CHICAGO | General Developments

[LouisVanDerWright]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

^ Sounds like a good time to propose an 80 story highrise

In Lincoln Park.

[i_am_hydrogen]

Finkl steel factory to be demolished

By Meribah Knight By: Ryan Ori

The former headquarters of steelmaker A. Finkl & Sons Co. on the western edge of Lincoln Park is about to get a taste of the wrecking ball, a likely first step toward the 28-acre site being sold and redeveloped.

Most or all of the North Side industrial site will be reduced to rubble within the next six to 12 months, the property's ownership group confirmed to Crain's. Demolition could begin within the next two months.

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/reale...-be-demolished

[r18tdi]

Originally Posted by i_am_hydrogen

Finkl steel factory to be demolished

By Meribah Knight By: Ryan Ori



http://www.chicagobusiness.com/reale...-be-demolished

That's a shame. While I support the redevelopment of most of the site, some of those older industrial buildings are absolutely begging to be repurposed.
Tech firms love that shit.

[LouisVanDerWright]

Originally Posted by r18tdi

That's a shame. While I support the redevelopment of most of the site, some of those older industrial buildings are absolutely begging to be repurposed.
Tech firms love that shit.

False, none of these buildings can be repurposed for tech firms. Tech firms are looking for multifloor industrial loft buildings, not single story, high ceiling, manufacturing plants that are contaminated with 100 years worth of heavy metals. Finkl is almost entirely single floor or single floor + mezzanine buildings. Not much worth saving or even possible to save. they need to wipe the slate clean and insert some form of grid. Let's just hope to god the PMD goes away or it will just become a big-box retail district.

[wierdaaron]

That site was looked at for the DePaul stadium before it went to McCormick. I heard a rumor it was being used with a secret bid for a stadium for an NFL expansion team. Anyone know what's really going on there?

[Rizzo]

Originally Posted by r18tdi

That's a shame. While I support the redevelopment of most of the site, some of those older industrial buildings are absolutely begging to be repurposed.
Tech firms love that shit.

I was thinking the same thing. Some of the stuff you are seeing at goose island creeping up the north branch. Gutting out one of those old steel mills into open office with a giant gantry crane overhead...that would be awesome.

[paytonc]

Originally Posted by LouisVanDerWright

You don't think that a multi-billion dollar investment dedicated to preserving the history of America's first non-white male president is going spur development in the heart of Chicago's nearly all black South Side? You don't think that the Lincoln library (and all of his other history) in Springfield attracts tourists?

Whether the library attracts tourists, and whether it attracts development to its immediate vicinity, are two entirely different things. You don't have to look far to see examples of museums that bring in millions of visitors, but haven't spurred intense demand from people willing to pay a premium to live or work right next door.

Sure, there will be some ancillary retail demand from visitors who want F&B alternatives, and it may act as a "stamp of approval" that might get a few adjacent residential projects built. But a huge turnaround? Unlikely. Successful neighborhoods have activity throughout the day, not just when one institution's open. Beware the panacea.

[streetline]

Originally Posted by Hayward

I was thinking the same thing. Some of the stuff you are seeing at goose island creeping up the north branch. Gutting out one of those old steel mills into open office with a giant gantry crane overhead...that would be awesome.

While that would definitely look cool, I think people seriously overestimate how much tech offices care about cool spaces (with a few exceptions that are spending other peoples' money or just have too much to care). Tech companies like industrial/warehouse lofts for pretty much the same reasons they were built in the first place: they're big cheap open spaces you can do whatever you want with.

Just look at Uber's Chicago office, it's a plain cinder-block food distribution warehouse. Neither vintage cool architecture (unlike half the buildings nearby) or anything fancy and modern, just a big cheap open space near-ish to transit.

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by paytonc

Sure, there will be some ancillary retail demand from visitors who want F&B alternatives, and it may act as a "stamp of approval" that might get a few adjacent residential projects built. But a huge turnaround? Unlikely. Successful neighborhoods have activity throughout the day, not just when one institution's open. Beware the panacea.

The University of Chicago would presumably multiply the effect of the Obama Library by co-locating other facilities nearby, improving connections over to Hyde Park, and sponsoring private-sector development in the area.

I actually think this will be more beneficial than the Lucas Museum, since the site is in a neighborhood and not isolated by railroads and highways. This is true regardless of whether UofC chooses a Washington Park or a Woodlawn site. IMO Washington Park is a better site that has synergies with DuSable Museum, etc and creates a better gateway to Hyde Park from the expressway, while Woodlawn is basically just a southward extension of the main campus.

[LouisVanDerWright]

Originally Posted by paytonc

Whether the library attracts tourists, and whether it attracts development to its immediate vicinity, are two entirely different things. You don't have to look far to see examples of museums that bring in millions of visitors, but haven't spurred intense demand from people willing to pay a premium to live or work right next door.

Sure, there will be some ancillary retail demand from visitors who want F&B alternatives, and it may act as a "stamp of approval" that might get a few adjacent residential projects built. But a huge turnaround? Unlikely. Successful neighborhoods have activity throughout the day, not just when one institution's open. Beware the panacea.

