In Pictures: The Latest Version of the Former Michael Reese Hospital Site
Tomorrow there will be a public meeting to reveal the latest vision for the Michael Reese Hospital site on the Bronzeville lakefront. The hospital was torn down a decade ago, and has been the object of many desires over the years, from an Olympic village to an urban casino. The current plan is to put up a several billion dollar medical research village, and has the backing of a big name Israeli medical concern. October 2020 rendering...
Lagrange Points to Stellar Development in Chicago’s Gold Coast Orbit
In a city awash in value-engineered rectangles on squares, a new project from O.G. Chicago architect Lucien Lagrange is a welcome change. Nahla Capital has filed paperwork with the city to build 40 West Oak, a new 35-story residential tower on Oak between Clark and Dearborn Streets. October 2019 rendering of 40 West Oak Street It was almost exactly a year ago that we told you the Warren Barr Pavilion’s parking garage was going to...
Roof of 50 East Huron to be Socially Distant from Pool of 30 East Huron
A few weeks ago we told you about the project to increase the height of the former American Library Association Building. The plan is to strip the building at 50 East Huron Street in Chicago’s Near North neighborhood to its bones, and then re-build it three stories taller. 50 East Huron (Via the Office of Alderman Brendan Reilly) We received a few e-mail messages about this along the lines of, “Why only eight stories?” The answer...
The 411 on 601 West Randolph in the West Loop
Four months ago, an alert reader noticed some people poking around at 609 West Randolph Street. He told us. We told you. Then last month, the project became official, as 42nd Ward Alderman Brendan Reilly started talking about a new development for the corner of Randolph and Jefferson in the West Loop. Now, paperwork has been filed with the city to get this office building built. Rendering of 601 west Randolph (Va the Office of...
Chicago’s Newest Mega Development: North Union
Chicago has seen more than its share of huge developments in recent years. The 78, Riverline, Lincoln Yards, and the River District, are just a few that are already being built, or poised to start filling Chicago’s downtown region with new skyscrapers, homes, offices, and whatnots. The newest name on the roster is “North Union.” According to the Chicago Tribune, North Union is the flag that JDL Development wants to...
Radical Surgery Will Transform A Building You Never Noticed Into A Building You Might Notice
Some architecture stands out. Some architecture blends in. And then there’s architecture that is a cognitive blind spot. Fifty East Huron is an example of what happens when a building goes for inoffensive and ends up with invisible. 50 East Huron (Via Apple Maps) The building used to be the home of the American Library Association. It sold the building in December of 2019, packing up and bookmobiling it across the Chicago River...
You Called It: New Office Building Coming to the West Loop
Back in May of this year, we relayed to you a photograph that West Loop Spy Kurt jammed into our tip line showing soil sampling rigs tasting the dirt beneath 609 West Randolph Street. Usually if someone is paying for that kind of work, there’s a reason; and now we know the reason: a 15-story office building Rendering of 609 west Randolph (Va the Office of Alderman Brendan Reilly) 42nd Ward Alderman Brendan Reilly was the...
Fulton River District Skyscraper Proposal Moves For Approval
A blow-out proposal for a residential skyscraper to replace the Cassidy Tire warehouse in Chicago’s Fulton River District is ready to roll into the Chicago Plan Commission. December 2019 rendering of 344 North Canal While many skyscraper development plans get deflated in high-pressure negotiations with retread politicians, shock — 344 North Canal is groovy, and has strutted from its December mounting to Thursday’s...
Two Tower Project To Replace the Chicago Spire Goes to Plan Commission With An Unusual Condition
The 35-year saga of 400 North Lake Shore Drive may finally come to a conclusion soon, as this week the Chicago Plan Commission is scheduled to consider the latest proposal for the property on the northwest corner of the Chicago River and Lake Michigan. March 2020 rendering of 400 North Lake Shore Drive (Courtesy of Related Midwest) The location is perfect for a prominent, eye-catching trophy tower, and even in the mid-1980’s...
$6 Billion Plan Pitched For Former Reese Hospital Site
A decade after the City of Chicago bought the Bronzeville space that used to be Michael Reese Hospital, a plan has been put together to turn it into something useful. May 2020 rendering of the former Michael Reese Hospital site redevelopment. The last time someone took a serious whack at repopulating this fallow field was when Mayor Richard M. Daley thought it would make a swell location for the athlete’s village of the 2016...
