http://img108.imageshack.us/img108/1037/b371fp6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img375.imageshack.us/img375/8738/b372wl3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img58.imageshack.us/img58/7030/b373uj8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Since the first Back to Block 37 thread has reached 500 posts, I thought I would start this one, which shall continue the discussion.

Please post any new information/comments about the ongoing Block 37 saga here :)

To date, here are the plans for Block 37 (Moderation note: These are outdated renderings which no longer reflect the current status of the project.)

CORNER OF WASHINGTON AND DEARBORN STREETS[/b]
CBS 2's broadcast center will occupy the first five floors of the office tower at 108 North State Street. It will anchor the corner of Washington and Dearborn Streets, with a showcase street-side studio facing Daley Plaza.
http://www.108northstate.com/stellent01/groups/public/documents/devmall_propertytour/108nstate__200504061115514.gif


CORNER OF STATE & WASHINGTON STREETS
The 21st Century shopping experience along State Street leads to a 400,000-square-foot office tower on Washington Street. The dramatic, multi-color "artistic frieze" flows along the exterior of the building from the residential tower at State and Randolph Streets to the corner of State and Washington Streets.
http://www.108northstate.com/stellent01/groups/public/documents/devmall_propertytour/108nstate_tour_statewashington.jpg


CORNER OF RANDOLPH & DEARBORN STREETS
Along Randolph Street, 108 North State Street's exterior features interfacing night clubs, restaurants and entertainment venues, as well as an "artistic frieze" - a dramatic, multi-colored artistic ribbon the incorporates public art into the broader architectural scheme.
http://www.108northstate.com/stellent01/groups/public/documents/devmall_propertytour/108nstate_tour_randolphdear.jpg


CORNER OF STATE & RANDOLPH STREETS
Along State Street, 108 North State Street will feature a combination of established contemporary, emerging and international retailers, as well as a unique wellness environment connected to a green roof and terrace. A 300-unit residential tower will be located above the retail stores. The dramatic, multi-colored "artistic frieze" creates a strong, vibrant architectural centerpiece for the project.
http://www.108northstate.com/stellent01/groups/public/documents/devmall_propertytour/108nstate_tour_staterandolph.jpg


108 North State Street, a 21st Century urban, retail and lifestyle destination, will be located in the heart of the City of Chicago. The development will feature approximately 400,000 square feet of retail, entertainment and dining offerings; 200,000 to 450,000 square feet of office space, a 200- to 300-room hotel, a 200- to 300-unit residential tower, and a state-of-the-art CTA transit station providing service to Chicago's O'Hare and Midway airports. Construction of the world-class, multi-use urban destination is expected to begin by the end of 2005.[/

Should we just carry over the info onto here for reference?

TUNNELS
Chicago Airport Link Has Touchy Tunnel Work Ahead 9/5/2005
By Tudor Hampton


Surrounded. Today’s Block 37 looks more like a park than an empty lot. It is poised to become the Times Square of Chicago.
A conspicuously empty lot in Chicago’s central business district is about to sprout. With political support in ink, funding secured and engineering under way, the project’s massive shopping complex above ground and transit center below is set to intertwine with the city’s first major subway project in more than 50 years.

Local rail owner Chicago Transit Authority last month put out for bid a $213.3-million subway link under Block 37, a long-vacant lot that for years failed to find an investor. Bids for track instrumentation were due Aug. 29, and another package for traction and power upgrades is due Sept. 29. Project engineers are reviewing construction management proposals and soon will put out for bid a large tunneling package.

CTA wants to use the station as an intermodal link to O’Hare and Midway International Airports. The plan includes a 26,600 sq-ft departure area where passengers would check in for flights before boarding airport express trains. How riders’ baggage and security would interface with the airports is unclear at this time.

Block 37 is conveniently sandwiched between the existing Dearborn Street subway, which leads to O’Hare, and the State Street subway, which leads to Midway. The airports now only have local train service.

Susan Plassmeyer, CTA’s construction chief, says having an undeveloped parcel of land between the two rail lines is a "unique situation." CTA has long considered fusing them, but the opportunity "had to crystallize," she says.

It did. Earlier this year, city council members approved the sale of Block 37 to Mills Corp., a developer based in Arlington, Va. The company plans to open a $336-million shopping and office complex there by mid-2008. Plans for a high-rise hotel, condominium and office building are on the boards. Mills, which did not return ENR’s phone calls, could not be reached for further details.

