Navy Pier Centennial Renovations

One of the city’s most popular attractions, Navy Pier has been a staple for tourist and locals for years. But with age comes the need for renovations, and the landmark is currently undergoing a large scale construction project at the moment. In preparation for its 100th year anniversary in 2016, the work has already begun.

The Pier was built in 1916 for 4.6 million dollars by the city of Chicago. Initially one of multiple planned piers in city layout designer Daniel Burnham’s vision, it was conceived as a multi-purpose public infrastructure landmark. Its usage has varied significantly throughout its history, as it has been at times a freighter dock and warehouse, public recreational space, hospital, and Navy Training center. The Navy’s air forces even practiced air craft carrier landings during ww2 at the site, leading to an unknown number of downed planes still at the bottom of Lake Michigan.

After the second war the pier went on to be owned by the University of Illinois for a number of years prior to it becoming the public gathering place we know it as today.

The new renovations, drawn as renderings here, will include both exterior and interior changes. famed nyc high line developed James Corner Field Operations was selected amongst 50 other firms to design the renovations. Know worldwide, JCFO is particularly adapt at creating bold urban oasis. The plans include a grand new outdoor staircase, a complete landscaping rehaul with various outdoor structures, improved lighting, and a complete re-imagining of the interior public spaces, such as the crystal gardens.

Crews arrived in september to start changing the pier into a more contemporary green urban space for tourist and locals alike.

The pier is to remain open throughout the construction process, with different areas closed off at specific times. It was important for the city to keep the pier open as it does now want to miss out on some of the most popular holiday seasons. As the renovations are set to be completed in stages, some elements are still up in the air, such as the development of a hotel on the end of the pier. Nonetheless, overall the city of Chicago and its citizens are ready for the construction to be complete so they can explore their retuned favorite playground.

Chicago Riverwalk Renovations

Image Courtesy of Chicago Park District

The Chicago River is about to receive one of the biggest makeovers since its inception. As a push to increase the attractiveness of the city’s second lakefront, Chicago mayor Rahm Emmanuel hopes a new plan to renovate the riverwalk with increase tourism rates to the city. A critical feature of this renovation will be making the majority of the bank handicap accessible.

Creating a unique pedestrian walkway has always been the purpose of the riverwalk, turning normally industrial and ugly riverbanks into something beautiful.

A general consensus of support for the project has been echoing around the city and amongst various councils. The only subject matter that is under hot debate regarding the river is the mayor’s current lighting plan. Despite this, it will be a critical next couple of years for the future development of some of the city’s most iconic attractions.

First “Chicago Architecture Biennial” To Take Place In 2015

Photo Courtesy of Iwan Baan

In partnership with the City of Chicago and the Graham Foundation, the first ever Chicago Architecture Biennial will take place in October of 2015. It will be the largest international survey of contemporary architecture in North America. With Chicago being the one of the premier locations for renowned architecture on the continent, the event will likely draw several big names in world of architectural design such as Jeanne Gang and Frank Gehry.

“The State of Art of Architecture” will be the title of the Biennial, according to the event’s artistic directors Joseph Grima and Sarah Herda. The city’s moment in the international spotlight will be highlighted by various installations around the city and a special photography exhibition by Iwan Baan, amongst other projects. As stated by the website, “…the Chicago Architecture Biennial will bring an international and intergenerational network of architectural talent together to explore the ambitions, challenges and possibilities that are fueling the architectural imagination today and steering the future of the field.”

More event details will be released this spring, with the organization’s website quoting Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s words “Architecture defines a city, and no city has been defined by its architecture—or has influenced global architectural design—like Chicago.”

Lucas Museum of Narrative Arts to be Constructed In Chicago

Image courtesy of Lucas Museum of Narrative Art.
1. Field Museum
2. Shedd Aquarium
3. Adler Planetarium
4. Northerly Island
5. Proposed Location of The Lucas Museum of Narrative Arts

The Museum Campus of Chicago is about to receive its first major addition since the official opening of the park in 1998 when Lake Shore Drive was rerouted west of Soldier Field. After being passed on by San Francisco for not meeting the acclaimed director’s terms for execution, George Lucas has chosen Chicago to be the home of the future Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. This comes even after Lucas has established his entire career out of the northern California City. Lucas states that one reason for choosing Chicago as the location for this project was that its his wife, Mellody Hobson’s birthplace.

A 17-acre chunk of land currently playing the roll of parking lots south of Soldier Field will be the specific location, with landscaping and construction of a pedestrian bride connecting the area to the nearby Northerly Island being handled by the Developers.

Beijing-based MAD architects have been chosen as designers for the structure, which is surprising to many critics who expected a Chicago-based firm to be selected. Despite this, the award-winning firm is not expected to disappoint.

Mayor Rahm Emmanuel has welcomed Lucas and is heralding this addition to the Museum Campus as a lucrative opportunity to increase tourism for the city, which is in line with other projects such as the currently under-construction Riverwalk additions.

UPDATE 11/3/14 6:00 CT: MAD Architects just revealed renderings of their plans for the museum.
Rendering Courtesy of Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

Future Depaul Arena and Hotel to Ignite McCormick Place Area

Renderings Courtesy of Pelli Clarke Pelli and Depaul Athletic Communications

Depaul University Chicago is going to be bringing significant life to area around Mccormick place in the next couple of years. Construction of their new athletics arena is set to begin in 2015, with the aim to have it open by the start of the 2017 season. Designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli, developers are currently under the process of locking down contractors for the project. One of the primary future residents of the arena will be the Depaul men and women’s basketball teams, which currently play at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont. This new structure will be closer to the city and Deapul’s campus, unlike the Allstate which is used and rented by multiple organizations. Funding from the city will also allow the space to be used for other recreational and business reasons, such as concerts and conventions.

