Old YMCA Building on South Michigan Could Be Demolished

Blair Kamin of the Chicago Tribune had a post yesterday about the potential demolition of the old YMCA building at (830 S. Michigan Ave.), one of the oldest buildings on the historic street:

Unless a miracle happens, the old YMCA Building at 830 S. Michigan Ave., one of the oldest buildings on the Michigan Avenue streewall (historic district), will likely be demolished in the near future.

The owner this week applied for a demolition permit, after repeated citations by the city's Building Department. The parties were in court today at the Daley Center and the case has been continued to November 12. Alderban Fioretti's office was there, as were we and some neighbors.

We are all for preservation of old, historic (and in this case beautiful) buildings, but it sounds and looks like this one is in bad shape. If there is funding to restore and/or preserve it great, but most importantly we would rather have a functional building that brings something useful to the neighborhood. We walk by the building all the time and although you can tell it was great when it was in use, in its current form it's an eye sore.

In other demolition news, Kamin also reports that demolition of the first Gropius building on the old Michael Reese Hospital Campus has begun.

(image from chicagotribune.com)

Infrastructure Improvements in the South Loop

Every so often we get a newsletter from Alderman Fioretti about things happening in our ward and this particular one had some updates on infrastructure improvements around the Sloop:

Street Resurfacing work is underway on South State Street from Polk to 11th street and on South Michigan Avenue from 14th to 15th and 16th to 17th streets. Enjoy the smoother ride; I know your bikes and cars will!

The Wabash Street construction north of Roosevelt is nearing its completion. The street work is almost done; all that remains is the installation of our crosswalks!

We had a post about the Wabash construction if you want more background and some comments on the topic.

If you want to sign-up for the alderman's newsletter click here.

Also in the newsletter there was some information about the dedication of the new Printer's Row park:

I (ald. Fioretti) will be hosting a dedication of this park on Saturday, November 7th at 10 a.m. in coordination with Chicago Community Bank and other local businesses, organizations and institutions.

For an older post about Printer's Row park click here.

Halloween in the Sloop

One of our favorite annual 'holidays' is sneaking up on us this weekend and if you don't have plans for Halloween yet, there are a wide variety of events going down in the Sloop. And if the search for the perfect costume is still alluding you, maybe you could wander over to the temporary Halloween store at the corner of 9th and Wabash for inspiration.

In terms of events we haven't confirmed with every bar in the area, but our guess is that almost everyone in the area will have some sort of festivities if you're down for that.

For families, the Dearborn I & II neighborhoods always seem to have a solid showing of kids and parents strolling around door to door. We would assume the same can be said for many of the townhouses east of Michigan avenue.

If you need more organized fun, the Prairie District Alliance has plenty of activities:

• A Halloween Pet Costume Contents that begins at 6:30pm at the Glessner Coach House (1800 S. Prairie) on Thursday October 29th
  
• A Monster Mash Halloween Bash at Reggie's Music Joint (2105 S. State) that begins at 8:30pm on Friday, October 30th. The party includes food and drink for $25 and there will be a costume contest as well.
  
• Finally they will have a Prairie District Children's Halloween Party on Saturday, October 31st from 4:30-6:30pm at the Glessner Coach House (1800 S. Prairie).

For more information and rsvp information on all the Prairie District Alliance activities please check their website here.1:30p

Could Some South Loop Red Light Cameras Move?

Doubtful in our opinion but we would love to see it! The Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that:

Chicago's worst budget crisis in modern history has put the brakes on plans to expand the city's Big Brother network of red-light cameras to more than 330 accident-prone intersections by 2012.

Mayor Daley's tough-times 2010 budget includes no money for additional red-light cameras after installing them at 50 intersections this year, bringing the citywide total to 189.

Instead, the Chicago Department of Transportation plans to yank 20 existing cameras out of their current locations and "relocate" them "to intersections where they would have the most positive effect on traffic safety," according to budget documents.

As far as we know, there are only two red light cameras in the South Loop (one at the Roosevelt and State intersection and one at the Roosevelt and Canal intersection). Both are major thoroughfares so our guess is that these will not be moved. Are there any other intersections we're missing?

How do people feel about these cameras? Although we can't say we have been in more or less accidents because of them, the Chicagoist has a great post circa 2008 citing a study that claims these cameras cause more accidents because people slam on their breaks to avoid tickets. We couldn't agree more with the study...

Uncertainty Faces McCormick Place East Building

McCormick Place is a huge asset for the city as it draws tons of conventions to the area. As the complex has continued to grow and subsequently move west across Lake Shore Drive, the building known as McCormick Place East has been underutilized and is now becoming dated. Last week the Sun-Times had an article about the uncertainty facing the complex:

McCormick Place East needs $100 million worth of maintenance and repairs -- casting doubt on the long-term future of a lakefront building Mayor Daley once called a "Berlin Wall" that ruined the Chicago skyline.

We would love to see this building come down and be developed into additional lake front park space. The other interesting thing is that the space has been discussed for a casino, which goes to show you that any large building or piece of land close to downtown will undoubtedly be discussed for a hypothetical casino.

Movie Theater at Roosevelt Collection to Open in December

We just got word from one of our readers who lives in the Roosevelt Collection that the Kerasotes movie theater is officially going to open on December 18th, 2009. This is a little later then we initially heard (previous reports said it would open of November of this year), but regardless it's still good to hear that it will open this year.

For some of our old posts on the movie theater click here.

(Hat Tip PA!)

