CHICAGO | City Casino

[Randomguy34]

To get a sense of how tall the observation tower will be, the office tower behind it is 50 stories

[marothisu]

JGMA ftw..

[sentinel]

Originally Posted by chicubs111

^ damn beat me to it..lol



https://www.chicagobusiness.com/greg...tails-revealed

Fuck, that's sexy, and clearly the best of the bunch..
Too bad the City will screw this up and go with one of the other proposals..

[CrazyCres]

Originally Posted by Randomguy34

To get a sense of how tall the observation tower will be, the office tower behind it is 50 stories

Supertall heights?

[r18tdi]

Originally Posted by sentinel

Fuck, that's sexy, and clearly the best of the bunch..
Too bad the City will screw this up and go with one of the other proposals..

From Crain's:
"The 78 site had long been considered the front-runner to get the casino."

[sentinel]

Originally Posted by r18tdi

From Crain's:
"The 78 site had long been considered the front-runner to get the casino."

Oooh, didn't see that - I hope it stays that way, as well as the design looking that cool too..

[west-town-brad]

is that one of those carvana vending machines?

[southoftheloop]

Originally Posted by bnk

Hello Miami

[chicubs111]

^ Clearly by miles the best of the bunch...best architecture (as of now), best location, and the potential to be a gamechanger for this new neighborhood. Cant wait till we get more details.

[ardecila]

I'm very relieved this is not the suburban econobox I expected from Bluhm and Rivers. Already it would be the best architecture of any US casino outside Vegas. However, I'm never sure how to feel about JGMA's work... it's definitely cool but it's always a little too alien for me.

This thing is a pretty blatant knockoff of Snohetta's Oslo Opera House, which is very weird because that whole design is about letting people enjoy the harbor views but at The 78, it's not like there is some gorgeous view across the river. It's a pretty ugly railyard and then a strip mall with Jewel and Home Depot.



Also this rendering leaves a lot of open questions - where do people park? What's the deal with that observation tower (again, not the best views from this spot)? We know how Stephen Ross loves architectural follies, is this gonna be our low-rent but taller version of Hudson Yards' Vessel? Etc etc. Will wait for more details.

[BVictor1]

Originally Posted by chicubs111

^ damn beat me to it..lol



https://www.chicagobusiness.com/greg...tails-revealed

Any casino on the 78 site should be additional FAR to what's already been approved.

Rezone to a DX-7 or 12.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by ardecila

I'm very relieved this is not the suburban econobox I expected from Bluhm and Rivers. Already it would be the best architecture of any US casino outside Vegas. However, I'm never sure how to feel about JGMA's work... it's definitely cool but it's always a little too alien for me.

I mean the Lucas Museum was a bit alien but as you pointed out later in your post, this isn't necessarily 100% unique in that it's totally brand new to the world but it's still unique enough. I like it and I think that we should build more things like this. The same old designs in the city are just old, tired, and boring. Sorry to say. It's like Chicago is stuck in a time, years ago while other cities like NYC and others around the world are pushing the envelope a bit, in a good way, with new architecture. For one of the greatest architecture cities in the world, it's a bit embarrassing if I'm being honest to just keep making the same mediocre shit over and over and over again down to the high rises and skyscrapers. We can exclude Vista from that, and maybe the Tribune extension if it's ever built. I like timeless things a lot, but I don't even find that most of the stuff going up in the last decade in Chicago can even be described as that.

JGMA actually makes designs that are a little unique and push the envelop sometimes towards the future. More of this please. This looks a million times better than any of the other proposals we've seen so far.

[rivernorthlurker]

Originally Posted by marothisu

I mean the Lucas Museum was a bit alien but as you pointed out later in your post, this isn't necessarily 100% unique in that it's totally brand new to the world but it's still unique enough. I like it and I think that we should build more things like this. The same old designs in the city are just old, tired, and boring. Sorry to say. It's like Chicago is stuck in a time, years ago while other cities like NYC and others around the world are pushing the envelope a bit, in a good way, with new architecture. For one of the greatest architecture cities in the world, it's a bit embarrassing if I'm being honest to just keep making the same mediocre shit over and over and over again down to the high rises and skyscrapers. We can exclude Vista from that, and maybe the Tribune extension if it's ever built. I like timeless things a lot, but I don't even find that most of the stuff going up in the last decade in Chicago can even be described as that.

JGMA actually makes designs that are a little unique and push the envelop sometimes towards the future. More of this please. This looks a million times better than any of the other proposals we've seen so far.

Totally agree with this perspective (and love this design).

As far as projects pushing the edge a bit in Chicago mostly only traditional have been built (though I love a good setback) with the more modern ones are all still in the proposed state. Basically anything with 'curves' I think would improve Chicago's skyline diversity.

