I'm pretty sure that at one point Mott was scheduled to come down. To call it "Undistinguished" is giving it more credit that it deserves, and it has been neglected for years.

It's very Stephen Holl-esque. I like it a lot.

^ Oh sweet. Thanks spy guy for posting.

Was thinking the same thing. I dig it. Caaaaaaannnnnnn yyooooooouuuuu diiiigggggggiiitttt?

In the right context, this building makes sense. But I can't see any way that it references the University of Chicago campus. The 4th photo is more neutral but, alas, bland. Unfortunately I decree that this building is an abomination, second only to the Max Palevsky dorm, and must not be built on campus. Time to start letter writing campaign... Cheers and Merry Christmas!

I think this is a rejected proposal from Ronan, as someone pointed out on Facebook that UofC picked Diller Scofidio + Renfro for the design: http://news.uchicago.edu/article/201...benstein-forum

Lol, what exactly is it supposed to reference? The gothis architecture of the original buildings? The Robie House? The neighborhood courtyard buildings? The Saarinen law school? Mies' Indian Village buildings? The new Gang dorms and city Hyde park? The Vinoly business school? The White City? Jahns mechanical plants and library? Netsch's library?

This is one of the more rediculous criticisms I've read considering almost nothing in Hyde Park references anything else in the area unless the style is centered on referential design like the Vinoly's nods to Wright across the street. This is one of the most architecturally diverse places on earth and as such there is no such thing as "out of place" here.

It's a shame that apparently we are not getting this design, but are instead getting another dose of NYC architects bringing us brutes a little culture. I mean look at this picture, I don't care if you designed the High Line, you look like the three doucheketeers:

http://news.uchicago.edu/sites/all/f...1.20151005.jpg
UChicago.edu

Looks like Bono and Mick Jagger had kids who take themselves way too seriously.

The new Gang dorms do an excellent job of referencing campus, since you ask.

I completely understand why the university didn't choose the zoo design for the conference center. Kudos. It was in very poor taste and a garish eyesore.

More on Vue53:
https://www.bisnow.com/chicago/news/...truction-53604

UChicago Medicine Planning Major Expansion / Redevelopment of West Campus

An online presentation of UChicago Medicine's master plan shows the University plans to knock down Wyler Children's Hospital and Bernard Mitchell Hospital, add a new 240-bed cancer tower across from the Center for Care and Discovery, expand Comer Children's Hospital into the American School space (while preserving the facade), add a host of new research buildings, expand the new parking garage even further, etc.

https://vimeo.com/77539498

See maps at 2:22 and 2:32.

Specific items include:
1) Phase One: knocking down Wyler Children's Hospital and building a $225 million, nine-story research building
2) knocking down Bernard Mitchell Hospital and replacing it with a nine-story research building
3) knocking down the Peck Pavilion and replacing it with a nine-story research building
4) knocking down Kovler and replacing it with a six-story research building
5) building an 8-story, 240 bed cancer tower diagonal from the Center for Care and Discovery
6) a 5-story expansion of Comer Children's Hospital in the space of the American School building
7) an 8-story medical office tower above the new parking garage and building a new ER (and trauma center?) on the first floor
8) extending the new parking garage further north to fill the whole block
9) replacing the old parking garage on Maryland Avenue with a new mixed-use parking garage
10) a new research building by the current LASR renovation (diagonal from the new Eckhardt Building)

I was born at Wyler's. I'm not sure how I feel about this.

That presentation is from 2013. A lot can change in 3 years!

Same Dean, same plan.

This a 5 or 10 year plan. If you look back at the previous 10 year plans for the university and the hospital in recent decades, they've basically built everything, or more, that they planned.

Main change would be addition of trauma center--and all the other facilities they have built offsite (south loop, orland park, silver cross, etc.)

The university is big on planning. These things don't just come out of nowhere. This was a huge consultant project and presented publicly at an industry conference with the head of UChicago Medicine's space planning--with approval from hospital management.

The university wants pritzker and the bsd to be in the top 5 nationally--same level as law school and business school--and it is willing to spend to make it happen.

