CHICAGO | 400 N Lake Shore Drive | 851 FT & 765 FT | 73 & ? FLOORS

[nomarandlee]

I hope the other river gateway by Magellan in LE will step up its game now. I wasn't as particular when the plan was for 875ft for that site but something OCD in me just pangs for an approximate symmetry of height between the two river gateway river towers.

I'm realist enough to figure that Magellan will have no compulsion to add height for the skylines aesthetic sake but perhaps ego and marketing will want them to compete with the Related Towers and increase their height somehow? Can only hope.

......Also, agree with the one, or few, who said that for the base at 400 LSD site I would like to see some pedestrian cut-through between the two towers in order to reach DuSable Park. The base looks like it would remind one of a fortress from LSD. Really my only major complaint.

Also at least initially it looks like from the early plans they aren't promising to oversell Dusable Park. It just looks...finished. Which is good enough for me. I never understood the hope and promise for what will always be a very isolated park. We don't have to make it Millenium Park II which was what the CS seemed to promise it at times.

[phanta721]

A gateway worthy of Gondor

http://www.chicagotribune.com/busine...515-story.html

http://www.ward42chicago.com/documen...ToAlderman.pdf

[JMKeynes]

SPECTACULAR!!!!

[10023]

The only way you’re going to get a better base than this along LSD is if they deck it over and connect the amenities deck to DuSable Park. Which would be cool, but it’s not going to happen.

Maybe in a hundred years they can tunnel LSD under the river, and just retain the existing bridge and bridgehouses as a pedestrian/bicycle crossing over the river.

[Notyrview]

I wanted to sleep on this before i responded and I think it's ok in a very conservative, masculine way. I would have chosen a younger architect with a totally different POV, and the promo video is a bit like watching a behind-the-scenes Republican party ad (no women, no POC), but I can't deny that it succeeds in complementing the skyline. I really like the angle of each building as though it's a gateway to the city. My biggest complaint is that the shorter tower is too squat. It's not he height that bothers me but the width. If they don't use terra cotta, it will be a failure.

[nomarandlee]

A bit off topic but.....From anyone's recollection do they remember if the new bike bridge over the river arriving 2040 will have on/off ramps down to Dusable Park?

[Notyrview]

Man, the city should really make that a priority. The current crossing is such a cluster fk.

[ardecila]

Love these towers. IMO, far better than the generic East Asian thing proposed for the Tribune site. The cascade of setbacks and terraces mark it as a distinctively American skyscraper.

Admittedly, it does feel a little more New York than Chicago. Our classic skyscrapers were mostly Sullivanian boxes, with a soaring vertical shaft and proud cornice. Other classic Chicago buildings had a tall boxy base with a skinny tower rising above. We didn't really have the same wedding-cake buildings that New York architects produced to comply with their 1916 zoning code. On the other hand, our classic skyscrapers were all commercial. Residential skyscrapers are a relatively new thing, there is no design language for them that is uniquely Chicago so I don't mind borrowing from another great American city, especially if it resolves the balcony problem that so many residential towers struggle with.

As for the planning concerns - I'm not too disappointed that they're planning to dead-end North Water Street. The Riverwalk and the paths along Ogden Slip are, or should be, the primary pedestrian corridors and the locus of any retail/dining in this area. North Water Street is mostly about vehicular access and loading docks. By blocking off the street in this way, it caps the vista down the street and buffers noise from LSD in a way that should make neighbors happy. With that being said, I'm sure the Fire Dept will insist on some kind of vehicular access to DuSable Park in case of emergency, either they will demand that the street be restored or the Riverwalk be designed as a fire lane.

I'm also curious to see what happens to the ramps off Lower LSD that Kelleher paid for. Will they just go directly into 400LSD's parking garage with no public purpose? (Those could also provide emergency access to the park for ambulance/fire apparatus.)

[nomarandlee]

Would someone mind lifting the renders we have and putting them on page 1?

[VKChaz]

Originally Posted by streetline

I like the towers a lot, but I'm less enthused with the podium joining them.

I can see why they'd want the shared outdoor space for amenities, and to block noise from LSD, but it really closes off the site, and thus DuSable Park, more than I'd like.

