plenty of suburban developments, especially those targeting the lower middle class, are quite dense. That doesn't make them pedestrian-friendly. No, my issues are with the site plan, which is suburban in character. At least the previous site plan attempted to create an urban neighborhood with townhomes and multi-family buildings, and the retail component was arranged as a (slightly) more pedestrian-friendly retail center. Best of all, it had no retention ponds. :hell:

I'm even tolerant of Walmart, Target, or whoever else wants to open here - just open the retail up to the neighborhood. Walmart's store here in New Orleans does a decent job of that by using a side parking lot instead of a front parking lot, and the service drive in front of the Walmart is a continuation of a city street. Google Maps (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=walmart,+tchoupitoulas,&sll=29.925458,-90.069662&sspn=0.002827,0.007725&ie=UTF8&radius=0.23&filter=0&rq=1&ev=p&hq=walmart,+tchoupitoulas,&hnear=&ll=29.925398,-90.069662&spn=0.002943,0.007725&t=h&z=18) Not ideal, but certainly better than this South Side plan.

BTW, Lee Bey's quote in the Sun-Times astounded me. Here's an eminent Chicagoan and urbanist (whom I deeply respect) who is basically condoning and encouraging a suburban separation of uses. WTF?

Former Site Plan:
http://www.pappageorgehaymes.com/images/properties/urban-planning/111thStreetDev/image-1.jpg
Pappageorge/Haymes (http://www.pappageorgehaymes.com)

[spyguy]

BTW, Lee Bey's quote in the Sun-Times astounded me. Here's an eminent Chicagoan and urbanist (whom I deeply respect) who is basically condoning and encouraging a suburban separation of uses. WTF?

Yeah, I'm definitely bewildered by his comments.

"This is something unique in Chicago. It's fueled by the retail to the east, and the idea is to work to grow organically and economically," Bey said. "Retail is separate from the residential. People in homes won't have to feel like they're living in a [shopping area]. And if you're going to the big boxes, you don't have to feel like you're traipsing through a neighborhood to get there."

Wow...Stupid walkable neighborhood - you're getting in the way of my $5 DVD bin.

Yes, let's hope this is unique and never repeated again.

[the urban politician]

In a city where stripmalls near transit stops about 70 blocks closer to downtown (ie that worthless shithole in the works known ironically as "Metropolis") are lauded, is anyone surprised that this new Pullman district isn't some sort of walkable, mixed-use Jane Jacobs-esque community?

The south side of Chicago will likely never see real new urbanism built out of scratch, with the exception of perhaps Hyde Park and (holding out hope) parts of Bronzeville near downtown. Why care? Just be happy that if this project gets built it will add to the tax coffers, provide a place to live for middle class families who would otherwise live in the suburbs, and thus benefit the city as a whole.

[wrabbit]

.....
The south side of Chicago will likely never see real new urbanism built out of scratch.....

Because...?

[Nowhereman1280]

^^^ Yeah, I think that's a very fatalist view especially considering there are several projects that intend to do just that planned. For example, the Olympic village plan, the Gateway development, and the USX Southworks plan all have very strong urbanist credentials. In fact, all of those plans are what I would describe as "patch developments" where they are actually repairing what was once a poorly organized or misconceived part of the city before. The south side is probably the most challenging built environment in the world to redevelop considering it has some of the heaviest infrastructure ever built all packed into such a small space. I mean name one other place where seven interstate freeways, all six main railways of the continent both pass through and terminate, there is a major economic port, there is a major refinery center built on the convergence of dozens of pipelines, there are three transit lines, several commuter rail lines, and even a busy airport all exist in about an 7 mile by 7 mile area. The fact that we are even seeing it redevelop at all is pretty much a miracle in its own right, not even considering the social damage that was done to the area with the construction of the projects.

[VivaLFuego]

^^ But those are plans cooked up by planners who live on the north side, and have nothing to do with market demand (as expressed either through the real estate market or through elected officials, all of whom just want Haylock Hell Stripburbia).

In a credit bubble economy those urban developments stood a chance as speculative new housing that would gradually be absorbed, but at this point my instinct is to agree with TUP. That said, anything can happen in the future. 50 years ago, people may have thought it ridiculous that certain areas would see such high demand for redevelopment and gentrification (Near South Side, Near West Side, etc.). There is something to be said for trying to do it right no matter what, since you never know what the future holds and once a place is suburbanized it may never be able to go back. Lincoln Park and Lakeview are probably stuck with most of the stripmalls and gas stations that managed to get built before people got some sense knocked into them.

[Baronvonellis]

Does anyone know what the plans are for the dominicks at Lincoln and Foster? They are demolishing it and rebuilding it right now along with the one at Sheridan and Foster. Are they both going to built in similar style? With the building to the lot line, and rooftop parking?

[aic4ever]

Not sure if this was already posted anywhere. Bill Davies finally closed the post office.

For $17 million.

http://www.windycitizen.com/chicago/business/2009/10/22/old-main-post-office-sold-17-million-less-than-half-original-bid

Basically he bid $40 million, with an earnest payment of something like $5 million, if I remember correctly, then let his closing period expire and waited for the building to get lowballed by someone else, and just beat that number.

