Across from Harry Carrey's. Huge parking lots.

Whole blocks!

Parking lots, here there & everywhere, but fewer and fewer of them.

But the Harry Carrey ones. OOOOOh what an eyesore! Somebody please tell me they are going to build something on those

It's only a matter of time. The surface lots all around (and in) the Loop are slowlyl, but surely, disappearing.

The text below is from the website of Friedman properties, which owns a lot of land in River North, including most of the parking lots you described across from Harry Carey's. I have no idea of the status of this proposal. The previous post was correct: it's only a matter of time before surface parking lots in River North are but a memory.


River North Center occupies two blocks, which are bounded by Hubbard Street to the north, Clark Street to the west. Carroll Drive to the south and Dearborn Street to the east. The uses planned for this development include retail, Office, commercial, residential, hotel and parking facilities.

Plans are currently underway to immediately develop the North parcel with a 275 room Hotel along with a 400 car-parking garage. We are also creating approximately 20,000 sf of retail on the first level. The 15 stories, 275-room hotel of 200,000 sf is located above the garage along Dearborn Street. Atop the garage is a pool and landscaped terrace, with access to the Hotel. The corner of Dearborn and Hubbard will be developed as a landscaped plaza approximately 27 feet by 80 feet. Phase II of the development includes a 17-story office building of approximately 330,000 sf is proposed above the garage at the west edge of the site.

The entrances for parking are located at the center of the block on Clark and Dearborn Streets, opposite the alleys of the properties across the street. The parking exit is located on Kinzie, opposite the entry-exit to parking at the south parcel. There is also a drop-off for the hotel which is under the building and accessible from Dearborn which shares the entry to the parking garage. Loading berths are located on Hubbard across from the alley and on Kinzie adjacent to the parking exit.

The buildings are to be constructed of several materials. We have varied the building heights, materials, fenestration and details to have the street elevations relate to the scale of the neighboring buildings. The materials consist of limestone, cast stone and brick on the base, with architectural precast concrete on the office building and brick and tile on the hotel. The hotel's mass is articulated by large bay windows, which extend below the hotel portion to the 3rd level of the garage. The garage facades have been articulated using several methods, including variation of materials, recessing portions of the walls, stepping portions of the building inward as it gets higher and by varying the window sizes, which contain translucent or vision glass where appropriate (i.e. stairs, etc).

Interesting that there is no sort of date with this. I've got my reservations that it'll fly.

Friedman owns quite a bit of property on the Near North Side. . . here's a rendering from their Website for River North Center Phase I II & III

http://www.friedmanproperties.com/images/rivernorth_picture.jpg

^Wow, not bad. Wouldn't mind if something like that replaced those lots..

lol... nope... that would be quite alright with me :)

Any new news on this one?

haven't heard a word :(

It's funny. When I look at airshots of Chicago, I notice some of those large parking lots, but when I'm walking around on the ground, I don't remember ever seeing any huge lots!

EDIT

ahh, if only Rainforest and Hard Rock were for the METRAnites. Unfortunately, they're for the tourists... and those people are too scared/stupid to take public.

My fiancee told me that there's a notice of construction permit posted on the fence surrounding the block long lots directly across from the old courthouse. I haven't seen it myself, but supposedly its for residential units.

This gels with something I forgot to post here: I talked to the parking lot attendant a few weeks ago and he said that his company has been told that they'll be getting booted from the lot at some point in the next year.....

Awesome news. I have no idea was is going to get built there though.

^Hasn't the project pictured above been in the works for 5 years or so?

A little bird told me that a HUGE Chicago law firm is in talks with a local developer to anchor a 30-50 story building to be sited on the southern parking lots - the ones directly across from Harry Caray's and the House of Blues.

I can't reveal names, but your short list will almost surely include the developer and the law firm.

Please, I mean Pleaaassse, tell me that bland-itect Lowenberg will not get involved with this project. I cannot take one more work from that guy any more.

update: 10/13 Chicago Tribune: Jenner & Block LLC and Mesirow would lease 70% of 1.1 mill sq ft bldg proposed for a vacant lot at Kinzie/Clark. The 40-story glass structure would be completed in early 2009 at cost of higher than $300 mill.

Additional news:

There's a permit filed for conversion of the northern parking lot to residential as well. I'm hoping this is only a matter of time.

As an additional hint for the firm considering a move to a building to be constructed on the southern parking lots - they'd only be moving a few blocks, and they'd be moving from one of the city's greatest buildings.

Wait... are you talking about Mesirow Financial?

Butler posted at SSP at fair length about the project slated for this property. I'll see about digging up a link for those few of you too lazy to go over there and check it out.

Well, now that its been made public: the firm is Jenner & Block and they're moving only a few blocks from the IBM building.