Two sets of twin tubes, each about 50 ft long, would bookend the 400-ft-long station. The four tunnels would cut diagonally under Block 37 to connect the existing subways, allowing express runs to both airports. CTA plans to add tracks to the existing lines in a later phase. The station would open in 2010.

Excavating under Block 37 will be no easy feat. Old buildings surround the property. The existing rail lines border to the east and west, and they cross over freight and pedestrian tunnels at the site’s north and south perimeters. Utilities are buried everywhere in between.

"It’s a very, very busy area," says Keith C. MacKenzie, deputy project manager for New York City-based STV Inc. The engineering firm designed the Block 37 tunnels and is proposing standard mining methods.

Creative financing helped the project move this far. CTA is leading the tunnel and track work at a cost of $172.4 million. That includes city funds of $42.4 million in tax-increment financing. Mills is providing the balance and will lead the station construction. City planners expect to convey the land to Mills this fall, with construction to start by the end of this year.

Building the airport link could help tunnel contractors secure future jobs. Expansion plans for the area’s transit system include other subterranean projects, such as the Circle Line, West Loop Transit Center and Red Line extension. Chicago’s last major underground rail effort was the Dearborn Street subway, which opened in 1951

i thought that a repost of our little 13 yr. old azn friends info compileation would be in order since this is a continuation so its good to get a bit of the details down on this new thread
courtesy of Azn Chi Boi--

My outline:

I. Block 37 is presentaly a vacant lot, is being developed into a transportation and entertainment center which will be more architecturally appropriate for its location and more financially suitable in Chicago.
A. The address of Block 37 is 108 North State Street.
B. Block 37 is bordered by Washington, State, Dearborn, and Randolph,
Streets.
C. Block 37 is 2.7 Acres.

II. In the past, Block 37 used to be many miscellaneous buildings.
A. The Unity Building used to be at Block 37
1. The Unity Building was demolished in 1989.
2. The Unity Building was the Headquarters of the Rotary Club.
B. Other Buildings were also located at Block 37.
1. Some shops, movie theaters, grocery stores, and restaurants used to be located here.
2. In 1989, many run-down buildings were demolished.
a. The buildings were one to six stories tall.
b. The buildings were also demolished because of mice and rats inside the building.
c. Some of the building was call the Art Moderne. Commonwealth, Edison, and Roosevelt Theater.
d. Another building was called the ComEd Building.
3. Other miscellaneous buildings were demolished, also located at also Block 37.

III. Since 1989, Block 37 has been a vacant lot, still profitable for the city.
A. During the winter time, some events are located at Block 37
1. “Skate on State” which is an ice rink which was located at Block
37.
a. Skate on State has free admission, but skate rentals cost
extra.
b. The ice rink is now currently moved to Millennium Park.
2. In 2001, Christkindlmarket Chicago, from the Daley Center,
but was extended to Block 37.
a. 70 vendors display were at the Christkindlmarket.
b. 45 timber booths were at Christkindlmarket.
Santa” comes to Block 37 with his “train.
B. Gallery 37 is the one of the most important events at Block 37, held in the summer.
1. Gallery 37 was established in 1991 by Maggie Daley.
2. Gallery 37 is an art center for art job training in Block 37.
3. Gallery 37 starts in the summer and close in October.
4. 2,100 youth and 250 artists/ professions work in Gallery 37.

IV. The city purchase Block 37 and Mills purchase Block 37.
A. Chicago buys Block 37 for $32.5 million.
1. $19.9 million for mortgage and $12.6 million at closing for a total of $32.5 million is for the previous owner.
2. The current owner is name FJV Venture.
B. Chicago sells Block 37.
1. Chicago sold Block 37 to Mills for 12.3 million dollars in 2002.
2. This means, Chicago loses $20.3 million.

V. Mills Corporation and its idea’s that relates with Block 37.
A. Mills wants to turn Block 37 into a shopping destination containing theme park-like settings.
B. An early idea of Block 37 would be a 5 story shopping mall, hotel, offices, and residential area.
C. Mills wants to try to finalize agreements with a developer for the office tower.
D. Mills hope to start construction in the fall of 2005.
E. Mills is the owner of the “Mill” outlet malls.
F. Mills have this transportation idea for the CTA
1. Block 37 will be the new station for CTA’s express trains to O’Hare and Midway Airports.
2. This plan cost about $213.3 million.
3. The station would serve as a full-service terminal ticketing, baggage handling, and security checkpoint.
4. Riders would pay $10-15, for this plan.
5. The trains would be nonstop express train that will be a 20 minutes long ride, oppose to 45 minutes today.
G. CBS-2 News station might move to Block 37.
1. CBS is going to sign a lease with Mills.
2. The president of CBS is feeling good about this lease.
H. Mills is hiring architects.
1. Ralph Johnson is from Perkins & Will, which is from Arlington, VA. who is the architect of Block 37.
2. Denise Casalino is a city planning & development commissioner.
3. Comm Arts is an international design consultancy will design Block 37.

