Retired Firehouse Has Solid Single Family Home Potential
If you're looking for something truly unique, this old firehouse on Superior Street is worth checking out. It no longer houses a fire truck and emergency equipment, but instead has become a place to store scrap metal and other junk. However, it's got tons of potential and would be a great candidate for a complete makeover by a local architect. According to the listing, the firehouse was constructed in 1879, making this a very old structure in terms of Chicago buildings. The listing offers more measurements and zoning details. There's really a lot that can be done with these kinds of buildings. Other old firehouses around the North Side have been converted into event spaces, community art centers and of course, single family homes.
5 Architecture 'Experiences' to Give to Your Loved Ones
Interior shot of Frank Lloyd Wright's Hollyhock House in Los Angeles, CA—Photo by Elizabeth Daniels
A recent article on Fast Company makes a strong case for why it's better to give someone experiences instead of things: an experience tends to produce longer-lasting positive emotions, feel more unique, and create opportunities for bonding. Well, while we're huge fans of fabulous, highly-giftable products here at Curbed, we're also inclined to agree that seeing, feeling, and doing something in person is invaluable, especially when it comes to all things architecture and design. So, here now, just barely in time for Christmas but applicable throughout the new year, are a few ideas to get your creative gift-giving juices flowing.
Curbed Cup Elite Eight: Bridgeport (2) vs. Pullman (10)
Welcome to the second round of the Curbed Cup. This week, eight neighborhoods will face off, but only four will advance. Voting for each pairing ends 24 hours after it begins. Let the eliminations commence!
[Left: photo via the Curbed Chicago Flickr pool/Steven Vance. Right: photo via the Curbed Chicago Flickr pool/Josh Koonce]
And now, the Elite Eight match we've all been waiting for: Bridgeportversus Pullman. In last year's Curbed Cup, Bridgeport made it all the way to the finals. Will Bridgeport repeat the strong showing it had last year? Pullman received numerous nominations at the beginning of this year's Curbed Cup, and the area's residents have come together to help push their historic neighborhood all the way to the top. This is certainly going to be a close competition. Will Pullman pull off an upset and knock out Bridgeport? Or is Bridgeport going to hang tough and defeat the well-mobilized residents of the far south neighborhood?
Curbed Cup Elite Eight: East Village (11) vs. Uptown (3)
Welcome to the second round of the Curbed Cup. This week, eight neighborhoods will face off, but only four will advance. Voting for each pairing ends 24 hours after it begins. Let the eliminations commence!
[Top: photo via Wheeler Kearns Architects. Bottom: photo via the Curbed Chicago Flickr pool/Bill Guerriero]
We return yet again with another match in this year's Curbed Cup competition. This time, the East Village/Noble Square 'hoods will be tag-teaming against North Side goliath Uptown. As expected, Uptown easily squashed Lincoln Park, their first round competition, to advance. While some commenters gathered in the comment section to put down Uptown, the residents of the far north neighborhood were mobilizing elsewhere on the internet to get out the vote. This of course doesn't mean that East Village and Noble Square will just roll over for Uptown. The West Town pocket neighborhoods received numerous nominations for the competition and the duo defeated the popular South Loop in the first round. Will the West Town pocket 'hoods upset Uptown and advance to the Final Four? You'll be the ones to decide.
One More Milwaukee Avenue TOD is Ready to Break Ground
[Renderings: bKL Architecture]
A bleak stretch of Milwaukee Avenue near the Chicago Blue Line station is about to get a big upgrade. The transit-oriented development planned for 830 N. Milwaukee Avenue has just received the official paperwork to go ahead with foundation and underground utility work. Designed by bKL Architecture, the project includes 47 rental units, 24 parking spaces and 3,000 square feet of ground floor retail space. The site is a tricky one for the projects developers and designers as it sits at the junction of two major roads and is exposed to vehicle congestion and the light pollution that comes from this traffic. In order to reduce the amount of unwanted light and noise, the building's facade features a sawtooth-shaped design so that the residential units' windows aren't parallel with either Milwaukee or Elston avenues. The building joins several other TOD projects that were proposed last year and have moved far enough through the development process to break ground.
