What Apple Thinks of Chicago’s Architecture
Unless you also blew away every one of your news apps while you were deleting Facebook over the weekend, you know that Apple held a town hall meeting in Chicago. One of a very few that have ever been taken outside of northern California. The event was held at Lane Tech High School in North Center, a school known for producing everything from scientists to TV news anchors in abundance. During its presentation, Apple paid homage to the...
Why Hubbard Place Looks The Way It Does
Last month we took you on a tour inside the skyscraper going up in River North known as Hubbard Place. Recently we sat down with John Lahey, C.E.O. of Solomon Cordwell Buenz, the Chicago architecture firm that designed the building to learn more about its planning. Editor: Hubbard Place is the southern bookend of this development, which has been slowly coming together since the 70’s. Kingsbury Plaza (520 North Kingsbury Street)...
Week Links: June 9-15, 2013
Here’s what weak this week: Free as in beer: Do you like money? Do you like Union Station? There’s a contest with $5,000 on the line for ideas for “activating” Union Station. (don’t you just love urban planner jargon?) Check out the Activate Union Station web site. The Marquette Building is getting into the Stanley Cup playoffs in a way that only the Marquette Building can. Check out the pictures at The...
500 Lake Shore Drive Ups the Ante for Chicago Apartment Buildings, But Please Don’t Call it “Luxury”
Over the last ten years that this blog has been in publication, we’ve taken a lot of tours of a lot of apartment buildings in Chicago. From new skyscrapers to vintage renovations, we’ve seen a little bit of everything. And the thing we’ve notice in the last eight years or so is this — They kind of all look the same. The developers of new buildings in Chicago seem to all use the same checklist of features, and...
Status Update: 500 North Lake Shore Drive
Another Chicago skyscraper is nearing completion. The crane is being taken down from 500 North Lake Shore Drive as the heavy lifting at the prominent tower wraps up. 500LSD is one of the most visible new skyscrapers in Chicago as it sits near the base of Navy Pier, the biggest tourist attraction in the Midwest. It is not without controversy, however. Neighborhood groups hoped that such a prominent location would be the home of a...
Status Update: 500 North Lake Shore Drive
The new residential tower called 500 North Lake Shore Drive is climbing into the sky at 516 North Lake Shore Drive. The building is one of the most visible construction sites in the city as it is across the drive from Navy Pier and its million or so annual visitors. But don’t get excited thinking that such a prominent location means this will be a landmark building. It was specifically cited by the local NIMBY organization as...
