Expect More Road Closures for Byrne Interchange Construction
There's no doubt we're in the midst of construction season, but instead of building new towers, some crews will be working on road improvements. Starting today, ramp closures will be in effect to allow construction workers to continue on the massive Jane Byrne Interchange overhaul project. During the next two weekends, Congress Parkway under the Old Main Post Office will be shuttered and the Dan Ryan and Kennedy expressways will be narrowed down to just one lane. To get a look at the complete closure schedule, head over to the Tribuneor DNAinfo for more specifics.
·Ramp closings begin Wednesday for major phase of Byrne Interchange work [Tribune]
·Traffic Armageddon Is Here: Expressway Lanes To Be Closed For Construction [DNAinfo]
·Construction on the Bonkers Byrne Interchange Begins Tonight[Curbed Chicago]
·Ramp closings begin Wednesday for major phase of Byrne Interchange work [Tribune]
·Traffic Armageddon Is Here: Expressway Lanes To Be Closed For Construction [DNAinfo]
·Construction on the Bonkers Byrne Interchange Begins Tonight[Curbed Chicago]
Two Bed in Heart of Armitage Shopping Stretch Wants $779K
[Photos: VHT Studios]
Lincoln Park's Armitage Avenue is known for its boutiques and yoga pants-clad moms pushing their stroller in one hand and drinking a latte in the other. But it's just a quaint stretch and has many of the amenities people want in a neighborhood—public transit access, proximity to parks and schools and so forth. This two bedroom, two bathroom unit stands watch over Armitage and just has a nice vibe to it. It's got some Victorian architectural elements, but inside, the unitfeels loft-like with its exposed brick walls. There's also a nice private deck up at the top. While it may be close to Bissel, Burling and other streets known for their pricey homes and over the top mansions, this one can be had for $779,000.
Spray-Painted FEMA X Still Marks the Storm in New Orleans
Two sets of FEMA markings on this Lakeview house show separate instances when the house was searched. All photos by Michael Winters.
To mark the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, this week Curbed is looking at how the housing, architecture, and neighborhoods of New Orleans have changed since the storm. Here, writer Christopher Romaguera and photographer Michael Winters on the FEMA markings left on New Orleans houses.
"I see you still got it up?"
I was talking to my neighbor, local writer and woman-about-town Pamela Davis-Noland, when someone leaving her house asked her this question. She had a retort ready: "Baby, you know that's never coming down." She was talking about the FEMA markings placed on New Orleans houses weeks, and sometimes months, after the levees broke.
Stanley Tigerman's Playful 'Suburban Village' on Sale for $2.2M
All images by VHT Studios via Coldwell Banker.
Conceived as a constellation of cylinders, squares and rooms of different shapes and dimensions, the experimental Suburban Villagehome architect Stanley Tigerman designed for the Pochis family in 1988 resembles a PoMo piazza. As reported in Chicago Magazine, the complex, which unravels over 1.6 acres and includes a pool and rose garden, was a close collaboration between Tigerman and his wife and design partner Margaret McCurry. It makes the kinetic interior, filled with edgy fixtures and a mish-mash of materials, more of a focused aesthetic statement than its angular lines may suggest. While not as outlandish as, say, Gehry's Winton Guest House, it's still an eccentric example of unconstrained Postmodern style.
What If Chicago Had a Rail Line Connecting Its Two Airports?
[Image via Transit Future]
Chicago's 'L' system covers much of the city, but yet, it doesn't connect many neighborhoods to one another nor does it connect the city's two airports together. However, the Active Transportation Alliance believes that having a light rail line that connects O'Hare and Midway airports could be a boon to travelers. If you had to make that journey today, you'd be traveling towards the Loop and then back out, and you'd have to transfer rail lines. With a single line that connects the two, the entire trip could be done in less than 40 minutes. In addition to connecting the two airports, Active Transportation Alliance believes that such a line would connect west side neighborhoods with one another and make it easier for residents to get to job hubs. Other Transit Future 'L' expansion ideas include a near west side line that connects the Brown, Blue, Pink, Orange and Green lines together as well as multiple South Side lines.
