CHICAGO | Trump Tower | 1,389' Official / 1,198' Roof | 96 FLOORS | 2009

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by soleri

Trump is an odious vulgarian, the ugliest of Americans, and one of the planet's most revolting human beings.

But how do you really feel about him?

I personally know that the citizens of Chicago realize that they’ve got a total prize also. I understand that I may be associated with New York, but my name is known and respected worldwide. It is a brand that brings a prominence to Chicago by mere fact of recognition -- but also for the inherent quality as shown by the beauty of this building.

...Nevertheless, the worldwide publicity this criticism has caused has not only been good for the building but it has been great for bringing Chicago into the news-- and for something other than the negative news of late. Perhaps the Mayor will thank me someday!

...So, with all due respect, I say that I will have to ignore my critics and be pleased that Chicago has such a beautiful building to add to its already wonderful skyline ... and I’m also happy for the flurry of media attention it has brought to the great City of Chicago. The citizens of Chicago deserve it!

I have to say again, the man loves publicity, and all the attention this new sign has given to the building (negative or otherwise) is only a plus in his eyes. There are people around the world now who probably had never even heard of this tower that now know of the Trump tower in Chicago. I wouldn't be surprised if someone went to Chicago and asked "where is that Trump building?", because people generally don't follow buildings and architecture, but they do notice things in the news.

As far as Trump himself, I do think he may have underestimated the sensibilities in Chicago to such a sign.


http://www.suntimes.com/news/2795672...offensive.html

A big Trump sign is not the Chicago way. Not to go all Garrison Keillor on you, but we’re Midwesterners. Modest people, the Pritzkers notwithstanding.

Self-flummery is New York-ish. And while in the distant past, New Yorkers did well in Chicago — our first mayor, William B. Ogden, was a New York lawyer — generally New York has a way of failing in Chicago. Nathan’s Hot Dogs? Failed. The Limelight nightclub? Failed. Howard Stern? Failed. Chicagoans don’t like to wait behind velvet ropes. Not a lot of helicopter service or even town car service here. Or doormen for that matter. We can open our own doors, and generally avoid the kind of grotesque display that passes for status in the scramble up the greasy pole that is Manhattan.

[denizen467]

Originally Posted by NYguy

http://www.suntimes.com/news/2795672...offensive.html

Crumbs Bake Shop? Failed. Eataly (especially the restaurants)? Lukewarm. Shake Shack? Sounds like there are diehard fans but one has to question whether all the existing concepts by various local burger impresarios are suddenly going to be taken by storm by something like this.

There are however excellent results with NYers fully relocating to Chicago and developing retail concepts locally - Fox & Obel, Brendan Sodikoff among many examples.

Originally Posted by Ch.G, Ch.G

I thought it was a year-long residency? Has it been extended?

It was no more than a year or an academic year, but if you were to tell Trump that Kamin had merely a "residency," he would go onto the Today show and a cooing Matt Lauer would let him insinuate that it was just a long weekend spent in a bunkbed in a spare room in the dean's house.

[ardecila]

These things only failed because the idea made it to Chicago's shores long before the creator did. By the time New York entrepreneurs deign to expand into Chicago, the trend has usually run its course. Chicago bakeries were already competing to produce the best cronut only days after Dominique Ansel debuted them in May 2013. Sarah Jessica Parker first ate a Magnolia Bakery cupcake in 2000, but we didn't get a location until 2011.

Eataly I think is a little different - I don't really see anybody who is apeing it. I do hope it does well, though... their website reveals a lot of anxiety about parking issues and visitors getting overwhelmed.

There's more coming, too... Le Pain Quotidien, Fig & Olive, Dinosaur, etc.

[LouisVanDerWright]

Originally Posted by denizen467

Crumbs Bake Shop? Failed. Eataly (especially the restaurants)? Lukewarm. Shake Shack? Sounds like there are diehard fans but one has to question whether all the existing concepts by various local burger impresarios are suddenly going to be taken by storm by something like this.

There are however excellent results with NYers fully relocating to Chicago and developing retail concepts locally - Fox & Obel, Brendan Sodikoff among many examples.

