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  #15161  
Old Posted Mar 27, 2012, 5:03 PM
Rizzo Rizzo is offline
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Originally Posted by emathias View Post
I recognize the necessity of some parking (look how much Midtown in New York has - a lot) but I wish it would be situated as far from the Red Line as possible. It's just so moronic to allow big parking garages literally next door to a station on the city's busiest line.

Edit: Unless you mean across Magnolia on that surface lot - that would actually be perfectly fine with me. You could probably put a 350-400 car garage on that site without building taller than the Uptown, which would at least take a good dent out of the parking demand, if not actually fill it.
This is one of those very rare times I'd actually be in favor of a garage...IF that is what it takes for Uptown and neighboring venues to be more successful. We should rarely be encouraging it, since it may be too tempting for area workers and residents that already use transit. But I have really no options for out of town visitors that just want to see a concert and head back home. Downtown has a competitive advantage to that since there's plenty of event parking.

The garage could be shared among venues on that lot by the Lawrence station. It could also be constructed to support residential on top for future development. Throw some retail in the base, and I think you've got a pretty good solution.
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  #15162  
Old Posted Mar 27, 2012, 5:09 PM
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Originally Posted by Via Chicago View Post
If they were to keep the seats and book comedy/music acts, theyd be basically be competing directly with/cannibalizing the Chicago Theater (their stage isnt big enough for theater, either).
I think this is exactly what they want to do.
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  #15163  
Old Posted Mar 27, 2012, 5:12 PM
aic4ever aic4ever is offline
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Originally Posted by Nowhereman1280 View Post
^^^ Perhaps they could strike a deal with the owners of the old Aon offices down the street to use that massive garage to additional capacity (valet or whatever), it's only like 3 blocks away.

Though I would prefer a garage on one of the huge parking lots to the east of there to the parking lots that are there now. It would really knock down the pressures that make the other lots in the area so appealing to their owners. Make parking cheaper and less profitable and you'll see some of those parking lots redevelop.



Yeah, I just threw that number out there without really thinking about it. However, it is definitely a gut job. The spec sheet I have on the property shows the average unit size is about 300 SF which is insane. Guess how many units are in the building? 376, now that's density.

You'd have to blast out AT LEAST every other wall though it would probably be easier just to take it down to the structure and start over from the concrete. However, even if we were to assume a high end renovation at like $75/SF I'm only getting around $10,000,000 in renovation costs:

The total square footage of the building is 112,423 SF so if we multiply that by $75/SF we get just under $8,500,000 and if we estimate $100/SF its still only $11,250,000...

I could be completely off in my estimates, but I doubt a reasonably high end residential build out is going to venture much beyond $100/SF unless you start getting into slathering the interior in stone and ultra high end finishes (Viking Appliances and the likes)...
I think a lot of it would have to do with MEP systems. I think you are assuming those aren't getting touched.
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  #15164  
Old Posted Mar 27, 2012, 5:18 PM
Baronvonellis Baronvonellis is offline
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The city just built a parking garage 2 blocks south at Truman College that could be used for concerts at night. As mentioned there is also an empty parking garage 3 blocks north where Aon used to be. I don't think there is much need for more parking. I don't think the demand is that high anyway, because whenever I go to the Green Mill I can always find a meter spot on broadway within 2 blocks of Lawrence and Broadway.

There had been plans to build a tower at the parking lot across from the Aragon before the crash. I think that should be used for TOD if anything should be built there, not a huge parking deck.

Hell there aren't any giant parking garages at Wrigley either, and people from the burbs still manage to get to the game ok. Both places benefit from having a redline stop practically next door.
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  #15165  
Old Posted Mar 27, 2012, 5:32 PM
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J_M_Tungsten J_M_Tungsten is offline
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Bad pics but small west side updates

Today
Costco on Ashland and 15th


Police station on 14th and Blue Island
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  #15166  
Old Posted Mar 27, 2012, 7:45 PM
OrdoSeclorum OrdoSeclorum is offline
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Originally Posted by Via Chicago View Post
If they were to keep the seats and book comedy/music acts, theyd be basically be competing directly with/cannibalizing the Chicago Theater (their stage isnt big enough for theater, either).
I read an article in the Trib a few years a ago that Chicago actually could use several more stages like this. There's demand for several Wicked/Spamalot/Book of Mormon type shows at once, but they really don't have enough places to go. They need a big stage and also a big seating area--but not too big. Some places that might accommodate these productions have some scheduling commitments that can't be worked around.
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  #15167  
Old Posted Mar 27, 2012, 8:46 PM
Nowhereman1280 Nowhereman1280 is offline
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They should blow out the back wall of the stage along Lawrence and make a cantilevered extension over the street/sidewalk to accommodate the back stage facilities and then take everything that is there for backstage now and expand the stage into it...

