City Calls Itself Epic, Hopes More Tourists Come Visit
Can hipsters and Divvy bikes sell Chicago to visitors around the world? A play off Burnham's famous "make no little plans" line, the catchphrase "Chicago Epic" was introduced as the centerpiece of a new tourism campaign by Choose Chicago yesterday, according to Crain's. An 80-second spot featuring images from the Field Museum, city beaches and even Michael Jordan, as well as a hipper view of Windy City culture and narration by poetry slam founder Marc Smith, encourages tourists to "do something epic" when they visit. Set to roll out later this spring to domestic markets, likely on the West and East coast, the campaign will have to do something pretty epic itself to help meet the Mayor's ambitious goal of 55 million annual visitors by 2020.
The Chicago Architecture Blog has a rendering that gives an idea of what the West Loop landscape will look like with two new towers planned for the area. The zig-zagging tower from Pizzuti Companies and one from Related Midwest will stand next to each other along Eisenhower Expressway, and here's what they will look like. [Chi Arch Blog; previously]5 Two Bed Apartments You Can Rent Right Now for $1,500
Welcome to Curbed Comparisons, a column that explores what one can rent for a set dollar amount in various Chicago neighborhoods. Is one man's studio another man's townhouse? Let's find out! Today's price: $1,500/month.
↑ Humboldt Park $1,250
It's bright, clean and has a really nice backyard. The building is owner occupied, which can be both a good and bad thing. Not the most spacious two bed at 750 square feet, but it's no micro unit either.
Lettuce Unveils Experimental Restaurant; The 14 Hottest Restaurants in Chicago; More
This week's top dish from Eater Chicago, Curbed's restaurant, bar, and nightlife blog...
[Photo: Marc Much]
LINCOLN PARK—LEYE opened its forward-thinking Intro this week, a restaurant that will change chefs and concepts every three months and uses a ticketing system. Top Cheffer and Californian CJ Jacobson is the inaugural chef.
AROUND TOWN—Its time for the newest Eater Chicago heatmap, your guide to the hottest restaurants in town. Intro, Izakaya Mita, and Good Stuff Eatery are the newest additions.
$2.9M Unit at Trump Tower Offers Views in Three Directions
Situated on the 62nd floor of the Trump Tower, this 2,750 square footunit has a long, curving wall of windows that offer awesome east, south and west facing views of downtown. The unit last sold in 2012 for $2.1 million, but the listing agent states that this two bedroom, three bathroom sky-high pad has recently received over $200,000 in upgrades. Of course all of the luxury amenities in the building are included, and one parking space comes with the $2.9 million ask.
The city has received hundreds of complaints from residents regarding sidewalks that have still not been cleared of snow, yet no tickets have been issued. Despite warnings about crackdowns on landlords and homeowners, the Tribune reports that the city has not actually fined anyone. [Tribune]New Logan Square Mixed User Targets Spring 2016 Opening
If you've walked up or down Milwaukee Avenue near the Congress Theater lately, you may have noticed that there's a large "L" shaped figuring just sitting in an empty lot glowing at night. That L is actually a promotional effort from Property Markets Group who has recently dubbed the upcoming transit-oriented development simply, L. According to a new promotional website for the project, PMG indicates that the 120 unit development "will offer residents access to the luxury finishes and amenities typically found downtown but with all the lifestyle benefits that living in Logan Square affords." The site also includes a few new renders and a target completion period of spring 2016. Recently soil sampling rigs have been spotted at the sites of both the upcoming Property Markets Group development coming to 2211 N Milwuakee Avenue and at the proposed dual tower project site near California and Milwaukee indicating that the corridor is looking to dramatically change in the next year or two.
Resurgent Franklin & Randolph Tower Takes Big Step Forward
[Rendering of the John Ronan-designed tower at 151 North Franklin]
Will a potential lease be a catalyst for new construction in the Loop? According to Crain's, the proposed 36-story John Buck office tower at 151 North Franklin may have just moved off the back burner and one step closer to ground-breaking. Law firm Freeborn & Peters, who signed a letter of intent on a few floors of office space, is looking at a 15-year lease. Landing a big tenant will open up the venture to more construction financing, and in the words of a broker, "makes the project for real."
