Battle in the Sky Brings History Back to the Hancock

What once was old is new again.  The more years I gain, the more I see that things are cyclical.  But I didn't see this coming.

The seemingly friendly Battle of the Observation Decks being waged between the Sears Willis Tower (233 South Wacker Drive), and the John Hancock Center (875 North Michigan Avenue) has seen both sides dip into the old bag of tricks to bring in new customers.

The first shot was fired in July of last year when Willis opened "The Ledge."  If you haven't been to Skydeck Chicago (the current name for what used to be the Sears Skydeck) in a while, this is alone worth the price of admission.  Check out our previous piece on The Ledge for pictures and video.

While The Ledge is all high-tech glass, and physics calculations, and safety regulations, what it does is simulate the experience of hanging off the edge of a skyscraper.  To the majority of people in the 21st century, this is a novelty.  But it's not all that novel.

Hanging out on steel beams is a very late-19th and early-20th century thing to do.  Think back to black-and-white Looney Tunes, or those iconic photographs of construction workers just sort of sitting there, having lunch, perched on a girder hundreds of feet above the street below, without a care in the world.  The same lower-belly giddiness we experience looking at those photos is the same feeling we get to experience first-hand and intensified by visiting The Ledge.

The old thrills are new again.  Except you don't have to be a construction worker to experience it.  You can just pay your $15, close your eyes, and take one giant step into the air.

A year later, it's time for the Hancock Center to return fire.

Last week, newspapers around the world lit up with news about Big John's newest attraction, Skating in the Sky.

The idea is that there will be a skating rink on the 94th floor of the building.  That puts it 1,000 feet over North Michigan Avenue.  But it's not actual ice; it's a slippery synthetic substance that's being used.  Adolescent fantasies about crashing through the glass aside, skating at the Hancock is nothing new.

In fact, shortly after the John Hancock Center first opened, it had a real ice skating rink in the sunken plaza right in front of the building.  The plaza is a public amenity, required to get the zoning permits needed to build such a huge tower in what was then a low-rise area.

Reports of the day indicate that the skating rink was popular, and attracted crowds similar to those that now spin themselves into frigid dizziness at the McCormick-Tribune ice skating rink at Millennium Park.  But it didn't last.  It opened in the winter of 1971, and the following year, instead of ice it was covered with Christmas trees as a safety precaution because it was feared that winds whipped up by the Hancock Center would hurl debris from nearby construction projects at the helpless skaters.  By the winter of 1973, the ice was replaced by crushed rock and planters.  Skating at the Hancock faded from Chicago's collective memory shortly thereafter.

Interestingly, during the same time period there was another ice skating rink nearby at Lake Shore Park that is also gone.  People who have lived in the area far longer than me say the city used to be lousy with ice skating rinks, and nearly everyone enjoyed the sport from families to dating couples to loners and gangs of teen-agers.  But as the city's tastes matured and more and more people sought refuge in warm apartments with television sets to tick away the dark winters, the neighborhood skating rinks became fewer and fewer.

With any luck, the new rink at Millennium Park, plus the new fake skate at the Hancock Center will trigger a resurgence of good, wholesome, outdoor winter activity.  Lord knows Chicago's children could use a little less time playing virtual snowboarder on the Xbox, and more time learning how use their muscles to balance on some blades in a nearby park.

Slice of Life: Western Exposure

The glittering grid of Chicago streetlights stretches westward across the prairie towards the horizon.  In the foreground, the grid is interrupted by the darkened towers of Chicago's skyline.

Tuesday Trivia: 10 Things You Probably Don't Know About Marina City

Yesterday we published a review of the new book Marina City: Bertrand Goldberg's Urban Vision.  Today, we present

Ten Things You Probably Don't Know About Marina City

1. You've heard of the retail and office complex at "Block 37" in the Loop.  Well, Marina City is on "Block One" of the City of Chicago plan.
2. The land Marina city sits on was formerly a rail yard.
3. Marina City was originally called Labor Center.
4. The original plan for Marina City called for two 40-story towers, and a third 10-story tower.
5. Marina City once had its own ice skating rink and supermarket.
6. Marina City's architect, Bertrand Goldberg, first experimented with curved concrete in the design he made for the city of Nashville's sewage treatment plant.
7. Marina City was built for the Chicago janitors' union.
8. Ten years before Marina City became a reality, its architect designed a smaller, but very similar, set of twin towers for a South Side motel that was never built.
9. The boatyard underneath the Marina City complex was once known as Phillips Pier 66, after the oil company.
10. What is now the House of Blues was called the Field Television Center at the time it opened, because WFLD Television had its studios there.

