Both University of Chicago projects, the dorm complex and the tower are under construction.

Assuming you mean the Rubenstein forum...

https://d3qi0qp55mx5f5.cloudfront.ne...ime=1531242257
https://facilities.uchicago.edu/cons...enstein_forum/

The Rube is a go? Finally!

One of my favorite new buildings! Thanks for posting that interior view!

Yup!

And this...

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chor.../unnamed_2.png

Does the top of Solstice say www.SOLSTICE.com? because that is a technology consulting firm lol. The correct web address is www.solsticechicago.com

I also can't believe these are rentals and not condos. Does unique design generally allow for higher rental prices or a premium in ownership pricing?

That's awesome, I lived in the Piccadilly for a year and it sucked that the ballroom was closed off.

I'm sure this has a lot to do with Hyde Park basically being a college town. I think there's a unique, reliable need for luxury rentals here.

I’m all for some more dorms on campus and some rentals along the main commercial corridor (53rd st). But otherwise I’d prefer to see the existing building stock fulfill peoples’ housing needs.

Hyde Park and Woodlawn have some of the most beautiful housing stock in the city, IMO.

Also, I don’t know what it is about Hyde Park but almost nothing from a multiunit standpoint ever goes on sale in this hood. Too bad, because I would love to own something here.

Definitely agree on the housing there. I think a lot of multiunit there gets snatched up by larger 'apartment rental companies'. At least that was the experience of a friend who got an offer on their historic 7 unit within a week of putting it up for sale.

But back to Solstice, I think the same forces that make new luxury rental towers possible in Champaign are the same forces behind Solstice's sails. (and the new apartments on 53rd for that matter)

53rd St. is great, but slightly too far from campus. I mean, the walk isn't objectively long by any standard - but it's always takes a little longer than you thought it would. To the point where it's annoying. And as a former lazy international student, that can make all the difference.

If University of Chicago has a substantial Chinese student population, i could also see those kids renting in a place like Solstice. Those kids always have tons of money

I think the vast majority of the older multi-unit buildings are either owned by management companies or were split up into condos. A lot of the latter were fucked by 2008. I tried to buy in one building where we didn't learn that one person owned ~80% of the units until the financing was in progress. :hell: I also saw quite a few buildings that needed full overhauls but had been sitting empty since the crash, including one where the roof was completely fucked but they were still trying to sell off the units anyway.

Plenty of the undergrads, Chinese or otherwise, have tons of money. It is rumored that one particularly rich parent bought a 1.25 million dollar mansion for his son.

Let's not forget about Bill Gates' son. I wonder if he's started yet?

The quarter doesn't start until early October, with orientation a bit before that. And yes, that was the "particularly rich" parent I was referring to.

I never have my camera with me when I drive past, but that as yet unnamed (AFAIK) hotel on the south side of 53rd sort of across from the Target is shaping up to be a rock star. Beautiful dark brown brick, huge loft-style windows, great massing and - hold onto your hat - it hugs the corner. It looks like they're almost finished, even the outside terrace has plantings in place.

^ Would love to see pics.

53rd St is really coming along to become one of the city's booming neighborhood commercial corridors. Too bad about that piece of shit strip mall that some douche bag built on the western end during the city's dark days of urban planning (when strip malls were easily permitted everywhere, I guess). Hopefully some day in the future that will also get replaced with a highrise development

It took me a minute - you're talking about the Harold's Chicken strip mall at Woodlawn? Yeah, sort of an eyesore.

That's the one.

But over the years I've learned: it ain't Chicago unless a picture perfect urban corridor hasn't been invaded by at least one 1980's era monster of a strip mall. It's almost become a quirk of this city, perhaps a bit of a good one? After all, it's sometimes our cities' uglier features that make them unique and interesting. Just something to consider, I guess--I'm trying to look at the bright side...

The Sophy?

But it's a HISTORIC eyesore! :D
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/obama-kissing-rock

Has there been any recent development with the Study Hotel that is/was planned near The University of Chicago?

I believe that's the property that is now branded Sophy.

No, the study hotel was supposed to be on 60th Street.

