CHICAGO | One Bennett Park | 837 FT | 68 FLOORS

[LouisVanDerWright]

TUP that park redesign is utter shit. The thought process behind it basically consists of no more than "let's make a concrete oval and place a playground, dog run, and other lame amenities around it. It's disgustingly utilitarian. The current park encompasses multiple subtle uses from an interactive fountain, an open space, a contemplative quiet space, etc. The pine grove that everyone is shitting on is a fantastic space and will only reach it's full potential once you have a stand of 80'+ mature white pines in the middle of downtown Chicago.

This park contains nothing of real interest and amounts to basically a half assed attempt to recreate the amenity roof deck of a midgrade condo tower from 1998.

[Swicago Swi Sox]

I agree with TUP, that park is useless. This is parly because the east end was never finished in anticipation of Park View 2, but is not the entire story. From day 1, the park was always awkward and off-puting. It was most strange in that the entire park sloped up from the street on each side, so that when in the park, you are up on a plateau. Combine that with the fact that the Illinois and Grand are fairly fast and I always felt like a car might come careening up at at me...

I just got back from a trip to NYC, and it amazes me how their neighborhood parks are so much more lush and intement, yet engaging and urban. We really have nothing like Washington Square Park, or Madison Square Park. Not saying this will end up that way...just complaining on the heels of a vacation...

[r18tdi]

Originally Posted by Swicago Swi Sox

I just got back from a trip to NYC, and it amazes me how their neighborhood parks are so much more lush and intement, yet engaging and urban. We really have nothing like Washington Square Park, or Madison Square Park. Not saying this will end up that way...just complaining on the heels of a vacation...

For me, Bryant Park takes the cake. It just works so well.

[BVictor1]

Sorry for the half-assed shots, but maybe these will give you better insight towards the project.


















View to the north across toward the redone parking garage entrance.


Northeast corner.








Looking northwest.


Base along Grand.

[Tom Servo]

Anyone at the meeting stand up and say:

GREAT, another precast beige turd north of the river! Awesome.

Honestly, students at IIT or UIC could fart out better designs in their sleep. I really can't stand most of what's happening downtown over the last 5-10 years.

[BVictor1]

Originally Posted by Tom Servo

Anyone at the meeting stand up and say:

GREAT, another precast beige turd north of the river! Awesome.

Honestly, students at IIT or UIC could fart out better designs in their sleep. I really can't stand most of what's happening downtown over the last 5-10 years.

Yes, I did, but in a bit more diplomatic way than you put it. Maybe you should start attending some of these meetings and state your peace, where vocal public opinion goes further and means more than a blog posting.

[MultiModal]

The part that kills me is the lack of retail. Even though AMLI sucks too it at least has great street presence. Streeterville is no river north but still...

[Rizzo]

^ I know. I've lost all hope now in good street level presence in this neighborhood. I don't know, maybe Streeterville doesn't have the ability to sustain it beyond immediate service needs of residents like banks, pharmacies and cleaners all because there is simply better areas nearby to shop, dine and drink. Walking through Streeterville has unfortunately always felt like a chore to me.

Too bad this building couldn't at least be more impressive architecturally at the ground since millions of visitors will pass it each year when going to navy pier.

[joeg1985]

Originally Posted by LouisVanDerWright

TUP that park redesign is utter shit. The thought process behind it basically consists of no more than "let's make a concrete oval and place a playground, dog run, and other lame amenities around it. It's disgustingly utilitarian. The current park encompasses multiple subtle uses from an interactive fountain, an open space, a contemplative quiet space, etc. The pine grove that everyone is shitting on is a fantastic space and will only reach it's full potential once you have a stand of 80'+ mature white pines in the middle of downtown Chicago.

This park contains nothing of real interest and amounts to basically a half assed attempt to recreate the amenity roof deck of a midgrade condo tower from 1998.

Yes this is exactly it. The park that is currently there is just now at the dawn of it's greatness. The evergreen grove needs more time to mature. It's the best escape in all of Streeterville. If the park were left as is, this new tower would compliment it very well enclosing the park for a little more private intimate feeling. The park has a contemporary feel that mirrors a lot of the other new parks downtown (Montgomery Ward Park, Lake Shore East Park, soon to be Maggie Daley Park) and it should stay this way for a more cohesive feel.

