Do Renters Really Harm Every Neighborhood They Live In?
[Photo via Jonathan Splitt Architects]
Developers are scratching their heads as they reconsider the 62-unit apartment building on the site of the former Hines Lumber.
Where were the strongest issues raised? Besides the usual suspects of parking and traffic, the notable concern related to the issue of rental units versus condos.
Curbed Chicago is your go-to place for all things real estate and neighborhood news, but did you know we also have a glorious Facebook page and Twitter feed? Head on over to the Curbed Chicago Facebookand Twitter pages to give them a "like" and your social media feeds will magically become filled with awesome Curbed content.Home of Gay Rights Pioneer Is Now a National Landmark
[image via Google Street View]
The moment has arrived. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, along with the National Park Service, has the pleasure to announce that Chicago's Henry Gerber House will be designated a National Historic Landmark. Old Town's Henry Gerber House, a starting place for the history of gay rights in Chicago is now officially recognized.
While this is only the second LGBT-related property to achieve this distinction (the Stonewall Inn of New York is the other one), the home itself has a long history.
Built in 1885, the home at 1710 North Crilly Court was the birthplace of The Society for Human Rights in 1924, becoming the first gay civil rights organization in the nation.
Could Floodwaters Lead to a Farnsworth House Relocation?
Photo by jalbertgagnier/Creative Commons
Mies van der Rohe's Farnsworth House was designed, in the words of the famous Modernist, to "bring nature, houses, and human beings together into a higher unity." Part of that plan included suspending the Plano, Illinois, residence on a series of steel columns to lift it above floodwaters that occasionally flow from the nearby Fox River. But as this week's storms have shown, floods are getting increasingly more serious as increased suburban development pushes more water into the river. The potential for damage to the home has led its owner, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, to examine a plan to move the home to another part of the property that's less flood prone, according to the Tribune. The suggestion of relocating the iconic, site-specific design has led to some complaints within the architecture community. It's one of a few options being considered, all of which have their pros and cons.
For $13.9M, Life is Fine on 52nd Floor of the Waldorf Astoria
Photos courtesy Redfin
Well, your chance to live above Illinois' richest man is finally here. The entire 52nd floor of the Waldorf Astoria has hit the market, asking a substantial $13.9 million for life high above the near North Side. This prime perch offers the requisite views, including a private 25-by-7-foot balcony. As befitting such a grandiose address, the space has no shortage of amenities, including a spa bathroom, private movie theater, spacious walk-in closer, fitness center and private pool lined in blue tile. HOA dues alone, at $5,979 a month, already place it out of the reach of most.
Do Planned Manufacturing Districts Block Good Development?
[Photo via YoChicago/Flickr]
Since the 1980s, the city's 15 Planned Manufacturing Districts (PMDs)have shaped Chicago into the city it is today. There are eleven on the north and northwest sides, and ten of them have been created in the last decade.
But is it time for an overhaul? It depends who you ask.
A Brilliant Idea for Reusing Old iPhones as Lamps and Speakers
All images via Designboom
When people rush to snatch up the latest smartphone offerings, the older but still functional units are usually sold, given away, or, in the saddest scenario, banished to some dark corner. Ukrainian industrial designer Ivan Zhurba has another idea. His new project, the iPhone Lamp, sources its light from the flashlight feature of an iPhone, which would be slotted into the thin "arm" of the minimalist apparatus. The design also allows for a charging cable while the iPhone is in use and, as Designboom details, includes an "acoustic tunnel that amplifies the sound coming from the speaker of the iPhone."
New Plans Unveiled for former Ickes Homes After Demolition
[Photo via DNAinfo/Sam Cholke]
Plans have been announced for the site of the former Ickes Homes, and a developer has been chosen. A partnership, lead by McCaffery Interests with the Community Builders and Antunovich Associates shared the idea for replacement units for the razed site.