Grand total, $23 million instead of $40 million.

[Busy Bee]

Shark. At least its done.

[a chicago bearcat]

In a credit bubble economy those urban developments stood a chance as speculative new housing that would gradually be absorbed, but at this point my instinct is to agree with TUP.

walkable neighborhoods with street retail have held their price over similar housing in the rest of the city. What was built as speculation and has been losing its price are both suburban sprawl, and highrise development in the south loop.

2-6 story residential has been hit, but not at the scale of projects in the suburbs stopped dead in their tracks with subdivisions laid out but unbuilt.

Gas is rising again, IMHO saddling the far south side with new development that is built in line with a low gas paradigm is just cruel. If you wouldn't build it at Jefferson Park, don't build it down there.

[WarriorInternational]

For what it's worth, my vote has been cast. :notacrook:

http://www.suntimes.com/news/cityhall/1843771,CST-NWS-mccormick25.article

[BVictor1]

http://www.suntimes.com/news/cityhall/1843771,CST-NWS-mccormick25.article

Is McCormick Place East coming down?

MCCORMICK PLACE EAST | 1st convention center in the lakefront complex needs lots of work, and Daley says it ruins skyline

October 24, 2009

http://media1.suntimes.com/multimedia/102409mccormick.jpg_20091024_08_13_05_4-53-75.imageContent
BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter/fspielman@suntimes.com
McCormick Place East needs $100 million worth of maintenance and repairs -- casting doubt on the long-term future of a lakefront building Mayor Daley once called a "Berlin Wall" that ruined the Chicago skyline.

If Daley's dream of hosting the 2016 Summer Olympic Games had come true, the building known as Lakeside Center would have doubled as an international broadcast center and volleyball venue.

Now, the original McCormick Place building stands at a crossroads.

Unless the Illinois General Assembly revives a stalled plan authorizing the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority to re-structure its debt, there won't be enough money to upgrade and maintain the building.

"If we do everything we need to refresh the building, it would cost $100 million,'' said Juan Ochoa, chief executive officer of McPier. "We need to update the bathrooms and improve its technology capability. We need a new roof. It's a workable building, but it's nowhere near where we'd like it to be."

Last year, McCormick Place was forced to dip into the state sales tax -- to the tune of nearly $19 million -- to cover its debt obligations after tourism taxes fell short.

It was the first time that had ever happened, but it won't be the last. Ochoa said the projected shortfall this year is $34 million.

A bill that would have extended McPier's payment schedule and increased its borrowing capacity has passed the state Senate twice but never made it through the Illinois House. The bailout would have paved the way for the authority to bankroll a 600-room expansion of the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place hotel with low-cost municipal bonds.

It costs $10.6 million annually just to maintain and operate Lakeside Center. Its 600,000 square feet of exhibition space caters to smaller meetings and shows, but its three halls are underutilized.

One has an occupancy rate of 21.2 percent this year, while the busiest hall has a 46 percent rate. Last year, the occupancy rate in one hall dipped to 15 percent.

"As much as we'd like to keep that building because it's an asset that allows us to keep more shows, we have to look first at maintaining the assets that have the greatest potential to draw shows," Ochoa said.

At a meeting last week with the Chicago Sun-Times editorial board, Daley was asked what should become of the old building.

"I don't know. McCormick Place is going through a big transition. That will be talked about with them," he said.

Daley has long bemoaned the fact that McCormick Place was rebuilt on the lakefront after the original burned down in 1967.

Ten years ago, the mayor went so far as to suggest tearing down it down and rebuilding it west of the lakefront. He argued that the building "ruined the skyline" and was too costly to maintain.

"Eventually, they have to look at [demolition] because, when you look at our beautiful walkway and skyline -- bing -- that's like the Berlin Wall," he said.

Lakeside Center has long been viewed as a possible site for a casino because it has a built-in convention audience, an express bus lane linking it to downtown hotels and restaurants and its own theater, Arie Crown.

Because the building is already there, the city wouldn't have to spend tens of millions of dollars and wait years to build a casino. It could be up and running within months after a license is granted.

Over the years, Daley has rejected all three prime lakefront candidates -- McCormick Place East, Navy Pier and Meigs Field -- as possible casino sites. More recently, he also turned thumbs down on the Michael Reese Hospital campus purchased by the city for $91 million to house an Olympic Village.

When it comes to Lakeside Center, Ochoa agrees.

[ardecila]

Fuck. That building is fantastic. Next to Sears Tower and Hancock, Lakeside Center is possibly the hugest, most bad-ass expression of powerful Chicago modernism in the city. They are the Holy Trinity of mid-century, the last-gasp crowning glories of Chicago's long-gone industrial might. It's not even really on the lakefront, since Northerly Island sits out in front of it, and it doesn't block the bike path, which has a landscaped esplanade along the lake side of the building.