It's not even 100% clear from the renderings that there will be riverwalk on the north Ogden slip side as well as the south river side, and that seems like it ought to be mandatory to me.

I wonder if they might be convinced to open up the bottom couple of floors of the podium into a wide passageway reminiscent of the Wrigley Building, and retain the top floors as a large skybridge. That way they could retain the shared amenities and roof deck, while also touching the ground more lightly and creating more flow through the site to DuSable Park.

The area under the skybridge between towers, with the porte cochere to the west, the towers' lobbies to the north and south, and a path to DuSable park to the east could be a really unique space. The skybridge could serve to shelter people being picked up and dropped off from the weather, and block the noise from the elevated LSD, as well as providing a really grand gateway to the lakefront (as opposed to the less than grand utilitarian impression LSD gives alone).

Yes, some opening would help perspective on both sides IMO. And this larger building footprint makes the design of the walk that much more important to effectively link the park and city. I don't know how much effort the City would put into this location, but I think a good walkway and park-linking design could "celebrate" the bridge/roadway and passing underneath.
Certainly not an exact comparison, but the Lake Point Tower podium inhibited development of a better gateway experience between Navy Pier and the city but instead served to create a wall between them. Something I would like to see avoided.

[maru2501]

nice job, Gebs

yeah that is starting to look a little Shanghai right there

OCS will be off to the right too, hopefully..

[harryc]

Originally Posted by nomarandlee

A bit off topic but.....From anyone's recollection do they remember if the new bike bridge over the river arriving 2040 will have on/off ramps down to Dusable Park?

Not at all off topic - and yes

[harryc]

Originally Posted by VKChaz

Yes, some opening would help perspective on both sides IMO. And this larger building footprint makes the design of the walk that much more important to effectively link the park and city. I don't know how much effort the City would put into this location, but I think a good walkway and park-linking design could "celebrate" the bridge/roadway and passing underneath.
Certainly not an exact comparison, but the Lake Point Tower podium inhibited development of a better gateway experience between Navy Pier and the city but instead served to create a wall between them. Something I would like to see avoided.

Related said they would do it - putting it as a major boost to the hood. n.b. the green space along the western edge, although the dog pooping area seems to be gone.

[VKChaz]

Originally Posted by Notyrview

Man, the city should really make that a priority. The current crossing is such a cluster fk.

Maybe the city could install a barrier short term to separate the roadway. Or, if cyclists would walk when pedestrians are present? Something should be different.

[Steely Dan]

via Imgflip Meme Generator

[rgolch]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

via Imgflip Meme Generator

LOL!!!

That pretty much nails it!

So looking at the video again. For a project this size, 300 condo units aren't that many to sell. What's more, if you notice, those setbacks seem to give rise to some spectacular terraces. Which, in my opinion, would make those units some of the most desirable in the city. I really think this project has a great shot at getting off the ground; at this point probably better than the Tribune addition.

[maru2501]

Originally Posted by nomarandlee

A bit off topic but.....From anyone's recollection do they remember if the new bike bridge over the river arriving 2040 will have on/off ramps down to Dusable Park?

2040 ??

whoa, hold on. Let's not rush this

[MakeChicagoGreatAgai]

Looks fantastic. Much better than the spire but the fan proposal that titled over lsd looked better. Hope it gets built.

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by Via Chicago

people seem to be glossing over the use of terra cotta. whats the last building of this size that even utilized it? of course thats probably the first thing that will get VE'd in a couple years.

Both 111 W. 57th and One Vanderbilt, along with other towers are using it in NY.

I think this is a nice design that finally brings some closure to this site.

[Halsted & Villagio]

I would just add that the Tribune Tower may not be as distinctive due to its relatively simple shape and design (albeit a shape not present in our skyline)... and TT is probably not as beautiful 400 LSD... but the silhouette of TT, the way that it will look on gray days or breaking through the clouds will add another ominous, imposing, almost menacing dimension that is scantly reminiscent of our dominant dark towers like Sears and Hancock. I don't believe you will get that with 400 LSD which is almost tame by comparison.

400 LSD is more beautiful. 400 LSD looks more fun. 400 LSD is a more complex design. 400 LSD will be more interesting to study up close. But when looking at the skyline as a whole, Tribune Tower may have the greater impact.