Restoration of the Village Theater Facade in Old Town Looks Pretty Spiffy
It’s been a very long time since Old Town’s Village Theater stopped entertaining people and became a hulking presence lurking a Starbucks’ throw from the lovely and historic Germania Club next door. Now we’re getting a look at the results of a project to restore that facade to its former splendor. September 2019 construction of Fifteen Fifty on the Park (provided) In the photograph above you can see that...
Checking in on The Sinclair’s Little Brother
When the residential tower at 1200 North Clark known as The Sinclair went up four years ago, people were dazzled by its size, scope, and the fact that combined with other regenerative projects in the area, it was going to transform a semi-gritty corner of Chicago. But what most people didn’t notice in all the hullabaloo is that The Sinclair plan came with a little buddy across the street at 1201 North Clark. That project is...
New Pix of New Building Next to Lincoln Park’s Village Theater
Ordinarily, we love old buildings. It took a while for us to develop an appreciation for the Mid-century Modern aesthetic, and even certain brutalist forms are starting to seem less tacky these days. But when demolition permits were issued for the dump-o-riffic diner building on the corner of North and Clark across from the Chicago History Museum, not a tear dropped on our battle-scarred MacBook Air’s keyboard. And that’s...
Groundbreaking For New South Loop Residential Tower
In cities these days, trains are one of those “If you build it, they will come” amenities. Case in point: The new residential tower that just broke ground a block from the CTA’s Green Line Cermak/McCormick Place station. Rendering of 2111 South Wabash (Courtesy of Draper and Kramer) The 24-story building is an SCB design for Draper and Kramer located at 2111 South Wabash Avenue. When complete, the tower will bring 275 new homes to...
Aon Center Elevator Attraction Looks Like A Go
Late this week the Chicago Plan Commission is expected to vote on whether to allow the new owners of the Aon Center to clamp a glass elevator to the northwest corner of the city’s third-tallest building and put a thrill ride on the roof. If you’re not into that whole “waiting for stuff to happen” thing, here are some tea leaves for you to read: It’s gonna happen. How can we prognosticate in such an...
Details of Union Station Renovation Show Potential, Complexity
We’re learning more of the nitty-gritty details involved in the Union Station redevelopment recently approved by the City of Chicago. A lot of it is just numbers and trivia, but a few things stand out. The former Harvey House at Union Station will be renovated into a new entrance to the Great Hall from South Clinton Street. But it will also have plenty of leasable retail space. Hopefully this space will end up being another...
West Loop’s Newest Tower Is Old Saint Pat’s
The West Loop skyscraper formerly known as the Old Saint Pat’s Tower is officially done, according to Gold Coast architecture firm SCB. Today it is known by its address: 625 West Adams, and is a 20-story office building on Heritage Green Park built for White Oak Realty, CA Ventures, and Old Saint Patrick’s Church. Previously, this was a surface parking lot for the popular West Loop Catholic Church. Today, those parking spaces...
Every Web Page About the Aon Center is About to Become Wrong
If you’re a fan of Wikipedia, the wannabe encyclopedia that’s the equivalent of asking a bunch of strangers at a bus stop to do your homework, it will soon need to be updated. Along with the 8,643 other web sites that catalog skyscraper heights. Right now, the Aon Center’s “architectural height” is 1,136 feet. That means to the top of the mechanical room that hides all of the HVAC equipment. That space...
Weed Street Residential Tower Back With New Design And A Little Buddy
Plans for another residential tower in the North/Clybourn district are back in play, and bigger than before. We last showed you plans for the 901 West Weed Street project back in 2015, when it was designed by RTKL. The new tower designed for CRM Properties by SCB is taller and slimmer than before. The new application for fabrication in this location has the implication of reduced obfuscation. While current design is 126 feet...
More Residential Development Coming to the Heart of Chicago’s Gold Coast
The ever-changing face of Chicago’s Viagra Triangle district is changing once again. Once known for seedy strip clubs, then more respectable clubs, then trendy night clubs and restaurants, it is slowly becoming a place where people want to stay for more than a few hours. Earlier this year, the Viceroy Hotel opened its doors inside the skin of what was the old Hotel Cedar. A couple of years earlier, the old Sutton Place Hotel...
Recent From Proposals
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Newberry Library Getting a 34-Story Bookend October 7, 2019 -
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