You mean this Fox and Obel?

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2...-big-discounts

[Insoluble]

Forgive my inadequate photo editing skills. But I couldn't help it:



(Edited from this Steve Rhodes picture)

[denizen467]

Originally Posted by LouisVanDerWright

You mean this Fox and Obel?

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2...-big-discounts

Nope. I mean the original Fox & Obel, circa 2001, which was a blockbuster. By its 2013 demise it was a shadow of the original incarnation. There are four big differences. First, ownership and management had changed. Second, no more free parking right across the street (where Parkview West was built). Third, competition (Dominicks arrived, among others such as the specialty liquor store across the street; also, Yolk arrived, and one big F&O draw had been its brunch service; one also cannot discount the incredible theme park that is Whole Foods on Kingsbury). Fourth, the economy crashed, and all the ultra top tier foodstuffs, and pricey prepared foods, were no longer in such demand. So the original concept and execution by those NY guys was perfect for its time and location.

Originally Posted by ardecila

There's more coming, too... Le Pain Quotidien, Fig & Olive, Dinosaur, etc.

Oh ardecila. LPQ is from Belgium, and NY lapped it up, and I hope we do too here.

Dinosaur is from upstate NY; the subject at hand is about NYC. The issue here is largely about how investors and entrepreneurs in NYC are so blinded by short-term greed (which is often just hopping on trends they plan to keep alive for a while with marketing, marketing, marketing) that they usually manage to blow it on quality that can last. Fantastic things like the Chang/Momofuku empire are too infrequent.

Fig & Olive is I think from NYC; I haven't been there but I hope it is nice (its Chicago opening is Saturday) and if so I hope it succeeds.

[spyguy]

Up close

James Robertson/ flickr
Far away

jfsampsonphotos/ flickr

[george]

8/24

[Onn]

The sign on the tower reminds me of a hood ornament on a Cadillac.

[Perklol]

Originally Posted by NYguy

But how do you really feel about him?

Therapy time!

But seriously, it looks like Dr. Phil could help some folks here.

Originally Posted by Onn

The sign on the tower reminds me of a hood ornament on a Cadillac.

True now that you mentioned it. Doesn't look so bad I think.

[Guiltyspark]

I did not understand all of the fuss over the name being printed on the side. Now I do. That looks truly guady and does not fit the building.

[Steely Dan]

i've never seen the building from this angle before. such clean roof surfaces.


(11.10.14)-November Aerials-37 by ChiPhotoGuy, on Flickr

[bigreach]

The river looks like the Caribbean Sea,, what are they adding to it? Probably the same they're adding to make the roof and spire so clear.

[texcolo]

I like the building but the sign has to go!

[Pete8680]

Originally Posted by texcolo

I like the building but the sign has to go!

It is his building. He can put whatever he wants on it. Besides its not like L.A. were the names r at the very top.

[The North One]

Originally Posted by bigreach

The river looks like the Caribbean Sea,, what are they adding to it? Probably the same they're adding to make the roof and spire so clear.

Nah, it's just lake Michigan's fresh water, the river flows the opposite way.

It is a beautiful color, if one didn't know better they would think it's a tropical ocean.

[ChiTownWonder]

Originally Posted by The North One

Nah, it's just lake Michigan's fresh water, the river flows the opposite way.

It is a beautiful color, if one didn't know better they would think it's a tropical ocean.

Miami of the North

[The Lurker]

Edited by my friend brian

[mrskyline]

Originally Posted by Pete8680

It is his building. He can put whatever he wants on it. Besides its not like L.A. were the names r at the very top.

It's a public view he's destroying. He should be made to take the idiotic sign down. He's too stupid to see that it completely destroys the building.

Reading through the lines of an interview I watched with the architect Adrian Smith it sounds like Smith really had to save Trump from himself by steering him away from other truly tasteless architectural ideas during the design process.

[Tower6]

It is the one supertall that actually got built. Out of all those failed projects. If he wants to put his name on his building I don't see anything wrong with that. After all, if he didn't put his name on it people might not know it was his building.