Jeez, now we have to lose Lakeside Center AND Michael Reese? I don't see Daley clamoring to tear down Soldier Field, the Field Museum, or Navy Pier, all of which block the lakefront just as much as Lakeside Center. Maybe somebody should alert Daley that, without this building, McCormick will lose its title as worlds' largest convention center? Or that demolition on such a massive scale is incredibly bad from a green standpoint?

[ardecila]

Apple Store, North/Clybourn - 8/7/2009

http://www.ifoapplestore.com/photos/halsted_square_3.jpg
ifoAppleStore (www.ifoapplestore.com)

Apparently, the design of this store is based on Apple's Scottsdale store, with long stainless-steel walls and then glass on the north and south sides, allowing one to see through the space. I mentioned this in the Transit thread, but Apple is also planning to re-clad the North/Clybourn stationhouse to better match their store, and do interior renovations to spruce up the (generally shitty) conditions in there.

[BWChicago]

Yes, it's a hugely significant building. It's the only part of McCormick Place that is at all visually memorable. It's socially significant because of the huge role conventions have played in Chicago's economy. The huge cantilever, the huge clear span, the drama. The homage to Mies' convention center design. Helmut Jahn was actually hired by Gene Summers out of IIT and brought to C.F. Murphy to work on this building.

[Hayward]

I think it's definitely an icon. I see nothing wrong with it personally. How could it be a barrier to the lakefront, if you remove it, you just have more McCormick Place behind it. The new buildings aren't anything to write home about....then again I find most convention centers ugly. But Lakeside is very iconic IMO.


Apple Store, North/Clybourn - 8/7/2009
I mentioned this in the Transit thread, but Apple is also planning to re-clad the North/Clybourn stationhouse to better match their store, and do interior renovations to spruce up the (generally shitty) conditions in there.


That's a relief. The building is begun to look really dumpy lately. I always thought the whole corner looked more like a liquor store than a transit station.

[FlashingLights]

I think McCormick Place East is the nicest of all the structures out of the four. I remember going to McCormick in high school for a field trip to a convention for class. We were in the East Building. It was a nice day and at lunch all the businessmen walked out onto the stairs that lead down to a view of Lake Michigan with the breeze coming in. We sat on the stairs and relaxed. It is the only building of them all that leaves an impression, the others are all bland and ugly.

You would think having the amazing lake view would be utilized and considered as benefit and reason to keep the structure instead of some excuse that it's "blocking" the lakefront. I mean we have Lake Shore Drive, Soldier Field, Columbus Drive, and The Field Museum blocking the lakefront we should tear all those down too. What a horrible excuse to remove it.

Right now a lot of the 1960's and 1970's international style or less is more modernism Mies van Der Rohe style building are beginning to hit the "to costly to maintain stage" and are at risk. It's sad because it's my favorite style of architecture. Even big names like the Sears Tower are experiencing the same problems.

[emathias]

...
Lakeside Center has long been viewed as a possible site for a casino because it has a built-in convention audience, an express bus lane linking it to downtown hotels and restaurants and its own theater, Arie Crown.

Because the building is already there, the city wouldn't have to spend tens of millions of dollars and wait years to build a casino. It could be up and running within months after a license is granted. ...

In other reports, having a casino physically attached to the convention center is actually large negative for many conventions. Conventions want entertainment nearby and accessible in their city for afterhours fun, but they don't want it TOO close, or people won't stay on the convention floor and participate - especially when the "fun" actually has an addictive quality to it.

Which goes right back to my harping about putting a casino in the Old Post Office building and constructing good transit between the convention center and the West Loop. :-)

[denizen467]

The new buildings aren't anything to write home about....then again I find most convention centers ugly. But Lakeside is very iconic IMO.
When done well, convention centers can be spectacular, and positive symbols of a city. Even in recent years various local governments (not limited to the US) that had the means and that recognized the importance of celebrating them as international gathering places have built impressive convention facilities. But as you suggest, most of them fall short of this ideal. Who knows what would be realistically achievable in Chicago during this recession.

[harryc]

Oct 2
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_8TC_VUmf9Fw/SuRUKlsoh2I/AAAAAAABcEs/AshLclFsoHM/s800/P1560857.JPG

Oct 13
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_8TC_VUmf9Fw/SuRUFsNJwMI/AAAAAAABcEk/gE3dnJjz8vY/s800/P1570978.JPG

[the urban politician]

Recession puts the brakes on Chicago's population drain (http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/columnists/chi-mon-burns-migration-1026-oct26,0,2266431.column)
Greg Burns

Massive bolting at an end in city

Greg Burns
October 26, 2009

For years, Chicago lost its wealth and population as people with money moved out.

Some headed to the Sun Belt, and some to the collar counties for bargain homes.

Away they went, by the thousands each year, making it tougher for Cook County to pay its bills.

Nothing seemed to put a stopper in the drain, until now. Unlikely as it sounds, the recession has come to the rescue.

The number of people leaving Cook County has plunged by 17 percent since the latest peak in 2006, while the numbers moving in have shot up. With Chicago's high rate of births and Immigration, Cook County's population grew during 2008, reversing recent trends.

