They could easily put up big, curved, architectural barriers to either side of the expressway starting at Jefferson, and do the same underneath the overpasses. That would go a long way toward making the expressway "disappear" from the surrounding neighborhood from a pedestrian perspective.

No need to bury the highway, simply have it end immediately at the Circle and extend Congress Parkway west.

It would still need to bridge over Desplaines as it currently does, but after that you can have traffic light-controlled intersections at Jefferson, Clinton and Canal. Canal can be brought to grade, and the extra space between the street at the existing grade level portion along the OPO can be turned into a wide, landscaped walkway.

Assuming the elevated portion of 290 between the Circle and the river is as old as the interchange that is currently being replaced, it would be pushing about 50 years and in need of replacement soon anyway.

I've always thought they should just build a sweeping set of stairs on each side of the highway with ramps built in like the section of the riverwalk on each side of the highway. Bring the entire side of the Post Office up to grade with retail on top. Would add serious value to that first floor space.

I agree with this 100%. Just remove the Congress/Canal grade separation and return it to being a normal street like it was when the post office was built in the first place. A normal intersection on either side of the building and regular streets all around would make a world of difference in terms of usability.

https://chuckmanchicagonostalgia.fil...erial-1947.jpg

http://chicagotonight.wttw.com/sites.../1953%20PO.jpg

Even on the east side of the building there used to be reasonable street access. Not dark abandoned alleys to nowhere and a random patchwork of concrete leftovers from the past.

Yeah, looking through that gallery at the link, looks like an ideal mega tech office.

While this site is great for Amazon, I honestly would rather they go somewhere else, and spur development in another part of the city. I doubt this site is going to have trouble attracting clients.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/busine...005-story.html

Column: With or without Amazon, old post office site is ready for its comeback




Robert ReedContact Reporter
Chicago Tribune

The former old main post office, among Chicago’s most long-awaited and significant downtown redevelopment projects, doesn’t need Amazon’s stamp of approval.
But getting it would sure be nice.
While undergoing a $600 million rehab, the massive art deco complex and adjacent area is expected to be on the list of sites Chicago’s City Hall presents to Amazon, which is scouring the nation in search of a home for its second headquarters.
Yet with or without Amazon, the old post office’s rebirth promises to be one of the most economically vital and far-reaching development projects to emerge from the city’s current downtown building boom.

Spruced up and pushed to its commercial potential, the site would finally shake off its dreary image as an empty, foreboding behemoth along the river ...

windows allow more natural light into the building’s core.
The post office site meets a couple of Amazon’s top requirements.
It’s in a centralized location with close proximity to train and other mass transit options. What’s more, with 2.5 million square feet and the possibility to build on adjacent property, the post office can immediately provide the wide, open work spaces that Amazon craves.

Still, even this building behemoth may not satisfy the Seattle-based ...


Not holding their breath for Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ call, the development’s backers are scoping out other tenant prospects.
The list includes: banks, call centers, software developers, technology firms, insurance companies and corporations seeking to band together multiple area offices into one location.

Any company that opts to move ers.into the post office development should have a little pioneering spirit.
The sheer size and scope of the project means there will be construction underway on-site after a major tenant moves in.
“It’s the ultimate urban loft experience,” the planning council’s Ellis says.
Nonetheless, the post office is the largest redevelopment in the country and promises to become a money generator for the surrounding community.

...

Chicago awards old Post Office preliminary landmark status, property tax incentive [Curbed]

"Known as a Class L incentive, the measure reduces tax assessments for landmarked buildings over a 12-year period with the caveat that the owner must invest at least half of the value of the property into an approved rehabilitation project. In the case of the old Chicago Post Office, taxes will be lowered a combined $53.2 million over the dozen-year life of the incentive.

Once that period expires, the renovated building is expected to create $19 million in additional annual tax revenue—quickly offsetting the initial discount."

The OPO is the location to beat for Amazon. If not them, I'm sure some other techies will gladly take it over.

Developer just landed a $500 million construction loan! :cheers:

^that still doesn't put a tower there, right?

No it's to renovate the OPO.

That a really big loan.


Worth reading about it.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/busine...219-story.html

That definitely adds heft to the OPO proposal for Amazon. I wonder if this announcement is causing any buzz in Seattle?

Just for some perspective, this is one of the largest construction loans in Chicago's history. And it might be the largest construction loan for an adaptive reuse project in Chicago, as well as one of the largest of this sort in US history. And the lender is JP Morgan Chase, no less. A huge bet.

This is most certainly big news.

That comment section is silly. Also, as a side note I don't know why they bother reporting on old loans in nominal values.

with no big tenant signings announced, does the fact that they landed a $500m loan give credence to maybe some behind the scenes guarantees of a giant online retailer committing to the space?

I don’t know about Amazon, but perhaps some other large tenant

I try to not read open comments. They're pretty much always silly.