VI. Construction and construction issues relating Block 37.
A. There are many bad things can be cause by construction.
1. Construction can cause traffic jams and more parking restriction in downtown.
2. Under Block 37, there are CTA tunnels and many electricity lines.
B. Construction will start in the spring of 2005, of the plans were approve.
C. Now, construction is scheduled to begin after all necessary approval have been obtain.
D. Block 37 will have “artistic frieze”, which is public art mix with broader architectural scheme.



and i would just add the newer developments that have come up since then which is would include :
--Banana Republic will open its first store south of the Chicago River in the 417,000-sf retail portion of the $336-million project.
--Also, David Barton Gym, which has a River North location, also is coming to the Central Loop site.
--Italian clothiers Boggi Milano,
--Sisley and Andrew’s Ties will set up their first Chicago shops at 108 N. State St.
--In addition, Rosa Mexicano will open its first Chicago restaurant, having already established itself in New York and Washington, DC.
--Gibsons Steakhouse and
--Hugo’s Frog Bar creator Steve Lombardo plans to launch a new idea at 108 N. State St.
--Likewise, Lucky Strike Lanes and Felt billiard hall creator Steven Foster is lining up a location("sports bar entertainment nightclub" ).
--Morningstar Inc. plans to move its headquarters to the development planned for Block 37



just thought i would get that info down right from the start of this thread(yeh im board)

On SSP they're saying that the 33 story office tower could be underconstruction in ONE MONTH. And we haven't even seen any good renderings really. For a site that has taken so long to develop, they're really going full speed on this one.

On SSP they're saying that the 33 story office tower could be underconstruction in ONE MONTH. And we haven't even seen any good renderings really. For a site that has taken so long to develop, they're really going full speed on this one.

1 month sounds too ambitious.

But whatever..

I know it does, but I have talked to the people who are involved with the permits. BTW, I posted it on SSP.

This is coming, my fellow Chicagoans.
http://www.108northstate.com/stellent01/groups/public/documents/devmall_propertytour/108nstate__200504061115514.gif

Just wish I knew what the rest of it looked like :)

On B37's site, they say:

"Significant progress has been made in the
development of 108 North State Street.
Construction is expected to begin by the
end of 2005."

Has that always been there?

i thought that a repost of our little 13 yr. old azn friends info compileation would be in order since this is a continuation so its good to get a bit of the details down on this new thread
courtesy of Azn Chi Boi--



Thank you... I forgot to mention. I got an A on that paper, all because of everyone's help on posting the news articles...

I wonder what's new with B37.

On SSP they're saying that the 33 story office tower could be underconstruction in ONE MONTH. And we haven't even seen any good renderings really. For a site that has taken so long to develop, they're really going full speed on this one.
??????????
First off, why would they start construction on the building before starting constriction on what’s going to be under the building namely the CTA project?!
Second, I thought this was really all one building but with 2 or 3 towers coming out of the base. So how would they build only one tower/portion of the building without building the rest??
and finally we have renderings of the whole building above. There not perfect but it should give you a pretty decent idea of what the project will look like so long as your imagination is working ok.??

^
I got the information from a guy who works with OUC (Office of Underground Coordination). He sits next to me in our CDOT office. I remember someone saying that are working on that CTA project as well.

^ I envy your position :)

Also, we have have renderings, but who knows how much is true after a certain point. The only real renderings of the entire block were those B&W drawings or sketches.

^
Yea, its cool. Just about every development goes through him and OUC.
I have seen plans for LakeShore East, Riverside Park, MOMO etc. Cool stuff.

I saw a portion of the drawings for the site. It doesn't look like one building.
Also, the ugly concrete structure for Con Edison is going to stay.

I can only drool as to what Lakeshore East will look like.

In today's Tribune: the bid for either the hotel or residential tower seems to be up

Chicago--Block 37 mixed-use, State and Randolph Streets, 300-unit mixed-use development, November, $100 million.

WILL THIS BECOME A REALITY? Or will the curse take its toll. Find out this, and much much more, next time.

oh please please... I hope this comes out classy. "Theme park like setttings" scares me.

Times Square is gaudy. New Yorkers avoid it like the plague (or so I've heard). So, I hope we don't try and just fully imitate Times Square on this one.

its would suck to have chicago's "time square" right across the street from Chicago's "macy's". Toooooo much disgrace.

