CDOT Takes Another Crack at Upper Randolph

The Chicago Department of Transportation is going to once again try to straighten out the traffic mess that is East Upper Randolph Street.  The street, which climbs between Millennium Park and the Aon Center/Blue Cross/ Prudential Plaza streetwall is a nightmare for tourists and locals alike.

That's because whether looking at a map or just navigating on instinct, it makes perfect sense that Randolph would continue the city's street grid eastward from Michigan Avenue and connect with Lake Shore Drive.

Of course, it doesn't.

What it does do is make a blind 90-degree turn and come to a dead end in the heart of the New Eastside.

How confusing is this?  Well, on a warm summer afternoon there can be such a flood of confused suburban daytrippers that they actually cause their own traffic jam getting into, turning around, and getting back out of the dead end.

But you don't have to be an Okie from Muskogee to have trouble here.  I have a photo somewhere of an articulated CTA bus that got caught in this vehicular trap, and had to be yanked out with a tow truck.

To make things worse, this is no longer an industrial neighborhood.  There are several thousand people living there, and crossing the streets in their own backyard is becoming increasingly dangerous as more and more drivers unfamiliar with the neighborhood blow through the asymmetrical stop signs.

I used to live in the middle of this mess, and had a front-row view of it from my bedroom window.  Some days it was fascinating.  Others, not so much.

So, it was with some interest that I received an e-mail from Alderman Reilly's office recently detailing CDOT's plans for the area.  I'm going to paste Reilly's note, and the CDOT diagrams below.

Will the plan work?  Well, trying something is better than trying nothing.  But the problem is that this is a dead end.  There are only two ways to actually fix it:

1. Actually complete the long-studied, but very expensive, project to connect North Harbor Drive with East Upper Wacker Drive.  This has been promised by politicians for decades, but nothing has ever come of it.  
2. Put up some very large "Dead End" signs.  And by that I mean signs that actually read "DEAD END."  Not No Outlet, or Cul-de-Sac, or No Thru Traffic, or whatever the current politically correct version of "Dead End" is.  Hardly anyone knows what those mean, and no one takes them seriously.  "DEAD END" is universally understood and feared.  It's the one thing that will keep people out who don't want to go in there in the first place.

Here is Alderman Reilly's e-mail:

The upcoming improvements under this neighborhood initiative include:

New Bike Lanes on Upper Randolph between Michigan Avenue and Columbus Drive:

At the Alderman's direction and expense through additional Menu funds, CDOT's bicycle program engineered a number of pavement marking improvements for Upper Randolph Street between Michigan Avenue and Columbus Drive. These improvements include the extension of the eastbound bike lanes on the north side of Upper Randolph Street from Columbus Drive to just west of Stetson Avenue. Shared lanes were recently installed from the end of the old bike lanes down to Michigan Avenue.

On the south side of Upper Randolph Street, between Stetson Avenue and Columbus Drive, the existing eastbound bike lane has been relocated 8 feet off the curb line to keep school or charter buses servicing Millennium Park from parking in the bike lane. The warning signs have been installed in conjunction with the pavement marking recommendations.

Improvement to Intersection of Upper Randolph and Field Blvd:

The Alderman's office fields numerous reports of vehicles failing to yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk in the east leg of the intersection at Upper Randolph and Field Boulevard.

This dangerous intersection will be "tightened-up" by shifting the crosswalk and stop line on the west approach approximately 35 feet to the east. This will improve driver compliance with the posted stop signs and encourage drivers to yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk.

The City will also be installing new accessible pedestrian ramps, crosswalks and intersection pavement markings at this relocated crosswalk.

Improvement to Intersection of Upper Randolph and Harbor Drive:

Alderman Reilly also receives chronic complaints of vehicles that fail to yield to pedestrians at the intersection of Upper Randolph and Harbor Drive. This intersection will be reconfigured to include a painted median on the curve to provide a buffer between opposing travel lanes. The painted median will also provide an area for pedestrians to stand while waiting for a gap in oncoming traffic - and will encourage slower travel speeds through the narrowing of the adjacent travel lanes.