·Airport Connector would benefit more than just air travelers [Active Transportation Alliance]
·Is This What The Future of Chicago's Public Transit Looks Like?[Curbed Chicago]
·Fun with Urban Planning archives [Curbed Chicago]
·Airport Connector would benefit more than just air travelers [Active Transportation Alliance]
·Is This What The Future of Chicago's Public Transit Looks Like?[Curbed Chicago]
·Fun with Urban Planning archives [Curbed Chicago]
New Walgreen's Latest Sign of Commercial Rush to the Loop
The retailer is taking over the old Sears space on State. [Photo: Google Street View]
While the downtown apartment boom will redefine the look of the Loop, a wave of retail, restaurant and commercial development coming in its wake may have just as strong an effect. According to Crain's, Walgreen's is taking over the old Sears space on 2 North State, opening up a 5,400-square-foot retail space near the apartment units coming in above Block 37. While it'll be two block from the company's flagship location at State and Randolph, continued growth in the Loop suggests there will be plenty of customers moving in over the next few years (still waiting to see if the Millennium Mile concept takes off). It's another symbol in the Loop's continued development into a neighborhood that attracts people beyond weekday work hours.
Another Transit-Oriented Development is Being Planned Along the Blue Line
[Rendering: Brininstool+Lynch]
As the wave of transit-oriented development (TOD) continues to sweep over the city's northwest side, another proposal has surfaced near the busy Grand/Milwaukee Blue Line Station. Located at 710 West Grand Avenue, just east of Halsted Street, the initial proposal includes eight stories of occupied space with a ninth floor penthouse and amenity space. Named River West Flats, the project at this time includes 105 rental apartments, just under 5,000 square feet of ground floor retail space and 45 parking spaces. The lobby would be located along Grand Avenue and positioned only 315 feet from the entrance of the Blue Line, allowing developer Wicker Park Aprtments, Inc. to take full advantage of the recent TOD amendment to the zoning code, allowing for a smaller number of on-site parking spaces. The typical minimum parking requirement in city neighborhoods located outside of downtown zoning districts is a 1:1 ratio, one space for each of the residential units, however with the allowable reductions, a ratio of only 0.43 is currently being proposed.
Quaint Bucktown Single Family Home Rehab Asks $700K
[Photo: VHT Studios]
It's small in stature but big on looks. This old Bucktown house has received numerous updates and is more than move-in ready. The finishes are nothing out of this world, but the home is also not pretending to be more than it is. There's a small backyard, a two car garage a bright red front door that really pulls everything together. While it's not right off the 606 trail, it is close enough to make it worth mentioning. The listing agent has indicated that the owners are still sprucing it up, even as it lists. It's certainly nice to look at and for$699,999, it seems like a pretty safe investment.
Express Bus Lines Coming to Ashland and Western Avenues
They're two of the busiest north-south arteries in Chicago, but may soon have speedier public transit. According to the Sun-Times, the city is looking to bring express buses to Ashland and Western avenues. The new announcement puts the future of the planned Ashland Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project in limbo, however, some city officials have said that the $160 million Ashland BRT plan is still on the table. At the announcement today, Mayor Emanuel indicated that the express bus lines for Western and Ashland could cut up to 22 minutes from their routes. He also stated that the Ashland BRT project is "way in the future."
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Chicago's Apartment Boom Shows No Signs of Slowing Down
As previously expected, developers will be delivering thousands of new rental units throughout the greater downtown area this year, and thousands more are on the way in the next couple of years. Many of the towers under construction at the moment are making way for rentals, but there has been a plethora of other new proposals awaiting action.Crain's has taken another look at Chicago's downtown apartment boom and has crunched the numbers: nearly 3,000 units will be delivered in 2015, another 3,200 will be delivered next year and then finally, 2017 could set a big record if the 4,500 units that are planned move forward. In total, we're looking at 10,000 new rental units on the horizon in the next couple of years. And while it seems like a new apartment tower proposal surfaces every week, Crain's is only looking at projects that are complete, under construction or have financing lined up.
