CHICAGO | Wolf Point - West Tower | 493 FT | 48 FLOORS

[Chi-Sky21]

Originally Posted by 10023

How long until the Sun-Times building is hidden from view forever?

Not soon enough. I think when that happens we should all meet for some beers on the new rivewalk to celebrate!

[jc5680]

[J_M_Tungsten]

Great shots JC. I know they are "restoring" the "natural" edge of the river, whatever that means, so are they going to put dirt over those stones and then plant prairie grass and other native plant life?

[Pilton]

Originally Posted by J_M_Tungsten

Great shots JC. I know they are "restoring" the "natural" edge of the river, whatever that means, so are they going to put dirt over those stones and then plant prairie grass and other native plant life?

No, those white stones are the developer's idea of a natural edge. Prairie grass and native plant life would make it similar to the existing riverbank (which will be entirely removed.

Saying the "natural" edge would provide a conservation habitat for flora and fauna was just a fib to get Friends of the Chicago River to sign off on the plan. It never meant what conservationists thought it meant.

West Tower looks good, though and will kick off the entry of the Confluence into the 21st Century.

[a1a_south]

Over time that river edge could "naturalize", however I fail to see the point of that in the center of a major U.S. city. The limestone is freshly blasted, so right now it is a brilliant white. In 4-5 years it will dull to a dirty grey/brown. As the river floods and recedes, sediment (and garbage) will fill in around those rocks and natural greenery (weeds) will grow. Maybe even some trash trees like siberian elm or mulberry could sprout among the rocks. They are fast-growing scrub trees. Either way, it will look trashy unless it is kept clean and managed, which I'm sure it will be.

[harryc]

Originally Posted by Pilton

No, those white stones are the developer's idea of a natural edge. Prairie grass and native plant life would make it similar to the existing riverbank (which will be entirely removed.

Saying the "natural" edge would provide a conservation habitat for flora and fauna was just a fib to get Friends of the Chicago River to sign off on the plan. It never meant what conservationists thought it meant.

West Tower looks good, though and will kick off the entry of the Confluence into the 21st Century.

You must be thinking of a different river .....

April 2013


May 2013


Sept 2014

[rlw777]

Loading up the edge with stone is a more nature friendly way of preventing erosion. While it isn't 'Natural' in the sense that it doesn't restore the riverbank to what it was at some other point in history and is obviously not the result of natural processes. It does use natural materials in a way that reduces erosion while allowing room for plant growth and friendly habitat for river life.

[Steely Dan]

the chicago river has been widened, dredged, channelized, straightened, reversed, and otherwise monkeyed with by human beings to such an extreme degree over the past 150 years that the idea that any single part of it below the north branch spillway is "natural" is pretty absurd.

[Pilton]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

the chicago river has been widened, dredged, channelized, straightened, reversed, and otherwise monkeyed with by human beings to such an extreme degree over the past 150 years that the idea that any single part of it below the north branch spillway is "natural" is pretty absurd.

It was the last single "natural" part below the North Branch. It was reclaimed by Mother Nature when it was not maintained by the owner for almost 75 years. It used to be bulkheaded with wood to signify the ownership and provide a place where ships could pull in and drop off cargo. harry has pictured the (not very pretty) abandoned remnants of the wooden bulkhead. The remnants now sit in the Chicago River due to erosion of the riverbank. And, similar to the problems Lucas is having, the public trust doctrine could dictate that the State of Illinois now owns the water up to the high water line.

Not dissing the West Tower at all. It's going to be a rather pretty addition to the Confluence (but also rather isolated and lonely until the other 2 towers are constructed on WP).

Just commenting on what the developer promised as the sole token "conservation" element of the development. It won't be much of a "natural" habitat. The rest of the riverbank running east along the Main Stem will be bulkheaded. Let's hope the historical plaque honoring the history of WP (where commerce started in Chicago) will fare a lot better.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by Pilton

It was reclaimed by Mother Nature when it was not maintained by the owner for almost 75 years.

sure, it was very crudely reclaimed by mother nature in a fairly rough and unattractive fashion, but it was in no way natural in the sense of how the river bank at wolf point originally was in its natural state before europeans settled this area and built a mighty city upon it.

semantics are fun

[bcp]

i think we should do actual beaches in front of all new towers as the setback...would love to see that along the rivers during a lunch breaks, bikinis et. al.

[BVictor1]

Originally Posted by bcp

i think we should do actual beaches in front of all new towers as the setback...would love to see that along the rivers during a lunch breaks, bikinis et. al.

Swimming in the Chicago River? Okay...

It looked liked they were framing up the 32nd floor, so that means 16 to go.

04/01/15


Reflection in 151 N. Wacker Dr.

[Rizzo]

So it looks like the horizontal rails are going to transition to the balconies. Very nice.

[munchymunch]

Is "design progression" new?

http://www.wolfpointchicago.com/

· Proposed floor area ratio(FAR) has been reduced by over 265,000 square feet
· Maximized open space andlight across entire site
· Increased prominence of SouthTower through design changes and notable water feature at the base
· Additional lighting addedthroughout the site to improve security and enhance the site during eveninghours

[harryc]

3/30


3/31


4/02

[BVictor1]

^Harry, you seem to be lucky finding clean windows on the 'L', unless you're doing touchups.

[Notyrview]

I love this tower.

[HomrQT]

I was hoping the site would have gotten more of a throwback architectural style, but at least it's shaping up to be a quality glass box.

[Zapatan]

I count ~35 floors already, which means it still has quite a ways to go.

For a building of only 150 meters it's gonna stand out a lot.

[Pilton]

Originally Posted by Zapatan

I count ~35 floors already, which means it still has quite a ways to go.

For a building of only 150 meters it's gonna stand out a lot.

Give us all a break! Pretty building. But, stand out??? Only because it will be the only structure on WP - and only temporarily. More like fit in with what's there now.

111 W. Wacker (Nuveen) - 487'
RiverBend Condos. - 451'
191 N. Wacker - 516'
WP West Tower - 500'

10% taller than RiverBend? 13' taller than Nuveen? Shorter than 191?

http://www.emporis.com/buildings/116...chicago-il-usa
http://www.emporis.com/buildings/100...chicago-il-usa
http://www.emporis.com/buildings/100...chicago-il-usa
http://www.wolfpointchicago.com/


WP South Tower - 950'!
WP East Tower - 750'!

Once the other WP Towers are up, you won't even notice the WP West Tower. The WP West Tower will be dwarfed by and hidden behind the WP South Tower and WP East Tower.

Not to mention, River Point and 150 Riverside will each be 750' tall - or 50% taller than the WP West Tower (or Nuveen or 191).

Great things are a comin' that will stand out much more than the WP West Tower!