I obviously don't have any insider info. I just wish UofC would actually update us on some of these projects. We have heard nothing about the cancer center in three years, and those supposed medical building in five years. I won't believe any of this is actually happening until it does. I knew that they had $150 mil for this project, but the case three years ago was that it had become too expensive, and since then, there has been radio silence.

Harper Court Phase II:

https://blockclubchicago.org/2019/12...ed-by-tenants/

https://www.chicagomaroon.com/articl...te-stem-study/

Rubenstein forum progress, Thurs 1/16
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...82cfaf05_b.jpg

That's amazing. I lived in the Picadilly for a year back when it was Grad/Postdoc housing for UC and of course the ballroom was closed off.

The Study Hotel is also under construction next door, isn't it? I realize it isn't as far along. I was just trying to confirm it's started.

Video of Rubinstein Forum

https://dsrny.com/project/rubenstein-chicago


https://youtu.be/GILLLEB0kmU

Apparently the Study Hotel is ready to begin construction:

https://blockclubchicago.org/2020/01...er-this-month/

Woodlawn Plan Consolidation Report

https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/...01_29_2020.pdf

This makes sense in more ways than one since it extends the University's ownership of the land on both sides of the Midway:

https://www.chicagobusiness.com/comm...-osco-woodlawn

Also, the University will be opening an office on 63rd St., according to this article. It may be a medical office for UChicago Medicine:

https://therealdeal.com/chicago/2019/03/18/191136/

Woodlawn Commons:
https://buildingupchicago.com/2020/0...ining-commons/

^^^ Omg I had no idea he was back at it! One of the best blogs out there, Im really happy to see he is photographing again!:cheers:

Nice! He's been back at it since December 2019 apparently. Glad to see he's giving the blog some love again. I used to check it out almost every day.

Study Hotel:
https://buildingupchicago.com/2020/0...-on-the-books/

Study Hotel Foundation
 

UChicago buys last property next to parking garage. The master plan shows this land will eventually be used to expand the parking garage to the whole block:

https://www.chicagotribune.com/real-...zdi-story.html

Do you have an address for this "Vintage 2-Flat" I just don't have the time to wrestle with the paywall.

5616 S. Maryland Ave

5252 S Cornell
 

March 25

Chicago | 5252 S Cornell by Harry Carmichael, on Flickr

Chicago | 5252 S Cornell by Harry Carmichael, on Flickr

Chicago | 5252 S Cornell by Harry Carmichael, on Flickr

^ Love it :cheers:

Quite the eye catcher, While I was shooting this there was another photographer patiently waiting to make use of the empty street to get just the right angle.
Chicago | 5252 S Cornell by Harry Carmichael, on Flickr

U of C - Rubenstein Forum - 1201 E 60th
 

March 25

Park Station Lofts, the highrise planned at 63rd & Blackstone, just got LIHTC funding and is expected to finalize closings in the next 8-14 months.

Since more and more developments are now in Woodlawn, can we rename this thread "Woodlawn & Hyde Park Developments"?

The Study at the University of Chicago - 1227 E 60th
 

Mar 25

Chicago | The Study at the University of Chicago by Harry Carmichael, on Flickr

Chicago | The Study at the University of Chicago by Harry Carmichael, on Flickr

You can see The Study Crane, Rube, and WC in this webcam over University Ave.:
https://chicago-webcams.com/universi...hicago-webcam/

5252 - all photos from SCB
https://i.imgur.com/88fFgcE.jpg?1
https://i.imgur.com/e3bNEPP.jpg?1
https://i.imgur.com/Q8lOYof.jpg?1

Better than Solstice imo

^bold claim

City Hyde Park:
https://vimeo.com/261915960

Agreed-- It's a great addition. City Hyde Park is excellent as well.

Bold, but not leftfield in my opinion. I have a strong feeling Solstice will not age as well, if aging well is a metric one values.

^I agree, its hard to tell for me, I like the concepts behind Solstice but this building is just so clean and smooth.

There's a big Jeanne Gang gang here, so it is around these parts lol

Looks like a rendering in those pics (that's a compliment).

