Not sure why preserving some of the facades isn't on the docket for the CTA... I would assume cost?

IMO improving the red line is an important project. For things like this I am not opposed to demolition. There is plenty of senseless demolition but this is not it.

Having a train system that is updated, efficient and ready for expansion is more important.

Yes, it was on Addison station. If you take on Red Line from downtown Chicago or Skokie, IL.

First Look: Wrigleyville’s New Hotel Zachary

http://www.chicagomag.com/city-life/...el-Zachary/#/0

I used to live in one of the apartments being demod. And thank god it is gone. That place was a shithole.

Guessing you lived on Wilton? that is the only block where the buildings being demod isn't a loss (except for the one building at Sheffield and Roscoe - North side of tracks).

I live near Wrigley (closer to Southport) and have concerns over the project; the area will be left with surface lots for the next couple years, and if all of the lots are actually developed, they are surely going to be cheap, ugly structures similar to what is going up around the rest of the neighborhoods in Chicago.

I am so excited about this. And the restaurants/bars are going to be terrific to have. Walk by every night and they are flying. Especially excited about the Boka Group restaurant.

Also, Jeni's Ice Cream is open (uh oh).

What a glorious hotel. The interior looks like it's been there 100 years! And just imagine waking up to Wrigley Field right outside your window, taking in a game, enjoy Clark st bars and a quick stumble home. :yes:

because clearly the act of restoration does not exist...

Yeah the CTA has been pretty terrible about developing empty lots following construction. Inattention or indecision could see those lots empty & banked for a decade or more.

There is two buildings of architectural merit within the project area. One is the terra cotta commercial building and the other is an apartment being moved. The rest have been mutilated of their original exteriors. Concern is wasted here from an architectural standpoint because so many similar buildings of better quality and original detail are being torn down and the discussion on those is silent. So I feel concern is a bit misplaced. I touched on my opinions of preservation in my post above.

However......

From an urban planning standpoint....yes this is concerning that we will be stuck with empty lots. There should have been some zoning covenant established prior that would allow existing FAR based on lot of record sizes regardless of CTA’s reductions and developer driven lot consolidation. It would make those lots far more attractive to build on if larger densities are as-of-right...yet acknowledging the impact of this project is entitled to leniency under current zoning restrictions.

It goes beyond the individual buildings and architectural merit in my opinion, we are demoing an entire block plus of buildings at a pretty popular intersection...it is a case of the sum is greater than the parts, the majority of the buildings contribute to the character of the neighborhood, which will be lost forever. Whatever replaces them will be complete crap, plus we'll be stuck with large concrete pillars right in the middle of the street, we're not even getting Steel support beams!

It’s not that I totally disagree with what you are saying. Yes, I wish all of this would have been left alone. But why here right now is there sudden preservation concern where there’s worse demolition atrocities happening now across the city to serviceable buildings?

I mean in this instance there’s a perfectly reasonable decision to demo these buildings. The Clark junction totally messes with the train arrivals and spacing. Despite that I consider myself a diehard preservationist and promoter of fine grain urban development, I realize there are sensible limits

I think we are on the same page...For me, the why here why now is I live in the neighborhood, but I strongly dislike the demoing of our historic building stock throughout the city. I understand the flyover is a project that serves the greater good of the city, and I think removing the buildings is justified here. What upsets me more is the crap we are more than likely going to see replace these buildings in the coming years.

The biggest problem I actually have is with buildings that used to have excellent bones and could have been easily restored back to their previous glorious state, but due to decades of terrible ownership and lack of any maintenance whatsoever, they've deteriorated to the point that they've all but demolition targets in today's day and age. Still plenty of buildings along Clark and other nearby streets in the area that fit this description, unfortunately. :(

If only there were reasonable ways for cities to ensure that property owners had the resources and finances to keep their properties properly maintained. The horrific shape of so many of these once-beautiful buildings is simply not acceptable.

Aaron (Glowrock)

OK OK so am I though only one that thinks that a lot of the furniture in the Zachary looks like they found it at Goodwill?

It's a "Goodwill Chic" aesthetic. And I dig it.

Hospitality design parlance would refer to such a mishmash as ‘masculine’...and it works. The plaids, drab greens, and simplistic patterns are all deliberate, to try and lure the type of hotel guest that make pilgrimages to Wrigley..I mean, the whole hotel is basically there to primarily serve Cubs fans; whoever created the mood board for the interior palette may not get kudos for originality but they get bonus points for knowing how to target the right type of client: very slightly white-collar, suburban white male, late 30s/early 40s, obvs a huge Cubs fan, whose wife or girlfriend surprises them with a weekend getaway package to a nice-looking hotel directly across the street from their ‘Mecca’.

New Wrigleyville development unveils rooftop pool, apartment amenities
http://www.chicagotribune.com/busine...328-story.html

http://www.trbimg.com/img-5abbe553/t.../1150/1150x647

They need a big outside TV to put the games on while people are in/around the pool