CHICAGO | General Developments

[Busy Bee]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

what are you talking about?

the windows clearly have Marvin stickers on them.

that's a high-end, high-quality residential window product.

Marvin is the freaking antithesis of "off the shelf from Home Depot".

Separated-at-birth twin, is that you?

[Baronvonellis]

This is pretty much 99% historically accurate with appropriate details and traditional proportions with a proper cornice. Of course, new stone isn't going to look like 100 year old stone lol. Old stone was also covered with coal dust which this will never be exposed to. They did a fantastic job and nailed it! I don't see how you could nit-pick this one, when there's so much other junk being built with no respect to proportion or detail.
If the whole block was built with buildings of similar massing it would be like a European city, but you can hardly fault the builder for that.

[ChiHi]

Originally Posted by nomarandlee

I'm in favor of most downtown districts to have a wide variety of mix-used buildings. This helps further that end and from the photos at least it looks like the workmanship is pretty solid or better.

It's nitpicking but I wouldn't mind it seeing one or two more floors added on to match the streetwall height of the pre-war condos down the block. That is far cry from expecting every buildling in the the area need be 12-30 floors however.

I guess when I meant out of context it was more in the sense that when I see these types of rowhouses in say Gold Coast or Lincoln Park they blend in a little better. I'm not saying a high rise should have been built here. Since it's what holds the corner something with another 1-2 stories to tie in with the neighboring building a bit. Perhaps I'll feel a little different once trees are planted and they aren't quite as exposed. The buildings themselves look really nice though.

[Vlajos]

Marvin windows are beautiful AND expensive. We just did a project on our house and our architect insisted we use Marvin unless we wanted to go for something more outrageously expensive. They look gorgeous and match the 100 year old windows in the rest of the house.

I think those rowhomes look great btw. Anyone know the prices?

[LouisVanDerWright]

Lol at the criticism of the townhomes. What a joke.

The only valid complaint is the poptop which doesn't make sense historically. Oh and they should have used copper, but these are italiante which typically sees black cornices, not copper.

[PKDickman]

Originally Posted by LouisVanDerWright

Lol at the criticism of the townhomes. What a joke.

The only valid complaint is the poptop which doesn't make sense historically. Oh and they should have used copper, but these are italiante which typically sees black cornices, not copper.

Yes, copper cornices are actually pretty rare. And the have the annoying habit of pissing green all over your nice limestone.

[Via Chicago]

Originally Posted by Vlajos

Marvin windows are beautiful AND expensive.

they may be well made, but at least with the choice they went with it dosent look at that different from the street.

but thats why im always bummed every time someone rips out original period windows. nothing modern really replicates the quality of vintage glass IMO. cant replicate it.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by Via Chicago

they may be well made, but at least with the choice they went with it dosent look at that different from the street.

if an expensive window like Marvin isn't good enough for you, then what window product should they have gone with so that it "dosent look at that different from the street"?

Originally Posted by Via Chicago

but thats why im always bummed every time someone rips out original period windows. nothing modern really replicates the quality of vintage glass IMO. cant replicate it.

but these townhomes are new construction; there aren't any 100 year old windows available in the marketplace these days.

besides, the single pane glazing of a vintage window leaks energy like a sieve and can't really be used in new construction anymore with modern energy codes.




i think the windows on these new townhomes look really damn sharp.

use a high quality product, get a high quality result. sometimes you do get what you pay for.

and on that note, i'll stop shilling for Marvin now.

[harryc]

New on Clark [ty Tom]



You never appreciate the dismal little food court - until it is gone.

[Tom In Chicago]

^Clark [/nitpick]

. . .

[Kumdogmillionaire]

I will tear down that food court free of charge with my own bare hands. May take a while though...

[Jibba]

Originally Posted by Baronvonellis

This is pretty much 99% historically accurate with appropriate details and traditional proportions with a proper cornice. Of course, new stone isn't going to look like 100 year old stone lol. Old stone was also covered with coal dust which this will never be exposed to. They did a fantastic job and nailed it! I don't see how you could nit-pick this one, when there's so much other junk being built with no respect to proportion or detail.
If the whole block was built with buildings of similar massing it would be like a European city, but you can hardly fault the builder for that.

There are a few things to nit-pick, though. The street-facing corner is not resolved appropriately, IMO. And the cornice is much too large; if the purpose of the treatment of the third level is to defer to the levels below, I can't think of why they chose to crown it with such a massive piece of material.

EDIT: Actually, both of these issues are not present in the design as originally illustrated, so perhaps this was a matter of contractor follow-through (lack thereof). If BH had made a row-house version of their excellent Mohawk Street Neo-Georgian, then we'd really have something lovely here...

[harryc]

May 30

[left of center]

^ FINALLY! Man, that building really needed a good cleanup. The last vintage building in the Loop still covered in half century old coal smog, IIRC.

[Skyguy_7]

^ Half century? She’s 91! MCMXXVII is 1927 if I recall my Roman Numerals correctly.

[PittsburghPA]

Originally Posted by Fvn

Lighting schedule:


http://theskydeck.com/plan-a-visit/upcoming-events/ (Bottom of page)

Don't they normally illuminate it white on the off days when there is not a special color? It hasn't been lit up in over a month.

[Mr Downtown]

^I think that's a new thing they're trying to avoid attracting and killing birds that are migrating back north this time of year. But I see 311 South Wacker didn't get the memo.

[PittsburghPA]

Originally Posted by Mr Downtown

^I think that's a new thing they're trying to avoid attracting and killing birds that are migrating back north this time of year. But I see 311 South Wacker didn't get the memo.

I'm not sure if that's a joke or not but given the current state of the universe I could believe it. If they are shutting off the lights that's a damn shame. The illuminated antennae are a bastion of Chicago Architecture supremacy. Bring back the lights!

[Via Chicago]

Chicago skyscrapers kill tens of thousands of migratory birds every year. It's not a joke, it's a real issue and anything to address it is a net positive. We'll survive without even more excess vanity.

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by Via Chicago

Chicago skyscrapers kill tens of thousands of migratory birds every year. It's not a joke, it's a real issue and anything to address it is a net positive. We'll survive without even more excess vanity.

Birds that don’t fly into antennae will be selected for, and over generations the genes for ignoring these antennae will be removed from the population.