CHICAGO | General Developments

[Tom Servo]

wow, that's amazingly bad! and what would happen with IO?

[Marcu]

^ Kind of has that should be near Minute Maid Park in Houston look to it.

[Tom Servo]

Originally Posted by Marcu

^ Kind of has that should be near Minute Maid Park in Houston look to it.

yeah, they might as well call this 'lofts at the ballpark'

[NYC2ATX]

ignore.

[VivaLFuego]

I dunno, it's an improvement over the parking lot it will replace. And the ugly architecture is the result of the "community", not the developer/architect who wanted to build a ~25 story glass highrise.

[BVictor1]

I couldn't help myself:

http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/...back-nata.html
Burt's back: Natarus now lobbying City Hall

Posted by Dan Mihalopoulos at 4:30 a.m.

Former 42nd Ward Ald. Burton Natarus is officially back at Chicago City Hall –-- this time as a lobbyist for a real estate developer.

Natarus has remained a frequent visitor to the halls of local power in the year since he grudgingly closed his 36-year run as the City Council's most talkative member. On at least one occasion, he appeared in the glass-enclosed spectators' balcony of the council chambers during a meeting, grinning and waving down to his former colleagues.

[Marcu]

Originally Posted by VivaLFuego

I dunno, it's an improvement over the parking lot it will replace. And the ugly architecture is the result of the "community", not the developer/architect who wanted to build a ~25 story glass highrise.

I would almost rather take some standard Chicago three flats over this proposal even if that does result in less density. Who knows. Maybe it'll turn out better than the rendering suggests.

[Taft]

Originally Posted by AdrianXSands

wow, that's amazingly bad! and what would happen with IO?

Wayyyyyyyyy too high of standards, dude.

Density? Good.
Replacing fugly billboards and parking? Great.
Architecture? Meh.

Good + Great + Meh = a good development in my book.

Taft

[Ch.G, Ch.G]

Originally Posted by VivaLFuego

I dunno, it's an improvement over the parking lot it will replace. And the ugly architecture is the result of the "community", not the developer/architect who wanted to build a ~25 story glass highrise.

Although it's built at a smaller scale, Center on Halsted managed to be quite glassy and modern only a few blocks away.

[Nowhereman1280]

^^^ You know what, I'm glad that everything that gets built is not glassy and modern, do you know how shitty this city would be if everything that we built was a glass box? Didn't we learn our lesson after people started rejecting glass boxes after the 60's and 70's that a city full of only glass boxes leads to a sterile, empty, inhuman street scape? Sure this architecture is "meh" but guess what, so is the architecture of 90% of the buildings in this city. You need all the Meh so the good ones stand out. Its just like the glass boxes, the reason Mies was so shocking at the time was not because it was a glass box, but because it was a glass box in a sea of brick buildings.

Then everyone copied Mies and now the common person often laments a Mies buildings because everyone dumbed down the message of Mies. Maybe we need some more cement crap to make the glass stand out again?

Another example of this, the new army surplus store on Belmont, its completely stainless steel, and blows you away when you see it. Why? Because its a shiny wall in the middle of a bunch of brown and beige. If there was a whole row of those buildings, then it would look just as Meh as this building does...

[Taft]

^^^ ++++

What he said.

Taft

[BWChicago]

Green Exchange/Cooper Lamps/Vassar Swiss Underwear Building

Originally Posted by BWChicago

Something has always looked kinda off to me about the tower, namely the signage part. Like they remodeled it in the 30s with ashlar terra cotta or something... it just doesn't seem to fit in.

Looks like I was right about this; there is scaffolding up and the terra cotta has been removed, revealing what appears to be an old clock face flanked by a pair of pilasters on either side. This could look great restored - It gives it a more Arts and Crafts kinda feel- I hope they can alter their signage proposal to fit the clock face. The parapet looks a bit different, too. Below is a shot I took from my windshield (I was a passenger)

Now:

Before:

Rendering:

[Chicago3rd]

Originally Posted by Taft

Wayyyyyyyyy too high of standards, dude.

Density? Good.
Replacing fugly billboards and parking? Great.
Architecture? Meh.

Good + Great + Meh = a good development in my book.

Taft

Its not high enough...being that it is located next to the el and two major bus routes. Density bubbles need to be created around all such prime public transportation cores throughout the whole city.

[Taft]

Originally Posted by Chicago3rd

Its not high enough...being that it is located next to the el and two major bus routes. Density bubbles need to be created around all such prime public transportation cores throughout the whole city.

Hey, I agree with you. And (to an extent) I agree with Adrian as well.

But my wishes and the reality of the world are rarely the same. Given that, I look at developments like this as a stepping stone to the reality I would like to see.

Is it perfect? Nope. Does it have to be to make a positive impact on the city? No way.

Taft

[Tom Servo]

but will it replace the IO building??? if so then i'm %100 against this; if not, then whatever. the density is a nice addition.

[VivaLFuego]

Originally Posted by Chicago3rd

Its not high enough...being that it is located next to the el and two major bus routes. Density bubbles need to be created around all such prime public transportation cores throughout the whole city.

Again, blame the tyrannical community and their representative alderman....the developer wanted to build a 250+ ft glass tower with twice as much residential density as currently proposed in addition to the hotel.

[the urban politician]

Suburban rail acquisition likely to meet little federal opposition
By: Bob Tita May 02, 2008
(Crain’s) — Canadian National Railway Co.’s planned purchase of a suburban rail route is expected to face few obstacles from federal regulators, industry observers say.

[BWChicago]

Originally Posted by AdrianXSands

but will it replace the IO building??? if so then i'm %100 against this; if not, then whatever. the density is a nice addition.

As posted in November, these properties encompass Pizza-ria!, Red Ivy, Mullen's, Goose Island, Salt & Pepper Diner, Improv Olympic, Bar Louie, a smallish souvenir shop, Starbucks, and 7-11.

[wrab]

Originally Posted by BVictor1

I couldn't help myself:

http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/...back-nata.html
Burt's back: Natarus now lobbying City Hall
.....

No surprise there! Pretty funny, though.

Originally Posted by AdrianXSands

Time was, these high-profile corner buildings would put exclamation points at the intersections; I'm still waiting for a modern take on the old turret buildings.

[Tom Servo]

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