HomeDiagramsDatabaseMapsForum About
     

Go Back   SkyscraperPage Forum > Discussion Forums > Buildings & Architecture > Completed Project Threads Archive


    Loews North Park Drive in the SkyscraperPage Database

Building Data Page   • Comparison Diagram   • Chicago Skyscraper Diagram

Map Location
Chicago Projects & Construction Forum

 

 
Thread Tools Display Modes
     
     
  #21  
Old Posted Mar 23, 2012, 6:18 AM
ardecila's Avatar
ardecila ardecila is offline
TL;DR
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: the city o'wind
Posts: 16,356
Well, Fairbanks is being widened between Erie and Ontario. My suspicion is that CDOT wants to eventually turn Fairbanks into a 4-lane street all the way up to Chicago. I don't know if this is an active plan, or just some artifact buried in some arcane old Streeterville planning document.

I'd actually be fine with that, if they matched it with a corresponding road diet between Grand and the river, and stoplights at every block.
__________________
la forme d'une ville change plus vite, hélas! que le coeur d'un mortel...
     
     
  #22  
Old Posted Mar 23, 2012, 3:31 PM
the urban politician the urban politician is offline
The City
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Chicago region
Posts: 21,375
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zapatan View Post
^^Damn I wish I lived in Chi town...
So do I, living 65 miles away and being able to visit frequently doesn't cut it.

Racine is so goddamn boring.

Getting back on topic, this is great to hear that they are about to sign a hotel operator and start construction this year!

I don't get it, what's up with Streeterville being such a hotbed of construction these days? People want to live/be there so badly these days, but I don't get the attraction. Most of the action (restaurants, shops, nightlife, mass transit) is west of Michigan Avenue, whereas Streeterville still seems like of sleepy, in a skyscraper canyon sort of way.
     
     
  #23  
Old Posted Mar 23, 2012, 6:32 PM
Swicago Swi Sox's Avatar
Swicago Swi Sox Swicago Swi Sox is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Chicago
Posts: 244
Being on the other side of Michigan Avenue can do wonders for traffic and access to the lake. Also, the bars and restaurants on the west side of Michigan avenue are a short walk away, as is the CBD. Some people don't want to live right above the bar or restaurant they are want to frequent.

I do agree though, that the neighborhood could use some more street level charm...
     
     
  #24  
Old Posted Mar 23, 2012, 8:10 PM
ChiPhi's Avatar
ChiPhi ChiPhi is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Chicago, Philadelphia
Posts: 500
Some info on this from Curbed. It looks like they are really going through with this and hope to begin decontamination in June and have it u/c by Fall. I'll be happy if that happens, but we'll see.

Also, the height appears to only be 590' (sad face), meaning it has shrunk monumentally (almost 100').
     
     
  #25  
Old Posted Mar 23, 2012, 8:41 PM
Swicago Swi Sox's Avatar
Swicago Swi Sox Swicago Swi Sox is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Chicago
Posts: 244
Quote:
Also, the height appears to only be 590' (sad face), meaning it has shrunk monumentally (almost 100').
See my picture a few post back. It only shrunk 35', which while still disappointing, not as bad...
     
     
  #26  
Old Posted Mar 26, 2012, 4:22 AM
ChiPhi's Avatar
ChiPhi ChiPhi is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Chicago, Philadelphia
Posts: 500
Just realized today that all parking for this structure is underground. It's kind of a waste with that massive and oppressive stone podium. But there are only 230 parking spaces for about 400 apartments and 400 hotel rooms.

From the Curbed article I cited earlier.
     
     
  #27  
Old Posted Mar 26, 2012, 3:01 PM
Swicago Swi Sox's Avatar
Swicago Swi Sox Swicago Swi Sox is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Chicago
Posts: 244
The parking situation was brought up at the meeting as well. I guess most of the 240 parking spaces will be for the apartments while the hotel will use a valet system, story the cars at one of the many under street surface lots in the area. The developer said that the under street parking in that area is pretty under utilized (something like 30 or 40%, although I don't know when they measure that utilization).

I actually think the podium is not very oppressive. The North end is only as high as is allowed by the view corridor. They said at the meeting that is was about 30' high, but it looks much high in the rendering. Maybe it is 30' at the highest point of the street as it slopes up. If there were not the height restriction, plus more parking crammed in, the podium could have been 8 or 9 stories tall like other SCB projects, and then would have been more oppressive in my opinion. On the south side will be a public restaurant with roof top dining. They said they aim to make it more of a neighborhood restaurant and less of a hotel restaurant. That is good in theory at least. Plus both of the sides of podium have nice expanses of glass on their Park Street side, which is much different that the Sheraton next door which is pretty much a fortress from the North Water Street side.

Granted that the New Street side is pretty much a shear wall of stone and glass, but that street is kind of a lost cause.
     
     
  #28  
Old Posted Apr 5, 2012, 5:06 AM
FlashingLights FlashingLights is offline
Chicago Kid
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Chicago, IL, St. Charles, IL
Posts: 191
Not sure on my opinion of this one yet.
     
     
  #29  
Old Posted May 1, 2012, 3:40 PM
Swicago Swi Sox's Avatar
Swicago Swi Sox Swicago Swi Sox is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Chicago
Posts: 244
Upcoming SOAR Meeting

FYI, some of you may be interested that there will be another SOAR meeting next week (Tuesday May 8) to see the "Revised" 435 N Park Drive development. The letter from Alderman Reilly is below.

     
     
  #30  
Old Posted May 9, 2012, 9:57 PM
the urban politician the urban politician is offline
The City
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Chicago region
Posts: 21,375
I'm surprised nobody updated this thread with the results of the meeting with SOAR.

