CHICAGO | General Developments

[rlw777]

Originally Posted by SamInTheLoop

^ Yeah, I've had the same reaction and was going to question this in a post as well. Whatever might happen here is stand-alone and not part of some larger project incorporating Michigan Ave frontage (NAR building, which clearly seems to be staying put)....

I think the confusion happened because a few sources reported that NAR owned the athletic club block but it is actually owned by BDT Capital Partners who bought that plot along with the Wrigley Building

[chris11]

Thought this photo was cool. Shows a good view of 212 W Illinois and how developed River North has become.

[denizen467]

The Walgreens site at Armitage & Dayton has about a floor out of the ground now; don't know if that's recent or not. But it includes some reinforced concrete columns that suggest it will be a multistory structure - I think the original plan was just one story, or was there to be parking on the roof?

The Randolph & Franklin Walgreens is finally closed now (Edit - it just closed on Friday evening, as indirectly alluded to in the highrise thread), complete with notices directing customers to nearby locations and an unusually defensive closure excuse: "Due to a new vision for the building this Walgreens is closed..."

[Tom Servo]

Originally Posted by Ch.G, Ch.G

Considering what finally went up at Block 37, I don't think this is the best attitude.

Agreed. The current plan is fucking bullshit. The VDT design was gold.

But unfortunately, the suburban aesthetic seems to be the prevailing theme around town these days... :/

[Skyguy_7]

Less foam = progress


The Skating Ribbon




Earth mover (pulling dirt from the middle of the park up to the north end)

[george]

MDP is looking good. Thanks for the update Skyguy_7, great vantage point!

[george]

8/23

Crappy Chase drive-thru at Chicago & Larrabee

[Via Chicago]

you gotta be kidding me

[the urban politician]

^ Is there any sort of rendering or site plan of this thing? That's really unfortunate...

[Jim in Chicago]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

^ Is there any sort of rendering or site plan of this thing? That's really unfortunate...

What a giant zit! Wasn't that green space with a few trees? Who owns the land and how did this get approved? Beyond unfortunate!

[harryc]

Originally Posted by chris11

Thought this photo was cool. Shows a good view of 212 W Illinois and how developed River North has become.

From 111 W Wacker ?

And on the other side .... from 321 N Clark



Anyone know what is poking up here ? Once again from 321 N Clark - N side of building - 17th floor

[LouisVanDerWright]

^^^ The red tower crane in the foreground is the Division St Grec tower and the white and blue in the distance with the rising core is the New City tower.

[Via Chicago]

Originally Posted by XIII

Asado Coffee down the pickwick alley is nearly open.

Looks pretty nifty

http://themanonfive.com/post/9546440...table-building

are those upstairs floors parts of Asado as well?

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by Jim in Chicago

What a giant zit! Wasn't that green space with a few trees? Who owns the land and how did this get approved? Beyond unfortunate!

Privately-owned green space. Minoru Yamasaki designed the Montgomery Ward skyscraper surrounded by green space.

When it was converted to residential, the developers built a parking garage bustle on the east side and intended to build a retail pavilion on the west side before the recession.

This was actually a good urban design move - it brought the building up to the sidewalk but preserved some of the mature trees and manicured lawns as little pocket parks.



The above speculative plan died in the recession, and the owners (not the condo building) switched to a build-to-suit. Chase Bank took the bait.

I'm not really sure that is a drive-thru, I'm having a hard time figuring out how the site circulation will work. They're not building a driveway off Chicago and there's not enough room for a U-turn maneuver like a McDonalds. Maybe the driveway will have an entrance on Superior? What a waste.

[wierdaaron]

Wow, that's a real letdown. If that corner doesn't improve it's going to stay isolated from the rest of town until improvements on Chicago Ave spread from the east, which will be seriously hampered by the housing project. The huge success of food trucks and fooda pop-up restaurants at 600 W Chicago shows that building alone could sustain significant retail expansion in the area, but they punk out and go with a bank branch?

I don't know if that area can be saved.

[ardecila]

You mean the food trucks that the city forcibly relocated to Larrabee/Superior instead of right by the office workers north of Chicago?

Much of the remaining Cabrini rowhouses will come down, and we've already seen one proposal for The Hudson to fill one of those vacant lots on the south side. Slowly but surely.

[wierdaaron]

Yeah those food trucks. When I worked in the building those were a godsend because of how few restaurants were nearby. I heard that Motel Bar was the one who complained enough to get the trucks kicked out.

[harryc]

Originally Posted by wierdaaron

Yeah those food trucks. When I worked in the building those were a godsend because of how few restaurants were nearby. I heard that Motel Bar was the one who complained enough to get the trucks kicked out.

IIRC the food trucks can't operate withing 1000' of a brick and mortar (property tax paying) food place. The days are numbered for the Nigerian guys on Park.

[harryc]

[george]

Stunning!^