Governor Pritzker Sells Thompson Center to Himself, Plans Giant Loop Mansion
In a widely-anticipated move, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker today announced the fate of the former government office building known as the Thompson Center. He’s going to buy it himself. In a Zoom news conference, the governor stated, “This is an important day for Illinois. I have forged a unique public-private partnership between myself and myself, relieving the taxpayers of the burden of maintaining this terrible...
TIF Tiff Tips With Politics Unusual Greening Lincoln Yards, The 78
Unless you’ve been hiding underground with the daffodils for the last six months, you’re aware that there has been a battle royale going on in the storied corridors of Chicago City Hall. Real estate developers on one side, community groups on another, opportunists mugging for the TV cameras, and politicians both outgoing and incoming taking shots where they can. It’s been like one of those black-and-white cartoon...
Obama Returning to the South Side in Library Form
The Obama Foundation is officially mum on the subject, but at least five Chicago news outlets from the Sun-Times to WBBM-TV are citing independent sources as telling them that Chicago has been chosen to host the Barack Obama Library and Museum. The question now is, exactly where will the complex be located. The University of Chicago’s apparently winning bid calls for it to be built in either Washington Park or Jackson Park. But...
Naysayers Say Nay to Hancock Center Name Change
Chicago’s most influential neighborhood group is giving a big fat raspberry to plans to sell naming rights to the city’s iconic John Hancock Center (875 North Michigan Avenue). NIMBY group SOAR has fired off a letter to 42nd Ward Alderman Brendan Reilly and 2nd Ward Alderman Bob Fioretti letting them know that they are opposed to a scheme by the Hearn Company to sell the name of the building to the highest bidder. The...
“O” No! Downtown Skyscraper Could Hit the Skids Because of Feds
Building O (195 North Columbus Drive), the Sybil of downtown Chicago skyscraper projects, may be delayed by a bit of intrigue playing out in our nation’s capital. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the building which consists of two hotels and a residential block, was going to be financed through the federal government’s EB-5 program. But now that program is coming under fire from not only the General Accounting Office,...
How Chicago’s Mayor Used The Power Of Architecture To Influence Politics
Richard J. Daley didn’t much care for modernist architecture. But his personal preference for classical design didn’t deter him from championing the development of sleek, steel-and-glass buildings like the Chicago Civic Center, the Sears Tower, the Inland Steel Building, and the Federal Plaza complex. In fact, during his tenure as the city’s boss, the Loop and downtown Chicago underwent a transformational building boom. Along...
Briefly: Hotels, Coupons, and Skyscraper Ads
Sorry there wasn’t much in the way of updates last week. We were in the deep South on an architectural photography shoot. As we’ve flogged before, architectural photography is our primary business here, so if you have a skyscraper, hotel, factory, lobby, office, wigwam, yurt, or igloo that you need photos of, contact us. Now… on to the briefs! Crain’s Chicago Business reports that Gilt City (it’s like...
Sure, we’re City of the Year — but for what?
The magazine formerly known as Gentlemen’s Quarterly has named Chicago its 2008 “City of the Year.” Sure, anyone from the hot dog vendors at Sox Park to the ballcap-and-sweatshirt crowd in Lakeview could have told you that. But GQ’s reasons are intriguing because they’re both insider, and wildly superficial. (Read the full article here ) The article focuses immediately on...