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.

Review: Marina City: Bertrand Goldberg's Urban Vision

"The Corncob Towers." "The Pie Spires." "Aunt Flo's Curlers." People may not always know what the twin towers on State Street at the Chicago River are called, but they at least know them.  Bertrand Goldberg's penultimate architectural creation, Marina City (300 North State Street), has inspired and amazed a generation of tourists and locals.  Now a new book chronicles how the buildings we see today were shaped, and what went on behind the scenes.

The book is called Marina City: Bertrand Goldberg's Urban Vision (published by Princeton Architectural Press) and its 176 pages are packed with great information about the development of the buildings, starting from inspiration through construction and on to occupation.

Many people don't realize it, but Marina City was Chicago, and America's first downtown revitalization project.  It proved that if you built a city-within-a-city, you could attract people to the urban core where they would live, work, and thrive.  Since then the idea has been copied and expanded in Chicago and around the world.  Today a responsible developer wouldn't think of embarking on a huge project without considering the live+work+play model.  But in the 1960's, a time when suburban cul-de-sac developers and auto dealers were demonizing America's urban cores, this was considered revolutionary.

More than just the story of a building, this book tells the tale of the people behind Marina City -- the deals that had to be brokered, the challenges faced, the hurdles surmounted; with enough politics and intrigue to make this a truly Chicago story.

As someone who travels around the world frequently, whenever I mention Chicago to someone, I cringe in anticipation of the inevitable reference to Al Capone.  But did you know that Marina City was celebrated around the world as a new symbol of Chicago's renaissance?  It was influential enough to supplant Capone as the first notion people had of Chicago.  American Airlines published a guide to Chicago that featured Marina City on its cover.   Even in Cold War-era Moscow, Marina City was known and considered a symbol of the city.

As interesting as all the facts and background material are, it's the photos that really make this book.  Historic pictures and diagrams of Marina City that show it with the old TV tower still on top.  There are pictures of the skyscrapers when they were new and clean, and not festooned with twinkle lights and blow-up dolls as they frequently are now.  Perhaps if today's residents of Marina City read this book, they might treat their home with a little more respect and pride.

If you have even a passing interest in Chicago's history or architecture, I recommend picking this book up.  It's a quick and easy read and contains a lot of good information.

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Details:
Marina City: Bertrand Goldberg's Urban Vision
By Igor Marjanovic and Katerina Rüedi Ray
Published May 26, 2010 by Princeton Architectural Press
176 pages - Paperback
US $35.00, UK £25.00

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Note:
This book was sent to me unsolicited by Princeton Architectural Press.  I have received no monetary or other compensation for this review.  If you would like to send a book for review, contact me at editor@chicagoarchitecture.info and I'll send you the mailing address.

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If you're interested in the book, here's an Amazon.com link allowing you to buy it at a discount. By using this link, you help financially support this web site.

300 North LaSalle Gets Environmental Status

Good news for Hines, and the environment.  Hines sent over a press release today touting the new LEED status for its skyscraper at 300 North LaSalle.  The tower, which opened in 2009, has been awarded LEED Core and Shell Gold status.

Full release follows:

Chicago's Grocery Store in the Sky

There are a lot of rumors about special places in Chicago that most people don't get to see.   Today I thought I'd demystify one of them.

A lot of what people assume about the residents and residences in the John Hancock Center (875 North Michigan Avenue) is not true.  But some of it is.  For example -- there is an urban legend that the Hancock residents have their own grocery store.  This is true.

It's officially called "Potash Gourmet 44," and is not surprisingly located on the 44th floor of the building.  To access it, you must be a resident of the Hancock Center, or an accompanied guest.  You have to go past the security checkpoint on the ground floor lobby, and then the receptionist on the 44th floor sky lobby.

Down the hallway, past the mail room is the grocery store.  It's larger and better stocked than a convenience store, so it earns its "grocery" title.  The space was entirely gutted and rebuilt in 2008, and has a produce section, a small selection of housewares, health and beauty aides, the usual aisles of canned and boxed goods, a self-service coffee area, and seating so one can admire the view while having a quick nosh.

The most active portion of the grocery store is the deli.  Hancock Center office workers can access the deli via a freight elevator and the back door.  The deli offers the usual selection of sliced meats and cheeses, as well as a choice of hot entrees and sides that change daily.  At one time there was made-to-order pizza, but it wasn't very good and has since been discontinued.

