CHICAGO | General Developments

[SamInTheLoop]

^^ Hartshorne and Plunkard - like Pappageorge Haymes, but with more talent....

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by wierdaaron

A bit off-topic but a little relevant to the lakefront/park preservationist against private development angle, what do people think about the Argo tea pavilion in Connors Park?

Background: http://chicago.curbed.com/archives/2...experiment.php

It's a public park still, but with a private Argo tea restaurant built inside. I'm going to have a chance to speak with the CEO of Argo about it, so I'm curious about some takes other than my own.

I live right by it and love the thing. Before, it wasn't bad but it was under utilized. I think it's unique and I love relaxing there just in general. I don't think it's 100% the same as Lucas's thing, but yeah similar in a way. Lucas's museum is much more cultural though in the end and a bigger asset than the Argo.

[wierdaaron]

Definitely, yeah, but private use of public land has always been a hot issue in town, so the Argo pavilion has been interesting to me. The fact that it's a local company probably has a lot to do with it, but once the precedent is set who's going to be the arbiter of good taste that stops a Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts from popping up in every park in the future?

Similarly, that little pop-up PNC bank in Grant Park is so vexing to me. It was brought up in the last parks district meeting and their rationale for allowing it is that it's not a permanent structure (it's like a shipping container) so it doesnt violate any ordinances. But why a bank? I'm sure the money is nice for the park's budget, but if a big orange metal bank is okay why not have a pop-up 7-11 right next to it? Or a whole hooverville of temporary private businesses using park land to hawk their wares?

It just scares me a bit that most of these decisions are ad-hoc, not based on a set guideline but rather a gut sense of what's right and what's too much. That means that if an idiot or corrupt person is ever in charge of having those gut feelings, the parks could all go to hell.

[r18tdi]

Haymes-Pappageorge going pretty hard at Diversey and Hampden site.

[denizen467]

The North/Clybourn district will be getting live comedy pretty soon. ImprovOlympic aka iO is finally planning its opening across from Whole Foods, with a target date of August 1st.

Hopefully this growth will eventually chase out those ugly strip club buildings.

[ardecila]

Hmm, strippers or improv... such a difficult choice! Pity me my modern dilemmas!

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by LouisVanDerWright

Wow, those are healthy numbers. Wonder if we will eclipse 10,000 units/year next year? Maybe we can still break that threshold with a strong second half of the year?

It certainly would be interesting and great if that could happen! I think it could. Compare it with last year at the same time - 2613 units (909 mixed use units, 1562 units in residential only buildings, and 143 senior units) and 235 SFH. That means 2014 is so far ahead by 1252 units and 41 SFH versus 2013 YTD.

[spyguy]

UofChicago posted some nice photos of the Becker-Friedman Institute building post-renovations: http://facilities.uchicago.edu/const...th-university/

[george]

6-28

1611 W Division art banners

[Notyrview]

That is one sick TOD Wendy's.

[r18tdi]

Originally Posted by george

6-28

1611 W Division art banners

Looks like petrified dino turds.
And yet I'm strangely OK with that.

[Link N. Parker]

Originally Posted by Notyrview

That is one sick TOD Wendy's.

I have been hoping someone comes along and buys out that Wendys and builds something amazing on the property.

[Ch.G, Ch.G]

So dope

[the urban politician]

Yeah that Wendy's is just so out of place now, like a throwback to 1979

[J_M_Tungsten]

Yesterday
Google

[sentinel]

Originally Posted by spyguy

UofChicago posted some nice photos of the Becker-Friedman Institute building post-renovations: http://facilities.uchicago.edu/const...th-university/

Deliberate full repost, because it deserves to be seen again. Thanks for the heads-up spyguy. U of C just (almost) always seems to nail it with projects like this. So happy this pretty significant global institution is in Chicago and within one of the best renovation projects I've seen in recent years.

[chicagogreg]

^ Agreed. Not sure about the reasons behind it, but for an institution that parallels (and in some areas, is greater than) Ivies like Yale, Princeton, etc., U of C rarely seems to receive the nationwide name-recognition it deserves.

[sentinel]

^^I couldn't resist so per spyguy's original post, here are some more images of the Becker Friedman project at U of C (incidentally, I haven't seen anything recently posted for the new building addition on the north side of the existing building):

http://facilities.uchicago.edu/const...th-university/

[Skyguy_7]

Holy crap. I was not efficient at calculus, but I'd be willing to sit through 3-hour sessions on a Monday if the lectures were in that building.

[Busy Bee]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

Love the Milton Friedman Institute

Love the building. The man, not so much.