If anything has proven to be a major driver of economic development in American cities it is universities. Again, the reason I think this would spur development is that it is tied in with the University of Chicago. It's abundantly clear that U of C has been the saving grace of the Hyde Park / Kenwood areas. Both areas are now fully saturated by development and I see no reason why an expanded University of Chicago presence on the West side of the park would not have a similar effect. The fact is that the city and university create a forcefield around all university properties and that fact alone makes developing plots that lie in that forcefield significantly more attractive. Major institutions simply create and are granted a safety bubble which essentially abates the major issues found in troubled areas.

Originally Posted by streetline

While that would definitely look cool, I think people seriously overestimate how much tech offices care about cool spaces (with a few exceptions that are spending other peoples' money or just have too much to care). Tech companies like industrial/warehouse lofts for pretty much the same reasons they were built in the first place: they're big cheap open spaces you can do whatever you want with.

Just look at Uber's Chicago office, it's a plain cinder-block food distribution warehouse. Neither vintage cool architecture (unlike half the buildings nearby) or anything fancy and modern, just a big cheap open space near-ish to transit.

The fact is that single story 25' clear factory buildings are just not economical for tech firms. What tech startup is going to thrive in a space that costs thousands of dollars a month to climate control alone? What developer is going to buy a massive site like this and determine that single story office is the highest and best use? It just isn't, it's a silly idea. Montgomery Ward, Merch Mart, Fulton Market, etc all attract tenants by combining the loft aesthetic with the programmatic format of a traditional office building. This only has the loft aesthetic and no resemblance to anything but a suburban office park.

[Rizzo]

Originally Posted by streetline

While that would definitely look cool, I think people seriously overestimate how much tech offices care about cool spaces (with a few exceptions that are spending other peoples' money or just have too much to care). Tech companies like industrial/warehouse lofts for pretty much the same reasons they were built in the first place: they're big cheap open spaces you can do whatever you want with.

Just look at Uber's Chicago office, it's a plain cinder-block food distribution warehouse. Neither vintage cool architecture (unlike half the buildings nearby) or anything fancy and modern, just a big cheap open space near-ish to transit.

I'm not being realistic, just my pipe dream. Maybe some high end furniture company hq with 500 employees could take it to make a design statement out of it. It would have to be single tenant and appeal to people traveling longer distances....which does have good freeway and metra access. The company would require vision for the place rather than some speculative developer looking to retrofit a building as cheaply as possible.

It was more of a sidebar comment, but I know some other folks here will debate the issue as if it really matters.

[Via Chicago]

from what i remember reading, most of the manufacturing buildings at Finkl are not as robust as you probably imagine. they're essentially garages/barns. warehouses and lofts are one thing, but i dont see how trying to re-hab and modernize a structure like this into white collar use would be economical or worthwhile



http://www.getdpi.com/forum/attachme...13-pano-6a.jpg

[Chi-Sky21]

Massive 3D printers? 8)

[Ryanrule]

brewery.

[emathias]

It might be interesting if part of Finkle were converted to a steel industry museum. Steel has meant a lot of Chicago and the Rust Belt (and America) in general. It wouldn't be a huge attraction necessarily, but it could be an interesting addition. If it were surrounded by office buildings targeted at tech or other firms in growing economic sectors, it would be an interesting complement of old industry vs. new and perhaps a useful reminder to the tech firms that if they fail to stay on top of innovation they, too, will become just the subject of a museum at best.

[Via Chicago]

dp

[Via Chicago]

Originally Posted by Ryanrule

brewery.

yeah, thats one of the few things that popped to mind. is lagunitas done growing yet?

id love to see the buildings re-purposed somehow and im sure if there was a will there would be a way. but given the intentions of the owners and the property value of the site, i cant imagine it will be anything other than a clearcut

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by Via Chicago

yeah, thats one of the few things that popped to mind. is lagunitas done growing yet?

id love to see the buildings re-purposed somehow and im sure if there was a will there would be a way. but given the intentions of the owners and the property value of the site, i cant imagine it will be anything other than a clearcut

Maybe I'm missing something, but the buildings don't look like they are particularly worth saving. At least from the pictures I'm seeing posted here.

[Rizzo]

Originally Posted by Via Chicago

from what i remember reading, most of the manufacturing buildings at Finkl are not as robust as you probably imagine. they're essentially garages/barns. warehouses and lofts are one thing, but i dont see how trying to re-hab and modernize a structure like this into white collar use would be economical or worthwhile



http://www.getdpi.com/forum/attachme...13-pano-6a.jpg

What has to be structurally altered to the existing building to accommodate other uses? It would have to support modern insulating curtain wall, roofing, pluming and light fixtures. Adding floors and offices could be self supported mezzanines with their own isolated foundation. I mean that picture just shows what a great space could be.

If someone really wanted renovate, maintain and operate a beast like this they could. It's not impossible and some companies will pay for it. It's stupid to think the idea is out-right unreasonable because:

1. It's been done
2. This is Chicago


Why I'd advocate for preservation of some if not most of the buildings is because I believe retaining them would be of urban interest vs some bland developer driven complex of new buildings.

[UrbanLibertine]

If those buildings get torn down, all we'll get is another movie theater or suburban-style strip mall with an abundance of parking. Rehab them into art galleries, a year-round beer garden, an event venue, etc. I don't miss much about living in New York, but I do miss how creative people would get with rehabbing and repurposing great industrial spaces. It's really a shame that Chicago doesn't do that more because there are probably more underutilized industrial spaces in Chicago now then in NY, or soon will be.