CHICAGO | One Bennett Park | 837 FT | 68 FLOORS

[lu9]

Call me crazy but I like it. Maybe it's an optimistic take, but the changes look good and I like the dichotomy created in the otherwise glass box neighborhood of Streeterville.

[UPChicago]

^you're not crazy its a nice tower, design wise.

Originally Posted by SamInTheLoop

^^ It makes no difference what the materials are. Put it this way, if you're 500 meters from the tower, but with a good view of it - you're not going to be able to tell if it's limestone or precast. However, it's sure as shit still going to like, er.....shit.......it's just bad form........

Well I'm partial to Park Tower so the POMO design to me is nice but up close it will look like shit probably.

[Tom Servo]

Originally Posted by BVictor1

This shit should be illegal.

[r18tdi]

Millennium Centre East

[SamInTheLoop]

^^ Yes, and ^ yes yet again.

This is an architectural embarrassment for Chicago. Have there unfortunately been lots of other embarrassments in the last couple decades? Of course. Does that make this one sting less? No, not in the least. The fact that this one is taller than your average PoMo POS is going to make it all the more damaging and painful an open, festering, rotting, putrid pock on our skyline. Thanks a lot, Robert AM Lagrange!

[Tom Servo]

Originally Posted by SamInTheLoop

^^ Yes, and ^ yes yet again.

This is an architectural embarrassment for Chicago. Have there unfortunately been lots of other embarrassments in the last couple decades? Of course. Does that make this one sting less? No, not in the least. The fact that this one is taller than your average PoMo POS is going to make it all the more damaging and painful an open, festering, rotting, putrid pock on our skyline. Thanks a lot, Robert AM Lagrange!

Add it to the list...

and...

Yes. This is the 311 South Wacker/900 North Michigan of the 2010's. At this point, it seems we're doomed to repeat our mistakes without end.

[Tom Servo]

Originally Posted by r18tdi

Millennium Centre East

Oh, but isn't it great how slender it is???

[rlw777]

Originally Posted by SamInTheLoop

^^ Yes, and ^ yes yet again.

This is an architectural embarrassment for Chicago. Have there unfortunately been lots of other embarrassments in the last couple decades? Of course. Does that make this one sting less? No, not in the least. The fact that this one is taller than your average PoMo POS is going to make it all the more damaging and painful an open, festering, rotting, putrid pock on our skyline. Thanks a lot, Robert AM Lagrange!

Oh come off it man! I don't have a problem with your opinion. Just stop with the incessant stating of the same opinion and the constant negativity. It's just rude man. You've done enough redundant bitching about PoMo on here to fill several large volumes. There are 19 pages in this thread right now and I bet you have at least one probably multiple posts on every single page with the same shit. You've probably posted more than anyone else on this thread and you aren't even interested in the building and every one of those posts is negative. I mean WTF man? Just WTF?

I enjoy much of your input on other things but I am strongly considering learning how to ignore folks on here.

[vandelay]

I find the incessant whining funny.



Pearls before swine.

[SamInTheLoop]

Originally Posted by rlw777

Oh come off it man! I don't have a problem with your opinion. Just stop with the incessant stating of the same opinion and the constant negativity. It's just rude man. You've done enough redundant bitching about PoMo on here to fill several large volumes. There are 19 pages in this thread right now and I bet you have at least one probably multiple posts on every single page with the same shit. You've probably posted more than anyone else on this thread and you aren't even interested in the building and every one of those posts is negative. I mean WTF man? Just WTF?

I enjoy much of your input on other things but I am strongly considering learning how to ignore folks on here.

Again, 'negative' comment is every bit as important and valid as 'positive' comment. I think there are some people who just don't get this. These are your classic 'happy talk' people. Your milquetoasts, if you will. Threads do not exist just for people who like the titled project, so they can jerk each other off while talking about it and looking at the latest photos.

