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-   -   CHICAGO | Post Office Redevelopment (https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/showthread.php?t=192697)

ih8spires Apr 15, 2013 8:12 PM

I am no expert, but at the moment, most people would agree, there is not enough demand for this, but by the time all the steps and hurdles needed for such a plan to be built are cleared, the economics very well could justify such a project. I think if a plan this big is going to happen, it needs to already be in the works long before the obvious demand appears, or else we just end up with a hole in the ground or an unfinished 20 story parking garage. :(

Roadcruiser1 Apr 16, 2013 6:57 AM

Well if it was built they should rename it to World Trade Center Chicago to attract businesses. Chicago has been talking about building a World Trade Center for a long time. The last proposal for a World Trade Center in Chicago called for a building taller than 2,000 feet.

Urbana Apr 16, 2013 10:48 AM

it also seems like they dropped the ridiculous bridge over the river.

Zapatan Apr 17, 2013 3:12 AM

well obviously there is no current demand for the whole project but that doesn't mean that someday there won't be at least some demand for part of it.

This should not be in the vision section, even if not super likely (I don't even know if that's true either)

tawfiqmp May 5, 2013 2:51 PM

Quote:

The owner of the Old Main Post Office plans to seek landmark status and a property-tax break for the vacant 91-year-old building as part of a plan to redevelop it into a massive mixed-use complex.

British investor Bill Davies also aims to present his proposal for the shuttered post office 433 W. Van Buren St. to the Chicago Plan Commission next month, said his architect, Joseph Antunovich, president of Chicago-based Antunovich Associates.

Under a new plan Mr. Antunovich unveiled last month, the project would include 6,400 residential units, more than 2 million square feet of office space, 800,000 square feet of retail space and 1,240 hotel rooms in and around the vacant colossus spanning the Congress Expressway. Mr. Davies acquired the structure in 2009.

An Antunovich representative shared the proposal yesterday with the Commission on Chicago Landmarks, which would decide whether to designate the post office a landmark. Mr. Davies does not plan to seek tax-increment financing (TIF) from the city to help pay for the project, Mr. Antunovich said.

If the nearly 3-million-square-foot building becomes a landmark, it would qualify for a Class L property-tax incentive. Meant to encourage developers to rehabilitate historic properties, the Class L incentive would reduce the property's tax assessment for 12 years.

"While they hold you to that high standard of preservation, the quid pro quo is the access to these incentives," Mr. Antunovich said.

Tax revenue generated from the site's retailers and businesses would offset the property-tax breaks, he said.

"All of these benefits have been rolled into the overall pro forma," he said, "And that's what helps make the pro forma work."

The post office was added in 2001 to the National Register of Historic Places, a federal list of places and objects significant to American history. The designation offers potential tax credits for rehabbing the structure.

Before the landmarks commission can consider a landmark proposal for the post office, the City Council must approve the project.

Mr. Davies hopes the city's Plan Commission will approve his new proposal at its June 20 meeting, Mr. Antunovich said. The commission has not yet released the agenda for its upcoming May or June meetings. The City Council would consider the plan if and when the commission approves it.

A city spokesman declined to comment.
http://www.chicagorealestatedaily.co...tives?CSEdit=1

jbermingham123 May 5, 2013 6:11 PM

^^^ So this might actually happen? Or is it still just a vision?

tawfiqmp May 6, 2013 1:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbermingham123 (Post 6116737)
^^^ So this might actually happen? Or is it still just a vision?

Still hard to say but that meeting next month will be key towards what will happen. I think another positive thing about the old post office is that it was one of many potential sites for entertainment complex which included a casino. Well, the state senate passed the casino bill recently so that's a positive thing if this site will indeed be used for that.

Frankly, I think something is going to come of the site, whether it's this redevelopment plan or another plan.

nomarandlee May 6, 2013 3:02 AM

Another positive development over the last week was the court ruling that Davies was compelled to keep the exhaust fans running in the building 24/7. The more by legal order he has to spend on keeping an unused building's maintenance up and running the less likely he will want to sit on it just to turn it around/sell it at the most opportune time I would think.

bnk May 9, 2013 11:54 AM

Saw a 5min segment on the news last night on this project. It was the first time they mentioned a casino for an anchor.

Videos in the link.



Exclusive: What’s in the works for Chicago’s old post office?


9 hours ago
by Nancy Loo



Perhaps you’re among the thousands of Chicagoans who either drive under or pass by the old Chicago post office every day. It’s been vacant since 1996. WGN News has learned the old post office has become a potential leading location for a city casino. Nancy Loo reports on some fast-moving developments and takes us inside for an exclusive look.