Unfortunately, the grocery store doesn't photograph very well.  In the daylight, you can't see what's in the aisles.  And at night, you can't see out the windows to prove that the store is in the sky.  But I did what I could with these couple of pictures.

Potash Gourmet 44 is undoubtedly the city's highest grocery store.  But is it the world's highest?  It's hard to say.  It is traditional for people in the Chicago area to declare things the "first" (as in mall), "biggest" (as in block party), or some other superlative without it actually being true.  So in the interest of localism, I formally declare Potash Gourmet 44 is the world's highest grocery store.  Challenges are welcome.

330 North Wabash Renovation Complete

Got a press release today stating that the major renovations at 330 North Wabash are now complete.  You may remember 330 as the old IBM Building or One IBM Plaza, Mies Van Der Rohe's massive black slab along the Chicago river that used to loom so menacingly over the Sun-Times building before it was neutered by Donald Trump.

There have been complaints on the internet from people who think the treatment of the lobby has been rather ruthless, but for the 99% of Chicagoand who only see this building from afar, no damage has been done.

The building is interesting to watch at night because the top dozen floors form a black hole in the city's skyline while office lights tinkle and burn in other buildings around them.  It's because that section of the building is being redeveloped as a luxury hotel.  There is no opening date for that hotel yet.  At a public event about six months ago, the developer said he was in no hurry to complete the project, especially considering the state of the economy.

The full press release about the redevelopment of 330 North Wabash follows:

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: Something You've Seen Before

It recently occurred to me that this might be the only publication on the planet that hasn't run a photo of the Tribune Tower (435 North Michigan Avenue).  So here it is.  Now we're officially mainstream.

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)

Have You Seen Our Skyline Lately?

It's hard to see the forest for the trees.  And it's hard to see the skyline for the skyscrapers.  That's why sometimes it's good to get out of the city and take a step back in order to appreciate what we have.

This is what the skyline looks like these days, as seen from the Adler Planetarium (1300 South Lake Shore Drive).  If you haven't taken a close look at it in a while, you may notice the Legacy at Millennium Park (21 South Wabash Street) sticking up in the middle of the action.  Also the Trump International Hotel and Tower (401 North Wabash Street) makes its presence known in the center, and the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois Tower (300 East Randolph Street) has new prominence now that its vertical expansion is done.

This picture is provided as a public service because the Chicago TV stations do a really awful job of showing what the city looks like.  WFLD tries, but its studio background ("cyc" [pronounced "sike"] in TV lingo) is so over processed and cartoonish it's hard to believe what you see.  And WGN-TV's bumps are so archaically outdated that they still show the old Sun-Times building that was torn down six years ago.

So do yourself a favor and click on the picture to see the Chicago skyline in all its glory.  Or at least what my CrappyCameraPhone™ can reproduce.

What Makes Two Buildings One Building?

What is it exactly that makes two buildings one building?  Usually it's some kind of structural continuity.  But in the case of Chicago's beloved Wrigley Building, it is this sliver of a skywalk and a slip of a breezeway at the base of the structures.  From most angles, you can't even see the skywalk connecting 400 North Michigan Avenue with 410 North Michigan Avenue and the two halves of the Wrigley complex look like one uniform structure.   But as is so often true -- life is more complicated than that.

And in spite of what any number of bad tour guides will tell you, NO the building is not named after the stadium, and NO, the Wrigley Building is not owned by the Tribune Company.

Slice of Life: The Backs of Things

Most architecture puts its best face forward.  Usually the back of the building abuts another building or is otherwise hidden.  But there's a block in the Loop where a number of buildings put their faces forward, but leave space in the back.  The result is a community light well that allows sun and air to penetrate the interior of the office building stockade.

Use Any Old Phone For A DIY Architecture Tour

There are any number of applications that will help you explore Chicago with the help of your fancy shmancy smart phone.  Heck, we even have a web app of our own coming out soon (Shhh!  Point your iPhone at Towrs.com).  But you don't need the latest high-tech gadget to take an architectural tour of the Tribune Tower (435 North Michigan Avenue).

The Tribune Company now has a phone number you can call from your regular cell phone to get a tour of its magnificent building.  It's 312/222-TOUR.

WGN Radio talk show host John Williams narrates four different tours of the historic building -- one about the various stones embedded in its facade, one about the building's grotesques (the correct name for its gargoyles), one about the lobby and a fourth that is an overview of the entire building.

