Why? Related says they'll be unveiling something I think in the next few months for this site.

Why? I live for the tiny burst of adrenaline I get when I see "CHICAGO | 400 N LSD (former Chicago Spire site) | ? FT | ? FLOORS"

In case this ultimately doesn't fulfill people's supertall aspirations: Take note that just six blocks away, a certain newspaper's parking lot is said to be dusting off Burnham's favorite four word sentence.

^ Sorry all for the adrenaline bump via Spire thread, but do you know something we don't? When that lot was last in the news, the plans were for a building similar in scale to the Tribune Tower.

By the way, Burnham's favorite sentence is actually a 12-words :) and ends as follows: "...; they have no magic to stir men's blood."

lol cause I don't think I can withstand another updated photo of this site that I can't tell if it is not just a repost of the previously posted picture.

Exactly.

I really do love all of harry's picture posts. I think it's a living document to our ever changing city. But when virtually nothing has changed on a site, particularly one as important as this, with all it's significance, I don't think there's any point to posting pictures of the same hole. Please lock until there's legit information as to what could happen at this site.

Something is definitely percolating but haven't heard any details.

not any more, apparently

My 2000' thoughts are obviously out the window. I'm still hoping for at least 1000'-900'. If we end up with Tribune height this might be one of the greatest let downs in this cities history.

Thanks for the tip.

Why anyone is holding out for anything remarkable at 400 is beyond me. It's Related. Re-lat-ed.

^,^^, you both are mistaken in referring to the Spire site, which of course is appropriate given the thread, but Denizen and I are talking about the lot just East of the Tribune Tower.

The next opportunity for that is the corner lot in Lakeshore East, right across the Chicago river from the Spire site.

I can guarantee that Lowenberg has no intentions of building anything close to a supertall on any of the remaining sites in LSE... :(

Never will that lot be zoned for that big of a building.

And no one should have expected them to... it's not zoned for that sort of square footage and height. They'd have to kill the O site and then combine both lots next to LSD into one building to even break 1000 ft for a building.

Image of what the skyline could have looked like with the spire posted over on the r/chicago subreddit by user "mrs-syndicate".

https://i.imgur.com/yqoRAd3.jpg

Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/chicago/com...uld_have_been/

I actually have like a legit 8% concern that if this actually gets approved at 2000 feet that the President might try to stop it from being built.

:uhh:

I don't know where to begin...

I gave the comment 8%. but that might have been a little generous.

Hi, guys I am new here. I just wanted to post some renderings of possible buildings on the Spire site. They are from Thomas Roszak Architecture. I have no clue if they are really the actual renderings on the site. I was wondering if someone could possibly give me more information. These can be found on their website (just search TRA architecture). Thanks
http://www.roszak.com/#/400-n-lake-shore-drive-1/

[IMG]400 N Lake Shore Drive (5).jpg
400 N Lake Shore Drive (6).jpg
400 N Lake Shore Drive (1).jpg
400 N Lake Shore Drive (3).jpg
400 N Lake Shore Drive (4).jpg[/IMG]

Welcome and thanks for posting.

I think I remember seeing these quit a while ago in this thread or the preceding Spire thread. I believe these were just some sort of concept done by the firm. Never a real proposal or anything...

I bet you are right. I just posted it because I wasn't sure if anyone had seen these images yet. I personally hate the design for such a promising site.

Thank god those aren't getting built. I'd riot and burn the whole site down if that was the trash they had decided to go with

just lock this thread already and end the suffering

These aren't terrible. Just not worthy of the spire site.