Although the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) is moving forward with its plan to redevelop the massive Lathrop Homes public housing project, the few residents that remain are fighting to save their community. The CHA plans on replacing most of the existing Lathrop Homes buildings with new ones that will offer mixed-income housing, but with real estate prices increasing, residents that are displaced likely won't be able to afford to stay in the area. [WBEZ]
POPULAR
Feds Help Blue Line With Loan; Bronzville Mariano's; More
·Obama Library land swap on Board of Commissioners' agenda next week [DNAinfo]
·Feds agree to $120M loan to rehab Blue Line [Crain's]
·Joe and Bonnie's Wicker Park condo [Apartment Therapy]
·Chicago fifth safest city in North America [Economist]
·Does a Mariano's mean no replacement housing in Bronzeville?[DNAinfo]
·Jefferson Park station renovation highlights city's planning problems[Steven Can Plan]
·Bungalow Association starts home repair seminars this March[DNAinfo]
·Feds agree to $120M loan to rehab Blue Line [Crain's]
·Joe and Bonnie's Wicker Park condo [Apartment Therapy]
·Chicago fifth safest city in North America [Economist]
·Does a Mariano's mean no replacement housing in Bronzeville?[DNAinfo]
·Jefferson Park station renovation highlights city's planning problems[Steven Can Plan]
·Bungalow Association starts home repair seminars this March[DNAinfo]
Once Again, Illinois Takes the Lead on LEED Certified Space
[The LEED-certified FBI Regional Office in Chicago. Photo by David Seide/DefinedSpace.com]
According to the U.S. Green Building Council, Illinois appears to be going green faster than any other state. For the second year in a row, the Land of Lincoln has built the most square feet of green-certified LEED space per capita, working out to 42.4 million square feet of real estate, or 3.31 square feet per resident, from 174 certified projects. Colorado is second with 3.14 square feet per resident, while California, despite its more environmentally conscious reputation, ranks seventh at 1.87. Illinois and Colorado are the only two states to have appeared on the list every year since the Green Building Council began releasing it in 2010.
Banjo player and late-blooming novelist Steve Martin just listed his 7,377-square-foot Montecito mansion for $11M.Designed by Roland E. Coate, Jr, a Venice Beach native, the home can be classified as 1970s residential brutalism to the max. Curbed National has the tour, this way. [Curbed National]
A Look at the Recently Finished Belmont Ave. Intrinsic School
Adaptive reuse projects are gaining momentum in Chicago, and for a good reason. One of the more exciting projects in the Windy City that falls into this category is the new Intrinsic Schools Belmont campus in Old Irving Park. Designed by Wheeler Kearns Architects, the school transformed an old lumberyard into a contemporary educational facility, while utilizing about 75 percent of the existing structure. And having been a lumberyard, the building features a beautiful bowstring truss construction from solid wood columns. Originally built in 1954, the reworked facility opened last August and features brand new classrooms and labs (or "pods" as the school calls them), an outdoor soccer field and a gymnasium that showcases the old wooden truss construction.
West Loop Tower Construction Pushing Through the Winter
[photos by Shawn Ursini]
Even though Punxsutawney Phil has indicated that there will be several more weeks of winter, 2015 is already looking to be a very strong year for construction in Chicago. Here's a look into what's happening with three projects along the Halsted Street Corridor in the West Loop. First, the upcoming Gateway Tower at the southeast corner of Halsted and Green Streets is quickly approaching its final height as crews have reached the 17th floor, the last floor to frame for the new 167 unit apartment tower designed by Antunovich Associates. Floor to ceiling windows now enclose seven of the tower's residential floors as the exterior facade takes shape and provides a contrast to the historic 2 South Halsted Building next door.
Artist Matthew Haussler has recently finished drawing what might just be the longest hand drawn picture maze in the world. Over a period of eight months, the illustrator drew the city's lakefront and Grant Park, stretching out to 73.5 feet long by three feet tall. [Architizer]SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER
Curbed University delivers insider tips and non-boring advice on how to buy or rent a house or apartment.
- The Eternal Debate: Renting vs. Buying
- Inside the All Powerful Condo Association
- Here’s the Lowdown on Mortgages
- On the Topic of Appraisals
- The How-To on Home Inspections
- Making Sense of Brokers' Commissions
- There's Nothing Short About Short Sales
- The Flip: Can You? Should You?
- Curbed’s Guide to Renting in Chicago
- The Weird World of Rental Deposits and Fees
- Documents Needed to Rent an Apartment in Chicago
- Property Research Pointers for Diligent Renters & Buyers
- Using Property Records to Your Advantage
Your answer to the question, "Where should I stay in Chicago?"
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