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  #101  
Old Posted Feb 9, 2012, 11:32 PM
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Originally Posted by simon07 View Post
At the pace their going they are going to miss the whole rental boom. What have they been doing all these months?
This project was only first announced less than three months ago... by all accounts they are moving along quite briskly.
     
     
  #102  
Old Posted Feb 10, 2012, 5:25 AM
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Originally Posted by ardecila View Post
The perforated panels on EnV look really, really slick. If these are grates, and they're done like VDTA's grates, they're fine by me.

I wonder what the spaces are behind the Lower Illinois elevation. Are they part of the St. Clair retail, or are they some kind of amenity for the residents?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hayward View Post
Looks to me like a lower level lobby area....which is always welcome for basement level types of amenities. Bike Rooms, recycling, resident's loading dock etc.
Kind of both. I personally don't understand the need for so much retail in what I consider an undesirable location. But there's a big retail space extending from St. Clair along the alley (south of Volare). Then a small lobby entrance in the middle followed by more retail at the corner of Lower Illinois and St. Clair (as shown in the rendering).
     
     
  #103  
Old Posted Feb 10, 2012, 1:09 PM
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Originally Posted by spyguy View Post
Kind of both. I personally don't understand the need for so much retail in what I consider an undesirable location. But there's a big retail space extending from St. Clair along the alley (south of Volare). Then a small lobby entrance in the middle followed by more retail at the corner of Lower Illinois and St. Clair (as shown in the rendering).
^ There is something kind of sexy about shops in a semi-underground location. Of course, NIMBYism and high rents would probably keep those spaces empty
     
     
  #104  
Old Posted Feb 10, 2012, 2:59 PM
Nowhereman1280 Nowhereman1280 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by spyguy View Post
Kind of both. I personally don't understand the need for so much retail in what I consider an undesirable location. But there's a big retail space extending from St. Clair along the alley (south of Volare). Then a small lobby entrance in the middle followed by more retail at the corner of Lower Illinois and St. Clair (as shown in the rendering).
You might be surprised at how desirable retail is just a block off of Boule Mich even if it is nearly on a lower level street. This desirability is only magnified by the continued march of NW into the neighborhood destroying any and all retail that lies in their path.
     
     
  #105  
Old Posted Feb 10, 2012, 4:29 PM
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It also depends on how they plan to refashion the stairs from upper Illinois down to Lower Illinois and these new shops. Has anyone seen the plans for that work?

The current stairs and pretty junky, but if they were more inviting pedestrians on upper Illinois would be more apt to explore down there. In the summer the pedestrian route from Michigan Ave to Navy Pier pretty much runs right down Upper Illinois.

Are there plans for Retail on Upper Illinois? If there is, hopefullly it is layed out better than current offerings. Right now there is vacant retail space in both 160 E. Illinois (Avenue East) and 240 E. Illinois (Faribanks), but in both cases they are not very inviting retail due to the store front layout.

At 160 E. Illinois the front doors for retail are set back behind the outside line of columns, so it is kind of hidden

At 240 E. Illinois the retail is kind of on a weird island where you wouldn't expect a store. From West to East it goes Garage Pedestrian Access Door, then the Door to the Condo Building, the the weird retail space, then the large car entrance for the parking garage, then the stairs down to Columbus.
     
     
  #106  
Old Posted Feb 10, 2012, 5:31 PM
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Originally Posted by Swicago Swi Sox View Post
It also depends on how they plan to refashion the stairs from upper Illinois down to Lower Illinois and these new shops. Has anyone seen the plans for that work?

The current stairs and pretty junky, but if they were more inviting pedestrians on upper Illinois would be more apt to explore down there. In the summer the pedestrian route from Michigan Ave to Navy Pier pretty much runs right down Upper Illinois.

Are there plans for Retail on Upper Illinois? If there is, hopefullly it is layed out better than current offerings. Right now there is vacant retail space in both 160 E. Illinois (Avenue East) and 240 E. Illinois (Faribanks), but in both cases they are not very inviting retail due to the store front layout.