"It's not just Chicago," said Kenneth Johnson, the University of New Hampshire senior demographer who analyzed the data. "The number of people leaving the big metro areas in the Northeast and Midwest has diminished so much. I've been watching demographic trends for 30 years, and I've never seen changes like this."

In fact, staying put has become a national phenomenon. The rate of interstate migration is the lowest since the 1940s, the Census Bureau reports.

In the past, recessions have had the opposite effect. Cook County lost more population during the bleak downturn of the early 1980s than during the good times of the late 1990s.

This time, people aren't on the move, largely because there's nowhere to go.

Home ownership in the U.S. has climbed sharply, to 69 percent of households as of 2005. The housing crisis has made it more difficult to sell all those places.

An employment market that stinks from coast to coast also hinders mobility. It's not as if job offers beckon in California or Florida, as they did during the Rust Belt collapse three decades ago when so many Midwesterners relocated.

The economic benefit for Chicago is magnified because the most affluent were leading the exodus out of town, including middle-age couples with children and retirees.

"You're holding on to people who are a little further along in their careers and have a little more money," Johnson said.

Up to now, Chicago's loss has been Joliet's gain. Affordable housing and new jobs drew families on a beeline down Interstate 55 into Will County. Many traded rented apartments for new homes, borrowing much of the price. Today, the numbers moving into Will County have fallen by nearly one-third from 2006.

Sun Belt cities drew heavily from Cook County, too, and that game has changed as well, with the numbers moving into the Phoenix area down 17 percent since 2006 and to the Las Vegas area down 15 percent. The housing bust hit those cities hard.

It may seem perverse for Chicago to celebrate holding on to wealthier residents because of an economic disaster, especially because better schools, transportation and infrastructure could have had the same effect.

But one way or another, retaining population will help the city.

"It's good, but only because something terrible happened," noted William Testa, regional economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

So will Chicago's population losses resume once the economy starts growing again? Not necessarily at the same pace, Johnson said.

"The recession was very sobering," he said. "Seeing house values drop, and all those houses for sale, may make people more conservative about moving. The outflow from Cook County will creep up again, but I don't think we'll see the levels we saw."

Urban scholar Joel Kotkin, writing in Newsweek magazine, describes the American nomad as something of an endangered species: "Perhaps nothing will be as surprising about 21st century America as its settledness."

Chicago can only hope.

[sentinel]

Um, isn't this something to celebrate, rather than (semi)brood over?
I understand that the reasons behind the population mini-surge are not the most appealing (re: economic turmoil) but I personally find articles like this odd in that the paragraph linking the indirect proportion in population between Joliet and Chicago, makes it seem like such a terrible thing that Joliet (or sun-belt cities for that matter) isn't siphoning people from the City anymore.

[the urban politician]

^ I don't sense an aire of 'brooding' in the article. Instead, I take the tone of the article as seeing this being a good thing.

[ethereal_reality]

I completely agree with the comments about McCormick East.

To me it's the horizontal equivalent to the Sears Tower and the Hancock Bldg.
All three epitomize Chicago Modernism (the dark brooding immensity).

As a kid I went to the annual car shows there with my father.
The building itself left me in awe more so than the cars.

So I was aghast when I read the article in the earlier post.
The nondescript post modern (?) additions would be saved,
and the jewel in the crown destroyed.

How messed up is that?! :(

[sentinel]

^ I don't sense an aire of 'brooding' in the article. Instead, I take the tone of the article as seeing this being a good thing.

Perhaps you're right TUP, 'brooding' might not have been the best choice of words - I just find it amusing that Burns seems so surprised that people are staying put instead of moving, almost as if he expected previous trends to continue.

[wrabbit]

I completely agree with the comments about McCormick East.

To me it's the horizontal equivalent to the Sears Tower and the Hancock Bldg.
All three epitomize Chicago Modernism (the dark brooding immensity).

As a kid I went to the annual car shows there with my father.
The building itself left me in awe more so than the cars.

So I was aghast when I read the article in the earlier post.
The nondescript post modern (?) additions would be saved,
and the jewel in the crown destroyed.

How messed up is that?! :(

I agree - even with the gawd-awful pedway addition, the McCormick East building is a dazzler, right up there with Hancock & Crown Hall.

[Patel]

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=akoQIV3t5D64#

Obama Library Talk Revs Up Chicago’s Nobel Factory


By John McCormick

Oct. 26 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama could bring another Nobel Prize to the University of Chicago.

The school a few blocks from Obama’s family home boasts more than 80 Nobel winners with ties to the campus, where he, his wife and some top advisers worked. Now a recruitment effort is percolating to have the university host the presidential library of the 2009 Peace Prize recipient.

An administration official said the White House has been approached several times by University of Chicago officials. The administration hasn’t engaged on the topic because it’s too soon, the official said.

The head of the University of Chicago said he’s studying the benefits of having a presidential archive and museum associated with the campus.

“We are trying to understand the situation as best we can now,” Robert J. Zimmer said in a telephone interview. “Until the president really wants to talk about it, has some kind of direction that he’s thinking about, we really feel more specific questions are premature.”

