New Chicago Office Building to be Aggressive on Being Passive
An ecological building idea born in the United States in the 1970’s, then refined in the colder regions of Europe in the 2000’s, is coming home to Chicago’s West Town neighborhood. The new building being put up by Gold Coast real estate developer Mark Goodman & Associates at 310 North Sangamon Street is going to be the largest “passive house” office building in the nation. “Passive house”...
Aon Center is the Latest Skyscraper That Wants to Take You For a Ride
If you want to “hang” at the Aon Center, 601W Companies is cool with that. As long as you do it in its proposed 22-person glass pod hanging off the roof. The New York real estate company has unveiled its $185 million proposal for turning a portion of Chicago’s third-tallest building into a tourist attraction. We’ve known since 601W bought the stoic skyscraper in 2015 for $173 million that it thought there was...
Aon Center’s Glass Elevator-to-the-Sky to be Unveiled Tonight
Glass as an amusement is a big thing these days. It seems to have started with that glass bridge over the Grand Canyon on the Hualapai reservation in Arizona. Now we have a glass slide at the top of the U.S. Bank Building in Los Angeles. The glass “ledges” at the top of the Willis Tower. The glass “tilt” mechanism at the top of 875 North Michigan. And now the Aon Center is getting in on the transparent...
The Residences at Addison & Clark Getting Ready To Play Ball
Baseball is back, and once again millions of people turn their attention to Chicago’s favorite ballpark: Wrigley Field. (Sorry Sox fans, it is.) Scores of Chicagoans move to Wrigleyville just so they can be within shouting distance of the friendly confines, even if they don’t have season tickets. Some people aren’t even that loyal to their families. For hard-core baseball lovers, or those who just dig the...
After 7 Years, Loop Residential Building Finally Hits Paper, Bridge to MDA
Things are finally coming together for the new residential building coming to 171 North Wabash in The Loop. We first reported on 171 way way way back in 2011, when it was the companion building to what is now called Experience 73, around the corner but still adjacent, at 73 East Lake Street. Experience ate a parking garage to build a 42-story residential tower, and 171 was going to eat a surface parking lot/parking garage combo to...
Aon Center Views Will Start Before You Even Reach the New Observation Deck
It was back in 2015 that we told you the Aon Center (200 East Randolph Street) is going to convert its 83rd floor into a public observation deck. At the time we wondered how the building would handle a sudden influx of thousands of daily tourists. The skyscraper has very tight security in its lobby area, and the notion of letting tourists share the elevator banks with office workers seemed like a non-starter. Now the Chicago Tribune...
Old Buildings On The Way Out in Old Town
Last week we told you that sales are now underway at Fifteen Fifty on the Park (1550 North Clark Street), the vintage-inspired building that will cap Clark Street in Old Town. Just days later, the city issued demolition permits for the buildings that are in the way. What’s going away is an unremarkable one-story diner, and an even less interesting two-story retail building. But it’s the first sign that dirt is getting...
Sales Start at Vintage-Looking New Building in Old Town
The building that will save the Village Theater while killing a neighborhood diner is looking for residents. Fifteen Fifty on the Park will occupy the southwest corner of North Avenue and Clark Street in Old Town. The building, designed by the Gold Coast’s SCB, features a classic look to blend in with the other buildings fronting this portion of Lincoln Park. In some ways, it is reminiscent of 15 East Oak, the Barneys New York...
Work Begins on Combo Live/Learn Building at UIC
Construction is underway on a new building at the University of Illinois at Chicago that combines both learning space, and living space. the $100 million building designed by SCB features a circular two-story classroom wing, and a 10-story residential tower. According to the renderings, the building features an auditorium that embraces the building’s form with a lecture hall that curves around the proctor. But instead of rows...
Change Brewing on North Michigan Avenue
Permits have been issued for the nearly $10 million transformation of the former Crate and Barrel flagship store on the Magnificent Mile into a new mega Starbucks. INTERIOR & EXTERIOR ALTERATIONS (GROUND THROUGH 5TH FLOOR) FOR SHELL & CORE ONLY TO INCLUDE NEW ROOF DECK OF AN EXISTING FIVE (5) STORY MERCANTILE BUILDING AS PER PLANS. The four-story building at 646 North Michigan Avenue opened in 1990, and it shaped like a (wait...
