CHICAGO | Marquee at Block 37 | 400 FT | 38 FLOORS

[bcp]

^ yeah...this could be a very cool documentary on tight-site construction....

[harryc]

Mat pour in progress today.

[SamInTheLoop]

^ Yep, noticed the concrete pump in the core up and at work.....

[munchymunch]

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/reale...en-in-block-37

Dallas-based Dave & Buster's Entertainment is coming to a 30,000-square-foot space on the fourth floor of the shopping mall at State and Randolph streets, next to a movie theater coming to the property, according to people familiar with the company's plans.

The deal is part of a wave of entertainment-focused projects sprouting downtown and on the North Side, as an improving economy inspires families and businesses to start spending money again at such complexes.

Bowling, bocce and banquet firm Pinstripes is coming to Streeterville, while the Clybourn Corridor is getting a new bowling alley and skydiving facility.

At Block 37, Dave & Buster's can try to attract students, tourists and Loop residents, said Barry Schain, head of Chicago real estate and entertainment consultancy Wabash Associates. The Loop location also positions it to cater to the scores of companies that fill the office towers surrounding the mall, a lucrative clientele, he added.

[the urban politician]

^ At first I was concerned that the Dave & Buster's was going to replace the Latinicity, which would have been a bummer. But D & B's is on the 4th floor while Latinicity is on the 3rd floor, so they will actually both be opening.

D & B's is not particularly exciting for me, but if it at least generates some traffic then that's a good thing.

[wierdaaron]

So at this point we're looking at:

• Latinicity
• Bowling alley
• AMC movie theater with food
• Dave & Busters

All of those things require a lot of space. They're all still coming? Or did D&B replace one of those?

If those are all still on the way, that's quite a bit of new entertainment to hit the loop at one address. Plus the 700 new apartments... this building is going from to in 5 years.

[SamInTheLoop]

^ Room for all. I think leasable floor area is maybe 70-75k sf per floor. Space where D&B is going was previously slated for a gym (forget the chain).....one of many deals apparently that Stone Real Estate (local leasing agent before RKF came on) just couldn't get done......

[wierdaaron]

Oh right, the gym. I never liked that idea. There are other gyms nearby, and I like the huge available space of B37 being used for things that couldn't be anywhere else in the city without new construction.

[Tom Servo]

Originally Posted by wierdaaron

So at this point we're looking at:

• Latinicity
• Bowling alley
• AMC movie theater with food
• Dave & Busters

Oof! Man, now that's some world-class entertainment right there! D+B AND an AMC?!

...

What an embarrassment B37 has been since day one! Bring back Skate on State!

[J_M_Tungsten]

I mean most everyone like movies, but a Dave and Busters? Oof is right Tom.

[the urban politician]

^ I don't mind the idea of D & B, my problem is that the video games are way overpriced

[aaron38]

D&B did host one of the best corporate parties we've ever had. It's fun for big groups. Especially when everything is free.

[wierdaaron]

Pretty coincident timing with D&B just releasing financial results showing a profit for the first time in a while. They're changing corporate strategies a bit and are on an expansion spree.

http://www.dailyfinance.com/2014/12/...und-this-time/

Video games is a growing market, and they're practically the only player in the retail amusement space that's surviced this far.

I don't know how their north side location performs, but it's not really in the middle of an employment hub or a tourism center. I'm pretty bullish on this one, but I think the name itself comes with a lot of baggage. They might have better luck if they rebranded for the location like Target and Walmart did, and like bowling alleys kind of reimage as a more modern and urbane venue and not typical suburb copy-paste locations. Call it Metrocade by D&B or something.

B37 was in a bit of a unique position, being able to offer up entire pre-built, city-block sized floors in an booming market. I wonder what other concepts that require a lot of space they tried to pitch to customers. Indoor go-karts? Paintball? Car dealerships? Gyms, obviously. Maybe Bass Pro Shops and other offbeat mall anchors. I wonder if they talked to high end private schools like GEMS.

[Tom Servo]

evilp from Crain's

D&B is tacky. I think Block 37 and New City should be examples of what NOT to do in an urban environment, that is dont make malls in a city. The granularity of individual parcels and stores is what makes cities unique and interesting. Block 37 and New City do the opposite by making the city sterile and generic, uninteresting. Why would you come to the Loop if all it offered was the same D&B you could visit in Kansas City? Or Cleveland? Or Phoenix? Or...get my point.