If they are going to indeed replace the park they need to be required to use trees that are at least as mature as the trees there now. Mature trees really benefit parks.

[ardecila]

The park has to slope up from the street because the garage is only half-buried. I think the elevation is the best thing about that park in a downtown area that is 99% flat as a pancake. It's hard to tell but it looks like Van Valkenburgh may be keeping the pine trees at least.

The lack of retail is disappointing but not surprising. Old money doesn't mesh with mixed use except the occasional private club or restaurant. Park Avenue has no retail, which Stern knows very well as a published historian of NY architecture. Before the days of zoning, having a shop in your building implied that you weren't wealthy enough to afford the building without extra income, so it carried some stigma among the blue blood types.

[rgolch]

Meh.... not great, not terrible. I do like the way it looks very tall and narrow from the side views. Another 500 residential units in that area will definitely help liven up Streeterville.

[UPChicago]

Is it confirmed to be precast? If so my view has changed from favorable to unfavorable.....

Originally Posted by rgolch

Meh.... not great, not terrible. I do like the way it looks very tall and narrow from the side views. Another 500 residential units in that area will definitely help liven up Streeterville.

This is why I like the design as well it hinges on the materials, I think that's apparent.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by UPChicago

Is it confirmed to be precast?

yes.

real stone on the first 2 stories, precast panels for everything above.

[the urban politician]

Not sure why so many people think this building needs retail. You're talking about a building right on the edge of Streeterville just next to the auto hell of Lakeshore Drive. 500 N LSD has ground level retail already which has yet to get filled.

You also have plenty of developments further west and north that are still waiting for their street level retail spaces to get filled. Streeterville already has a good amount of vacant street level retail space. You have that massive complex that has the Lucky bowling alley which, on its north side, has had vacant retail spaces for as long as I can remember (12 years at least?). That space has never filled, ever, except for perhaps a child care center. In fact, it has been vacant so long I don't even know if they are actively trying to fill it any longer.

[r18tdi]

Originally Posted by rgolch

Another 500 residential units in that area will definitely help liven up Streeterville.

Obviously it's a step in right direction, but sleepy ol' Streeterville still has a very long way to go.

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by r18tdi

Obviously it's a step in right direction, but sleepy ol' Streeterville still has a very long way to go.

Sleepy ol' Streeterville is changing fast. I'm not sure about this. There has been shitloads of residential construction, and each year I see more people walking the sidewalks.

Eventually the commercial side will catch up and storefronts will fill up. But there is always a lag.

[harryc]

I like the honesty of the current concrete and cinderblock cladding ;-)


July 11 2014

[aaron38]

I understand the reasons for the new park design. The current park is laid out like a college quad, which is anything but intimate. It basically just encourages people to cut through, but not stay.

The new layout still provides for mid-block pedestrian passage, but in a way that gives the interior more isolation. And the playground may be "disgustingly utilitarian", but if you want families to raise their kids in the city instead of Barrington, kids need playgrounds. I can't fault them on that.

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by aaron38

I understand the reasons for the new park design. The current park is laid out like a college quad, which is anything but intimate. It basically just encourages people to cut through, but not stay.

The new layout still provides for mid-block pedestrian passage, but in a way that gives the interior more isolation. And the playground may be "disgustingly utilitarian", but if you want families to raise their kids in the city instead of Barrington, kids need playgrounds. I can't fault them on that.

I think the park as it currently is designed is indefensible. In fact, most of the posters who defend it bring up how easy it is to cut through. Sorry, but when a park's best quality is that it is convenient to cut through, we've got a problem.

Again, I'm not saying that the current redesign proposal is the best, but I am glad that Reilly is pressuring Related to get it redone.

[UPChicago]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

yes.

real stone on the first 2 stories, precast panels for everything above.

Oh....I guess I could have looked at the pictures posted lol

On the park, its not the greatest but I have to agree its pretty ok.