The South Loop’s new multi-purpose arena is taking shape at 2130 South Prairie Avenue. You can see in these photographs sent in by South Loop Spy Joel that the squircle-shaped exterior walls are mostly up, and there’s even some glass to be seen.
Witrust Arena under construction (Courtesy of South Loop Spy Joel)
“But wait,” I hear you say. “Wasn’t this building supposed to be all kinds of light-n-airy glass so that it wouldn’t be a dead space for the neighborhood?”
Rendering of Wintrust Arena, with the new Wintrust Arena sign on it (Courtesy of DePaul Athletics)
Sure, there’s lots of glass coming. But that’s on the south side of the building. Facing the McCormick Place convention complex. This is the view from 21st and Prairie, the part of the arena that faces the neighborhood. And as you can see, it’s got monolithic grey slabs, just like in the very fringes of the renderings presented to the public. If you look really hard.
Protip: Next time ask the developers for renderings of all sides of a building before you sign off on it.
Witrust Arena under construction (Courtesy of South Loop Spy Joel)
Location: 2130 South Prairie, South Loop
Editor founded the Chicago Architecture Blog in 2003, after a long career in journalism. He can be reached at chicagoarchitectureinfo@gmail.com.