Every time I'm driving down Olympic Boulevard in LA toward Century City, I always think the Fox Plaza (2121 Avenue of the Stars) reminds me of 5252 because of the coloring. However, I think I like 5252 better overall because of the detail on the facade, such as the fins (or whatever the architectural term is).

https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/2121...es-CA/6613316/

Im guilty of that, however my perception of that studio has changed quite a bit after the execution of vista, which I know may be the fault of many contributing parties but ultimately the concept was weak, ill conceived, and not fit for a supertall skyscraper. sorry for the off topic comment, but relating it to Hyde Park I really like their buildings there. I think they do much better with that scale of building

Can't help thinking what a huge difference the Study Hotel, Rube, Woodlawn Commons, and eventually the gym / parking garage will make. How it will change the area by the Keller Center, which used to be a real deadspot in the neighborhood. Imagine, people might actually go out to eat at the restaurant there, and plus there will tons of students around.

I suppose COV-19 may slow down this parking garage / rec center:

https://bklarchitecture.com/2019/12/...e-park-herald/

^ Subcontractor bids are due on Wednesday...

Rubenstein Forum: 05.28.2020

https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net...0a&oe=5EF40888

https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net...a0&oe=5EF49598

https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net...34&oe=5EF6821A

The Rubenstein Forum from early today:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b7ca8c6c_b.jpg

...then, if you turn your head to the left, the new Study hotel is basically almost all the way up!

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...30312c2e_b.jpg

I was totally shocked by how quickly this had gone up

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...2c39fa49_h.jpg

Question:
Why don't (some) hotels have basements or underground foundations? I noticed that with the Sophy Hotel, too. They just built it right on top of the ground--like the Study--whereas the Rubinstein had a dug down foundation. I think that's why the Study went up so fast.

The Rubinstein looks absolutely stunning!

How are the new dorms under construction one block to the south of the Rubenstein looking?

The dorms look good, appear to be fully constructed, perhaps still working on interiors(?). I forgot to take pictures as I was marveling at the Rubenstein. The tallest dorm building creates quite a presence on the south end of campus, as does the Rubenstein and the new hotel.

It depends on the hotel/situation. Most hotels have surface or first floor back of house and loading docks for easy access delivery of goods, laundry services, etc. Although there are some hotels in Chicago that have lower levels/basements (such as the Radisson Blu in the Aqua, the Fairmont, the Renaissance) all of which benefit from being adjacent to lower Wacker which provides back of house ease of access, away from busy streets above where loading docks would be tricky to do.

You answered your own question, sort of... developers in Chicago avoid building basements on large buildings whenever possible. This is due to the cost of soil retention/dewatering and the extra months/years it adds to the construction schedule. Sometimes there's no choice, though (like One Chicago).

An example of a hotel in Chicago with a basement not extended to below street grade would be the Home2Suites at 110 W Huron.

So there's no real structural reason for an underground foundation in Chicago? I'm just asking because the Study Hotel and Rubenstein Forum are side by side, as you know. They spent months digging out the foundation for the Rubenstein, but the Study Hotel is just as tall, or so it appears, and yet they built it at ground level.

Maybe this changes for a tall skyscraper but I guess at lower level you can get away with a ground level foundation.

I ask this as a layman. I'm not in the contraction business and don't really know the engineering considerations.

UChicago posted an interior tour of Woodlawn Commons:
https://v1.panoskin.com/?tour=5eb5c381d563b7343258248d

The basement isn't a requirement of a deep foundation system. You build a basement because you need the extra space, especially for things that are necessary but unattractive (parking, storage, utility stuff). A deep foundation in Chicago is usually a caisson system, and you can drill caissons from ground level just as easily as from Level -1.

This is for large commercial projects, of course. For homes, especially small ones, the need to put (shallow) foundations below the frost line at 5 feet down means you're already basically doing all the work to dig out a basement space, so you can either backfill that space after the foundations are poured and waste the effort, or pour a basement floor while you have it dug out and put it to good use.

Thanks!!