CHICAGO | General Developments

[wierdaaron]

Didn't get much traction but I am hopeful about the prospect of these 2 Illinois Center buildings possibly getting a more interested owner.

http://chicago.curbed.com/archives/2...s-for-sale.php

That Wacker frontage just next door could be crucial in drawing tourists and traffic on wacker east of Michigan. Right now, when you cross the dusable bridge going south you either go straight to head toward the park and to see if mag mile keeps going (it doesn't) or you turn right to follow the river or head toward the loop. You definitely don't turn left, because all that's up that way is the tacky marble front of an Art Deco building with a tacky looking Fannie May store, then the rest is an uphill barren stretch of plaza and motor courts and zero people. Oh, and a Houlihan's with no frontage. This is where Wanda wants to plop its billion dollar supertall.

As for the other tower, Michigan south of Wacker is undergoing a blitz of revitalization, tons of new high-profile retail is on its way and it wants desperately to pull mag mile tourists south to continue spilling money out of their pockets by creating a whole new sidewalk-level continuity of shiny new stuff to keep pulling people in. There's a bit of a gap on the east side, though, between 333 N Michigan's ongoing new retail buildout (which is almost leased up I believe) and the stuff south of Water street, like Sweetwater restaurant, some light retail, and then the huge new retail buildout at Millennium Park Plaza which is also filling fast. That boring gap kills the continuity a bit for half a block or so. The 2nd Illinois Center building up for sale happens to own a piece of that gap, and even has air rights to build over upper Water street.

Both stretches of road (Wacker going east, Michigan going south) have vital weak spots in their streetfront integration, and right now you can 2 buy buildings and fix those weak spots with some smart retail-focused reconfigurations. You'll just need $425 million to do it.

As a bonus, the buildings you'd have bought would happen to also have been designed by a beloved and world-renowned architect and Chicago legend.

[Mr Downtown]

^Joseph Fujikawa or Dirk Lohan? Beloved maybe, but not exactly legends.

[wierdaaron]

Is Mies just aor?

[XIII]

Originally Posted by wierdaaron

Is Mies just aor?

Fujikawa and associates did most of IL center. In the buildings it is pretty apparent that it isn't Mies. The details are not quite right and the big kicker is a bunch of open spaces with practically hidden access-ways.

They're still good buildings, but the way they address the street level needs a major adjustment.

[marothisu]

A few building permits for the former and now abandoned Edgwater Medical Center up on Edgewater Ave just west of Clark were issued for SFHs. 3 of them to be exact and they're going where the parking area used to be, which is supposed to become 15 SFH according to this article from a few months ago. I guess good news that something is happening:

http://chicago.curbed.com/archives/2...finally-on.php

The site for them:
http://edgewatersquareii.com/

[Mr Downtown]

Originally Posted by wierdaaron

Is Mies just aor?

More doa than aor.

Mies died in August 1969. Only 111 East Wacker was far enough advanced to be thought of as designed by Mies.

[wierdaaron]

Ah, makes sense. I've been reading about how the arcade and the proportions aren't up to Mies' standard. Maybe that means nobody would care if an owner wanted to reconfig the whole exterior.

[UrbanLibertine]

Great news!

Originally Posted by marothisu

A few building permits for the former and now abandoned Edgwater Medical Center up on Edgewater Ave just west of Clark were issued for SFHs. 3 of them to be exact and they're going where the parking area used to be, which is supposed to become 15 SFH according to this article from a few months ago. I guess good news that something is happening:

http://chicago.curbed.com/archives/2...finally-on.php

The site for them:
http://edgewatersquareii.com/

[J_M_Tungsten]

Dredging for the Fullerton lakeshore improvement and expansion project
Story from curbed: http://chicago.curbed.com/archives/2...-lakefront.php
A few days ago


Today

[wierdaaron]

Oh that explains it. I saw that barge thing with what look like smokestacks sitting just east of navy pier on thursday and couldn't figure out what it was. I thought maybe someone had started the party barge idea without approval.

[wierdaaron]

Speaking of bodies of water the city has reshaped, a bunch of river-related groups and the city got together to do a study on the river and what to do with it. You can take their survey here http://www.greatriverschicago.com/ so your voice is heard as they gather data.

[HowardL]

Originally Posted by wierdaaron

Speaking of bodies of water the city has reshaped, a bunch of river-related groups and the city got together to do a study on the river and what to do with it. You can take their survey here http://www.greatriverschicago.com/ so your voice is heard as they gather data.

Thank you for posting that. I just gave them a good 20mins of feedback.

[bnk]

Originally Posted by HowardL

Thank you for posting that. I just gave them a good 20mins of feedback.

Me too I took the south branch around River City. It took me a good 15 mins and the survey asked if I wanted to talk about the other sectors.

I was finished. I figure most would survey the Downtown and north branch of the River but the South branch as so much potential esp for artificial harbors for boats and recreation and river tours.

[bnk]

Originally Posted by J_M_Tungsten

Dredging for the Fullerton lakeshore improvement and expansion project
Story from curbed: http://chicago.curbed.com/archives/2...-lakefront.php
]

Well that is awesome

[ithakas]

Originally Posted by bnk

Me too I took the south branch around River City. It took me a good 15 mins and the survey asked if I wanted to talk about the other sectors.

I was finished. I figure most would survey the Downtown and north branch of the River but the South branch as so much potential esp for artificial harbors for boats and recreation and river tours.

Agreed. I referenced this in my survey as an example of the approach they might take to activating parts of the river: http://assemblestudio.co.uk/?page_id=2

[SamInTheLoop]

Originally Posted by ChickeNES

I noticed this afternoon that there is a "For Lease" sign in the former Sear's space on State. Did the plans for a CVS flagship there fall through?

I certainly hope so. However, I doubt it. As far as I know, CVS is not taking the entirety (but most of it, unfortunately) of the State St frontage, so there would possibly still be a bit of space not yet spoken for, and this could be what's advertised....

[the urban politician]

Didn't know where else to post this, but this is huge:

Warhol pieces part of largest gift in Art Institute history

Retired manufacturing executive and art collector Stefan Edlis and his wife, Gael Neeson, have donated what the Art Institute of Chicago is calling the largest gift in the museum's history—including works by Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg Combine, Roy Lichtenstein and Gerhard Richter and Jeff Koons.

The gift, with a reported value of $400 million, was approved at a museum board meeting last night and announced immediately after. The museum has vowed to keep the collection on permanent view for the next 50 years, a point that cemented the donation, Edlis said in a statement.

[trvlr70]

^^^^^^^

Wow! This is huge. It just further elevates the AIC's status as one of the country's - no world's - finest art museums.

[Mr Downtown]

And finally gives them something to hang in the Modern Wing. I wonder if they knew 10 years ago that it was coming.

[pilsenarch]

^no doubt