Exactly. Nothing more than Oakbrook Center in The Loop. Between this, Maggie Daley, New City, all these stupid Mariano's, I'm not really sure what to expect next... a flagship Walmart on Michigan?

This city becomes more and more sterile and suburban every damn day.

[Skyguy_7]

^Unfortunately, not every human is as urbanistic as you or me. These developers are catering to a much larger demographic and this is what they want. This is what will sell.

[woodrow]

Originally Posted by Tom Servo

evilp from Crain's

Exactly. Nothing more than Oakbrook Center in The Loop. Between this, Maggie Daley, New City, all these stupid Mariano's, I'm not really sure what to expect next... a flagship Walmart on Michigan?

Really? Stupid Mariano's? Really...what would you prefer? Empty storefronts?
Dominick's went f*cking bust! Mariano's (and Jewel and Whole Foods) bought a bunch of empty and made it full. I don't get it. They were grocery stores! Is Mariano's not Chicago enough? It is Milwaukee, which is kinda Chicago. Okay? Upper Midwest?

And the thing about 25 W. Randolph is that while I agree that D&B is meh, corporate and chainy, if it brings feet to State Street then bring it on. I have lived in this city of 25 years and worked in the loop for same, and State Street was a festering, dying place (thank god Marshall Field's hung on). Sorry that D&B isn't sufficiently urban or Chicago or whatever is necessary for you approval but guess what, you don't need to step foot in the place. From the outside, it will look as urban and dense as you please. And you can enjoy the benefits of the tax revenues generated by it. No reason DuPage should get it all.

I will address MDP in the general thread.

[woodrow]

Originally Posted by Skyguy_7

^Unfortunately, not every human is as urbanistic as you or me. These developers are catering to a much larger demographic and this is what they want. This is what will sell.

I guess I missed the part where they are tearing down the urbanistic, sidewalk flush, multi-story building and replacing it with a parking lot. Are there renderings of this new design? I thought it remained part of a full-block development with office building, retail, and now residential.

[the urban politician]

It's hard to get more urban than Block 37 right now, this is a discussion more about taste at this point.

At this block right now you have:

An office tower
An under construction apartment tower of nearly 700 units
A 4 story retail/entertainment complex (actually 5 stories if you include the pedway shops)

All with very little parking, and above 2 transit lines.

Like it, hate it, but it's very urban.

[Tom Servo]

Originally Posted by Skyguy_7

^Unfortunately, not every human is as urbanistic as you or me. These developers are catering to a much larger demographic and this is what they want. This is what will sell.

The fact that people are celebrating a D+B just illustrates a larger point. It has nothing to do with being urban or not urban; I never said that. It's more to do with the demographic that they are catering to: the suburban demographic. Why? Just look at River North.

[Ch.G, Ch.G]

Originally Posted by Tom Servo

Oof! Man, now that's some world-class entertainment right there! D+B AND an AMC?!

...

What an embarrassment B37 has been since day one! Bring back Skate on State!

Originally Posted by Tom Servo

evilp from Crain's




Exactly. Nothing more than Oakbrook Center in The Loop. Between this, Maggie Daley, New City, all these stupid Mariano's, I'm not really sure what to expect next... a flagship Walmart on Michigan?

This city becomes more and more sterile and suburban every damn day.

Latinicity is being marketed as a Latino Eataly. If Richard Sandoval delivers on that promise, it alone will make Block 37 home to a service that will be distinctively, uniquely Chicago, pretty much the antithesis of what you're describing. Also, who complains about having more movie theaters? Then this screed about Mariano's? Mariano's is a local chain of supermarkets. A bunch (most?) of their Chicago locations replaced Dominick's, (formerly) also a local chain of supermarkets. As far as I can tell, the only difference between the two is that Mariano's is a bit nicer, but I fail to see how that makes the city more "sterile and suburban."

Sure, Dave & Buster's and bowling strike (hey-o!) me as a little low-brow, but, considering that I engage in my own low-brow pursuits, I'm not about to begrudge others theirs. The truth is, the Loop is big enough for it to serve a variety of people, and there's a certain kind of egalitarianism in a place where you can find a ballet down the street from an arcade.

Don't get me wrong: I detest the entire concept of "urban" shopping malls and think Block 37 was a huge miscalculation; I just don't think these tenants make it any worse.