CHICAGO | General Developments

[VivaLFuego]

...and possibly minor enough that no one will much care, but...

while rolling north along Sheridan earlier, I noticed a sales sign up for a redevelopment of one of the last remaining old dilapidating mansions along Sheridan. I -think- this was at 5640 N. Sheridan, but I don't recall 100%. Looked like about an 8-10 story building; this is an R6 zone and it's a small lot, so it seems like a decent proposal. I don't think it broke the 12-story highrise threshold. Regardless, I'm glad to see a steady drip-drip of ever more density along that corridor.

Pretty soon, the only of the old lakefront mansions of Edgewater will be those couple landmarks up by Thorndale. I've never managed to find solid photo documentation of what it all looked like before major redevelopment commencted circa the late 1950s.

[honte]

^ Why wouldn't we care about that??? Thanks for the info.

[the urban politician]

Did you happen to snaps any pics of the rendering?

[VivaLFuego]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

Did you happen to snaps any pics of the rendering?

Nope, it was night and I was rolling by at about 25mph and I was preoccupied with a few other things, but it was definitely more "Chicago-00s-boom-quasi-modern" than "Chicago-00s-boom-PoMo-schlock". It was on a stretch of Sheridan that's seeing its last bit of allowable density eeked out, with 5440 Sheridan somewhere in progress and now this. It was pretty close to the site of that Beitler proposal for the 45-story building on the church lot.

I couldn't get a good look at the mansion that's coming down. I think it was this one:


honte, do you have any photos of north Sheridan Road prior to about 1958?

EDIT: some googling has revealed this will be 8 stories, 26 units, parking in rear, and a 0' foot front setback.

[pip]

great another old building being torn down. Maybe we'll get lucky with this new building and only about 1/3 of the floors will be a parking lot

[harryc]

Originally Posted by VivaLFuego

Nope, it was night and I was rolling by at about 25mph and I was preoccupied with a few other things, but it was definitely more "Chicago-00s-boom-quasi-modern" than "Chicago-00s-boom-PoMo-schlock". It was on a stretch of Sheridan that's seeing its last bit of allowable density eeked out, with 5440 Sheridan somewhere in progress and now this. It was pretty close to the site of that Beitler proposal for the 45-story building on the church lot.

I couldn't get a good look at the mansion that's coming down. I think it was this one:


honte, do you have any photos of north Sheridan Road prior to about 1958?

Wasn't that owned by the Unification church ( A.K.A. Moonies )

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by pip

great another old building being torn down. Maybe we'll get lucky with this new building and only about 1/3 of the floors will be a parking lot

^ Please... If that's the building going down, then I'm definitely not shedding a tear. Even if there's a parking podium, an 8 story building will pack FAR more residential density than a mansion

[Nowhereman1280]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

^ Please... If that's the building going down, then I'm definitely not shedding a tear. Even if there's a parking podium, an 8 story building will pack FAR more residential density than a mansion

Exactly, that mansion is schlock compared to even a medium quality 8 story. If you want to see mansions that would be worth crying about, drive north to Lake Shore Drive in Milwaukee, there is about 3 miles of uninterrupted 100 year old mansions...

[VivaLFuego]

Originally Posted by Nowhereman1280

Exactly, that mansion is schlock compared to even a medium quality 8 story. If you want to see mansions that would be worth crying about, drive north to Lake Shore Drive in Milwaukee, there is about 3 miles of uninterrupted 100 year old mansions...

...or about 15 miles of nearly uninterrupted mansions along Sheridan Road from Evanston to Lake Bluff, IL, ranging from 100-year old classics to mid-century modern masterpieces (and a few unsightly new malproportioned McMansions starting to crop up....see Kenilworth, especially).

Especially considering this apparently-abandoned house isn't in a well-preserved district (e.g. nearby Castlewood, Hawthorne, etc.), to me it's not too significant a loss in and of itself, aside from being one of the final "nails in the coffin" of Sheridan's complete transformation over the past 50 years.

[Chicago Shawn]

Originally Posted by ardecila

It won't do anything - most suburbs don't use the lake anyway.

Until the aquifers become depleated to the point in which they can longer sustain the population above them, which is already happening throughout the country. Too many people waste potable water on thier manicured turf grass. If folks want a green lawn, then they need to invest in a rain cistern attached to downspouts.

[Chicago Shawn]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

^ It's interesting that you mention that, and I'm glad that you did.

I've discussed something similar before on the forums, namely that the greatest cure for NIMBY's is more NIMBY's. Pit these people against eachother and we may actually get a result that's good for the city (ideally)

Its already happening in Dearborn Park, see: the South Loop School fence issue, which has now moved up to lawsuit status.

I looked at the PD, and I discovered that the 9th Street patch of green and Iron fence between Plymouth and Clark is actually a public right of way. Despite the "No Tresspassing" signs, this is city owned land. Give me a sledge hammer and I'll start blowing a hole through it.

[Chicago Shawn]

Originally Posted by VivaLFuego

...or about 15 miles of nearly uninterrupted mansions along Sheridan Road from Evanston to Lake Bluff, IL, ranging from 100-year old classics to mid-century modern masterpieces (and a few unsightly new malproportioned McMansions starting to crop up....see Kenilworth, especially).

Especially considering this apparently-abandoned house isn't in a well-preserved district (e.g. nearby Castlewood, Hawthorne, etc.), to me it's not too significant a loss in and of itself, aside from being one of the final "nails in the coffin" of Sheridan's complete transformation over the past 50 years.

Agreed 100%. There really is not anything to remarkable about this house to consider it for landmarking, just a typical brick American 4-sqaure. A dime a dozen in other nieghborhoods and many prewar suburbs. The others on Sheridan absolutely deserve landmark status.