Since they are working with the city they don't exactly have to treat any border of the site as concrete...
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  #15168  
Old Posted Mar 27, 2012, 9:10 PM
Rizzo Rizzo is offline
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Originally Posted by Nowhereman1280 View Post
They should blow out the back wall of the stage along Lawrence and make a cantilevered extension over the street/sidewalk to accommodate the back stage facilities and then take everything that is there for backstage now and expand the stage into it...

Since they are working with the city they don't exactly have to treat any border of the site as concrete...
They may be working with the city..but the city isn't that easy. There aren't too many buildings that cantilever or build out over sidewalks around town, with the exceptions of buildings victim of street widening or canopies and signage. Not arguing that it isn't possible (anything is possible) but I'm imagining the last thing zoning wants to do is set a precedent like this.

I don't have any knowledge of the Uptown's stage shape or size, so I can't offer any other solutions other than to what you propose, though I'd hope there would be an alternative before going to extremes.
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  #15169  
Old Posted Mar 27, 2012, 11:22 PM
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Hell there aren't any giant parking garages at Wrigley either, and people from the burbs still manage to get to the game ok. Both places benefit from having a redline stop practically next door.
That's because we either park 10 blocks away or in someone's garage off an alley - which people wouldn't do for a small concert.
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  #15170  
Old Posted Mar 28, 2012, 1:24 AM
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I wonder if comparing Wrigley to a concert venue is really all that similar. Going to a baseball game is kind of an all day event, it's worth parking in a distant commuter lot or downtown and taking the EL Personally, I'd stick around the neighborhood before or after a couple hour long concert, but I wonder how many others would too. If I lived in the burbs, and I wanted to see my favorite band playing at the Uptown, I'd drive straight there. I'm going to expect residential streets to be crowded, or perhaps be permit only, so I'd be hoping to find a garage.

If the demand is already there down the street...excellent. Open up those garages and advertise it as event parking.

Shit, if egotistic..whatever his name is was here he'd be having a field day in this discussion lol
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  #15171  
Old Posted Mar 28, 2012, 1:27 AM
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Originally Posted by Nowhereman1280 View Post
They should blow out the back wall of the stage along Lawrence and make a cantilevered extension over the street/sidewalk to accommodate the back stage facilities and then take everything that is there for backstage now and expand the stage into it...

Since they are working with the city they don't exactly have to treat any border of the site as concrete...
I'd prefer they did this at the Chicago Theatre - it makes sense to have a coherent theatre district instead of one big outlier in Uptown. The Uptown Theatre is a better match for music and comedy, which are less likely to draw people from out of town than a Broadway show.

It's not like Lake St is the world's greatest pedestrian experience, anyway, and the parking lane is awful because of the L structure. I don't know how much extra depth is required, though - if it's more than 12' or so, you would run into the L columns. But practically, either cantilever over the sidewalk if possible or close the parking lane and re-route the sidewalk around the building extension.

The other option is to encourage construction of a new theater downtown. There aren't very many vacant sites available that would be large enough, but there are a small handful. The Goodman was deliberately built with small auditoriums so Broadway shows would go somewhere else. Merle Reskin is an option, though.
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  #15172  
Old Posted Mar 28, 2012, 3:49 AM
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Lake Street isn't the backstage end of the Chicago. The back stage abuts another building which would have to be purchased and gutted like what happened at the Oriental. I'm sure Madison Square Garden will do that eventually, the Chicago is due for a real restoration anyway - starting to look ragged at the seams after more than 25 years since major overhaul. Probably the Chicago will do that and start booking more big stage shows and more of the music will move toward Uptown.