Actually, the Obama plaque and Harold's Chicken are in separate strip malls. The plaque is at the one on Dorchester.

1) Inside the new boutique hotel ("Sophy") in Hyde Park. Looks pretty nice:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifest...924-story.html


2) There is a zoning application to convert the 3 story commercial building at the NW corner of 53rd and Blackstone into a mixed use building by adding 24 dwelling units on the 2nd the 3rd floors

https://www.google.com/maps/place/14...!4d-87.5907208

The second pic in that Trib post has an ok pic of the progress @ 53rd and Cornell

From my rough count/estimate it looks like they're around the 15th floor now meaning a little over halfway done. Of course, good to see stuff like this happening.

Was down in Hyde Park area for OHC and got a good look at 53/ Cornell and the new University of Chicago dorms. 53rd and Cornell was looking pretty close to topping out in the next few weeks (around 2/3 or more finished). Wasn't able to see any glass, which was a bit of a let down. Still hard to tell how this one will turn out because there was't any visible glass, but at least the shape seemed spot on to the rendering. U of C dorms were already a few floors above the ground. I'm still amazed at how fast these were going up. Sorry for no pictures (did't catch a glance of the Rubenstein Forum)

.

Truly a sight to behold in that neighborhood. That last shot is killer. Love the geometry

A month old, but progress:
https://i.postimg.cc/BbJHK1Fg/431147...92311040-o.jpg
Mac Properties/ Facebook

Solstice
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1978/...3427d78e_c.jpgRockefeller Chapel Tower 4 v2 by Kirk McMahon, on Flickr

,

Heard this project has stalled as they're looking for another tenant.

Was there a previous rendering?

Also you gotta love what appears to be a TGV running on Lionel snap track on the IC row :haha:

.

Yeah the taller version looked better but oh well let's hope it just gets built.

LOL on the TGV-like grain. This, of course, makes no sense on those tracks as they only become efficient when they can run at full speed over long distances.

New construction building permit issued for the parking lot at the NE corner of Dorchester & Hyde Park Blvd. Total of 34 units on 4 stories. Building is really mediocre looking but another lot somewhere in the city bites the dust and has a nice little increase of density

https://www.google.com/maps/place/50...!4d-87.5916404


You can see an image here:https://therealdeal.com/chicago/2018...enwood-border/

The way the wall between the balconies ends is fugly, but other than that the rendering shows a decent enough infill building that references a classic Chicago style. I'll take it.

^ Yeah, good infill. I really think it would be cool if the did a bit of styling with that dark cornice, but I'm guessing it will just be a flat, featureless surface like you see in most cases these days.

That seems highly unlikely...

Too bad; there was a billboard for a sharp-looking Studio Dwell building of similar density/massing on that site for a while. Still an upgrade over the underutilized surface lot and hopefully a sign of what may come with the additional lots across 51st and south of the Picadilly where the theater used to be.

That project never got off the ground. There was zero market interest in low-rise condos in Hyde Park at those price points, in that location.

Hyde Park is a very strange real estate market that I'm still struggling to understand. You've got poor undergrads, poor grad students, wealthy grad students, university faculty and staff, and a substantial Harlem-esque population of wealthy to middle-class blacks (who may fall into one of the above categories). I'm not sure the Ranquist project really appealed to any of those groups.

VivaLFuego is still here?!?!

Not surprised that Ranquist project died.

.

Haven't seen this reported anywhere before, but the University of Chicago is in the early planning stages of a new facility called 'Center for Research Libraries', located along 61st at their South Campus. U of C has one of the largest collective libraries in the world, and their university press is the largest in the nation, and I believe 2nd or 3rd in the world behind Oxford and/or Cambridge, so it seems to make sense to have an institute that seemingly draws many other organizations to Chicago given the heritage of the research libraries already on campus and in Chicago at large, including Northwestern and UIC, being the two other big local ones

Also, DPD released a new render of the proposed 12 story hotel, 'The Study' next to the Rubenstein Forum on 60th in Hyde Park

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DsDmTjlWkAA5K1Y.jpg:large

That's not bad. Do we know who designed it?

^^I do not actually..not yet