The project will also include the construction of a 51-story Marriott hotel adjacent to the new arena. With 1200 new rooms, hotel will spurn tourism to the area. Mayor Rahm Emanuel hopes the new development will increase the attractiveness of hosting conventions and concerts in the area as a whole, while opponents cite the distance from Depaul’s primary campus as too far. Other faculty from Depaul state the current expense of the $173 million project is not logical for the school’s current budget.

Renderings Courtesy of Pelli Clarke Pelli and Depaul Athletic Communications

Whole Foods Edgewater Late Rollout Reveal

Texas based organic supermarket chain Whole Foods is going to continue to grow in the midwest by increasing their number of stores in Chicago to 28. Since 1918 Dominick’s supermarkets have been a neighborhood staple in the Chicagoland area. Though at one point they operated 116 stores in the greater Chicago area, a downfall in sales left owner Safeway Foods to announce in 2013 that they would be closing all of their locations. Whole Foods is amongst multiple chains diving into their old market by buying 7 of the now empty grocery buildings. These locations are all over the city, ranging from the West Loop and Streeterville, to the Lincoln Park and Edgewater neighborhoods.

With plans to open these new locations in 2015, recently Whole Foods has stated that some of the new stores won’t be opening their doors to new customers until June. Other supermarket chains that bought empty Dominick’s locations have already opened their doors, such as the Mariano’s on Sheridan and Foster. Many residents are eager for a large supermarket to return to their neighborhoods as traveling to get daily groceries has become a chore. Also, businesses near the upcoming Edgewater location at 6009 North Broadway are reporting fewer people and subsequent sales since the closing of the Dominick’s. Without the supermarket, fewer have reason to visit the area.

Despite the fact that the gutted supermarket will remain empty through the rest of the winter, details about what will be inside the new Whole Foods was revealed to the public at the beginning of October. According to DNAInfo Chicago, a bar and dinning bistro will be amongst the highlights, with residents voting to lift the liquor license ban for the new store.

Chicago Spire Project Ressurected

Image Courtesy of Santiago Calatrava

In 2007, construction broke ground on 400 North Lakeshore Drive, with the plan being to construct the second tallest building in the world in the form of the “Chicago Spire”. Designed by Spanish Architect Santiago Calatrava, the supertall skyscraper was to rise 2,000 feet and become the tallest freestanding structure in the Western Hemisphere. It was not until after the foundation was poured and an underground parking structure nearly completed that the late 2000’s economic recession hit, and developers had to suspend construction indefinitely.

As of the past two years, however, interest in the Spire and the property has risen again, with developer Garret Kelleher stating that the tower will be built exactly as it was planned to be prior to the suspension in construction if the necessary funding is to be secured. The total development cost is estimated at $1.6 billion, which includes landscaping the currently barren next-door DuSable Park and opening it to the public. According to the Chicago Tribune, Kelleher and partner Atlas Apartment Holdings have until the end of October to make a partial payment to Spire debt-holder Related Midwest. Therefore, it is still up in the air whether or not this landmark development might actually come to fruition.

Trump Tower Sign, Flop or Not?

 

 
Photo Courtesy of Alex Garcia of The Chicago Tribune

Donald Trump recently branded the Trump Tower with his name this past summer, with many critics and politicians having different opinions on the new sign. The award-winning 98-story structure is widely know as the “Trump Tower” despite not having a logo until now.

Northwestern Memorial Hospital and 259 East Erie

Chicago’s largest hospital network is constantly in a process of development, with the primary project being the recent completion of the new Outpatient Care Pavilion at 259 East Erie. The building will house new outpatient operating rooms, a center for diagnostic equipment such as magnetic resonance imaging machines, and eight floors dedicated to be clinical offices. Two “skybridges” will connect the building to primary hospital building along with a parking garage. Also, new retail shops will open on the ground floor of the facility, providing a additional sources of commerce to the neighborhood.

In the past 20 years, the Northwestern campus in Streeterville has undergone a series of construction projects. One of the most ambitious was the completion of the Feinberg and Galter Pavillions, with both being 17 and 22 stories respectively. Now serving as the primary hospital for the downtown metropolitan area, Northwestern Memorial is nationally ranked as the sixth best hospital in the United States according to US News and World Report.

The recent demolition of the old Prentice Women’s Hospital Building, despite efforts to save the building because of its unique architecture, has led to speculation as to what will be built on the now open lot. Consistent growth has spurned the hospital to continue to buy up as many open lots as possible, with one large space east of the Feinberg Pavilion supposedly being reserved for a massive new development.

Old Prentice Women’s Hospital Building

Photo Courtesy of Umbugbene CC BY

New Outpatient Care Pavilion

Rendering courtesy of Streeterville Organization of Active Residents

The New North Kenmore Avenue

Loyola University Chicago has gone through a huge construction boom in Rogers Park the last couple years and one of their crown jewels of the project has been the creation of the pedestrian walkway on North Kenmore. While it used to be a city owned street, Loyola actually bought it last year with permission from the city to turn it into a quad-like setting. The construction has recently been completed and now it is open to the public. Above is a slideshow highlighting many of the new features of the plaza.

This is one of the final projects in Loyola’s recent re-development as highlighted by the president of the Jesuit university, Father Michael Garanzini. Other projects included the reshaping of the West Quad, the rehab of the student recreation gym Hallas Hall, and the construction of the Damen Student Center. As of this right now, the only other ongoing Loyola Chicago construction project is the 35-story downtown tower in progress at State and Chestnut. When completed next year, it will be the new home to the Quinlan School of Business.