CHICAGO | General Developments

[west-town-brad]

Originally Posted by Busy Bee

^Absolutely insane someone wouldn't try to build a slender high rise here - a minimum of 20 floors. This is a weird town.

well, #zoning

but 4 units becoming 50 units is a pretty good increase in density regardless of height

[Busy Bee]

Originally Posted by Ned.B

This one is pretty easy: The lot is currently zoned RM-5, which limits the height of the building to 47'. Getting it rezoned denser is probably an uphill battle with three condo buildings to the immediate north, one of which would have significant impact to it's views from it's B units, and the New Yorker being right there as well.

It wouldn't make for a very cost effective high rise either. The site is only 50' wide. Maximum building width could probably only be 40' in order to have windows on the sides. So you would get most likely a single loaded corridor with all units facing south and a long inefficient corridor serving them.

One would think one thing would make all that worthwhile: Lake Michigan and the desire to have views of it. I just can't help but think almost ever other major city on earth would be building a glassy highrise on this lot. That's all I'm saying.

[Via Chicago]

Originally Posted by jpIllInoIs

A perfect ending for all things MTV. If only the entire network could get the same fate. Old guy out!

dont know why we're celebrating but that building easily could have been considered contributing to the historic district

[JK47]

Originally Posted by Busy Bee

One would think one thing would make all that worthwhile: Lake Michigan and the desire to have views of it. I just can't help but think almost ever other major city on earth would be building a glassy highrise on this lot. That's all I'm saying.

I've seen the lot quite a bit. It's just not big enough to do that. Just the elevator core alone, let alone lot line setbacks for windows, would leave too little usable floorspace to make the project economic. It's already 38' wide after setbacks, with a corridor running along the northern part of the building, and the two stairwells and one elevator already take up about half the width of the building.

[r18tdi]

Originally Posted by marothisu

1) The currency exchange building at Chicago & La Salle has more conrete plans now. It will have a total of 36 units that will be rented by the bed, not by the unit. Total bed count would be 108. Co-living basically and they'd team up with NY based Common for it. Building at 7 stories tall. Total of 36 parking spaces with ground floor retail.

Looks like there's a newer (taller?) rendering on curbed.

[Handro]

Originally Posted by r18tdi

Looks like there's a newer (taller?) rendering on curbed.

Looks fine to me, I'm sure the "this should be a super tall!" crowd will have some things to say but I love the added density to Chicago. A couple other glaring lots to be filled but with One Chicago Square adding so much activity to the area, I wouldn't be surprised to see a continuous street wall from State-Orleans in the nearish future.

[SolarWind]

October 7, 2019

[chicubs111]

Loop office tower to become largest communal living property ever proposed in Chicago

" Chicago developer plans to bring 505 co-living residents to a 41-story Loop office tower, the largest communal living property ever proposed in the city.

CityPads has a deal to buy the top 31 floors of the 92-year-old Clark Adams Building, with plans to invest $80 million converting the office space into small, shared apartments that will be managed by co-living firm Common, CityPads founder Andy Ahitow said."

https://www.chicagotribune.com/colum...4ne-story.html

[Rizzo]

^ only good news if power washing the facade is part of the renovation

[Randomguy34]

Originally Posted by Rizzo

^ only good news if power washing the facade is part of the renovation

Please for the love of God, this building needs to be cleaned. Here's a postcard of what the building used to look like


https://chuckmanchicagonostalgia.wor...lds-fair-1933/

[Steely Dan]

and here's the building's current state.

a power-washing will certainly help, but the fancy cornices have been gone for decades, and i doubt they're coming back.


source: https://en.phorio.com/bankers_buildi..._united_states

[Freefall]

Originally Posted by chicubs111

Loop office tower to become largest communal living property ever proposed in Chicago

" Chicago developer plans to bring 505 co-living residents to a 41-story Loop office tower, the largest communal living property ever proposed in the city.

CityPads has a deal to buy the top 31 floors of the 92-year-old Clark Adams Building, with plans to invest $80 million converting the office space into small, shared apartments that will be managed by co-living firm Common, CityPads founder Andy Ahitow said."

https://www.chicagotribune.com/colum...4ne-story.html

That's a giant conversion. Glad to see unused office space in the central loop being converted, rather than sitting unused. And adding to Loop residential

[Baronvonellis]

Yikes! $1400 for an adult dorm room, no thanks! I guess it's alright for a short 1-2 month work assignment if someone has to do that. I couldn't imagine living in a tiny room long term.

[Via Chicago]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

a power-washing will certainly help, but the fancy cornices have been gone for decades, and i doubt they're coming back.

man what would prompt someone to remove those

[Busy Bee]

^A structural engineer or masonry contractor saying they saw one or a few areas that were in weakened condition, scared the daylights out of the building owner with anecdotes of falling pieces paired with a perverse quote for repair and bam, "well we better just remove it all then (who gives a shit, it is the 60's/70's afterall)".

[Steely Dan]

^ yeah, that's probably how it went down.

sadly, this building is a case study in how not to take care of a landmark property.

[Barrelfish]

I walk by this building all the time. I get why an old building could get so dirty, but why is it dirty and clean in a checkerboard pattern?

[Ned.B]

Originally Posted by Barrelfish

I walk by this building all the time. I get why an old building could get so dirty, but why is it dirty and clean in a checkerboard pattern?

All of the clean bricks are products of previous facade repairs. Buildings trypically have deterioration at the corners and at the line between floors or at window lintels (especially since historic highrises utilized a combination fo steel construction and loadbearing masonry at the exterior walls with no expansion or control joints. All of the clean brick is replacement brick that one can only hope actually matches the historic brick once it's cleaned. Otherwise it will always be a checkerboard.

[BrinChi]

^ maybe they should just not clean it then? After bringing everything else up to good repair that could look kind of bad ass?

It's amazing a building this large is still in this shape in the loop. Looks like it landed from Detroit (no offense intended).

[Busy Bee]

A must see post on the building can be found here.