Even after nearly two decades of vacancy, there’s no mistaking the grandeur that’s still alive in Chicago’s old main post office at West Van Buren and Congress Parkway. Time has literally stood still since the building was shut down in 1996.

“We just can’t let this project lie fallow any longer,” says architect Joe Antunovich. “It’s too great a building, too great a space. You just have to step foot in this grand lobby and see that it’s something that’s so wasted by not being used every day of its life.”

Antunovich is the latest Chicago architect to take over the redevelopment of this national landmark... Phase one would include a sweeping addition to the river, and a thousand foot tower for businesses and hotel rooms. Atriums would be cut into the upper floors of the main structure for unique residential units, with original parquet flooring salvaged from the site.

“The lower three levels for retail and entertainment uses; many kinds of entertainment could be possible.” We asked the architect, would a casino be a safe bet as that entertainment? “Entertainment stretches to a wide realm of definitions. But you could certainly fit a casino in the amount of space you’re gonna create? Given the 2.7 million square feet that exists here, a use like that could be accommodated, yes!”

“I think that would be a perfect site for that,” says Chicago Alderman Danny Solis who picked up the post office site in his ward through city re-districting. He says the city has moved beyond whether or not to have a casino; it’s a matter of where.

“We are in dire straits as far as revenue. We lose $20 million to outside states. Those people are going to gamble. They’re coming from Chicago. So, let’s make a nice place in the city of Chicago. I think the state legislature understands that.” The gaming bill passed the state Senate May first, soon after Mayor Emanuel took to YouTube to insist that all city casino revenues would go towards education. ”A Chicago casino is the only casino in this state that will be totally dedicated for our children.”

The city planning commission is expected to consider the first phase of the post office redevelopment plan on June 20th, after completion of a traffic study. Alderman Solis predicts this; “I think it will be approved.” So, with city approval looking likely for phase one of the post office proposal, the possibility of a Chicago casino license approved by state lawmakers in the next few weeks, and political support for the site to be anchored by a casino, architect Antunovich says it may be a winning timeline for developers. “We would start construction here almost immediately.” And with or without a casino, the renewed post office site could be open for business by mid 2015. The nearby Holiday Inn would become a parking facility. And Chicago would have over five- million square feet of new businesses and homes to explore.

If successful, phase two could someday bring a two-thousand square foot high rise that would dwarf the Willis Tower- a building that architect Antunovich says would make a true statement about Chicago: “At the gateway to our city, we should do something extraordinary. And this is an opportunity to do something extraordinary, a real game changer here in the Southwest loop.”

...Read more: http://wgntv.com/2013/05/08/exclusiv...#ixzz2SnOu7Mus

ih8spires May 9, 2013 2:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zapatan (Post 6094082)
well obviously there is no current demand for the whole project but that doesn't mean that someday there won't be at least some demand for part of it.

This should not be in the vision section, even if not super likely (I don't even know if that's true either)

I agree. ...or is there a reason this project is being hidden in the vision section? Also. wondering what Tom's likelyhood percentage of this one? Phase one? Phase two? :haha:

tawfiqmp May 11, 2013 3:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ih8spires (Post 6121503)
I agree. ...or is there a reason this project is being hidden in the vision section? Also. wondering what Tom's likelyhood percentage of this one? Phase one? Phase two? :haha:

The next two months will really tell if this project is going anywhere, at least for Phase One. I think it's fine in the vision section till then.

Zapatan May 11, 2013 5:53 AM

Quote:

http://www.chicagogrid.com/news/dave...-office-plans/

Big new plans for Chicago’s old main post office

[David Roeder]

Skyscrapers, retail and more grand ideas for the abandoned building.

BY DAVID ROEDER

........An earlier plan nearly hid the building in a cluster of skyscrapers. Antunovich, however, has proposed adding floors to the post office, increasing the cavernous interior space that others proposed to partially raze.

The scale would suit a casino, should the state Legislature ever grant a license to Chicago. The building is big enough for all the parking, tables and slot machines a gambler could imagine, and it needs a huge anchor to draw people into what’s now a neglected quadrant of downtown.

Antunovich would say little about the prospect for a casino. Davies’ representatives in the past have said the project was not being designed with a casino in mind.

Ald. Daniel Solis (25th) said a casino makes sense for the site. The property is within the redrawn version of Solis’ ward and his support is crucial for the zoning change.

“I think a casino is a possibility because of all the public transportation that’s available at the site,” Solis said.

The post office, 433 W Van Buren, sits alongside the Chicago River and over Amtrak and Metra tracks. It’s a well-known landmark for travelers on the Eisenhower Expressway...........
.