As posted in Curbed, FINANCING IS IN PLACE!

Streeterville is on fire, baby

Hydrogen, besides the picture at Curbed, did you get any other updated renderings? Also, one unanswered question: are they planning any upgrades to that clock plaza across the street?
__________________
Supercar Adventures is my YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4W...lUKB1w8ED5bV2Q
     
     
  #31  
Old Posted May 9, 2012, 10:12 PM
untitledreality untitledreality is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,043
Quote:
Originally Posted by the urban politician View Post
As posted in Curbed, FINANCING IS IN PLACE!

Streeterville is on fire, baby
..and that they expect to start excavation this June! ...and it still has an awesome 798:230 unit to parking ratio!!!
     
     
  #32  
Old Posted May 9, 2012, 10:21 PM
BraveNewWorld's Avatar
BraveNewWorld BraveNewWorld is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 346
Yeah, will this be Chicago first 200m building since Legacy ?
     
     
  #33  
Old Posted May 9, 2012, 10:24 PM
the urban politician the urban politician is offline
The City
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Chicago region
Posts: 21,375
My problem with this development is that with this and the Sheraton next door, this little corner will remain pedestrian unfriendly. It's mostly just hotels and taxicabs shuttling people to other areas.

It would nice to see some street level retail pop up. Instead, you have 2 hotels next to eachother that have sequestered entrances from the sidewalk, rather Las Vegas style
__________________
Supercar Adventures is my YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4W...lUKB1w8ED5bV2Q
     
     
  #34  
Old Posted May 9, 2012, 10:59 PM
ardecila's Avatar
ardecila ardecila is offline
TL;DR
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: the city o'wind
Posts: 16,356
The corner of Park and North Water will have a restaurant that will hold the corner.

Getting the architects to modify the design might be a stretch, but the city/Reilly could push for a sidewalk cafe at the corner. It could take over the parking lane.

__________________
la forme d'une ville change plus vite, hélas! que le coeur d'un mortel...
     
     
  #35  
Old Posted May 9, 2012, 11:32 PM
i_am_hydrogen i_am_hydrogen is offline
tilted & shifted
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Chicago
Posts: 4,608
Quote:
Originally Posted by the urban politician View Post
I'm surprised nobody updated this thread with the results of the meeting with SOAR.

As posted in Curbed, FINANCING IS IN PLACE!

Streeterville is on fire, baby

Hydrogen, besides the picture at Curbed, did you get any other updated renderings? Also, one unanswered question: are they planning any upgrades to that clock plaza across the street?
No additional renderings were provided.

As for Ogden Plaza, if my memory serves me correctly, Reilly mentioned that it's involved in litigation, so immediate improvements aren't possible. But they eventually plan on addressing it, particularly because it's right across from the entrance to the hotel.
__________________
flickr
     
     
  #36  
Old Posted May 10, 2012, 4:00 AM
the urban politician the urban politician is offline
The City
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Chicago region
Posts: 21,375
So very shortly, Chicago will have not only a new construction start, but probably its tallest construction start in quite a while
__________________
Supercar Adventures is my YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4W...lUKB1w8ED5bV2Q
     
     
  #37  
Old Posted May 12, 2012, 3:49 AM
i_am_hydrogen i_am_hydrogen is offline
tilted & shifted
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Chicago
Posts: 4,608
One thing I admire about Leahy (the architect from SCB) is that he's a Jane Jacobs-dedicatee. He understands the importance of having people occupy the street, whether it be employees of the hotel on New Street or hotel guests on Park Drive. He has repeatedly alluded to the need for foot traffic around the building as a means of encouraging safety.
__________________
flickr
     
     
  #38  
Old Posted May 12, 2012, 4:36 AM
ChiPhi's Avatar
ChiPhi ChiPhi is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Chicago, Philadelphia
Posts: 500
It never ceases to amaze me how some developments just "work" while other great projects languish. We only heard about this a few months ago and its already got financing and a plan for construction to start. The developers must be really good at their job.
__________________
“The test of a great building is in the marketplace. The Marketplace recognizes the value of quality architecture and endorses it in the sales price it is able to achieve.” — Jon Pickard, Principal, Pickard Chilton
     
     
  #39  
Old Posted May 12, 2012, 5:13 PM
jcchii's Avatar
jcchii jcchii is offline
Content provider
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: city on the take
Posts: 3,119
this is all about location. great spot.

hard to believe there isn't something there already.
Could use nice restaurant space.

I will shortly be able to see this and optima both from work
     
     
  #40  
Old Posted May 12, 2012, 7:47 PM
Chicago Shawn's Avatar
Chicago Shawn Chicago Shawn is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Chicago
Posts: 2,815
Quote:
Originally Posted by jcchii View Post
this is all about location. great spot.

hard to believe there isn't something there already.
Could use nice restaurant space.

I will shortly be able to see this and optima both from work
Well, we dodged a bullet on this site in the past. It was supposed to be an Adam's Mark Hotel, which I'm told was going to be a really fugley POS.

I spoke with developer after the meeting and he is still looking to make some more changes to the design including the possible use of a stone veneer on the base. He would also like to go taller, but the economics just aren't there at the moment.
     
     
This discussion thread continues

Use the page links to the lower-right to go to the next page for additional posts
 
 
 

Go Back   SkyscraperPage Forum > Discussion Forums > Buildings & Architecture > Completed Project Threads Archive
Forum Jump


Thread Tools
Display Modes

Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 10:31 PM.

     
SkyscraperPage.com - Archive - Privacy Statement - Top

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.