My mother has always said to me - since I was very young - "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all". It took me until I was all of about 6 or so when I realized how intellectually bankrupt, immature and frankly dangerous this approach was, and pointed it out to her (and have repeatedly ever since!). For the 30 years since, this attitude has not only served me well, but much more importanty, it's been the right one.

If you're fine with being Mr. Milquetoast Happy Talk, go ahead and use that ignore function.

And yes, through this all, I actually manage to be an absolute riot at parties!

[rlw777]

Originally Posted by SamInTheLoop

Again, 'negative' comment is every bit as important and valid as 'positive' comment. I think there are some people who just don't get this. These are your classic 'happy talk' people. Your milquetoasts, if you will. Threads do not exist just for people who like the titled project, so they can jerk each other off while talking about it and looking at the latest photos.

My mother has always said to me - since I was very young - "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all". It took me until I was all of about 6 or so when I realized how intellectually bankrupt, immature and frankly dangerous this approach was, and pointed it out to her (and have repeatedly ever since!). For the 30 years since, this attitude has not only served me well, but much more importanty, it's been the right one.

If you're fine with being Mr. Milquetoast Happy Talk, go ahead and use that ignore function.

And yes, through this all, I actually manage to be an absolute riot at parties!

My comment was obviously not about dissenting opinions. As I said before I don't have a problem with your opinion. And there are lots of other folks on here who don't like RAMSA or PoMo who respectfully don't feel the need to incessantly whine on every page of the thread about it. Share your opinion just don't be rude about it posting the same tired opinion over and over again.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by Tom Servo

isn't it great how slender it is?

yes, i totally agree with you on that. the extremely slender proportions of the east and west facades are quite nice indeed.

[UrbanLibertine]

Does anyone know the timeframe for construction?

[BVictor1]

Originally Posted by UrbanLibertine

Does anyone know the timeframe for construction?

They want to be in the ground by next summer for delivery 24-28 months thereafter.

[wrab]

Not my cup of tea, for sure. But the beige behemoths began their spawn years ago.

More a missed opportunity than a setback or an embarrassment

[Tom Servo]

Originally Posted by wrab

Not my cup of tea, for sure. But the beige behemoths began their spawn years ago.

More a missed opportunity than a setback or an embarrassment

It's all three.

[BuildThemTaller]

Originally Posted by SamInTheLoop

Again, 'negative' comment is every bit as important and valid as 'positive' comment.

There's a difference between constructive criticism and ranting. We've reached the point on this thread where we left constructive criticism about 12 pages ago. Now, it's the same people that think cursing and emojis is somehow going to let their opinion on this building truly sink in. It's not.

Is it great? No. It is interesting and has some merits (height and profile chief among them). It might be better if certain things were different (materials, mostly).

Some people just can't deal with a building if doesn't meet their narrow definition of "good." As my first economics teacher taught me in high school many moons ago, there is no accounting for taste.

In short: Deal with it.

(use of emoji intended as a joke)

[Randomguy34]

^Preach my man.

[ardecila]

I will freely admit that I got burned when I was upbeat about Lagrange's Ritz-Carlton... on the other hand, this is not Lagrange.

I have seen Stern's work in New York and other cities, and he has a deep understanding of the logic behind older skyscrapers as he is also a published historian. He also works at a high-level segment of the market where the most expensive finishes like limestone or even high-quality precast are available. The only weird thing comes in how Stern will need to reconcile old architecture with modern expectations. Things like balconies, which were very rare in pre-war residential towers and still rare in New York, but virtually standard-issue here in Chicago.

Does Chicago have any purpose-built residential towers from the Art Deco era? There are plenty of limestone-clad office towers from Holabird & Root but I can't think of any residential. Palmolive doesn't count as it was a conversion. I feel like Stern is dropping a New York template into a completely different city - and Chicago has a long history of architectural competition with New York, so this feels ever so slightly like treason.

[BuildThemTaller]

^ Now this is some darn good criticism and analysis! Thanks for the thoughts.