The City will also be installing additional warning signs to alert drivers to the approaching curve in the road and the presence of pedestrians crossing at the upcoming intersection.

Finally, CDOT recommends the removal of the stop sign and stop line for southbound traffic on Harbor Drive, because the intersection does not meet the necessary stop sign warrants and is inconsistent with the eastbound approach of Upper Randolph that has no stop sign.

There is a stop sign for southbound traffic on Harbor Drive - but eastbound traffic on Randolph is not required to stop at this corner. As a result, pedestrians gain a false sense of security that vehicles will stop at the crosswalk. The Alderman has introduced an ordinance to repeal this stop sign to improve pedestrian safety at the intersection of Randolph and Harbor Drive.

These improvements are scheduled to begin on October 18th and the project is expected to last for 8 weeks. Alderman Reilly is very pleased to announce this exciting project, which will finally address the many complaints we receive regarding traffic and pedestrian safety in the New Eastside community.

Here are the CDOT schematics and plans.  As always, click the pics for larger versions:

Renovating an Old Landmark

One of my favorite old Chicago buildings is going to be renovated.

I've long admired the Old Republic Building (307 North Michigan Avenue).  Maybe because of its anonymity -- it's not as flashy as the Carbide and Carbon Building (230 North Michigan Avenue) across the street.  Maybe because it suits its corner so well.  Maybe because I've spent any number of hours standing in its shadow waiting for a 151 bus.

Regardless of the reason, I'm happy to note that the City of Chicago has decided to also recognize this venerable piece of architecture.

In the latest newsletter from Alderman Reilly notes that the Commission on Chicago Landmarks has approved a tax incentive to help with the rehabilitation of the Old Republic Building.

"Class L" is a property tax incentive encouraging the preservation and rehabilitation of landmark commercial, industrial, and income-producing non-for-profit buildings. Owners can have their property tax assessment levels reduced for a 12-year period provided they invest at least half of the value of the landmark building in an approved rehabilitation project. While the Class L incentive is a Cook County incentive program, the City of Chicago and the local ward alderman must support granting the incentive.

The Old Republic Building went up in 1925 and was the first high rise in the area now dominated by the Illinois Center.

Slice of Life: Creepiness at 69 West Washington

Have you ever been someplace where there are normally lots of people, but when you were there no one was around?

That happened to me not too long ago at the Cook County office building most commonly known as 69 West Washington Street.  I was in the lower level concourse for something, and happened to be there very early on a Sunday morning.  No one else had been there for quite a while and no one else was due to arrive for some time.  It was really creepy.

Slice of Life: Curving Stripes

It wasn't the best weather when I took this picture of 333 Wacker Drive, but I don't walk past this building as often as I'd like.  Everyone knows that the curving facade follows the confluence of the Chicago River and the North Branch of the same.  For me it has special meaning because this was my first assignment as a professional architectural photographer.  Everyone else should remember it as the location of Ferris Bueller's father's office.

More about 333 Wacker Drive here.

Slice of Life: The Forbidden Door

Yes, it's another alley shot.  This time of a foreboding door in an alley near the Sears on State (2 North State Street).  I'm not sure what building it leads to, but it certainly is atmospheric, especially in the light of sodium lamps.  This is the photograph's natural color.  It has not had sepia or any other effect added.

Slice of Life: Chicago Through Dots

One of the better project completed along Michigan Avenue in the last few years is the Spertus Institute for Jewish Studies (610 South Michigan Avenue) building.  It's managed to do three things and do them all very well -- it filled in a gap in the streetwall, it presents an innovative and visually striking appearance, and it compliments its neighbors.

Part of its stunning visual effects involves the use of dots.  Millions (billions?) of dots cover the crinkled facade to help regulate light and temperature as well as change the opacity of the glass.

This is a view looking out through the dots, northward, across Grant Park.  As you can see, the picture is from this past winter, before the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Tower (300 East Randolph Street) finished its upward expansion.

Slice of Life: Lunch and the Park

Office workers get a quick bite to eat at 311 South Wacker Drive, while protected from the heat outside by the building's atrium.  It's something of an overlooked oasis in both summer and winter.