Hmm...

To be honest, I wouldn't mind terribly if they added an Empire State Building nearby...

;)

No way is this going to be Chicago's Times Square. Times Square is (or feels like) tenement housing density. The density of Block 37 -- in terms of street traffic, and mixed use buildings -- is not nearly that high. And I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing. I think the closest Chicago comes to Times Square is Michigan avenue, particularly the corner of Chicago and Michigan.

^Yeah, B37 probably won't even come close to times square in density but hopefully it will approach times square's excitement and vitality, which it might. *crosses fingers*

I suppose Mills is really trying to keep a lid on the release of information on this project. I couldn't find anything on the website of Perkins + Will, even though the website does include other seemingly 'on-the-boards' projects.

Nothing in Chicago will ever approach the vitality of NY until we realize that stores don't need to close at 7:00pm. Making people either drink or end their day at such an early hour is simply ludicrous.

Well, what do you think? If they close late, will people come in late?

^Yeah, B37 probably won't even come close to times square in density but hopefully it will approach times square's excitement and vitality, which it might. *crosses fingers*

I hope B37 has the vitality of Times Square, but it should be a completely different animal.

If I see a bunch of screaming video advertisements all over the place, I'll be dissappointed. I'm hoping for something a bit more artsy and attractive, perhaps with some use of light, at B37

Well, what do you think? If they close late, will people come in late?


Stores will stay open later once a larger residential population gets established. Give it time...

If I see a bunch of screaming video advertisements all over the place, I'll be dissappointed. I'm hoping for something a bit more artsy and attractive, perhaps with some use of light, at B37
the facad is supposed to have that whole crown fountain from millenium park thing goin on called the "artistic freeze" with LED screens covering a large portion of the facad of the building

Yeah. Whatever the hell an artistic freeze is. Didn't they also say something about a digital obelisk?

Don't the mean an artistic frieze? And yes... I do think that if the stores stayed open later people would shop later. I can't tell you how many people I've had tell me (or overheard) "I can't believe how early Michigan Avenue shuts down!"

There is no reason not to be able to do some shopping at 9:00 or 10:00 in a city like Chicago... it's simply inexcusable.

^ yeh , thats some bull sh@#$%t ! but ill get over it if they trurn block 37 into a 24/7 shindig

This is what they should make the trainsets look like:

http://tinypic.com/e8jo6e.jpg
http://tinypic.com/e8anwh.jpg
http://tinypic.com/e8anns.jpg http://tinypic.com/e8jojp.jpg http://tinypic.com/e8kgib.jpg

:eek2:

What in god's name is this?

http://www.108northstate.com/stellent01/groups/public/documents/common/mills_intro_header.swf

What the hell...the kid is part calculator? I hope this is just a joke or something they made while they were bored.

^Yeah, that's quite funny. I'm not sure what they're trying to do here. Is it some kind of advertisement?

Maybe a future change in the site?

Space on State Street scarcer; rents up 30%
Retail slump ends; construction to start soon at Block 37 site

By Thomas A. Corfman
Tribune staff reporter
Published October 7, 2005


The retail real estate market along State Street is rebounding after a two-year slump.

The revival comes as construction nears on the first phase of the long-delayed Block 37 project, a mixed-use development of shops, offices, hotel rooms and condominiums that once was viewed as a necessary spark to the street's recovery.

Amid a surge in demand for space, the vacancy rate for smaller, specialty stores plummeted this fall to 4.6 percent from nearly 21 percent a year ago, according to an annual study by Northern Realty Group Ltd.

Meanwhile, asking rents have reached their highest level in four years. Rents have risen nearly 30 percent, to more than $50 a square foot, for specialty stores, shops that focus on a single category of goods, Northern's report says.

"Although Block 37 grabs all the headlines, State Street has been quietly clawing its way back," said Michael Shields, an executive vice president with the Chicago-based retail real estate and development firm. "The street has overcome the stigma that it once was burdened with."

The spike in leasing ends a two-year slump, when the vacancy rate hovered above 20 percent, an alarming level that had not been seen since the 1980s. Back then, department store closings scarred what was once Chicago's premier retailing strip. The quick cure for those ills was supposed to be Block 37, which was demolished in 1989 to make way for a proposed mixed-use development.

Two developers and numerous plans later, Maryland-based Mills Corp., which stepped into the project in 2002, is preparing to start construction on the site, located along State between Randolph and Washington Streets.