Obama, 48, will make the final decision and hasn’t spoken publicly on the topic. White House spokeswoman Amy Brundage declined to comment.

Eric Whitaker, a close friend of Obama, said he asked the president about the library after the inauguration and the response was cool.

No ‘Homage’

“He didn’t know if that would be something he would want to do,” said Whitaker, adding that Obama talked about the possibility of a “virtual” library that would avoid paying “homage” to him.

Obama seemed more interested in some kind of advocacy center, along the lines of what Jimmy Carter has done at the Carter Center in Atlanta, said Whitaker, an executive vice president at the University of Chicago Medical Center. The longtime Obama family friend and basketball buddy noted the numerous tracts of vacant property available on the city’s south side, not far from the campus.

Steven Kloehn, a University of Chicago spokesman, said he was unaware of any formal conversations between the university and the White House about the possibility.

“I know of no contacts on that topic,” he said, adding that there are many people at the White House who have university connections and informal contacts were possible.

Hyde Park Hopes

While the campus in the Hyde Park neighborhood has front- runner status because of its Obama connections, the president could embrace his roots in Hawaii and build his library in Honolulu, where he was born and spent many of his formative years. Advocates for downtown Chicago argue that putting it there would provide proximity to hotels and other tourist destinations.

“It’s a high-visibility thing and it would be great downtown,” said Jim Kutill, a vice president at Appraisal Research Counselors, a Chicago real estate consulting and appraisal company. “I could also see the appeal of putting it in a neighborhood that needs an economic boost.”

The evidence points to the University of Chicago, said Benjamin Hufbauer, a University of Louisville professor and author on presidential libraries.

Obama taught constitutional law at the school from 1992 to 2004; his Kenwood neighborhood home is within walking distance of campus; and his children attended the university’s Lab School before moving to Washington. First lady Michelle Obama was a vice president at the university’s medical center.

University Ties

Senior advisers David Axelrod and Valerie Jarrett also have ties. Axelrod left his native New York City to attend the university, while Jarrett is a former member of the school’s board of trustees. Austan Goolsbee, a senior economic adviser to Obama, is on leave from his teaching position at the university’s business school.

Two of the top fundraisers for Obama’s presidential campaign sit on the school’s board: John Rogers, chairman of Ariel Investments LLC, and James Crown, president of Henry Crown & Co.

Having a presidential library in Chicago would be a tourism boost. The city already markets a three-day Hail to the Chief’s Favorites itinerary, including information on Obama hangouts, favorite restaurants and a guide to getting White Sox tickets.

More than 1.7 million people visited presidential libraries in fiscal 2008, according to a National Archives and Records Administration report. Attendance that year ranged from a high of 306,122 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, California, to a low of 47,359 at the Jimmy Carter Library & Museum in Atlanta.

Spawning Development

Beyond tourism, the libraries can spawn other development. The William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum’s opening in Little Rock in 2004 was followed by office buildings, hotels and restaurants.

The libraries are built with private money before being turned over to the National Archives for operation. Their cost has grown over the years, reflecting inflation and the increasing grandeur of their designs.

George H.W. Bush’s library in College Station, Texas, took $83 million to build, while Clinton’s required $165 million. George W. Bush’s presidential library, to be located at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, is projected to cost more than $200 million.

The library tradition started with Franklin D. Roosevelt after he surveyed the vast quantity of letters and documents he and his staff had accumulated. Prior to that, many presidential papers were lost, sold for profit or destroyed by poor storage.

Hufbauer, author of “Presidential Temples: How Memorials and Libraries Shape Public Memory,” said there is typically little open talk about libraries during the presidents’ time in office.

That doesn’t mean they aren’t conferring with their closest advisers. He cited President John F. Kennedy’s library in Boston.

“By 1962, he was already well into the planning of it,” he said.

[spyguy]

Columbia's Media Production Center

Famous Players -Lasky/ Paramount Pictures arch saved from 1327 S Wabash (Glashaus)
http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/5139/4029483261be3043a0cbo.jpg
lilacolum/ flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/42117748@N07/4029483261/)
http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/5199/4029483817c553ffdb85o.jpg
lilacolum/ flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/42117748@N07/4029483817/)

[Patel]

:previous:

I love that arch. Nice save. Thanks for posting that:cool:

Some info on the name of the company on the arch.

http://www.scripophily.net/faplcoofcaca.html#

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Famous_Players-Lasky




Also the building rocks. Designed by Brininstool + Lynch Architects.

http://www.piedmontgp.com/current/residential/glashaus.html

[Nowhereman1280]

^^^ I think they need to landmark that building now, before its even complete... I mean I'm just blown away by how awesome it is, such a brilliant piece of architecture. Jeanne Gang rocks my socks off! I mean Aqua was an attractive, breathtaking, and pretty innovative building, but this one just gets me excited that the old days of Chicago architecture are coming back and we may have an architect on our hands who might actually influence the field in a big way.

