Sit Back, Breathe Deep, and Enjoy The Vista
What’s up with Chicago TV stations? They spend heaps of money beaming beauty shots of the city’s skyline all over the place. So you’d think that we might occasionally see the Vista Tower make an appearance. In the words of Jim Belushi, “But nooooo!” Vista Tower. (Courtesy of YoChicago!) We keep seeing the shuttered Pioneer Court Apple Store, the vacant wastes of State Street, and WGN’s interview set backdrop that’s so crusty, it...
Chicago’s Latest 101-Story Skyscraper Is Almost Fork-Ready
If you happen to have a 200-foot-long fork, get ready to stick it in the Vista Tower. That thing is almost done. Vista Tower under construction (June 2020, courtesy of YoChicago!) The nice folks over at YoChicago! jabbed the photograph above into our tip line. It shows that the major work on Chicago’s newest 101-story skyscraper is almost over. You can tell because the skip is coming down. If you’re not up on...
There’s a New #3 in Town: Chicago’s Latest Supertall Skyscraper Tops Out
Magellan Development’s Vista Tower has cemented its place as Chicago’s third-tallest building with a topping out (Out? Off? Whatever) ceremony on the 101st floor of the Lakeshore East building. Vista topping out ceremony (Courtesy of Joe Zekas/YoChicago!) The Studio Gang tower is the seventh-tallest building in America, but will fall to 11th place within two years as four new supertalls are completed in Manhattan. You may...
Vista Tower Topping Off Approaches
It’s getting harder and harder to avoid seeing the Vista Tower looming over Chicago’s river and lakefront. The Studio Gang design is turning the heads of tourists, and even jaded locals who only look up and gawk when they want to be involuntarily relieved of their wallets. Vista Tower under construction (Courtesy of Joe Zekas/YoChicago!) In the photo above from Joe Zekas at YoChicago!, we can see the tallest of the building’s...
A Look Inside (and Outside) Jeanne Gang’s Solstice on the Park
Much has been written over the last couple of years about Solstice on the Park in Hyde Park. As the 26-story tower enters the home stretch toward completion, we’re getting a very good look at the building from Joe Zekas at YoChicago!. Mr. Zekas turned his very expensive camera gear on the residential block designed by Noble Square’s Studio Gang. The building at 1616 East 56th Street has been getting so much press in part...
Vista Tower Comes Into View
The Vista Tower (363 East Wacker Drive) — one of Chicago’s near-future showcase pieces — is rising quickly along the main branch of the Chicago River. So quickly that it’s already visible to passing tour boats. These pictures from Joe Zekas at YoChicago! show not only the Studio Gang-designed building going up, but also the column-free area in the center, where East Upper Wacker Drive will finally be connected to North...
Chicago’s Vista Tower Loses Its 83rd Floor So People Won’t be “Afraid for Their Safety”
It’s not uncommon for a major construction project to change after it’s already started. Look at Wolf Point West, which had its 43rd and 45th floor setbacks moved to the 45th and 46th floors, creating two more residences. Or the Skinner West Elementary School addition which is gaining a floor, long after just three were approved by the city. In the case of Jeanne Gang’s spectacular 95-story Vista Tower going up at...
Here We Grow! Vista Tower Gets Full Construction Permit for All 95 Stories
The biggest thing to hit Chicago’s skyline since the Aon Center is about to become a reality. The City of Chicago has issued a full building permit for the Vista Tower in Lakeshore East (363 East Wacker Drive). Take a slurp of coffee and a deep breath and enjoy the OMG: CONSTRUCTION AND BUILD-OUT OF LEVEL 1 TO LEVEL 95 OF PROPOSED 95-STORY MIXED USE BUILDING Now just let that settle in… ahh. The tower will be the...
After Many Long Days, Studio Gang’s Solstice About to Cast Shadows
This past Friday, Mother Nature issued a permit allowing the daffodils in Lincoln Park to start reaching out of their burrows and raising their heads skyward. Coincidentally, it was the same day that the City of Chicago issued a permit allowing Hyde Park’s newest skyscraper to grow to its final height. CONSTRUCT NEW 26 STORY, 250 DWELLING UNIT BUILDING. 316 PARKING SPACES IN A 5 STORY CLASS J GARAGE. REFERENCE...
New Boathouse May Be the Beachhead Bridgeport Needs
When any neighborhood starts to turn around in Chicago, it needs a beachhead. A physical symbol of the future of the neighborhood so large and so impressive that it signals a point of no return. Think Aldi and Target in Uptown. Or 1K Fulton in West Town. Or Kingsbury Plaza in River North. In Bridgeport, that beachhead may well be the Studio Gang-designed boathouse now under construction at 2754 South Eleanor Street. It’s the...