So to answer your question, Gateway Tower isn't going to happen. Sadly, Gateway Tower was a concept, and not an actual proposal with financial backing. However, the development firm in control of the site (Related Midwest) does seem to have some plans for the site. What those plans are nobody knows. Related hinted early this year that they would release information about their 60 acre site in the South Loop and this site in 2017 (there is a Curbed article on this), but so far nothing has happened. As for what is likely to go there we can only speculate. I hope we get a tower over 1,500 ft, but I it's unlikely. In my opinion, it is more likely that we get a 1,000 foot tower with apartments, condos, and a hotel, similar to Wanda Tower. Anyway, that is pretty much all I know, and most of it is just speculation. I hope that helps. :)

On Spire site, Related Midwest will can build a tower like these, without spending so much money :)

A)
http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4484/3...f505ef8f_b.jpg

B)
http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4374/3...081b9762_b.jpg

C)
http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4413/3...7d124191_b.jpg

Although I understand the concept of sunk costs - it would seem that the current foundation would be a huge discount on a building with about the same footprint.

Pretty neat renderings. Did you make them?

Those renderings are sick. Also shows how the city's skyline is so massive it can take a 2000+ foot building and make it still fit in

These towers are like to CN Tower. They are 2000 ft tall, and have restaurants, shops and observation points for tourists. They are not skyscrapers.
Their base is like to the Spire hole, except for the conic tower that is larger.

Although it would be nice to extend the ceiling of the city, I would be incredibly disappointed if they built something like that - Chicago architecture places a heavy emphasis on function, after all. Though I find it unlikely anyway, since there's not much need for new antennae and already several great observation decks in Chicago.

I don't know if the economics of the site will be able to support a megatall anytime in the near future (maybe only if the L is extended to Navy Pier). But the existing foundations should reduce the marginal cost of building higher, so I'm hopeful for something that at least exceeds Vista.

Since we're bumping this topic again anyway, does anyone have a sense for whether we're still likely to hear something concrete on Related's plans by end of year as previously announced? Only a few months left at this point...

We were also supposed to hear more on their plans for the 78 this year, unless the Tribune article is as much as we're going to get for the immediate future.

^^^ I thought we were supposed to hear something the first half of this year. I doubt we will be hearing anything about this site until One Bennett Park is sold out. Related isn't going to want to put anything out there that may delay or cannibalize demand for something that's already under construction. I assume whatever is proposed here will have a large condo component.


Chicago architecture also puts a huge emphasis on kick ass engineering so tall is easily justified that way.

I saw this got bumped and immediately got my hopes up that Related finally released some news for this site. Here's to hoping they say something before the year's up.

will be shocked if anything happens this cycle, way too much in the pipe already

hmmm. I would KILL for a 2000+ tower but I am not here for Chicago's tallest to be an observation tower. NO. NO. NO. :uhh:

Sorry, but this is a your problem!

Now, an observation tower is the only solution for Chicago.

Ummmm. I tend to disagree with that. What makes you think its "the only solution"??? I just don't see Chicago as one of those cities. I'd be open to the idea if it weren't the traditional martini glass shape but.....yeah..
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Why would it be? The Spire site is excellently located, with river and lake views, next to the future DuSable park, not to mention a dedicated off ramp from southbound LSD. It would be stupid to not put condos/apartments on that site. Units located there would without a doubt command a price premium.

It probably wont be 2000 ft, but I don't see anything shorter than 700/800 feet getting built there. It's too prime a site.

Anything less than a 1000 ft wouldn't even be worth building, unless it has a really unique design.

Anyone have an idea why excavators are moving dirt on DuSable park?

perhaps soil remediation?

here's curbed article from back in july:

source: https://chicago.curbed.com/2017/7/20...-clean-up-plan

Yep, gotta get that thorium out of there before we can do anything else with the park

Cross post from Kolchak
https://s7.postimg.org/627h4xld7/VISTA_3.jpg

Hate to bump this thread, but does anyone know why there’s an excavator on site? You’d think Disable Park activity would be confined to Dusable Park...

It looks like it is for the work in the park on the other side of LSD - bike path ? They were driving in 85' friction piles today.

I don't think anything happens at the Spire site for a while, unfortunately. Between the proposed development just south of here, Vista, Wolf Point East, and One Chicago Sq., I can't see this project gaining the momentum it needs to justify another 1000 ft. tower, let alone a 2,000 ft. one. Save it for another day and make sure it's something iconic.

It was there a month ago.

the supertall at the east end of LSE probably gets built first and that's the same market, almost literally