[Hayward]

Incredible how much bigger it looks inside than on the outside. I must pass by it at least 3 times a week, and never noticed that seating space.

[ardecila]

I like how the arch resembles the fake palazzos and villas that were common in 1920s theaters. The little ceiling medallion appears to be a similar reference - very classy.

[sentinel]

I like how the arch resembles the fake palazzos and villas that were common in 1920s theaters. The little ceiling medallion appears to be a similar reference - very classy.

Yes! and the fact that the ceiling lighting is done so simply with linear fluorescent lights to create a unique pattern is, I think a subtle testament to Gang's ingenuity.

[wrabbit]

^ Doing a lot with what is readily available. Very pragmatic.

[sentinel]

True, but pragmatism need not be boring, was more my point I guess - which unfortunately a lot of architects, even seasoned ones with many years of experience still struggle with, or just can't seem to get out of very specific patterns, ways of designing things.

[wrabbit]

^ Yeah - I agree - I meant "pragmatic" in the complimentary sense.....

[sentinel]

^We'll 'agree' to 'agree' wrabbit lol!:cheers:

I really love this project - I found some aerial shots of the construction site but can't remember the URL (it might have been on Columbia college's site) - If I can find something I will try to post..

Edit:
Here is the link to construction photos of the Media Production center:
http://www.columbiasmoment.org/gallery_progress_photos.php

[SkokieSwift]

A Letter From Concerned Citizens to Mayor Daley

Jim Peters
President & CEO of Landmarks Illinois

On Oct. 19, a letter jointly written by "Concerned Citizens and Organizations" was sent to Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, asking for immediate halting of demolition of more than 25 buildings in the Michael Reese Hospital campus so that the potential for a more effective and sustainable development through the re-use of existing buildings can be studied. The sponsors and signatories to this letter include some of the most prominent Chicago and national preservation groups, planners, historians, and architects:
Landmarks Illinois; American Institute of Architects Chicago; Gropius in Chicago Coalition; National Trust for Historic Preservation; Preservation Chicago; Society of Architectural Historians; American Planning Association, Illinois Chapter; Chicago Bauhaus and Beyond; John Pardey of John Pardey Architects, England; Gunny Harboe with Docomomo US; Dirk Lohan with Lohan Anderson; John Vinci with Vinci-Hamp Architects; and Kyle Normandin with ICOMOS-ISC20c.

The following is the text from the letter:

A LETTER JOINTLY WRITTEN BY CONCERNED CITIZENS AND ORGANIZATIONS

Dear Mayor Daley,

The disappointment over the loss of the 2016 Olympics should not prevent Chicagoans from realizing a great opportunity -- the world-class redevelopment of the former Michael Reese Hospital Campus.
We strongly believe that a key to the effective and sustainable development of this important property is a multi-phase effort that will respond to current site and market conditions. We also believe that the rehabilitation of the site's most important -- and adaptable buildings -- is critical to this redevelopment effort.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jim-peters/a-letter-from-concerned-a_b_332706.html

[a chicago bearcat]

True, but pragmatism need not be boring, was more my point I guess - which unfortunately a lot of architects, even seasoned ones with many years of experience still struggle with, or just can't seem to get out of very specific patterns, ways of designing things.

pragmatism is what all truly great architects strive for, it's the uninspired who never strive for it, and the starchitects seem to forget about it as soon as they gain exposure and larger budgets.

Gang seems to revel in it though.

Also on the Concerned Citizen Organization letter...KUDOS
The fact that this was framed as a coalition, and not as multiple pressure points separately from preservation, planning, and architecture organizations, along with architects, including some that don't work solely in preservation.

Hopefully it will stop those wrecking balls from moving and get a new ball rolling that could make a new development a living timeline of Modernist gems. That is if you hire Gang, Ronan, Kreuk + Sexton, etc to design the complimentary parts.

[VivaLFuego]

.

[Via Chicago]

Hey, look, we're internationally famous!

http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/daily-news/outrage-gropius-buildings-bulldozed-in-chicago/5208849.article
Outrage: Gropius buildings bulldozed in Chicago

28 October, 2009 | By Richard Waite

http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/pictures/576x432fitpad%5B0%5D/2/0/2/1214202_Gropius_in_Chicago___more_destruction.jpg
http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/pictures/576x432fitpad%5B0%5D/2/0/2/1214202_Gropius_in_Chicago___more_destruction.jpg

Work has begun on demolishing Chicago’s empty Michael Reese Hospital, featuring eight buildings by Bauhaus pioneer Walter Gropius

Despite failing to win the 2016 Olympic Games – the hospital site was earmarked for the new athletes’ village – and calls from the international architectural community (see story below), the city has decided to press on with flattening the complex.

Only one of the Gropius-designed blocks on the 29-building campus has managed to win a temporary reprieve – the 1950 Singer Pavilion (pictured below) which the local authorities have singled out as a ‘potential candidate for redevelopment’.

Grahm Balkany of campaign group, the Gropius in Chicago Coalition, said: ‘It is the first major Gropius work of a permanent nature to be demolished in decades. In fact, one can count on two hands the number of such Gropius permanent architectural projects that ever were demolished.....