BraveNewWorld May 12, 2013 7:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bnk (Post 6121360)
Saw a 5min segment on the news last night on this project. It was the first time they mentioned a casino for an anchor.

Videos in the link.



Exclusive: What’s in the works for Chicago’s old post office?


9 hours ago
by Nancy Loo



Perhaps you’re among the thousands of Chicagoans who either drive under or pass by the old Chicago post office every day. It’s been vacant since 1996. WGN News has learned the old post office has become a potential leading location for a city casino. Nancy Loo reports on some fast-moving developments and takes us inside for an exclusive look.

Even after nearly two decades of vacancy, there’s no mistaking the grandeur that’s still alive in Chicago’s old main post office at West Van Buren and Congress Parkway. Time has literally stood still since the building was shut down in 1996.

“We just can’t let this project lie fallow any longer,” says architect Joe Antunovich. “It’s too great a building, too great a space. You just have to step foot in this grand lobby and see that it’s something that’s so wasted by not being used every day of its life.”

Antunovich is the latest Chicago architect to take over the redevelopment of this national landmark... Phase one would include a sweeping addition to the river, and a thousand foot tower for businesses and hotel rooms. Atriums would be cut into the upper floors of the main structure for unique residential units, with original parquet flooring salvaged from the site.

“The lower three levels for retail and entertainment uses; many kinds of entertainment could be possible.” We asked the architect, would a casino be a safe bet as that entertainment? “Entertainment stretches to a wide realm of definitions. But you could certainly fit a casino in the amount of space you’re gonna create? Given the 2.7 million square feet that exists here, a use like that could be accommodated, yes!”

“I think that would be a perfect site for that,” says Chicago Alderman Danny Solis who picked up the post office site in his ward through city re-districting. He says the city has moved beyond whether or not to have a casino; it’s a matter of where.

“We are in dire straits as far as revenue. We lose $20 million to outside states. Those people are going to gamble. They’re coming from Chicago. So, let’s make a nice place in the city of Chicago. I think the state legislature understands that.” The gaming bill passed the state Senate May first, soon after Mayor Emanuel took to YouTube to insist that all city casino revenues would go towards education. ”A Chicago casino is the only casino in this state that will be totally dedicated for our children.”

The city planning commission is expected to consider the first phase of the post office redevelopment plan on June 20th, after completion of a traffic study. Alderman Solis predicts this; “I think it will be approved.” So, with city approval looking likely for phase one of the post office proposal, the possibility of a Chicago casino license approved by state lawmakers in the next few weeks, and political support for the site to be anchored by a casino, architect Antunovich says it may be a winning timeline for developers. “We would start construction here almost immediately.” And with or without a casino, the renewed post office site could be open for business by mid 2015. The nearby Holiday Inn would become a parking facility. And Chicago would have over five- million square feet of new businesses and homes to explore.

If successful, phase two could someday bring a two-thousand square foot high rise that would dwarf the Willis Tower- a building that architect Antunovich says would make a true statement about Chicago: “At the gateway to our city, we should do something extraordinary. And this is an opportunity to do something extraordinary, a real game changer here in the Southwest loop.”

...Read more: http://wgntv.com/2013/05/08/exclusiv...#ixzz2SnOu7Mus


This could actually happen. I can't believe it. :omg:

Can you imagine Chicago after Wolf Point, this, and the 75 story proposed building ? Of course that is looking way into an uncertain future, but still.

ardecila May 12, 2013 9:55 AM

I think a casino might actually make everything else viable. There may not be enough demand for another retail hub here just yet, but the right casino operator might see a demand for a shopping and dining complex to complement his casino and hotel.

There's a lot of interesting theming possibilities, too. A mix of modern and Art Deco (think Gatsby) would be perfect for the casino interiors and shopping areas, if it's done tastefully.

I still think the Chelsea Market-esque idea produces a better outcome for the city, but it'll be great to get this building up and running again, regardless of its use. $20 million for CPS is a drop in the bucket, so it's not like the casino's gonna solve any big problems.

Zapatan May 12, 2013 8:36 PM

Ok, so time to move this to the proposals section...

;)

jbermingham123 Jun 6, 2013 4:28 AM

Someone just made a new model for this in the diagrams section. Looks sick :cool::D

i_am_hydrogen Jul 23, 2013 7:52 PM

Phase One:
http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/1051/iqh1.jpg

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/4282/vrov.jpg

http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/1402/81zo.jpg

http://img542.imageshack.us/img542/4817/ozc2.jpg

http://img802.imageshack.us/img802/1020/l8tm.jpg

Roadcruiser1 Jul 23, 2013 11:35 PM

I can't believe that the news has been out of this project for the last few days and no one posted anything about it..........