More on 311 South Wacker here.

Video and pix: Block37 LED Displays

Earlier this year we mentioned the new LED displays now adorning the atrium of Block37 (1 West Randolph Street), and posted a few pictures and a video.  Now we've been sent a press release from the company that engineered the displays, along with some much better pictures than we had:

Follow-up: Roosevelt University's New Skyscraper

Over the last three weeks or so, several readers have asked if the new Roosevelt University skyscraper (421 South Wabash Street) we wrote about is going to be LEED certified.

Today I heard back from a PR person at Roosevelt, and yes the building is going for LEED certification.  I don't know what level yet; she's supposed to get back to me with specifics.

You can read more about the new building here: More Details About the New Roosevelt University Skyscraper.

Slice of Life: Old Fogey's Club

Three of Chicago's most distinguished towers stand firm, holding back the onslaught of whippersnapper skyscrapers.

• Left: 333 North Michigan Avenue
• Center: London Guarantee and Accident Building (360 North Michigan Avenue)
• Right: The Mather Tower (75 East Wacker Drive)

Slice of Life: Bus Tour

For some reason the two features of this blog that people seem to like the most are the "Slice of Life" pieces, and videos.  People who don't live in the city, or who live in different neighborhoods, seem drawn to scenes of everyday life in Chicago.  They also like moving pictures.

Recently my CrappyCameraPhone™ acquired the ability to create truly terrible-quality videos.  So to satisfy the readers desire for both the moving and the mundane, here is a really poor quality video showing a bus ride from the Loop to Water Tower Place (845 North Michigan Avenue). Enjoy!

The Lost Messages of Seahorses

Architects used to love to design buildings festooned with allegorical messages.  Because of an unusual coincidence of timing, technology, and the region's clay deposits, Chicago is one of the great terra cotta cities.

But what message is this building trying to convey through the ages?  The medallion on the left is a sailing ship braving rough seas.  In the center is a pair of canoodling seahorses.  And on the right, a mighty oak tree.

In the 1870's this was the James Stockton & Co. building -- some kind of retail establishment.  Today it's a McDonald's, and its secrets sleep with the Filet o' Fishes.

Slice of Life: Jack the Puppet Guy

There is no shortage of buskers in Chicago.  From the fully licensed and occasionally talented musicians who fill the subways with song to the illegal bucket-banging kids who scatter when the police approach because they're really a tool to distract tourists for the pick-pocketers they work with, you can find a wealth of free entertainment options simply by walking the city streets.

Case in point is Jack the Puppet Guy.  That's not his real name.  I don't know what it is.  I've seen him on and off for the last few years along the tourist strip of Michigan Avenue in the Loop.  He puts on a clever little puppet show and occasionally I've tipped him because it's far more creative, and looks much harder, than simply spray painting your clothes in metallic colors and standing on a box.

When I worked at WGN-TV I wanted to feature Jack on one of the local newscasts.  This was back when reporter Jane Boal did features about interesting people around the city.  Alas, I never could catch up to him in those days, and now that neither I nor Jane work for Channel Nine it hardly seems worth the effort.  But I still see Jack popping up occasionally here and there.  He now has a web address emblazoned on his bicycle-powered cart.  Perhaps if he had that earlier I could have made him famous before millions of people across the continent (via SuperStation WGN).  Now I guess we'll both have to settle for being mentioned in this blog, and its audience of mere tens of thousands.

Look In The Eye While You Can

There's been a lot of talk in recent months about WBBM-TV possibly ditching its streetfront studio at Block37 (1 West Randolph Street) and moving the whole shebang upstairs.  Since a lot of our readers don't get to the Loop very often, here's some pictures of CBS2's studio before it goes bye bye.  As always, click on a photo to embiggen it.

Quickie: New Stores For North Bridge and Wabash

While in the Shops at North Bridge (520 North Michigan Avenue) today I noticed two stores being built out.