Some potentially exciting projects to break the trend to look forward to I think are:

1000M - Although I'm not crazy with the design I do think it is substantially more interesting and modern looking. (again curves)
The Tribune - if built as designed is 10/10 in my book.
Site I - Simple but the small on the bottom to larger on top form (like 1000M) + curves is pretty unique.
400 N Lakeshore - Very unusual/interesting design even at the reduced heights.
Airport rehab - A lot of potential here for giving Chicago a very 'modern' facelift

Just hoping any of these 'waiting in the wing' will break ground by next year.

[harryc]

Hard Rock just opened a "temporary" casino in Rockford, the big one hasn't broken ground yet. Not the job engine one would expect - all video slots - no table games.

One of the pitches often heard is that a casino provides a lot of ( relatively ) well paid positions running the tables - now it is just competition for every other bar gas station, and dedicated SLOTS house in the city.

[cafernie]

Casino Carpet Patterns Are Actually A Practical Choice

For one, it makes it easy to disguise spilled drinks, vomit, blood, and other stains. Many casinos operate 24 hours a day; this enables them to keep up appearances in between cleanings.

[rivernorthlurker]

Originally Posted by cafernie

Casino Carpet Patterns Are Actually A Practical Choice

For one, it makes it easy to disguise spilled drinks, vomit, blood, and other stains. Many casinos operate 24 hours a day; this enables them to keep up appearances in between cleanings.

Definitely gotta make sure the blood blends in

Welcome to the forum Kiwi!

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by marothisu

I mean the Lucas Museum was a bit alien but as you pointed out later in your post, this isn't necessarily 100% unique in that it's totally brand new to the world but it's still unique enough. I like it and I think that we should build more things like this. The same old designs in the city are just old, tired, and boring. Sorry to say. It's like Chicago is stuck in a time, years ago while other cities like NYC and others around the world are pushing the envelope a bit, in a good way, with new architecture. For one of the greatest architecture cities in the world, it's a bit embarrassing if I'm being honest to just keep making the same mediocre shit over and over and over again down to the high rises and skyscrapers. We can exclude Vista from that, and maybe the Tribune extension if it's ever built. I like timeless things a lot, but I don't even find that most of the stuff going up in the last decade in Chicago can even be described as that.

JGMA actually makes designs that are a little unique and push the envelop sometimes towards the future. More of this please. This looks a million times better than any of the other proposals we've seen so far.

Well, I wasn't the biggest fan of Lucas Museum either but it grew on me after I heard Yansong explain his process a little bit. The big difference is that Yansong had ample time to develop the Lucas design and tailor it to the lakefront site, whereas the JGMA casino design was surely thrown together quickly and kinda reeks of haste. You can tell with the various architectural cliches thrown in (Oslo Opera House etc).

Hopefully they can continue to refine the design, JGMA does have a talented staff and they deserve a big, high-profile downtown project to make their bones.

[OhioGuy]

Originally Posted by ardecila

This thing is a pretty blatant knockoff of Snohetta's Oslo Opera House, which is very weird because that whole design is about letting people enjoy the harbor views but at The 78, it's not like there is some gorgeous view across the river. It's a pretty ugly railyard and then a strip mall with Jewel and Home Depot.

Good point regarding the view across the river... nothing particularly appealing about it.

What's the deal with that observation tower (again, not the best views from this spot)? We know how Stephen Ross loves architectural follies, is this gonna be our low-rent but taller version of Hudson Yards' Vessel?

Yes, would preferably like to avoid something gimmicky like the Vessel... though I'm not sure what would not be gimmicky but still act as a draw (beyond the casino) for tourists and locals.

[ardecila]

The tower could be genius, actually. The 78 is not exactly in the usual tourist orbit of downtown, so an observation tower could lure tourists and families to that area the same way Vegas casinos have gimmicks. At the same time, it's not so gimmicky that it gets them laughed out of the room (like, say, a roller coaster). And in that location you don't really need to go supertall to get good views, you could probably do it at around 900'-1000' to be slightly taller than NEMA.

We don't usually see stuff like that at non-Vegas casinos because the focus is on habitual gamblers only, but it's good to see Rivers thinking about different possibilities for how they fit into the tourist ecosystem.

[rlw777]

Originally Posted by ardecila

I'm very relieved this is not the suburban econobox I expected from Bluhm and Rivers. Already it would be the best architecture of any US casino outside Vegas. However, I'm never sure how to feel about JGMA's work... it's definitely cool but it's always a little too alien for me.

This thing is a pretty blatant knockoff of Snohetta's Oslo Opera House, which is very weird because that whole design is about letting people enjoy the harbor views but at The 78, it's not like there is some gorgeous view across the river. It's a pretty ugly railyard and then a strip mall with Jewel and Home Depot.

That's interesting and I wonder if it's intentional. Usually casinos are designed around perceptual isolation hence the lack of clocks and windows and the constant noisy slot machines. Usually they are designed to be viewed not to give people views. So I wonder if the railyard view is a positive for a casino because it's not a great view. Maybe in this instance the architecture is more about being viewed from the riverwalk / river than it is about giving people views.