Get a View Inside and Around the New 150 N. Riverside Tower
[A view from inside 150 N. Riverside. All photos by Harry Carmichael.]
Construction is moving along at 150 North Riverside with the 54-story office tower now shooting skyward as iron workers have hit their stride on framing the office floors. Meanwhile, at the lower end of the tower, cladding is underway on the complex floors imbedded into the structural load transfer where the tower form narrows to its concrete core. The unique form is derived from the constraints of a site wedged between the river bank and active railroad tracks feeding the north concourse of Union Station. The project, being developed by John O'Donnell's Riverside Development Company, had a number of design concepts looked at before settling on the solution proposed by Goettsch Partners architect Joachim Schuessler, where only the core of the building and a pair of very large steel columns at either end of the structure touch the ground and tie into the surgically drilled caisson foundation descending into the bedrock, located more than 100 feet below the street.
Massive Burling Street Mansion Goes Under Contract Yet Again
The massive mansion at 1955 N. Burling Street in the Lincoln Park neighborhood has scored a contract, again. The house made a big splash in the Chicago real estate market a year and a half ago when it listed for $18.75 million, a price that made this mansion the city's priciest single family home at the time. After a year on the market, the house finally found a buyer and the listing status was changed to contingent in July, but the deal fell through and the estate relisted in September. To help lure a buyer, the estate's listing price dropped down to $16.9 million just a few weeks after relisting. However, just days before the new year rings in, a buyer has stepped up to the plate and the mansion's owner has accepted the offer. The deal could still fall through, as it's still far from complete, but the house that was once the priciest in Chicago may finally have found a new owner.
White-on-White House Right Next to 606 Trail Wants $1.395M
There has been a lot of discussion about the "all white everything" decor trend this year. It just seems like something you can't escape when perusing design blogs and house listings. This three bedroom, two and a half bathroom Bucktown house is very representative of the white-on-white trend as its exterior, and much of the interior, is free of pigment. It's got a very stoic, almost fortress-like look on the outside, but once inside, it's got a natural light-filled, almost airy vibe to it. One thing worth noting is its location next to the 606 trail — it's literally butted right up against the new pedestrian/cycling trail. Whether that's a good or bad thing is up to potential buyers. However, if you are into people watching (and people watching you), there are plenty of spaces, including the home's green roof, to catch passersby. This house sold for $1.23 million back in August of 2007, but has just returned to the market asking $1.395 million.
Curbed Cup Elite Eight: Hyde Park (12) vs. Lakeview (4)
[Right: photo via the Curbed Chicago Flickr pool/Southport Corridor. Left: photo via the Curbed Chicago Flickr pool/Bryan Hayes]
While located on opposite sides of the city, Hyde Park and Lakeviewhave many common traits. Both neighborhoods boast a large inventory of historic mansions, both are located along the lakefront and both have made it to the Elite Eight for this year's Curbed Cup. Hyde Park narrowly defeated Streeterville to advance to the second round while Lakeview breezed past the Gold Coast/Old Town. This match represents a competition between north and south, Cubbies versus the White Sox, and booze versus books. Both neighborhoods are dynamic and are undergoing some pretty major changes in the form of construction projects. The Cubs organization continues its renovation of Wrigley Field and the surrounding properties while the University of Chicago is bringing a pair of new dorm buildings designed by Studio Gang to Hyde Park. The South Side institution was instrumental in bringing the Obama Presidential Center to Chicago.