• First, is the Art of Shaving store, which we mentioned was coming on this blog back in the fall.  It looks like it's finally coming to fruition, and if it's anything like the one I visited in San Francisco, it will be quite nice.
• The other is on the second floor, and called "Teavana" -- some kind of tea shop.  The sign claims it will stock more than 100 varieties.

And one other quick note -- there's a new tiny convenience store at 203 North Wabash Street, kind of across the street from Harold Washington College.

Slice of Life: Windows Strikes Again

What's interesting isn't the fact that I keep seeing signs around the world that have crashed because of Microsoft Windows.  What's interesting to me is how many signs around the world run on Windows.  This sign was spotted in the Loop.

What's In A Name Part Two: Chicago's Heritage (Updated)

Last spring we wrote about how Bank of America can't decide what to call its pile at 135 South LaSalle Street.  Some signs read "Bank of America Center" while others read "Bank of America Building."  Now there seems to be more confusion on the other side of the Loop.

The building where Mayor Daley famously was going to buy a home until someone pointed out that it would make him a north sider opened as the Heritage at Millennium Park (130 North Garland Court).  But recently, signs have gone up around and underneath the building referring to it as the "Heritage Center."  A check of the condominium board's web site still shows "The Heritage at Millennium Park" in the graphic, though the page text reads simply "The Heritage."

I shot the condo board an e-mail asking for clarification.  If anyone has any information about this, post it in the comments section of this page, or to discuss it further do so in our forum.

UPDATE

I got a response from the people at the Heritage.  So here's the skinny:

The Heritage at Millennium Park is the correct name for the building.

The Heritage Center is the name of the collection of shops and restaurants at the base.

Why they need a separate name is beyond me.  It's not like there's enough stores there to reach the critical mass of a mall.  A more descriptive name would be "The Shops In The Section Of Pedway That Doesn't Smell Like Urine."  Or "The Shops In The Part Of The Pedway Where You're Not Afraid Anymore."

However, neither of those suggestions fit easily on a sign.

Goodbye Arby's. Hello, Arby's.

A couple of weeks ago I headed down to Clark Street with a fist full of newspaper coupons, ready to do something gluttonous at Arby's.  Instead, I found this:

The sign says the Arby's in the parking garage next to the Chicago Title Tower (161 North Clark Street) is closed.  In fact, the entire mini-food court with the Sbarro and everything is gone.  A note on the door says the proprietors lost their lease.  It must have been a surprise since the Christmas decorations were left behind when this picture was taken on December 23rd.

The sign also notes that there's another Arby's across the street at the Thompson Center (100 West Randolph Street).  But somehow I was so disappointed, I ended up at Wendy's instead.

One of Chicago's Best Public Restrooms Just Got Better

Many people who live or work in the city have a mental map of where the nearest, best public restroom is.  While I'm not usually much on giving away my secret places of refuge, in these times when the temperatures plummet and our bladders feel smaller (it's not just me is it?), it seems only fair to share this amazing discovery:

They've started stocking breath mints, hand lotion, and mouthwash in the Millennium Station men's room!

Secluded beneath Michigan Avenue and connected to the relatively warm and dry pedway, with easy access to the Red Line and at least three underground coffee shops, the Millennium Station men's room is one of the cleanest, safest, and best maintained public restrooms in the Loop.  Now you know.

But on a recent trip to pick up dinner (the underground pizza joint across the way does a pretty good New York-style pie), I noticed new accouterments.  There's a bottle of hand lotion, a tray with individually wrapped breath mints, and tiny disposable cups for use with the mouthwash pump next to them.

Next thing you know, we'll have complementary combs and a guy to dry our hands for us!

Sometimes I get excited by the little things in life.

Status Update: The Gage Group

  

The Gage Group (18 South Michigan Avenue) is a set of three office buildings designed by Holabird & Roche and Louis Sullivan in 1900 in the heart of Michigan Avenue's architectural cliff wall.  It has been most notable lately because of The Gage restaurant, which is good enough for portly pork and poultry poet Phil Vettel and therefore good enough for you.

The owners recently undertook the renovation of the space next door, and have done an impressive job restoring it to what looks like an authentic 1900's look.  Hopefully it doesn't remain vacant very long.