5640 Sheridan was approved as a Lakefront Ordianance a while ago, around say April or May. I think all the parking access is from the rear alley, and the parking area positioned in rear of the structure, behind occupied space.

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by Chicago Shawn

Until the aquifers become depleated to the point in which they can longer sustain the population above them, which is already happening throughout the country. Too many people waste potable water on thier manicured turf grass. If folks want a green lawn, then they need to invest in a rain cistern attached to downspouts.

I suppose. Recently, Barrington instituted an even/odd days watering ban when water became low during a summertime drought - it caused quite the uproar.

We pump from our own well behind our house, so we have no such restrictions. We haven't actually watered our lawn in several years, but we do water flowerbeds and the like, and we have a pool that needs a few inches' more water from time to time (initial filling in springtime is done by truck).

I discovered an old cistern buried in front of my house; the previous owners filled it with dirt rather than removing it. We haven't dug it out yet, but if the walls are still intact, we may look into restoring it to its intended function.

[BVictor1]

^ Leave the mansion.

The only thing the tearing down of mansions along this stretch of Sheridan has done is increase it's ugliness. 95% of the highrises along Sheridan from Foster to Devon are detestible. Leave the few that are remaining. Yes, the American 4-square is a dime a dozen acorss the U.S, but not in this neighborhood.

Anyway...

http://www.chicagotribune.com/classi...,2522863.story

Rising expectations
Downtown developers seek ways to lock in buyers


Nirali Shah, a pathologist assistant, is considering buying a condominium in the Park View at River East but is hoping the developer will include more features or cut prices. (Photo for the Tribune by Warren Skalski)

By Susan Diesenhouse | TRIBUNE REPORTER
February 1, 2008

In today's tumultuous housing market, the downtown home buyer is a coveted but delicate creature, much sought after but easily spooked.



The downtown condo market

* During 2008, 6,274 new units will be completed in the downtown area. That is up 50 percent from 2006 deliveries and 100 percent more than 2005, which were two record years.

* Of the units scheduled for completion this year, 1,326 are unsold.

Source: Appraisal Research Counselors

[Eventually...Chicago]

Originally Posted by Mr Downtown

Unfortunately, I do. People tend to take their neighborhoods as they find them, and don't really think about ways they can transform them. So the new residents will just think it's completely natural that they have to use Polk or Roosevelt to go east. They'll think of the fence along Clark as little different from the Metra embankment or the river.

The political calculation is pretty easy. Multiply 2000 new Clark Street residents x small annoyance if they've ever thought about it. Multiply 1400 Dearborn Parkers x fierce opposition to apocalyptic change. No alderman ever went to a public meeting and promised to increase traffic through a neighborhood.

However, i do think that dearborn park's political might will diminish quite rapidly. At the time they moved into the area, they represented the wealthiest people in the south loop. Also, there were not a whole lot of areas to "compete" with them, population-wise. Dearborn park is no longer seen as the most desirable area to live in the south loop and there are a lot more people moving in whose priorities do not include reducing traffic for dearborn park.

I think this is the same reason that X/O is so incredibly important. If it can get built, i think the prairie avenue "community group" will be broken.

Most people i talk to around the south loop favor new building (mostly because we are all newbie's to the area) and take the position that if new,dense construction allowed us to move into the area, it should also allow future people to move into this area.

[VivaLFuego]

Originally Posted by BVictor1

The only thing the tearing down of mansions along this stretch of Sheridan has done is increase it's ugliness. 95% of the highrises along Sheridan from Foster to Devon are detestible.

Really, one of my favorite stretches in Chicago architecturally. To each his own...

[ginsan2]

Who could possibly afford $550,000? The overwhelming majority of people can't foot that kind of mortgage. Yes, maybe Shah the doctor from Atlanta can, but for the rest of us?

Assuming a 30-year traditional mortgage and some downpayment, that's still ~$1,000+ a month not including property taxes. And Chicago has those aplenty.

[VivaLFuego]

Question for Shawn or any of you guys hooked into the DPD circuit:

So Grossinger just got their PD approved to re-use the large showroom building at North/Fremont as an auto showroom; this was their solution to the fact they could never get their PD approved for expansion of their existing facilities at Wells and Scott in the Wells/Old Town pedestrian district.

So the question is: since they're developing this new facility, will they be vacating their old facility on Wells? If so, that's great news; that area is zoned for an FAR of 5.0 which could mean some major density and extension of the "vibrant" part of Wells south all the way to Division. One or two of the existing Grossinger facilities have some pretty nice terracotta facade details (that could be salvaged one way or another, for a new building here or elsewhere), but otherwise this is a very prime redevelopment site for some urbanity worthy of its location. Of course, if it's redeveloped it would probably be another Planned Development, furthering the meaninglessness of our city's zoning code, but whatever...

[honte]

^ The existing building on that site with terracotta "Gothic Deco" details was designed by Roy France, who left Chicago shortly thereafter and became one of the most prominent designers of Art Deco hotels on Miami Beach. Many, if not all, of his Miami buildings are protected landmarks. The facade of that one building, at a minimum, should not be taken down.

I agree that the site overall would make a great candidate for good urban infill. Hopefully something with good design to balance out the junk highrises over there. It could be a highrise, and the France auto garage could become ... the garage. Just one idea of many possible good solutions.

[aaron38]

Originally Posted by ginsan2

Who could possibly afford $550,000? The overwhelming majority of people can't foot that kind of mortgage. Yes, maybe Shah the doctor from Atlanta can, but for the rest of us?

A working couple with a combined salary of $180,000 could swing that fairly easily. But mostly, you're not looking at first time home buyers, but people who bought 20 years ago, have their home paid off, and are selling their existing house for $400,000.