[the urban politician]

The city never learns.

You tear down vast swaths of land and....it remains vacant for vast swaths of time. See Block 37.

Fucking morons..

[Via Chicago]

http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/theskyline/2009/10/chicago-lets-its-savage-side-show-first-gropius-building-demolished-at-michael-reese-.html
Chicago lets its savage side show: First Gropius building demolished at Michael Reese

Blair Kamin

In an act sure to live in infamy, city-hired contractors have demolished the first of the buildings co-designed by Walter Gropius at the former Michael Reese Hospital campus. It's the Friend Convalescent Hospital, a once-sparkling modernist gem (see below) which was said to be more like a hotel than a hospital when it opened in the 1950s. Grahm Balkany, head of the Gropius in Chicago Coalition, passed along the bad news (and this photo of the bulldozers at work). He says that it's the first time in decades, according to his research, that a permanent Gropius building has been destroyed anywhere in the world.

As if to underscore the stupidity of the city's self-inflicted wounds, a well-informed source dropped by Tribune Tower yesterday to pass along a Sept. 1946 issue of Architectural Forum magazine, which featured a big spread on the Michael Reese campus. The story's headline reads: "A Hospital plans: Seven square miles of Chicago slums are scheduled for redevelopment under a unique planning program sponsored by Michael Reese Hospital."

The spread shows the "shanty housing," "derelict mansions" and "gutted sites" that made up the "slum community" around Reese. And it offers renderings and plans that show the bright new modernist world to come (complete with skip-stop elevators, those that would stop at every other floor) in the apartment buildings planned around Reese. Gropius is clearly and prominently credited as the "architectural consultant." In the following pages is another spread, headlined "Illinois Tech replans 16 city blocks," discussing how IIT and another German emigre associated with the Bauhaus, Mies van der Rohe, were reshaping a nearby swath of land on the South Side.

Friend2 What all this suggests is that Chicago is plundering its history, much as the city did when it allowed the destruction of Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler buildings in the 1960s and 1970s. Tim Samuelson, the city's cultural historian, at least was able to get into one of the Reese buildings before it came down and get copies of the hospital's architectural drawings. The drawings and photographs will allow these buildings to live on in the archives, but they should have lived on in real life. Of the 8 Gropius-related buildings at Reese, only the Singer Pavilion--a psychiatric and psychosomatic institute--may be saved. That's appropriate, in a bizarre way: What's Chicago's doing is crazy.

[Nowhereman1280]

This is the first time since I've moved here that I've witnessed such an atrocity, makes me sick to my stomach...

Though I'm heartened to hear that at least one building will be saved, maybe its not too late to save a few more of them.

[VivaLFuego]

The city never learns.

You tear down vast swaths of land and....it remains vacant for vast swaths of time. See Block 37.

Fucking morons..

You assume that the deciders see such an outcome as a negative. I posit that the likelihood of such an outcome has no bearing whatsoever on the decision. This could be as simple as some guys who know some guys or have some dirt on some other guys needed some demolition and scrap work.

To some extent, we can blame Michael Reese Hospital. If the Gropius buildings were anything more than a commodity to be used up, MRH could have pursued landmarking. But as with most other tax-exempt operations including churches, they're forever happy to avoid the costs and obligation of owning a landmarked structure. And so gems are left vulnerable.

We may be closer than we fear to seeing the demise of Goldberg's Prentice Pavilion for the same reasons. If the property owners sought landmarking, any of these would have been shoe-ins.

This is the first time since I've moved here that I've witnessed such an atrocity, makes me sick to my stomach...

Though I'm heartened to hear that at least one building will be saved, maybe its not too late to save a few more of them.

The only ones that really "speak" to me are Singer, Kaplan, and the Power Plant, the latter of which is indeed a pretty tricky reuse candidate without a viable tenant lined up. Singer and Kaplan both seem like cinches to renovate and re-use for any number of purposes. Of course all 8 should have been left standing in the meantime, since it could be a decade or more until there is actual market demand to develop this site as a new neighborhood. Nothing is gained by demolishing it now other than Heneghan Wrecking getting another contract.

This is the first architectural atrocity since what, 2002/2003 with the Merc? I suppose in comparison to 1955-1975, a 6 year hiatus isn't that bad,eh? Right around the early 2000s was a pretty bad time though before the weak demo delay ordinance. The Coe Mansion and surroundings were gems too (and uh, the landmarked Farwell), but I wouldn't call their demolition an atrocity on the same scale as MRH or the Merc. People were up in arms about the McGraw-Hill -> Conrad Hilton facadectomy but at least that was a facadectomy done in reasonably decent taste.

BWChicago is our resident landmarks guru ever since honte left....BWC does anything compare to this in recent memory?

[the urban politician]

^ Yeah, well the dream of this site magically being transformed into some wonderful mixed-use community with towers and walkable streetscapes.....just ain't happening in my lifetime. I may not be a lifelong Chicagoan like many of you, but one thing I've learned about this city: don't bet on the south side.