Plan for 2,700 Units May Make River South a Reality
River City may be getting some new neighbors. Photo via Stephen Hanafin/Creative Commons
Chicago has been flush with new developments over the last year, but a new plan is so massive that it may help coin a name for a "new" neighborhood. According to Crain's, Chicago developer CMK and Australian firm Lend Lease Group have plans to build five towers on a 7.3-acre site next to the River City condo complex, with the tallest rising to 47 stories. Perkins + Will principal and design director Ralph Johnson, who designed the Notebaert Nature Museum, among many other projects, created the master plan for the property, which will include 2,700 units. The partnership has filed for a zoning change, and hasn't revealed if it will be rental or condo units or a combination of both. The long-vacant plot, known as Franklin Point, has been the subject of previous development plans, but none have taken hold.
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Ghost Bike Map Chronicles Poignant Pieces of Street Art
Photo via the Chicago Tribune
Chained around the city as both commemorations and visual reminder of cyclist's rights, ghost bikes, the ubiquitous white frames set up at the site of a cyclist's death, have become a part of the urban landscape. In an effort to chronicle this unique type of street art, Chicago Tribune reporter Charles J. Johnson built a map showcasing the location of these symbolic bicycles. While not comprehensive—especially since the bikes can sometimes be taken down by property owners—Johnson's map also includes a call to send in additional locations and missing memorials. A full map and photos is over at the Trib.
$6.3M Winnetka Mansion; Cemetery Shuffle; Fraudster Stopped
[Photo via the Curbed Chicago Flickr pool/Frank Hashimoto]
· As cemeteries are moved, eternal rest isn't really eternal [WBEZ]
· Lakefront home in Winnetka listed for nearly $6.3M [Crain's]
· Alderman wants to cancel free trash pickup for apartment buildings[Chicagoist]
· Centro expanding, moving into Sullivan Building [Built in Chicago]
· Taxes increasing faster than land values in Cook County [Crain's]
· Photo essay of historic subdivision in decay [Chicago Patterns]
· Judge shuts down man accused of decades of mortgage fraud [Chicago Reporter]
· Lakefront home in Winnetka listed for nearly $6.3M [Crain's]
· Alderman wants to cancel free trash pickup for apartment buildings[Chicagoist]
· Centro expanding, moving into Sullivan Building [Built in Chicago]
· Taxes increasing faster than land values in Cook County [Crain's]
· Photo essay of historic subdivision in decay [Chicago Patterns]
· Judge shuts down man accused of decades of mortgage fraud [Chicago Reporter]
More Photos of the Art Deco Chicago Motor Club Building
[Photo via ChicagoArchitecture.org]
The Chicago Motor Club building, a beautiful Art Deco gem, designed by Holabird and Root, built in 1928, and having been empty since 2004, is enjoying its renaissance. The three-story lobby can easily accommodate swanky affairs with its 67-seat cocktail bar and a 29-foot-wide road map mural by John Warner Norton. And if you try to forget what era the building honors, the original 1928 Ford Model A in the lobby won't let you.
Civic Duty: Lakeview Lost Wallet Emblazoned With Expletives
Man, it's a bummer to lose your wallet. Disorienting. And oftentimes, it's tough to describe: "black leather" doesn't really do justice to a distinctive description.
Which is why you go bold.
So maybe that's why this person may have an advantage.
Modern Prefab Coops for the World's Hippest Chickens
All photos via Inhabitat
These days, humans aren't the only ones with amazing prefab homesto dream about. With the Moop, a modular prefab coop made of plywood and redwood strips, the coolest chickens on the block will also have something to put on their wish-lists. Masterminded by San Francisco-area architect Peter Strzebniok and his wife, Deborah, the Moop starts with a two-by-seven-foot setup big enough for two chickens and can be expanded to larger configurations that can fit four chickens. With a starting cost of $600, it's not cheap—but in the world of fancy chicken coops, the Moop is a much more attainable luxury than, say, the $100,000 coop inspired by Versailles.
The Phoenix Pavilion Presents Yet More Ideas for Jackson Park
[Renderings via Project 120]
Jackson Park keeps getting more ideas piled onto its possible purpose. Hot on the heels of the Obama Library and the Yoko Ono installation, these renderings for the new Phoenix Pavillion show another way to activate a public space.
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