CHICAGO | Highrise Projects & Construction, v7

[HomrQT]

Saw this on the Tribune site. Thought I'd share in case others have not seen it.



http://www.chicagotribune.com/busine...htmlstory.html

[Freefall]

A couple years back I remember hearing about a proposal for a new tower next to K2. Anybody know what happened to this proposal? Is it completely dead now?

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by Freefall

A couple years back I remember hearing about a proposal for a new tower next to K2. Anybody know what happened to this proposal? Is it completely dead now?

Well, it's entitled; they got the zoning for the tower. The applicant was Cardiff Mason, which is basically a couple of guys from the Bay Area who build self-storage warehouses and data centers.

They bought the land back in the 90s when it was worthless, planning to build some big self-storage buildings. Now that they have zoning in place for a tower, they'll probably try to flip the land for a nice profit. I don't think they ever intended to build, they have no experience with residential or highrises. Who knows if they will find a buyer, most of the big players in town already have their own big projects going and don't want to over-saturate the market.

[IrishIllini]

Originally Posted by ardecila

Well, it's entitled; they got the zoning for the tower. The applicant was Cardiff Mason, which is basically a couple of guys from the Bay Area who build self-storage warehouses and data centers.

They bought the land back in the 90s when it was worthless, planning to build some big self-storage buildings. Now that they have zoning in place for a tower, they'll probably try to flip the land for a nice profit. I don't think they ever intended to build, they have no experience with residential or highrises. Who knows if they will find a buyer, most of the big players in town already have their own big projects going and don't want to over-saturate the market.

Interesting.

Thank you for sharing!

[Rooster slayer]

Originally Posted by HomrQT

Saw this on the Tribune site. Thought I'd share in case others have not seen it.



http://www.chicagotribune.com/busine...htmlstory.html

Didn't read the trib link but the silhouettes suggest Chase tower comes after 900 N. Michigan, shouldn't it be aqua and water tower before Chase?

[Jibba]

Originally Posted by ardecila

Well, it's entitled; they got the zoning for the tower. The applicant was Cardiff Mason, which is basically a couple of guys from the Bay Area who build self-storage warehouses and data centers.

They bought the land back in the 90s when it was worthless, planning to build some big self-storage buildings. Now that they have zoning in place for a tower, they'll probably try to flip the land for a nice profit. I don't think they ever intended to build, they have no experience with residential or highrises. Who knows if they will find a buyer, most of the big players in town already have their own big projects going and don't want to over-saturate the market.

Omni owns this or has their sights on it (per a source working at the company).

[HomrQT]

Originally Posted by Rooster slayer

Didn't read the trib link but the silhouettes suggest Chase tower comes after 900 N. Michigan, shouldn't it be aqua and water tower before Chase?

Yeah odd. The Tribune seems to have misplaced them for some reason.

[Randomguy34]

This project from a couple months ago (202-220 S. State) finally submitted a zoning application. The new building in the middle is 235 ft. Project is now 490 units, up from the original 429 units: https://chicago.legistar.com/Legisla...vanced&Search=


Image from Crains

[KWillChicago]

So all three buildings will be connected or will they all stay seperate? Reminds me of London House.

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by KWillChicago

So all three buildings will be connected or will they all stay seperate? Reminds me of London House.

The glass bit in the middle is just a horizontal addition to the Century Building. Yes, a little like London House.

The Consumers Building will act as a separate tower, but these will be linked at the ground floor so the entire complex can share a single loading dock. There is a third building in the middle that will just be a retail space, including upper floors.

[left of center]

Glad to see those two terra cotta beauties getting some love and much needed investment.

I still remember when the feds wanted to expand the Federal Center to State St and demolish both towers. Down right tragic if that had happened.

I would prefer if the new building was set back one more window further into the site, to create a nice courtyard feel framed by both classic towers, but otherwise the design looks great.

[IrishIllini]

Originally Posted by left of center

Glad to see those two terra cotta beauties getting some love and much needed investment.

I still remember when the feds wanted to expand the Federal Center to State St and demolish both towers. Down right tragic if that had happened.