One of the Uptown schemes a number of years ago called for pushing out the stage wall into the street - remember this isn't just a blank wall, it's a real facade, so you can't just tear it down and rebuild. You'd be eliminating the sidewalk on that side and narrowing the street. Remember you'd have all kinds of utility relocations and the like with that approach. So you start to question if it's worth the probable millions for a few feet of stage depth. And cantilever doesn't make any sense since stages are pretty much always at grade level for load-in. There's no 'backstage' per se, just wings.
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  #15173  
Old Posted Mar 28, 2012, 4:05 AM
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^^ Seems you're right. Even better! That little building at Lake/Wabash is a prime infill site. It's a nice old building but nothing extraordinary.

On a related topic: has City Colleges ever considered monetizing the Harold Washington College site? It's easily the ugliest, most offensive building in the Loop, and it's a prime site that's very under-utilized. Look at the acrobatics that M&R is doing to squeeze in a tower on a L-shaped site a block away.

CCC could make a deal with a developer to integrate into a new tower, or they could sell the land outright and move into a West Loop spec building that offers cheap space while still being transit-accessible. Rahm seems to have grand plans for the City Colleges, and transformation plans take money.
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  #15174  
Old Posted Mar 28, 2012, 4:51 AM
Rizzo Rizzo is offline
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I think any sort of cantilevered addition to the Uptown would inflate costs out of control...not just the engineering portion of it, but because it would command good design since it would be a prominent feature. As BWChicago pointed out, I was also curious if the stage was at the same elevation as the sidewalk.

They should start doing tours to fund the renovation. Charge admission and sign a waiver. I'd pay $10-15 to tour the inside.
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  #15175  
Old Posted Mar 28, 2012, 11:43 AM
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DePaul arena

Quote:
http://www.csnchicago.com/ncaa/news/...786&feedID=630

DePaul looking to build new arena, land Chicago area stars

March 27, 2012

DePaul University, seeking to continue upgrading its men’s basketball program, has developed a strategic plan that involves building a new arena near the school’s Lincoln Park campus. The plan requires approval from the university’s board of trustees and will be on the agenda for its May meeting.

If approved it will allow the university to hire the necessary consultants to prepare a feasibility study, which is the first step in planning the construction of an arena that is expected to seat between 10,000-12,000 fans. There are two parcels of land that have long been rumored as potential sites for a new DePaul arena including the Finkl Steel property which is walking distance from the DePaul campus. Also on the potential list of sites is a property that has housed the Morton Salt Company on Elston Avenue near both the Kennedy Expressway and the Chicago River.............
...
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  #15176  
Old Posted Mar 28, 2012, 2:57 PM
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^About time. Hopefully DePaul goes for something a bit more daring than a brick arena designed by Antunovich.
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  #15177  
Old Posted Mar 28, 2012, 3:12 PM
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Originally Posted by Hayward View Post
They should start doing tours to fund the renovation. Charge admission and sign a waiver. I'd pay $10-15 to tour the inside.
Ive always wondered why they dont do this. Maybe theres liability issues but I really think if more people got to see the guts of the place it would go a long ways towards raising awareness. Its amazing how many people you run into who have never even heard of it.
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  #15178  
Old Posted Mar 28, 2012, 3:12 PM
Rizzo Rizzo is offline
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Hire SHoP for the arena!
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  #15179  
Old Posted Mar 28, 2012, 3:19 PM
Rizzo Rizzo is offline
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Ive always wondered why they dont do this. Maybe theres liability issues but I really think if more people got to see the guts of the place it would go a long ways towards raising awareness. Its amazing how many people you run into who have never even heard of it.
You would think liability is an issue but it's not so as long as you can show inspectors the building is safe and debris won't be falling. The building is insured, but tour participants would have to sign waivers. This is how it's been done for abandoned building tours in Detroit
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  #15180  
Old Posted Mar 28, 2012, 3:30 PM
Nowhereman1280 Nowhereman1280 is offline
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^About time. Hopefully DePaul goes for something a bit more daring than a brick arena designed by Antunovich.
Oh god I hope they do. Nothing would be worse than Gentile Center south...

It would be awesome if they located it at the new North/Fullerton/Elston intersection. In fact, I'd be willing to be they'll go after the vacant land that will be created along the river there for their new arena. In any case this is an awesome opportunity to add a beautiful new asset not just to their school, but to the city as well. They'll undoubtably want to use this arena for more than just bball and school events so hopefully it can become a new concert venue or something to bring "arena rock" style shows that are currently held out at the Allstate into the city...
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