Abysmal is a bit exaggerated but really from the street the podium is not very nice, imo. That CVS looks depressing and the lobby is very boring. Being on top of the podium is wonderful, however.

Here is an image: http://boardingarea.com/loyaltytrave...tel-Floors.jpg

It's a good question since this thing has been dragging on forever. The latest is that more of the retail space has been leased (not yet announced) and I believe that some utility work will begin near the end of summer. I'm guessing Whole Foods has some kind of opening deadline, so they'll probably have to work to meet that at least.

Great overview of Harper Court and the surrounding developments:
http://imageshack.us/a/img703/1408/rirt.jpg
Harper Court/ Facebook

The first Harper Court businesses are opening up this week. An AT&T store opened over Labor Day weekend, while a Starbucks and an athletic shoe shop, Villa, are going to open later in the week.
http://fiftythird.uchicago.edu/2013/...n-harper-court

^ Great news.

spyguy, that image really shows how Harper Court is not out of scale with the neighborhood, and the McMobil and City Hyde Park projects will also be an appropriate scale.

The University purchased the building on the SW corner of 53rd and Harper. This reveals their plans for the upper floors of that and other neighboring buildings, but I wonder if they'll clean up the first floor retail as well.

http://imageshack.us/a/img197/4167/ceof.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img198/7736/volm.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img713/7309/ulzx.jpg

http://news.uchicago.edu/article/201...icago-startups

New innovation hub uses discovery to fuel Chicago startups
Chicago Innovation Exchange to open on 53rd Street, sparking business and product creation
OCTOBER 11, 2013

The University of Chicago announced Friday that it has created a new center to help scholars and entrepreneurs translate their ideas and new technologies into startup businesses and products.

The Chicago Innovation Exchange (CIE), which will open in late 2014 in the 53rd Street commercial district in Hyde Park, will provide space for proof-of-concept work, business incubation, collaboration opportunities, and programming for new ventures by UChicago faculty and students, as well as entrepreneurs from outside the University. It also will cultivate partnerships to connect emerging entrepreneurs with Chicago’s broader innovation ecosystem and drive the creation of new businesses, jobs, and economic activity in the city and surrounding region.

The CIE will bring together the University’s distinctive strengths in research and resources from a network of world-class entrepreneurship programs to drive innovation in a range of areas, applying scientific discoveries to generate scalable solutions to difficult societal problems. The center will have space to incubate five to 10 new companies a year, along with co-working space, gathering places, and meeting rooms that together can accommodate up to 350 people in full working mode.

...The CIE will draw participation from different parts and affiliates of the University, including Argonne National Laboratory; the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and the Michael P. Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation; the College; the Computation Institute; Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory; the Institute for Molecular Engineering; the Marine Biological Laboratory; the Physical Sciences Division; the Biological Sciences Division and the University of Chicago Medicine; UChicago’s Center for Technology Development & Ventures, or UChicagoTech; the Urban Education Institute; and the University of Chicago Law School. The CIE will be a central hub for these distinct entities, allowing for greater collaboration, sharing of resources, and a regular exchange of ideas—complementing existing innovation efforts in Chicago.

The good (hopefully) and bad
 

http://hpherald.com/2013/10/09/demo-...n-for-city-hp/

Demo to begin for City HP
By LINDSAY WELBERS OCT 9, 2013

The old buildings at the Village Shopping Center should be demolished in coming weeks.

Peter Cassel, director of community development for Antheus Capital, told the 53rd Street TIF Advisory Council on Monday, Sept. 30, that the buildings should be gone by the end of the year.

Construction on the 17-story building that will eventually house 110,000 square feet of retail including a Whole Foods, 182 apartments, and two levels of underground parking, would begin early next year.

...Cassel also announced that three greystones between 5110 and 5114 S. Harper Ave. will be demolished. Antheus bought the properties in 2008, he said, as a defensive move when they were “a rat-infested mess.”

Antheus has been unable to find a way to rehab the buildings affordably, so to accommodate the retailers’ and neighborhoods demand for more parking the lots the houses occupy will be turned into a 28 space paid parking lot.

^ fuck that!

It is always disheartening to see old row homes get demolished, especially for surface lots, but I imagine Antheus could be looking down the road to combine that lot with a future purchase of the single floor retail building immediately to the North for another large project.

But until then, its a downer.

Overheard a little story recently - U of C was originally courting Urban Outfitters for Harper Court - with discounted rent and other concessions. Not interested, so they went after Akira.

This Hyde Park store is now Akira's best performing store in the city, which has really got a lot of attention in the retail market. Urban Outfitters is said to be scouting in Hyde Park, tail between their leg. No discounted rent is available any more.

Yeah, the increasing populations of grad students in business, medicine, etc. has brought a lot of wealthy, sophisticated buyers to HP. These aren't starving students anymore...

^ Urban Outfitters on 53rd would be a huge symbol for that area's transformation. All we need is Gang's project and for a judge to throw out that retarded and frivolous lawsuit by the NIMBY's against the other project, and 53rd will be a whole different kind of place than it was just a few years ago...

Matthias Merges' first Hyde Park venture, A10, opened the other day, and Eater Chicago's shots are pretty beautiful (if a bit HDR-ey).

Full article (with more pics here.

http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs...f36bf0f6_b.jpg

http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs...f843217f_b.jpg

http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs...28e64118_b.jpg

http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs...088639c2_b.jpg

Revcon cranes are onsite at Lake Park and 51st. Village Center construction is imminent.

I went to A10 for lunch recently, it was very good. Nice space too.

Damn.

City Hyde Park has begun construction! The first caissons were drilled today:

http://file.phorio.com/photo/8857170...k,-Chicago.jpg
http://file.phorio.com/photo/2104168...k,-Chicago.jpg

More photos on Phorio: http://en.phorio.com/city_hyde_park,..._united_states

Sadly, the graystone triplex across Harper Avenue finished demolition today, by coincidence.

Looks like construction is not too far off on Vue 53 either. Went past the sight this evening and the gas station has been removed.

Walking past the Vue53 site today and noticed there is a lot of activity in the alley that runs behind it, looked to me like they were doing some utility relocation work, and that they had a large wooden box with what looked like a test piece of the future curtain wall. I've seen similar setups in the past during early construction of both the new UofC hospital pavilion and Harper Court. Does anyone know what purpose they serve?