I would prefer if the new building was set back one more window further into the site, to create a nice courtyard feel framed by both classic towers, but otherwise the design looks great.

The building on the west side of State just south of this redevelopment needs to come down. It's an eye sore. I'd love to know what came down for that monstrosity to go up.

[woodrow]

^^wait. You're not talking about the old Benson & Rixon store, I hope.


That is an amazing, really fantastic, streamline moderne building in need of a major rehab. I have heard that some of the interiors are sorta kinda intact as well.

[Ned.B]

Originally Posted by IrishIllini

The building on the west side of State just south of this redevelopment needs to come down. It's an eye sore. I'd love to know what came down for that monstrosity to go up.

That building is the former Benson Rixon Department Store, a late building designed by Alfred Alschuler and built in 1937, and a much maligned early modernist masterpiece. The Federal Government has wisely determined it to be of high architectural importance and currently plans to keep and adapt it.

If it could only be restored to it's 1930s glory: Getty Images

[kolchak]

Originally Posted by Ned.B

That building is the former Benson Rixon Department Store, a late building designed by Alfred Alschuler and built in 1937, and a much maligned early modernist masterpiece. The Federal Government has wisely determined it to be of high architectural importance and currently plans to keep and adapt it.

If it could only be restored to it's 1930s glory: Getty Images

I wish people would pay more attention to early modernist buildings and restore them to their original state. When in Berlin I greatly appreciate the many early modernist examples that are protected - such as the Shellhaus, etc.

I think if properly restored and not just "updated," they are jewels.

[LouisVanDerWright]

Speaking of early modernism biting the dust, PNC Bank is trying to rip down the 1951 Slowik building at Belmont and Milwaukee for a drive thru and parkinglot...

[left of center]

Really? Thats exactly what we need at such a prominent intersection... a single story bank with parking and drive through that doesn't engage with the sidewalk or street.

Does the Slowik building have any historical designation that would at least force the planning department to delay and review the demolition?

[the urban politician]

^ I read about that. I think the new development holds the corner, but still gonna be a crappy drive thru bank

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by left of center

Really? Thats exactly what we need at such a prominent intersection... a single story bank with parking and drive through that doesn't engage with the sidewalk or street.

Does the Slowik building have any historical designation that would at least force the planning department to delay and review the demolition?

No. Chicago Historic Resources Survey (source of the "orange rating") only considered buildings built prior to 1940.

Of course, the survey was completed in 1995, so it's already 22 years old. If the city was doing its job, it would now be considering buildings built prior to 1962 for orange rating. Of course, 1962 would be a pretty arbitrary cutoff... 1940 is a neat dividing line because of the diminished building activity during Depression/wartime and the dramatic stylistic change from prewar to postwar. If they were to update the survey, it should probably run through 1975 or 1980 at least...

I imagine with new technologies like GIS and Google Street View, and the city's digitized records of building permits and demolitions, the survey could be updated in a pretty cost-effective manner from behind a desk. That's unlike the original which required a lot of field visits by trained preservationists and surveyors.

[emathias]

Originally Posted by ardecila

No. Chicago Historic Resources Survey (source of the "orange rating") only considered buildings built prior to 1940.

Of course, the survey was completed in 1995, so it's already 22 years old. If the city was doing its job, it would now be considering buildings built prior to 1962 for orange rating. Of course, 1962 would be a pretty arbitrary cutoff... 1940 is a neat dividing line because of the diminished building activity during Depression/wartime and the dramatic stylistic change from prewar to postwar. If they were to update the survey, it should probably run through 1975 or 1980 at least...

I imagine with new technologies like GIS and Google Street View, and the city's digitized records of building permits and demolitions, the survey could be updated in a pretty cost-effective manner from behind a desk. That's unlike the original which required a lot of field visits by trained preservationists and surveyors.

It seems like they should take three years and review buildings, say, 40+ years old, so 1980 or earlier, and then every year after 2020 just review one years worth of buildings to stay current. Then on a case-by-case basis they could mark certain buildings that aren't added to the preservation list at age 40 for re-evaluation at age 50 to see if opinions have changed.