CHICAGO | 725 W Randolph | 700 FT | 45 FLOORS
 

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https://chicago.curbed.com/2017/10/11/16458982/west-loop-development-equinox-hotel-high-rise

Equinox hotel to rise 58 stories above Chicago’s West Loop
The proposed high-rise would top out at 680 feet

BY JAY KOZIARZ OCT 11, 2017, 12:22PM CDT


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The architecture firms listed.

http://www.perkinseastman.com/category_2400016_residential

http://www.ferrisarch.com/index.html

Looks like an enlarged Exhibit (aka Hojo Tower).

I wouldn't put much weight on these drawings at all for what the rendering will look like, and if it is going to look like anything it's more likely to look like that 1035 W Van Buren than Exhibit(God willing...)

The tower is projected to have "Prominent exterior signage"
.__.

The other elevations in the PD seem to indicate a tower with angled sides. I can't tell if the floor plates will be a parallelogram, or maybe a chevron. The plan views don't indicate the shape of the tower.

Cautiously optimistic about this one... it will fill in a big gap in the high rise wall developing west of the Kennedy. Also a nice gateway to the Randolph Market.

I am pleased about the "existing building to remain". It's a quite handsome 4-story brick building that spans the length of the block, with no curb cuts or parking entrances.

I also know that this is sacrilege on SSP, but hopefully there will be no further highrises west of this on Randolph. If that's not prevented by zoning then it should be. The last thing we need is for all of the interesting places (Au Cheval, Girl & the Goat, Bar Siena, Maude's, etc) replaced by whatever can afford ground floor retail rents in a condo building. Not to mention the inevitable destruction of the streetscape that occurs with Chicago-style parking podiums.

It's going to fuck up the skyline view from Soho House, but I suppose that was bound to happen at some point.

I'm in London at the moment for school stuff, and my dorm is across a tower call the Triton Building. The tower's facade is vertical and horizontal metal panels which extend past the building. I could imagine 725 W. Randolph looking similar to the Triton.
http://media.rightmove.co.uk/dir/106k/105112/48780380/105112_3585236_IMG_00_0000_max_656x437.jpg
Source: http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-48780380.html

I too would be very upset if the venerable and delicious Haymarket Brewery were to be demolished :)

Is that god awful BOA branch and parking lot on the corner of Halsted and Washington sticking around? I remember when they were building it around 10 years ago and thinking what a waste of real estate it was. I seriously hope I'm reading that drawing wrong...

I'll have to admit that I've never been there (at least not that I remember). I don't really like that kind of American bar food (wings, nachos, anything with "ranch", etc), and it seems like such a waste to be in the neighborhood and not go to Au Cheval or the Publican, or something more sophisticated. ;)

It sure seems like the BofA is staying.

But I don't mind that. It will be redeveloped at some point, and I would rather it be a different project to create a more varied block, rather than this building having a big podium that wraps around the Haymarket Brewery building.

Here's a massing I did. My guess is the facade doesn't angle out and that its just the design of the mullions. Although it would be way more interesting if it did angle.


https://images.imgbox.com/1d/8c/mOMqSfBt_o.jpg
https://images.imgbox.com/b0/75/GRiH4QkI_o.jpg

Good stuff.

Let this get built first, then the BofA lot will have guaranteed views over this development's parking structure east of that lot.

^ Yeah really, the BofA is a great future development opportunity. And in the meantime it at least provides a needed service for the community

Really? The last time I went into a bank was to open my account. I really can't figure out why they have so much physical presence.

^ Knowing people at your local bank is still a plus, even in this day and age. They help you out with stuff, especially if you're dealing with money wires, transfers, etc where things can go wrong. It's that much more helpful when the people there know you by name and are friendly with you than when it's a total stranger who is indifferent to your needs. Plus I sometimes still use them as a notary.

Banking is one industry where I definitely hope everything doesn't become completely automated. The customer service element is still needed by many of us.

Having said that, I think you sort of answered your own question: one of the reasons bank branches exist today is precisely because that's where people open up new accounts. And in a booming area like the West Loop you definitely want to be in on the action

But do you need a half block retail branch for new accounts? You could have a small shop the size of the average city AT&T or Verizon shop for the same thing.

I get the desire for a personal contact, but I've got a private banker in the US and do everything by phone or email. The brick and mortar branches are silly.

Not everyone wants to spend two hours waiting for a cheeseburger.

Now that I see your massing, I'm sure the tower is a parallelogram (like John Hancock in Boston). The tower in your images is too fat for residential, the spaces close to the core don't get any daylight so they're virtually useless as living spaces.

Hmm you might be right. Here's the elevation I hadn't seen before.
https://www.chicagoarchitecture.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Page-016-2.jpg

[QUOTE=rgarri4;7951141]Here's a massing I did. My guess is the facade doesn't angle out and that its just the design of the mullions. Although it would be way more interesting if it did angle.

Great work. This thing at 58 stories in that area has a solid visual impact.

Haymarket's charm isn't its food (typical pub fare, done perhaps slightly above average). I am however a big fan of their in house microbrews!

That would be most excellent. I can't even think of another parallelogram building besides that one in Boston.

Well all squares and rectangles are parallelograms so virtually all buildings in Chicago are lol. The word we are looking for here is a rhombus, there are few rhomboid buildings out there.

