UP|Illinois

Chicago Spire

THERUSTYMITTEN — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 20:41:22 +0000

Does anybody have any news on this project? Links?

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[Chicago] Sears tower in silver? / Name changing to Willis Tower

mikedoyleblogger — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 01:58:13 +0000

thegryseone, on 11 February 2010 - 07:44 PM, said:

I still know it as the Sears Tower even now. I imagine the locals still call it Sears Tower too. (snip)

You imagine correctly Newcomers and some visitors say Willis Tower, and some locals, too. But a lot of us still say Sears Tower out of habit, and most of the time we don't correct ourselves, either. The day they chisel the Willis name in the marble sign in front of the tower, I may change my mind. Right now, the name's just an overlay on top of the chiseled Sears name. It may not ever be Sears again, but I doubt it will be a Willis tower for very long.

A lot of people here resented Willis and their hubris over the name change, too. If they were so happy to be in Chicago market (as they had been for a long time), why did they never market their name prior to their rental deal at the tower? They just wanted a PR event. They got it. But no one here really cared.

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Decarbonizing Chicago's Loop

Neo — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:54:37 +0000

Architecture firm Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill have released a plan that would decarbonize and ultimately reduce carbon emissions by 100% for new and renovated buildings by 2030. Chicago has been no stranger to making the city green as it is one of the leading cities in turning rooftops to natural green areas.

Here's what's included in the plan:

Completing and linking a below-grade pedway system that would make the Loop more walkable in extreme weather conditions
Creating a green corridor and below-grade inter-modal axis on Monroe Street that would offer a place of respite for residents, commuters and visitors
Repurposing the Loop’s underground tunnels as a pneumatic waste disposal system
Extending the existing Chicago riverwalk and bicycle paths to increase mobility within the Loop

The area included is bordered by the Chicago River on the west and north, Congress on the south and Lake Michigan on the east:

You can view renderings of some of the ideas on their website here: http://www.smithgill.com/#/work/chicago_decarb

^ The above link also includes a link to download the PDF for the plan.

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[Chicago] Sears tower in silver? / Name changing to Willis Tower

thegryseone — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 01:44:13 +0000

I still know it as the Sears Tower even now. I imagine the locals still call it Sears Tower too. Maybe I'll have to start calling it the Willis Tower eventually, but this whole thing really sucks (needless to say; yet I said it anyway).

I'm against reclading it in silver too. I prefer the black Sears Tower.

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Chicago [Off-Topic]

thegryseone — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 01:12:42 +0000

That's pretty cool. We used to have to use these things called...What were they called?...Oh yeah books.

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The largest collection of Chicago images ever posted on UP

thegryseone — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 10:13:41 +0000

I'm curious about that tiny building under the tracks. I like stuff like that. Chicago is indeed awesome and so is Illinois. It's the greatest state in the Midwest by far. Any other opinions will be silenced (kidding).

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Peoria pictures

thegryseone — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 10:08:12 +0000

Very nice, but I have to ask you, will it play in Peoria?

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Are there any Illinois Forumers out there?

thegryseone — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 10:01:34 +0000

mendelman, on 07 February 2007 - 11:41 AM, said:

Alright...I lurk alot here at UP and live spitting distance to Chicago, but haven't really added an significant traffic to the Illinois forum. I've got some threads I could post, though.

That isn't the unfrozen caveman lawyer is it? I'm from that part of Illinois Chicagoans would call "downstate" (which is anywhere south of Kankakee by the way). That's a bit of an inside joke (inside Illinois that is).

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Chicago Spire

Neo — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 22:54:37 +0000

The project is most certainly interesting and eye catching to say the least, but I'm still pessimistic that this thing will get off the ground. I hope they prove me wrong though as it is one awesome piece of architecture.

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Chicago Spire

ronsmytheiii — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:57:04 +0000

Neo, on 12 February 2009 - 08:51 AM, said:

This project was probably a bit too much, especially for current market conditions. While I hate to see it go, it simply isn't practical and I understand the reason for its demise. Can you imagine firefighters having to climb all of those stairs in the case of an emergency?

Not dead yet!