Retail Roundup

Astoria Towers (at the corner of 9th and State) is wrapping up construction and sales of condos continue. The Chicago Tribune has a little piece about the amenities at the building, which seem a little overboard (ie golf simulator) but nice regardless. Of more interest there looks to be at least one retail tenant that is planned for the building:

LA Boxing (which is on State Street between 8th and 9th) is a gym that focuses on workouts by utilizing a boxing type of class:

The LA Boxing Workout™ mirrors an actual boxing, kickboxing or mixed martial arts bout with five, three-minute rounds separated by one-minute active breaks.
Using a heavy bag, gloves, jump rope, timer and music, the workouts build cardio endurance and muscle tone. The concept is unique in that it teaches proper punching and kicking form and basic fighting techniques while offering a full-body workout. Classes are taught in a group setting to boost participation and intensity, and they are scheduled at convenient times. LA Boxing also offers a full range of free weights, weight machines and cardio equipment.

According to their website they will be opening sometime in November.

Smiling Bright (1247 S. Wabash) is set to open tomorrow October 26th according to posters in their windows:

Smiling Bright is a chain of professional teeth whitening stores, started by two entrepreneurs who recently left the corporate world to launch this unique concept with the simple goal of making teeth whitening affordable for
everyone, one smile at a time. The company has launched its premier
locations in Chicago, with more locations planned throughout the United
States.

In other retail news, Halo (1351 S. Michigan), a salon geared towards men, has officially opened.

If You See Something...Say Something

Crime is inevitable especially in a big city. The Chicago Sun-Times had a story today about smokers (who were outside smoking) who saw some form of crime in our neighborhood and called the police which in turn ended up helping them catch the criminals.

Simply put: if you see something suspicious...say something (call the cops or something)!

Spertus Institute awarded the Silver Level LEED® Certification

A good, unique looking building in the Sloop gets some love from LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).

Original Winner of Old Post Office Auction Wins Again

However, this time he closed on the property:

British developer Bill Davies has purchased Chicago's old post office for $20.8 million, about half the amount he agreed to pay at an auction in late August, according to several sources with knowledge of the transaction.

Davies closed Wednesday on the behemoth building, which ranks among the largest in the city and straddles the Eisenhower Expressway, at the downtown offices of the Chicago Title Insurance Co., according to the U.S. Postal Service.

Although it seems like he got a good deal since he initially won with a bid at $40 million, according to the Chicago Tribune the deal isn't that good:

Although the new price would be a bargain compared with Davies' initial $40 million bid, it is generally believed that he overpaid. The building has been vacant since 1995.

"There's so much deferred maintenance, and such a huge floor plate," said John Gates, a former real estate investor who has toured the building. "It's an awkward layout, with office space in four towers. Many smart people in Chicago have taken a hard look at that space for many years (and passed). It takes some guts to buy it."

Regardless, hopefully there is some plan for the property and it doesn't just sit there for years to come. Knowing this property and the problems associated with it, our guess is that it's going to be awhile until we see this actually serve as a functional building. Our fingers are crossed that we're wrong on this one.

(Image from chicagotribune.com)

Another Condo Auction Coming to the South Loop

40 condos at Michigan Avenue Towers II (1400 S. Michigan Ave) will go on-sale on November 15th:

The developer of Michigan Avenue Tower II on Wednesday will announce plans to auction 40 of the remaining 97 units in the 257-unit building at 1400 S. Michigan Ave. on Nov. 15, in the hope of sparking new interest and more realistic prices in the South Loop.

The project is the second high-rise South Loop condo building to go to auction this year, illustrating the continued glut of housing available there. It's also the second auction of a South Loop property set for Nov. 15.Earlier this month, Sheldon Good & Co. announced plans to auction 20 units on the same day for Motor Row Lofts, a 52-unit loft redevelopment at 2303 S. Michigan Ave.

You gotta feel bad for the homeowners in the building who already shelled out mucho dinero for their units before this auction. Guess it's a sign of the times.

We Like Dolphins and Fish!

...followed by art, dinosaurs, and artifacts:

2010 Venetian Night Gets the Axe?

The Summer is over which means the cold is coming. For more bad news, we just saw an article today that said Mayor Daley's 2010 budget will likely propose cutting the popular summertime event, Venetian Night:

Venetian Night — Chicago’s annual parade of illuminated boat floats that draws up to 500,000 people to the lakefront — could be sunk, thanks to cost-cutting tied to Mayor Daley’s 2010 budget.

Special Events Director Megan McDonald said the decision to end a time-honored tradition that dates back to the days of former Mayor Richard J. Daley was dictated by a decline in corporate sponsorships.

Chicago’s production costs were $100,000. But that taxpayer tab was multiplied by the cost of police, fire, traffic and sanitation needed to stage the event.

Other potential changes to some other summer festivals that are close to the Sloop:

The sponsorship drought will also force the city to shave another day off an already reduced Jazz Fest - from three days to two - and move the Country Music Fest, Celtic Fest and Viva Latin from Grant Park to Millenium Park.

(image courtesy of Chicago Sun-Times)

More on the South Loop Neighbors Annual Loft Walk

From a recent YoChicago post on the topic:

In addition to organizing last weekend’s South Loop Neighbors Loft Walk, South Loop Neighbors Chair Helen Kaplow opened her Donohue Building home to visitors during the event. Having owned a home just above Hackney’s, a neighborhood bar and restaurant, for eight years, she has experienced both the pros and cons of loft living.

The initial draw for Helen was the neighborhood. South Loop, she says, is like a village: It’s common to run into neighbors at the local restaurants and book stores in Printers Row. And despite its proximity to the Loop, the city’s expressways, Grant Park, and Lake Michigan, it isn’t a big draw for tourists and remains a private area even in the summer and on weekends.