Kid-Friendly Interior Design: How Far Is Too Far?
Skyhouse by David Hotson and Ghislaine Viñas—Photo by Eric Laignel via Dezeen
Among all the color-coded bookshelves, TVs hung above fireplaces, and other played-out decor trends, one persistent source of interior design drama and intrigue has to do with kids, particularly the notion that outfitting a home with super whimsical features will surely delight the youngest residents. From tunnel slides to multiple floors of netting, there is a lot folks can do to render their abodes more like stylish McDonald's PlayPlaces (or really, in this day and age, thehippest wackiest tech company offices.) Anyway, these fun-focused decor maneuvers popping up with varying degrees of ridiculousness got us asking: have design-minded parents gone off the deep end?
How to Buy a Home When You Have Student Loans
Student loans can feel like a roadblock on the path to homeownership, but that doesn't have to be the case. The SoFi mortgage was actually designed to help prospective homebuyers with student loans overcome some common hurdles.
For example, making that student loan payment each month can seriously interfere with your ability to save for a down payment. Fortunately, with a SoFi mortgage loan, you can put as little as 10% down without paying for expensive private mortgage insurance. And while traditional lenders use strict debt-to-income (DTI) ratios to determine loan eligibility, SoFi uses a flexible DTI ratio. This means that even borrowers with big student loan payments can potentially get more financing than they thought was possible.
Have student loans? Thinking about buying a home?
Don't let student loans keep you from buying the home you really want. See what SoFi can offer you online in just a few minutes — just visit SoFi.com.
SoFi Lending Corp., NMLS #1121636. Terms and conditions apply. Please see SoFi's eligibility and licensing page for more details.
Another Sol Kogen and Edgar Miller Building is Up for Grabs
While one battle to save a building from Sol Kogen and Edgar Millerwinds down, could another one be on the horizon? Preservationists and Old Town residents put up a hard fight to save the building at 159 West Burton Place, with the end result being that the building's owner decided to wash his hands clean of the deal and sell the property to another party. The listing agent for this Lincoln Park home states that this building was designed by Edgar Miller, however, it may actually just be a solo Sol Kogen design. There aren't a ton of photos included in the listing, but it certainly does look similar to the duo's other work. Kogen and Miller were famous for developing artist lofts, and this building is currently operating as a four-flat. The listing agent suggest that it could be converted into a single family home, but we have a feeling that Kogen and Miller probably wouldn't support such an idea. This property is currently asking $1.1 million.
Developer Dumps Controversial Plan to Demolish Historic Old Town Building
Cinespace Studios Could Be Chicago's Next Big Tourism Draw
[Render: Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture]
As Chicago continues to get more film and television work, the city's largest studio is planning to open up several sound stages to attract tourists and their dollars. According to DNAinfo, Cinespace Chicago is working on building a large Hollywood-style backlot space that will feature stretches of stages that will look and feel like a few major cities, including New York City and London and hopes to lure tourists to its North Lawndale campus. The idea is to have an all-in-one operation for studios to do a bulk of their filming in the same location, but as televisions shows are canceled, Cinespace may keep the old sets and open them up for visitors. Cinespace is working with Chicago's Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture (HPA) on the project, which will transform former factory buildings into film and TV production facilities. Previously a steel mill, Cinespace's 50-acre campus is looking to become one of the largest of its kind in the world.
·Cinespace Aims to Bring Hollywood-Style Backlot Tours to Chicago[DNAinfo]
·Cinespace [Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture]
·Cinespace Chicago Film Studios [Official website]
·Cinespace Aims to Bring Hollywood-Style Backlot Tours to Chicago[DNAinfo]
·Cinespace [Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture]
·Cinespace Chicago Film Studios [Official website]
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