Certain things have to be phased in. First Center for Care and Discovery had to open then other things could begin to fall into place. Wyler has already been vacated for demolition. Mitchell is still in use for a bit; the new ER / trauma center needs to open first before old can be decommissioned, etc.

Kinda cool - new comedy club across from new dorms
 

https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/2016...mprov-was-born

Great renderings, indeed.......but MAN is that building isolated from everything else around it!!

....can't wait to see how it looks in person!

-Mark Self
http://heightscalling.blogspot.com/

This bit about the previous owner is crazy.

Ugh. Hopefully this is no longer binding, the site is literally two blocks from the 57th Street ME station and IMO needs no parking.


http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20160...t-for-20-years

Recently some groups have been calling for Metra to convert to an "L"-like timetable with trains running every 10 or 15 minutes.

http://chi.streetsblog.org/2016/01/1...ike-the-cta-l/

But I have another, crazier idea. In 2013, CTA pulled all the Red lines tracks south of Cermak road and re-built the line all the way to 95t St. in 5 months. Cost: $425 million.

http://www.transitchicago.com/redsouth/

What if they simply pulled the Metra tracks and rebuilt it, as they did with the Redline, to be an actual L train connected with rest of the CTA system?

:)

Hyde Park would finally have an L line and this would help economic and construction development in the neighborhood.

I like this idea actually. Could basically function as a subway/train with stops from Millennium Park, past Hyde Park, and hit places like the Museum Park area, Soldier Field, McCormick Place, 31st Street Beach, etc.

:tup:

If I understand what you are suggesting, it is something that has been put forward in the past. Do a search using the terms "gray line"
But if money is available, there are no shortage of ideas. For example, perhaps as part of a Green Line reconstruction, a new section could be routed toward McCormick Place

Gordon Parks Art Hall - Lab School Expansion
 

I don't think we have ever gotten a good look at this one. All photos from VDTA:

http://s2.postimg.org/yv7926e89/gpah_image01.jpg
http://s21.postimg.org/5arytz5h3/gpah_image14.jpg
http://s27.postimg.org/4npc5uzgz/gpah_image06.jpg
http://s22.postimg.org/6kt848j29/gpah_image10.jpg
http://s16.postimg.org/oeizlkfwl/gpah_image17.jpg

Oh man, how is any normal school supposed to compete with this? My high school had an arts trailer. Literally.

Its not, that's kinda the point, lol. I'm a big believer in getting the highest quality education possible even if you have to stretch to afford it and would send any future offspring of mine to the Lab School in a heartbeat (assuming they get in, lol).

Changes to UChicago Medical Center
 

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/artic...xpansion-plans

Here's a first look at U of C Medicine's $270 million trauma center, expansion plan
By KRISTEN SCHORSCH

Looks like they will be building vertically over the new parking garage. The article includes some conceptual renderings, but no design/architect has been chosen.

Photo from the article:
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/apps/...20160218091152

Did anyone attend the 2/18 Plan Commission meeting? Each of these should have gone before the commission for approval. The latter site has sat fallow for some time now.

The townhouses planned for the latter site are flat and uninspiring, but both projects were approved.

Solstice will be rental instead of condo, hence the increased density. They've also positioned the tower further to the south, closer to the street. I was told they'd like to begin construction in the fall.

Solstice on the Park development plans approved

http://i67.tinypic.com/mwv5hd.jpg

I just love this boom going on right now in Hyde Park. When was the last time, before this boom, that anything even close to this scale went up in HP?

The Hyde Park Tower Apartments opened in 1990, as did the The Montgomery Place. The former tops out at 255 feet, while the latter rises to 148 feet.

The developers behind the new hotel at 53rd/Dorchester showed off a new rendering last night:

http://i.imgur.com/duC5gUQl.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/duC5gUQ.jpg
(sorry about the quality, only had my phone with me to take pictures)

The PD paperwork has been filed, and they hope to begin construction this summer, though they admitted that it might actually take until fall.

Do you know which hotel flag?

It's going to be a boutique hotel run by SMART Hotels (http://www.smarthotelsgroup.com/)

I noticed that a building permit was issued for 5315 S Maryland:
Pretty small potatoes, but always good to see. There's already a 3 flat condo building going up at 55th and Woodlawn. I'm hopeful that we will see a few other vacant lots in HP gobbled up this cycle, at the very least the ones that UofC sold to a student housing manager/developer.