Quote

Garrett Kelleher, developer of the planned 150-story Chicago Spire, has acquired some financing, said his publicist. It's a start, but don't look for cranes right away at his property, 400 N. Lake Shore Drive. Kim Metcalfe, spokeswoman for Kelleher, said the developer has gotten backup financing in the form of bridge loans and a mezzanine loan, which is similar to a second mortgage. She said the financing would kick in if Kelleher can secure about $170 million to restart the project, potentially the tallest building in North America. Metcalfe declined to provide any details of the financing.

http://www.suntimes.com/business/1928670,CST-FIN-roeder09.article

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Chicago [Off-Topic]

Neo — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 12:54:48 +0000

As an iPhone user I'm happy to see this available:

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/books-guides-resources/chicago-architectural-guide-iphone-apps-103870

Self-guided Chicago architectural guides for the iPhone! I'm not the creator, but I do think it is awesome to have something like this available for those visiting the city. There is an amazing amount of awesome architecture in the city and this is a great resource for anyone visiting the city and wanting to know a little about what they're looking at.

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[Chicago] Sears tower in silver? / Name changing to Willis Tower

tamias6 — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 09:13:04 +0000

Neo, on 25 February 2009 - 04:01 PM, said:

Saw this today and thought it was (and hope it really is) a joke:

http://www.suntimes.com/business/roeder/14...oeder25.article

This is a proposed plan to reclad the Sears Tower in a silver color as opposed to the current black. When I lived in downtown I had a 17th floor balcony facing this tower, and though it wasn't the greatest looking building, I certainly don't want to see it in silver. I understand the energy savings that could come from such a conversion, but IMO it would become a Chicago eyesore.

Opinions on this?

Thumbs Down on that. Its bad enough the name was changed to Willis Tower. Reclading the the building in silver is desecration to a Chicago Landmark.

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[Chicago] Then and now

tSlater — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:41:17 +0000

I love how that shows how much Chicago has grown without sacrificing much of its history.

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[Chicago] Then and now

Neo — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:35:18 +0000

I stumbled upon the following site with images of yesteryear and today. It's interesting to see just how much the Windy City has changed...and how much it has stayed the same!

Here's an example of my favorite then and now:

Here is the link to the rest: http://www.bergwithfries.com/2009/11/then-and-now.html

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[Chicago] Apple spending $4M to renovate subway station

Neo — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:22:24 +0000

Apple just signed an agreement with the CTA to spend $4 (of Apple's money) to renovate the North/Clybourn (red line) subway station as it is in close proximity to a future Apple store. I don't believe there are too many instances where a company pays to renovate a public transit station for this purpose. It may happen with bus shelters, but to renovate a subway station?

Here's what will get renovated:

A run-down triangle piece of land next to its future Halsted Street store
The subway entrance building
The underground train platform
The bus turnaround

...and here's what Apple is getting out of the deal:

Apple is leasing the bus turnaround from the CTA free for 10 years
Apple gets 'first rights of refusal' for naming the station and for advertising within the station

This is a winning situation for the cash strapped CTA IMO and wish more deals like this would be made. Everything should be done by September 30, 2010.

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[Chicago] 2016 Olympics

Neo — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 17:20:59 +0000

LynchMob, on Oct 2 2009, 11:54 AM, said:

Chicago and Tokyo were just eliminated. Sorry.

I would have liked to see Tokyo get it just because of the 'green' aspect of making their Olympic structures 100% environmentally sustainable.

In the end Rio de Janeiro got the bid...a first for South America. Congratulations to them!

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[Chicago] 2016 Olympics

LynchMob — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:54:21 +0000

Chicago and Tokyo were just eliminated. Sorry.

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[Chicago] 2016 Olympics

skylinefan — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:16:09 +0000

We are routing for you guys!!!!

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[Chicago] Chicago plans $15.5 Billion in transportation infrastructure improvements

tSlater — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 04:02:56 +0000

Haven't had any issues since the above.. it was like a single-day sort of thing.

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[Chicago] Chicago plans $15.5 Billion in transportation infrastructure improvements

Neo — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 20:19:50 +0000

tSlater, on Jul 5 2009, 09:58 PM, said:

Keep having problems with UP giving errors when I post, and I have to retype. Really don't feel like retyping it all, so in short.. I like the rivalry, element of days gone by that still persists, and competition is healthy.

Hmm, if you continue to have errors posting please PM or e-mail me and we'll see if we can't get them resolved.

Regarding the rivalry...it is certainly healthy. Just as we benefit from companies who compete with one another, we also benefit with cities compete with one another.

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