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Curbed Cup Elite Eight: The Loop (16) vs. Edgewater (8)
[Left: photo via the Curbed Chicago Flickr pool/Milosh Kosanovich. Right: photo via the Curbed Chicago Flickr pool/Alessandro Niglio]
Welcome to the next round of Curbed Cup voting! Today's first match pits Edgewater/Andersonville against The Loop. In a surprise turn of events, The Loop knocked out last year's winning neighborhood, Logan Square, in the first round of voting. Edgewater showed a strong turnout and handily defeated the Pilsen neighborhood 379 votes to 269. Does The Loop have enough momentum to advance to the Final Four neighborhoods competing for the Curbed Cup? It's not going to be easy for the city's dense downtown neighborhood to get past the proud residents of Edgewater and Andersonville. May the best neighborhood prevail!
Signs of the Times: Designing the Gender-Neutral Bathroom
The United States has witnessed a sea-change in the visibility of the transgender community over the last few years. From the prominence of celebrities such as Caitlyn Jenner and Laverne Cox to increasing acceptance of and accommodations for transgender youth, the fuller, more fluid range of gender identity is being expressed and welcomed in the public sphere more than ever. But in the midst of so many doors opening, there's one, the bathroom door, that's often awkward, unavailable, and occasionally risky to enter. A world where restrooms are typically broken down along a male or female binary (as opposed to just gender-neutral facilities) presents a privacy and safety challenge for transgender individuals, and a design challenge for architects and others.
Only One Chicago Architect Makes Final List for Obama Library
After months of anticipation, the Obama Foundation has announced the short list of architects that will compete for the opportunity to design the high-profile Obama Presidential Center for Chicago's South Side. According to an announcement from the Obama Foundation, the seven finalists are: Adjaye Associates (London), Diller Scofidio + Renfro (New York), John Ronan Architects (Chicago), Renzo Piano Building Workshop (Genova, Italy), SHoP Architects (New York), Snøhetta (New York) and Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects (New York). The list is composed of some of the most notable architects around the world, several of which have already designed buildings in Chicago. In the announcement, Obama Foundation chairman Martin Nesbitt indicated that he felt that the finalists represent a diverse mix of backgrounds and styles. "We are excited to see this process moving forward because the Obama Presidential Center will be so much more than a library — this facility will seek to inspire citizens across the globe to better their communities, their countries, and their world," Nesbitt stated. However, despite previous suggestions that the Obama Foundation had been giving extra consideration to architects based in the Windy City, only one of the seven finalists is based in Chicago — the city that President Obama calls home.
Take a Look Inside the Under-Construction MILA Rental Tower
[Photos and captions by Harry Carmichael]
As 2016 nears, so does completion for MILA, the bKL-designed 41-story apartment tower at 200 North Michigan Avenue. The 402-unitbuilding is now almost fully enclosed with a curtain wall of blue glass, featuring thicker glazing which presents nice, crisp reflections rather than the wavy fun-house effect which can result from cheaper facades. The tower anchors the corner of Michigan Avenue and Lake Street, from which the project derives its name. Before construction began, workers demolished a six-story Art Deco building designed by Holabird & Root to make way for the new apartment tower.
The location positions the tower in a key spot along "The Cultural Mile," an evolving stretch of Michigan Avenue south of the bridge which has seen a number of new residential and hotel projects alongside Grant Park, Millennium Park and the Art Institute of Chicago, including the new Chicago Athletic Association Hotel to the south and the upcoming London House Hotel to the north of MILA.
Plan Commission Approves Mega Mall, Lincoln Park Inn Redevelopment Projects
Yesterday's meeting of the Chicago Plan Commission had another busy agenda of well known projects, including the long anticipated redevelopment of the Mega Mall in Logan Square and the Inn at Lincoln Park on Diversey Parkway, as well as Fulton Market's next big office project. The meeting first opened with a new 23-story, 55-unit condo tower by Smithfield Properties at Chicago Avenue and Wells Street and then moved onto the white hot Near West Side.
Solar Power Has Record Year With Chicago Property Owners
Chicago's commitment to green technology and sustainability is paying off as the city appears to be in the midst of a solar-power renaissance. According to data compiled by development and construction permit database site Chicago Cityscape, the Windy City is witnessing twice as many new solar energy installations in 2015compared to last year — an impressive five-fold increase over the number of new solar sites added in 2009.
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