Right next to Starbucks.

There aren't that many vacant lots in the area.

The SE corner I assume? Nice, I really like the massing and the corner presence. Hard to tell the quality of the materials from this image, but it's got promise. A good fit for that corner.

Good, hopefully they make a killing gobbling up whatever scraps of land are available in the central part of Hyde park and move on to the North and NW. I could see the boom in Hyde Park starting to spill over into the surrounding areas. Eventually HP proper will be filled to the brim and growth will have to find an outlet.

It looked really great in person. I asked the architect and he said they are committed to using brick.

The housing market for the northern end of HP definitely seems to be trending up since I first started watching the market a year ago in preparation for buying a condo. For now there are still some deals to be had, and a bunch of rehab opportunities (if only I had the time and money...). I think we might see at least two-three more high rises (including Solstice) this cycle if we are lucky (I'm hoping that one of these will be the Harper Court residential tower, since entitlements are in place and HP NIMBYs will not be able to delay it).

Here's a quick picture I took this weekend of the progress on Vue53 as seen from Nichols Park:
http://i.imgur.com/HDooT8Gl.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/HDooT8G.jpg

Fantastic news this morning:
:cheers::cheers::cheers:

^That's great news. Having places like Target, HomeGoods, Whole Foods, etc. to actually buy stuff will make this whole area more desirable and livable.

Speaking of VUE53, here's a construction update from their FB page:

http://s29.postimg.org/fmkhxqryv/107...38568705_o.jpg
http://s29.postimg.org/53ki8kpav/106...50426929_o.jpg

And if Hyde Park can become a major retail district that opens up access to these retail options up to a large number of existing residents in other South side neighborhoods (not to mention the low and middle wage jobs). This trend will improve the quality of life for a lot of people.

Other project updates
 

City Hyde Park looks like it is nearly done or at least occupied.

Photos from City Hyde Park FB
http://s24.postimg.org/5c66gbjt1/127...41216_n_jp.jpg
http://s15.postimg.org/72lwlab97/127...391898_n_j.jpg
http://s7.postimg.org/sisa1wt63/1276...54040680_o.jpg

---
Also came across this old aerial of Harper Court that I liked.
http://s13.postimg.org/5ibafxlfr/46285_11.jpg
Source
Now that City Hyde Park, Vue53, Harper Court (phase 1) are done deals and it looks like Solstice might finally start, I wonder what the next big project could be. Remember that they can still build 3 more buildings on top of Harper Court and Antheus owns the parking lot at 53rd and Cornell (shown above) where a previous highrise was proposed...

A look at North Campus:
http://chicagomaroon.com/2016/04/03/...student-tours/

The interiors look pretty cheap. I know it's a college dorm and all but still... I'm sure they'll be charging ridiculous amounts for people to live there.

^Looks pretty much on par with the high end of on campus student housing to me. Part of it is because the interior are all so neutral, all white laminates versus faux granite and wood laminates. But no one dare put in anything nicer than that. The students will just destroy it eventually.

And it doesn't look cheap at all compared with the concrete block rooms with VCT floors that might be available elsewhere on campus.

Looks REALLY cheap.

Those cabinets will be shitty in like 6 months.

http://chicagomaroon.com/wp-content/...3-1024x768.jpg

This is a college dorm we're talking about. It's considered a blessing for some to even have a kitchen.

Seriously. Come back to reality folks.

that kitchen is nicer than one in my rental (seriously, its about double my counter space).

It's not great but it's also a college dorm. Not the best I've seen, definitely not the worst.

On the plus side, I didn't realize that there's retail on the ground floor
http://s29.postimg.org/icsocj147/Scr...1_23_01_AM.jpg

Eh, it's kind of my reality. I'd easily trade my housing dorm for the new one with the "shitty cabinets". I'll leave it at that.

I'm liking how universities located in cities are starting to have retail for their new dorms. Have seen this a lot in both MIT and UPenn. Definitely helps connect the dorm to the surrounding neighborhood and also offers a great places to study during the middle of the night :tup:

One of those spots already has a tenant lined up, it will be a Dollop coffee shop.