It's a clever way to promote the building to tourists and passers-by and since Tribune owns most of the 312-222 prefix, all it costs the company is the price of a fancy answering machine while generating valuable goodwill.

And don't feel like you have to stand around and gawk at the building with all the tourists.  The audio tours are just as interesting listening from the comfort of your office phone.

Tuesday Trivia: Odd Numbers on LSD

Recently we published a photograph of Lake Point Tower, which made me think of this trivia question.

Q:  Lake Point Tower (seen below) at 505 North Lake Shore Drive is the only residential building east of North Lake Shore Drive.  But it's not the only one with an odd house number.  What is the other building with a street address indicating that it is on the east side of Lake Shore Drive?

A: 999 North Lake Shore Drive.

This building should actually have the address 954 North Lake Shore Drive, but has been granted the vanity address of 999 Lake Shore Drive, even though it is on the west side of the street.

Third Chicago Skyscraper Fire in Three Weeks

For the third time in three weeks, there has been a significant fire in a Chicago residential skyscraper.

Here's a statement from Alderman Reilly's office:

On Sunday afternoon at roughly 2:00 p.m., an extra-alarm fire broke out in a condo unit located on the 28th Floor of 1455 N. Sandburg Terrace, a residential high-rise located in the Gold Coast neighborhood.  Initial reports indicate the fire broke out in Apartment #2801, with much of the fire contained to that unit.  The occupant of the apartment was rescued by an off-duty firefighter in the area who carried the resident down 28 flights of stairs to ground level and out of harm's way.

The injured resident is in her mid-fifties and is reported to have suffered from burns and smoke inhalation.  The resident was transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital for treatment where her condition is listed as "serious."

The Chicago Fire Department reported that the 28th and 29th floors sustained damage during the blaze; however, the lower floors were spared what could have been extensive damage.  According to our reports, no other injuries have been reported at this time.

The fire, classified as a "2-11" alarm by the Chicago Fire Department, broke out around 2:00 pm and was extinguished by approximately 2:30 pm.   The Chicago Fire Department responded quickly and in force - dispatching 130 firefighters and paramedics to the scene of the fire.  Building residents were allowed back into the high rise by roughly 3:20 p.m.

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

And here's video from WMAQ:

Status Update: 235 Van Buren

235 Van Buren (235 West Van Buren Street) looks pretty much done.  All of the oddly spaced balconies give it a great texture and interesting visual appeal.  it's like Aqua, but without the curves or the hype.

Status Update: OneMuseum Park West

One Museum Park West (1201 South Prairie Avenue) is chugging along pretty quickly these days.  The crane is down and the glass is up to the top.  The developer should be able to stick the proverbial fork in this one pretty soon.  It's hard to tell since the building's web site hasn't been updated in 11 months.

On the Wrong Side of the John Hancock Center

Recently I happened to be at the right place at the right time.  That means inside the 100-story John Hancock Center (875 North Michigan Avenue) when some windows were being replaced.

I had the chance to stick my head out into the breeze on a cloudy, wet day and feel the thrill of vertigo in my stomach and head.  As much as I love being up high, I have a fear of edges, so it took a lot for me to put my beloved Canon and my CrappyCameraPhone™ at risk.

I still get a little bit of queasiness when I look at this CrappyCameraPhone™ picture looking straight down the side of the building.  That horizontal member that tapers inward toward the right is one of the building's famous cross braces.

After 40 years, the building exterior could use a good power washing.

From my experience being on the unsheltered roofs of buildings like the Carew Tower in Cincinnati, the G.E. Building in New York, and Chicago's own Shoreham, I can tell you it's not as windy as people assume it would be.  People who don't live in skyscrapers have all these crazy notions about tall buildings.  About this time last year, emergency officials in Houston, Texas were telling people that for every ten stories up you go in a building, the affects of a hurricane are intensified by one Category.  Really?  So Hurricane Ike hit the top floor of Houston's JPMorgan Chase Tower as a category 12 storm?  I don't think so.

Looking east

It was a little windy being out on the edge of the John Hancock Center, but it wasn't any more windy than it was when I went down to the surface an hour later.

Looking west

Looking up from the gaping hole in the side of the building showed... nothing.  Really.  Since the building tapers away and was receding in distance, too, there wasn't anything to see but the bellies of grey clouds.  Disappointing.

But I did take a video when I was hanging out there.  It's probably one of the world's least interesting pieces of videography, but I include it here in the interest of completeness.