Work to redevelop old Chicago Post Office could start in September
By David Roeder July 18, 2013 2:46PM

Quote:

City planners on Thursday approved a redevelopment for the old Chicago Main Post Office as agents for the British investor behind the project said work could begin in September.

The federally landmarked building that spans Congress Parkway would become the centerpiece of a long-term reimagining of a new neighborhood near the Loop. The first phase alone might take eight to 10 years to complete, said Joseph Antunovich, the architect for the project.

In a later phase, a tower that could vie for the “world’s tallest” title could arise next to the post office. But that is acknowledged to be perhaps 20 years away, and aides to the developer, Bill Davies, emphasized their plans to pursue the massive project in chunks that will appeal to financiers and eventual users of the space.

A casino is not in the plans, although the site has been mentioned whenever a potential Chicago license comes up. Charles Hubbard, representing Davies’ International Property Developers North America Inc., said a casino is not essential to the project.

“If there’s a legal ability to have a casino, there’s a possibility of having the space there,” he said. But he added that in the meantime, no casino has been included in appraisals of the property.

Hubbard said financiers are interested in the project and that retailers will move into the vast old building, “as long as they can see the overall master plan, and what an exciting plan it is.”

Initial work would begin turning the old post office, at 2.7 million square feet, into residential use, with up to 2,150 units planned. Lower floors would get retail space close to the size of Water Tower Place and parking.

The first phase, estimated to cost $1.5 billion, also foresees a 1,000-foot-tall tower on the old building’s northeast side. The tower would hold residences and perhaps a hotel.

The Chicago Plan Commission unanimously endorsed the proposal. Its recommendation goes to the City Council for final action.

“What makes this project feasible is that it is phaseable as we go along,” Antunovich said.Hubbard said first-phase work on the old building, which has been vacant since 1996, could start in September and that units could be ready for occupancy 18 months later.

The post office, 433 W. Van Buren, opened in 1921 and by the time a major expansion was completed in 1932, it was the largest building in the world, suited for spreading mail to the expanding western United States. It was designed by Graham, Anderson, Probst & White, the Daniel Burnham successor firm that also created Union Station, the Wrigley Building and the Merchandise Mart.

A grand, soaring lobby is among the post office’s distinguishing features. The Davies-Antunovich plan calls for converting the building’s old office space on its Van Buren and Harrison street sides into residences while attracting stores and other commercial operations, such as theaters, into the vast interior space where the mail used to be processed and sorted. The postal service moved to a new facility just south of the building.

Hubbard said the design of the old post office fits with the developer’s need to phase the project. The new plan replaces one Davies floated two years ago that was even more grandiose, imagining six high-rises around the old building. It was quickly dismissed as unworkable.

The downsized version provides three adjoining towers in total and about 10 million square feet, or more than what’s in two Willis Towers. Hubbard guessed the cost at $4 billion.

But he said getting the city’s zoning approval and having a workable plan is the key to making a start. Global financiers, he said, “have told us, ‘When you get your zoning entitlement, come back to us, we’re very interested.”

Asked if Davies, who is elderly, intends to sell his interest in the property, Hubbard said, “It’s got to involve other investors and some of those investors may be co-developers.”

Antunovich, an architect of condo high-rises who also has expertise in community planning and renovations of historic buildings, noted that the site is a natural for intense urban use. Congress Parkway runs right through the building as its feeds into the Eisenhower Expressway, the Blue Line and commuter rail tracks run beneath it and the property has river frontage.

Residents could “live, shop, exercise, perhaps go to the movies in the building. You don’t really have to leave but you could get on a train and go to work at any one of the sprawling suburbs here in Chicago and yet live here downtown. I think the possibilities are truly endless,” Antunovich said.

The first phase calls for construction of about 4.5 million square feet, including the residential and hotel tower and a six-level deck on the building’s eastern side. The deck would allow for passage over Congress Parkway and would form a base of parking floors for an envisioned second-phase tower that could hit enter the ranking of world’s tallest buildings. In a final phase, a tower could be built west of the post office.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/2...september.html

Urbana Jul 24, 2013 3:20 AM

Can this be moved to proposal finally? It was outlandish in the beginning, but at this point seems very real.

Eidolon Jul 24, 2013 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Urbana (Post 6208081)
Can this be moved to proposal finally? It was outlandish in the beginning, but at this point seems very real.

I couldn't agree more.


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