[Zapatan]

http://www.chicagogrid.com/news/dave...-office-plans/

Big new plans for Chicago’s old main post office

[David Roeder]

Skyscrapers, retail and more grand ideas for the abandoned building.

BY DAVID ROEDER

........An earlier plan nearly hid the building in a cluster of skyscrapers. Antunovich, however, has proposed adding floors to the post office, increasing the cavernous interior space that others proposed to partially raze.

The scale would suit a casino, should the state Legislature ever grant a license to Chicago. The building is big enough for all the parking, tables and slot machines a gambler could imagine, and it needs a huge anchor to draw people into what’s now a neglected quadrant of downtown.

Antunovich would say little about the prospect for a casino. Davies’ representatives in the past have said the project was not being designed with a casino in mind.

Ald. Daniel Solis (25th) said a casino makes sense for the site. The property is within the redrawn version of Solis’ ward and his support is crucial for the zoning change.

“I think a casino is a possibility because of all the public transportation that’s available at the site,” Solis said.

The post office, 433 W Van Buren, sits alongside the Chicago River and over Amtrak and Metra tracks. It’s a well-known landmark for travelers on the Eisenhower Expressway...........

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