At 160 E. Illinois the front doors for retail are set back behind the outside line of columns, so it is kind of hidden

At 240 E. Illinois the retail is kind of on a weird island where you wouldn't expect a store. From West to East it goes Garage Pedestrian Access Door, then the Door to the Condo Building, the the weird retail space, then the large car entrance for the parking garage, then the stairs down to Columbus.
I'm hoping for an integrated stair. The current stairs are too utilitarian.
     
     
  #107  
Old Posted Feb 11, 2012, 4:19 AM
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I like this building. I stayed right across from there last year. I love the elevated platforms + parking spaces in Chicago.

     
     
  #108  
Old Posted Feb 11, 2012, 6:01 AM
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^ You mean the highrise parking podiums with the amenity (pool deck, party room, dog run, etc.) floors on top? A lot of people here criticize them, but IMHO they have been refined, especially by SCB, to the point of high art. Consider how horrible typical attached parking garages were just 2 or 3 decades ago. It would be hard to improve on the best recent podiums, short of adding perimeter tenants (impossible on small sites).
     
     
  #109  
Old Posted Feb 13, 2012, 1:07 AM
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^ You mean the highrise parking podiums with the amenity (pool deck, party room, dog run, etc.) floors on top? A lot of people here criticize them, but IMHO they have been refined, especially by SCB, to the point of high art. Consider how horrible typical attached parking garages were just 2 or 3 decades ago. It would be hard to improve on the best recent podiums, short of adding perimeter tenants (impossible on small sites).
I just think it goes with Chicago. Having streets above streets, L-train I-beams cutting through blocks, alleys galore. I also like the fact that, unlike here in NY, you can park in or near the CBD(s).
     
     
  #110  
Old Posted Feb 14, 2012, 3:48 PM
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Walked by Optima this morning. Looks like caisson installation is complete. The site was cleared, no more rebar cages were being constructed, and Case was disassembling their drill rig. Hopefully this one will start to take shape soon! With the lack of renderings, this one should be a new surprise every day!



     
     
  #111  
Old Posted Feb 17, 2012, 3:40 PM
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Detail shots from the last month - progress update - CASE has left the lot, next crew was in digging up the place before the last CASE crane was even fully disassembled.

These pipes are used when pouring concrete into a water filled hole, they prevent the concrete from mixing (too much) with the slurry that is helping hold the walls apart.



Cleaning - always cleaning


Putting on the O rings.


The holding strap - runs in the groove seen above and keeps the pipes together.


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  #112  
Old Posted Feb 17, 2012, 4:13 PM
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One last hole

A worker said that the supports on the N side of the lot were 60' at about $60K ea. , but on the S side they hit water - under pressure - and had to go down to 100' at a cost of $120K+ ea.









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  #113  
Old Posted Feb 19, 2012, 4:37 AM
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Optima Feb 17th



     
     
  #114  
Old Posted Feb 21, 2012, 7:08 PM
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As Intrepids shots show - pad fro crane ready, first segment is in place now - they were getting ready to pour at lunchtime.
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  #115  
Old Posted Feb 21, 2012, 10:28 PM
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^yes, and it was in place and poured by 4:30
     
     
  #116  
Old Posted Feb 28, 2012, 1:49 AM
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Crane segments being brought in today (Monday).
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  #117  
Old Posted Feb 28, 2012, 7:25 PM
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Tall tower erected, crane head and booms being assembled at lunch time.
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  #118  
Old Posted Mar 1, 2012, 11:23 PM
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^up now
     
     
  #119  
Old Posted Mar 6, 2012, 5:52 PM
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Cell phone photo documentation of activity on site over the past week (3/1-3/6):

Tower crane arrives on site, erection begins...








Tower crane erection complete (sorry for the grainy cell phone night shot)...




Laying out grids and locating columns/foundations:




Shot from this morning (3/6/12). Excavation begins to expose caisson tops...

     
     
  #120  
Old Posted Mar 14, 2012, 2:47 PM
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3-13



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