CHICAGO | 108 North State (Block 37)

[VivaLFuego]

A movie theater in the base and a hotel tower above would do wonders for the vitality of the project.

The new theater at Roosevelt Collection is going gangbusters with traffic. There is ample demand to support a downtown multiplex if they could work out the red tape contractual issues and developer financing issues that made the deal with Muvico go into a holding pattern.

[cbotnyse]

Originally Posted by Nowhereman1280

Exactly the point I've been trying to make. On top of the fact that most chains are national there, any that aren't national are just hole in the wall souvenir stands that sell ludicrously over priced zinc statues of the ESB and Statue of Liberty. How is that not "largely useless" Cbotnyse?

Could the design of B37 have been better? Obviously. Is the design as it is now "largely useless" hell no. Seriously though Cbotnyse, explain to me what you mean by that and present some sort of evidence showing how a huge mall with a pedway and office tower and future hotel and residential towers is "largely useless". Is Water Tower Place "largely useless"? Is 900 N Michigan "largely useless"?

what evidence do you want besides me telling you I'll never have a need to go there? You cant claim the development is a success just because they built something. There is nothing unique about the content of the mall, a theater is nice, but not largely needed. River North, Streeterville and south loop residents all have a theater they can go to. The office and hotel are all well and good, but I think this site deserved something more. Something unique in the way of urban design and architecture. Anything to make it less forgettable.

Something like a dow jones news ticker, or a statue like the Prometheus at Rockefeller Center, or some kind of urban art, or a futuristic video screen. oh thats right, they already f'ed that up on the west side of the building. Hell, how about a statue of Daniel Burnham!

I'm just disappointed the design isnt move inviting, there is nothing that draws you in. Its just there.

[GregBear24]

^ Not to mention the CTA is more than $250 million in the hole from the underground project. It's insane the costs associated with developing anything for public use in this city.

This project just shocks me because for so many years everyone has talked about developing block 37, and I thought after waiting so long there would be something to be proud of here. This is the last place in chicago you would take a friend or relative from out of town, and it's in the heart of the city- that's disappointing to say the least. A park- although I'd rather have great development- would've at least been better, more useful, and not cause the cta to cut service to people who need it due to the loss they took on this thing. An outdoor movie theater would've been a better use of tax dollars than a white elephant cta station that'll never get funding to be completed and be used by high speed rail that won't ever happen.

[spyguy]

http://www.chicagorealestatedaily.co...ws.pl?id=37298

Block 37 receiver in talks with Muvico
By Eddie Baeb, March 03, 2010

The receiver running Block 37 has approached Muvico in hopes of salvaging a deal for the upscale movie theater, while another high-profile prospect, burlesque-style dinner theater Teatro ZinZanni, is now looking elsewhere.

...obtained lease proposals from two additional retailers: the Disney Store and Italian restaurant chain Vapiano.

[shaberko]

"The CEO of Vapiano’s U.S. arm says he was told he was prevented from locating at Block 37 because of the mall’s lease with Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises Inc., which has been working to operate a food court and restaurant on the mall’s third floor. Construction of that space has been halted.

"Ms. Hollan, the court-appointed receiver who took over the project in January, declines to comment, says a local CB Richard Ellis spokeswoman."


What a mess! The curse lives.

[left of center]

holy crap, this project just doesnt want to get completed, does it? too many disturbed indian graves must lie underneath the foundation...

[Busy Bee]

Originally Posted by GregBear24

...would've been a better use of tax dollars than a white elephant cta station that'll never get funding to be completed and be used by high speed rail that won't ever happen.

A high speed airport train will happen—it just won't run on the blue line and won't use this B37 station. Essentially, the CTA just dropped 250 mill on a mid-Loop Blue Line-Red Line crossover track, that passes thru a big concrete shell.

The notion of an express airport train running on the blue line was silly to begin with. All the obstacles of the L structure lack of express track to limited space on the Kennedy median for passing tracks... it seems any person with some sense and a propensity to envision things, let a lone a qualified transport planner, could tell that a blue line express train would never be a successful operation. It would have been no more an express train than when they had the train-to-the-plane in NYC. Its still just a subway train—its not getting you to and from the airport in 10 minutes like so many other global cities seem to be able to. The solution is a EMU trainset running on a course of dedicated track paralleling or branching off of Metra UP-NW or MD-W through Elmwood Park or somehow median run out of O'Hare and fly onto UP-NW or MD-N around Jeff. Park.

[nomarandlee]

Do you think eventually the alternative of the Union Station --> NCS line --> O'Hare will come to fruition or you thinking something else?

[VivaLFuego]

Interestingly, an airport service that had remote check-in, baggage tagging, and some integration with local hotels (i.e. to deal with van transportation to/from B37) could support itself operationally, but there's still the question of where the capital dollars for the facilities could possibly come from.

[Busy Bee]

nomarandlee, I'd like to think so. We are talking 10 years out minimum, but in 2000 could you even imagine what we'd see in 2010? A lot can happen in 10 years with political will and a nice purse of split infrastructure bonds/USDOT $.

[ardecila]

What DO we see in 2010 that was unimaginable in 2000? There's a new Pink Line, but it added virtually no new tracks. The Brown Line has... nicer stations?

There seems to be solid political backing for 110mph HSR service, but I remember the St. Louis line being discussed 12 or 13 years ago. It seemed like a done deal then, too. I'll believe it when I see it.

[Busy Bee]

^I wasn't speaking transport specific. It was more in terms of urban development and rejuvenation in Chicago—not to mention our climb towards world class city status through a number of economic(tourism, finance, real estate) and cultural(Olympic, albeit failed, bid, Obama, etc.) factors.

[ardecila]

Oh. Well, you specifically mentioned infrastructure bonds and USDOT grants, what was I supposed to think? Yes, the city has changed greatly since 2000, obviously.

[ChicagoChicago]

Originally Posted by VivaLFuego

Interestingly, an airport service that had remote check-in, baggage tagging, and some integration with local hotels (i.e. to deal with van transportation to/from B37) could support itself operationally, but there's still the question of where the capital dollars for the facilities could possibly come from.

A hotel in the loop directly off of an airport shuttle that can run 70mph would take about 15 minutes to get to O'Hare. If the TSA gives the ability to remote check-in, you're talking about a whole other level of people that would consider the service and certainly hotels would be willing to pay for the convenience.

[a chicago bearcat]

god Chicago is sounding like every other midwestern city that b*tche$ about everything, even when something is going in the right direction.

What is the deal? We're still a world class city, and we finally filled a hole in our urban fabric. We are close to finishing a restoration of a Louis Sullivan masterpiece (whose office space is 80% leased), our Beaux Arts former hospital is being saved AND redeveloped, just to name a few bright spots.

Don't let the slow development of this project get our hopes down. It is still renting retail space in a recession (or a "jobless" recovery).

So I'm with busy bee.

Although after the last few Daley fiasco's I'd like to see a change at the top.

[george]

3-19-10

[spyguy]

The best seat in town

[J_M_Tungsten]

Originally Posted by spyguy

I wish they would have finished the screens as it was originally planned, then it definitely would have been the best seat in town!

[george]

3-19

[left of center]

Originally Posted by spyguy

The best seat in town

so.... is this the end product from CBS? i know that they've reduced the original size of the screen and all, but do they plan on covering up the empty space with something? or do they plan to keep the exposed pipes and junction boxes out in the open in such a high profile intersection?