I hope I"m wrong.

[Via Chicago]

Its just a really depressing situation overall.

[Tom In Chicago]

For all the outrage on the Gropius demolitions I find it more than ironic that most of those vocally in support of saving these buildings have never even known there were Gropius buildings here in Chicago to begin with. . . be that as it may I too am not happy about what the city is doing there, but think the alarms should have been going off long long ago before the city had any interest in the property for the Olympic Village. . . sad but predictable. . .

[BWChicago]

The research and knowledge that they were Gropius buildings wasn't there until MRH was closing and Grahm Balkany started his research, so MRH could not have had it designated, at least for that reason. Nobody knew.

The Merc is the most recent similar example that comes to mind.

A workable community? Prairie Shores did it. I don't see why the same couldn't happen with adaptive reuse here.

It's idiotic to be tearing these down without a viable plan in place; as the letter and others before said, the more you screw it up, the more National Register designation is up in the air, and without NR, there are less tax credits available for reuse. Unless our landfills are really begging for more construction waste, there's really no reason to take these out. And at least go after the noncontroversial buildings first, there is plenty of stuff at MRH that isn't worth saving or reusable.

[Via Chicago]

For all the outrage on the Gropius demolitions I find it more than ironic that most of those vocally in support of saving these buildings have never even known there were Gropius buildings here in Chicago to begin with. . . be that as it may I too am not happy about what the city is doing there, but think the alarms should have been going off long long ago before the city had any interest in the property for the Olympic Village. . . sad but predictable. . .

Oh, I agree. But a lot of the buildings' history didnt even come out until the past few months, when people started doing research. I seem to recall there was one individual at IIT in particular who did a bunch of background work.

[VivaLFuego]

Unless our landfills are really begging for more construction waste, there's really no reason to take these out. And at least go after the noncontroversial buildings first, there is plenty of stuff at MRH that isn't worth saving or reusable.

"No man, no problem"
- Ioseb Jughashvili

[Loopy]

For all the outrage on the Gropius demolitions I find it more than ironic that most of those vocally in support of saving these buildings have never even known there were Gropius buildings here in Chicago to begin with. . . be that as it may I too am not happy about what the city is doing there, but think the alarms should have been going off long long ago before the city had any interest in the property for the Olympic Village. . . sad but predictable. . .

It was long known that Gropius was involved in planning the Michael Reese Expansion after WWII. An obscure fact, for sure, but certainly known. The AIA guide to Chicago mentions it. A few of the Art Institute oral histories mention it. It was in books etc. This fact alone, in my mind was reason enough for preservation. Especially in light of the fact that Gropius's friend and fellow Bauhaus pioneer, Moholy-Nagy was also established here after the war. Count Mies and Hilberseimer in, and you have two Bauhaus Directors and and two Bauhaus Masters working in Chicago at the same time. No other post-war city can claim that.

The new research done by Grahm Balkany, discovered that Gropius was intensely involved in not just planning, but a had significant design input on at least eight buildings on the MRH campus. This should have cemented the preservation argument. But sadly, it did not.

And to anyone who asks whether "design input" is enough to qualify these buildings as "Gropius" I would say that it certainly does. Gropius didn't draw and his entire ouevre is of work done in collaboration with others. First with Adolph Meyer, then with Marcel Breuer, again with Maxwell Fry. After he came to the US, his firm was named The Architects Collaborative in honor of this process.

So, to all of doubters I would say that the Michael Reesse buildings are no less Gropius than the famous Dessau workshop and they are just as worthy of being preserved.

[sentinel]

^^Piggy-backing on what Tom said - the GSB project at U of C replaced dorms originally by Gropius as well, and I don't remember as much 'fuss' for that project as what's been going on with the hospital, even though those dorms were probably equally as significant architecturally...granted, I didn't start on that until the CA phase so not sure if any hoopla was raised before the GSB project commenced construction, but I guess time/location changes things....

[Loopy]

Gropius didn't do any work at U of C. I think that you are probably thinking of the Eero Saarinen dorms. While I hate to see any good modernist architecture destroyed, Gropius work is another class entirely. He basically invented modern architecture.

[BWChicago]

Yes, Loopy is correct. I think it is the AIA guide that originally spurred Grahm's research. Until then, there wasn't documentation of the size of the role Gropius played - my understanding from hearing Grahm speak is that it was initially thought Gropius had some influence on the building's siting, but the new research showed a much deeper role. A designation would not have been possible without the documentation that has been unearthed.

[spyguy]

http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/theskyline/2009/10/landmarks-illinois-ymca-building-in-michigan-avenue-historic-district-may-come-down.html

Landmarks Illinois: Old YWCA building in Michigan Avenue historic district may come down
Blair Kamin

"Unless a miracle happens, the old YWCA Building at 830 S. Michigan Ave., one of the oldest buildings on the Michigan Avenue Streetwall [historic district], will likely be demolished in the near future.

..."The notion of propping up and saving the façade has been discussed, but the costs of that appear excessive and there’s no obvious funding source."