People use parallelogram and rhombus (all sides equal - Hancock in Boston isn't a rhombus by my observation) precisely because they can't describe it as a square or rectangle with 90 degree angles. Its use is just functional.

snap, someone got served a rhombus bish sandwich

It's only a rhombus if all four sides are equal. Diamond-shaped, essentially. If the tower is longer in the north/south dimension than the east/west (like Hancock in Boston, which it seems to be) then it's a rhomboid, apparently. All are parallelograms.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhomboid

Sorry, should have only used rhomboid, getting rusty on my geometry, but rhombus and rhomboid excellent words.:dunce:

Stay tuned to a community meeting for this and or the other Related project further west on Randolph sometime in later November.

October 18, 2017





A relatively recent picture of the site.

http://neighborsofwestloop.com/2017/10/24/725-w-randolph-related-midwest/

Development Proposal

On Monday, October 9, representatives of Related Midwest presented a proposal for a 680 ft (58-story) hotel/apartment building/gym located on the south side of Randolph between the expressway and Halsted.

The developer has purchased all of the buildings on the parcel between Randolph and Court Place (including the building on the northwest corner where Haymarket Pub is located), as well as the structure at 724 W. Washington. Under this proposal, these buildings would be upzoned, with each of the buildings transferring their floor area ratio to the proposed tower.

As proposed, the site would be changed from a mix of zoning (DX-5 and DX-7) and FAR (8.32, 7.0, 5.0) to DX-7 (11.5). This change would require a $5.3M payment into the Neighborhood Opportunity Fund.

The building would include a multi-story pedestal running from Washington to Randolph. The building entrance would be located along Randolph, with a hotel & residential lobby and a restaurant on the northeast corner of the property. The part of the complex along Washington would house the parking area (with vehicle elevators to save space). Floors 2 and 3 of the pedestal would contain an Equinox gym that is intended to be accessible by hotel guests and residents.

The tower would extend upward first with 14 floors of hotel rooms (total number TBD) and then 40 stories of apartments. Designed by Roger Ferris & Partners, the proposed building is intended to evoke Chicago bay windows.

Circulation around the site involves the conversion of the Randolph Street service road to one-way eastbound operation. A southbound access drive would be provided along the east side of the property (valet parking to be provided). Court Place would operate as a two-way street. A pedestrian path would be provided from the sidewalk along Randolph to the expressway bridge. A traffic study that captures this circulation plan is in development.

Committee Feedback

Our committee provided a number of comments for consideration by the development team:

Our committee anticipates that the introduction of increased activity into this area will cause traffic flow issues, especially at the intersections of Court Place and the Randolph service drive with Halsted. The group would like to review the traffic study when it is complete.
The architectural concept of the project was well-received by the committee.
The committee did not have concerns with the proposed height of the building, since it is located east of Halsted.
Our committee would like more information about how the developer intends to meet the affordable housing requirements.
Considering the size and proposed density of the project, our committee would like to see public green space
We would also like the developer to provide more information about the partial vacation of Court Place.

Is there a rendering yet or just the diagram?

I've been to Au Cheval several times and have never waited. I have given up and gone to Girl & the Goat once. But I'd never take in that many calories for anything but really excellent food, so your standard pub burger or fast food is just not in my repertoire.

No rendering yet, should be soon

^ It wont last forever. The land is too valuable, and at some point its time will be up.

Its refreshing how many parking lots have been developed in Greektown over the last 8 years. I wonder what Walgreens may be planning or in talks with for its block-long site?

Would it be legal for walgreens to sell a plot of land requiring whoever purchases it to develop something incorporating walgreens into the new development?

Sure, happens all the time. Look at the McDonald's across the street from Wrigley. They got the rights to the ground floor retail space in the development that replaced their restaurant and parking lot.

Roger that. Thanks!

01/12/18
https://uniim1.shutterfly.com/ng/service...ia/53685950403/medium/1515804752/enhance

https://uniim1.shutterfly.com/ng/service...ia/53685951441/medium/1515804773/enhance

https://uniim1.shutterfly.com/ng/service...ia/53685950184/medium/1515804737/enhance

This tower is going to really stand out at nearly 700ft in this location can't wait to see renderings

Whoa i forgot about this one. this is major.

^ I think that’s just soil testing

Haha, it would have been pretty damn quick if that was the case. I don't think this proposal gone through any of its legally mandated hurdles yet, though. City reviews, community input (read: bitching), etc.

^There was a communtiy meeting for this project in November. It didn't recieve the resistance we would have expected, partly because of its location on the Kennedy, and partly because Related also presented plans for a 50 story building a couple blocks west. That one absorbed the brunt of the usual NIMBY belly aching. A brilliant play on the part of Related. They know (or at the very least should know) they aren't getting fifty floors out of the other site and I doubt they plan to build both towers at the same time. So let the 900 block sit for a few years until construction on this one is complete and come back later with a more modest (realistic) proposal based on leasing figures. Great plan if this is their thought process.

That's still a positive sign. Soil testing costs money

I would think soil testing is a good sign but I dont want to get my hopes up. Is this going in front of the city for approval anytime soon?

Lets see some renderings already!

Look at the the previous page abou half way down

That's not a rendering for this project. Its for the Samsung Beijing HQ.

http://smdpstudio.com/project/samsung-headquarters-beijing/

I'd be pretty happy if it came close to looking like that, though.

I don't think they've released any renderings yet, just the elevations.

Oh no shit. I was wondering why there were no chicago buildings. Based on the massing model I thought it would look just like that. Thanks for the correction

I'm hearing that there will possibly be a meeting for this and the other Related proposal January 30/31.

There may be two separate meetings.

-Stay Tuned

Will the residential portion be condo or apartments?