A ceremonial groundbreaking is scheduled for Nov. 15, a Mills spokeswoman said. The first phase would include a five-story, 400,000-square-foot retail base that is expected to be completed in early 2008.

But Mills has dropped an ambitious plan, disclosed in May, to increase the retail space to as much as 500,000 square feet in the project, called 108 N. State.

Also expected to start construction in a matter of weeks is a 33-story condominium tower at 151 N. State St. by Chicago developer Smithfield Properties LLC. The project will include 28,000 square feet of retail space, a Smithfield spokesman said.

Meanwhile, Environmental Community Development Co. is working up plans for a $60 million, 250-room hotel on a site at 6 E. Lake St. that the Lincolnshire developer acquired in June.

Although State Street is still scruffy in spots, the dramatic improvement in its retail real estate market reflects a simple lesson in supply and demand.

In 2003, the total amount of specialty store space rose by 25 percent, to more than 1.1 million square feet, as developers and landlords looked to take advantage of the street's increasing popularity among shoppers.

But the supply overshot demand by retailers, pushing up vacancy rates and forcing landlords to cut rents.

Yet in the last 12 months, the demand for space rose by almost 112,000 square feet, the third-largest increase since Northern Realty began the survey 15 years ago.

Demand is measured by annual net absorption, which is the change in the amount of leased and occupied space compared with the previous year.

The lower vacancy rate is also partly because landlords, for the second straight year, have cut back the amount of specialty store space. Such space has been reduced by nearly 6 percent, to 986,184 square feet, since 2004, as landlords converted difficult-to-lease retail spaces on lower levels or second floors to other uses, such as offices.

The Northern Realty study tracks vacancy rates and asking rents for an area that includes State Street and Wabash Avenue and stretches from Wacker Drive to Congress Parkway. Only shops larger than 2,500 square feet with street entrances are included.

Nonetheless, challenges remain, including uncertainty over the future of Sears' flagship store. The Hoffman Estates-based retailer's return to State Street in 2001 was widely seen as sign of the street's recovery. Last month, Sears told city officials that sales were 50 percent less than forecast when the 2 N. State St. store opened.

The company had predicted that annual sales at the store would be between $50 million and $60 million, which was a conservative projection, given the size of the 250,000-square-foot location.

When State Street's fully occupied department stores are factored in, the vacancy rate fell to 1.5 percent from 7.3 percent a year ago.

The largest lease of the past 12 months was signed at the forlorn south end of State Street, which hasn't benefited from the development closer to Block 37.

Barnes & Noble College Booksellers Inc., a sister company of Barnes & Noble, signed a 36,000-square-foot lease for an "academic superstore" in the DePaul Center, 1 E. Jackson Blvd. The two-level store sells college texts and caters to off-campus customers with a cafe and a wide selection of books and music.

"We were looking for something that would add energy," said Scott Scarborough, executive vice president of operations with DePaul University.

And new vitality would also be pumped into the historic Palmer House Hilton under a bold retail redevelopment plan by New York developer Joseph Sitt, who purchased the city's second-largest hotel Aug. 18 in a $230 million deal.

The 1,639-room hotel at 17 E. Monroe St. has 59,000 square feet of lackluster retail space, including an arcade that connects State to Wabash.

But the redevelopment could increase the retail space to about 150,000 square feet, said Sitt, chairman and chief executive of Thor Equities LLC, which specializes in redeveloping underperforming retail properties.

Sitt, who has done two much smaller deals on State Street since 2002, says retailers' view of the street is changing.

"Three years ago, I had to be proactive and aggressive trying to get the tenants, and a lot of people took what I said with a grain of salt," he said. "Today, it's a different world."

does this mean their also starting on the ord-b37-mdw train?

November huh. If the curse of Chicago baseball wears off by then, I'm a believer.

Chicago Mayor Backs Landmark Status For Marshall Field's Store

POSTED: 1:23 pm CDT October 7, 2005

CHICAGO -- Chicago Mayor Richard Daley has introduced an ordinance that would advise giving the Marshall Field's flagship store on State Street landmark status.

Daley said Thursday that Federated Retail Holdings -- which owns Marshall Field's --- has agreed to the landmarking.

Federated recently said it plans to change the name of all Marshall Field's stores to Macy's by next fall. In August, Federated -- which also owns Macy's -- bought May Department Stores, which owned Field's.

The historic downtown Chicago building was designed by the architectural firm of D.H. Burnham and Company and commissioned by Marshall Field I in 1881.

Daley also introduced an ordinance Thursday that would give an $18 million subsidy to a company that wants to rehabilitate the historic Blackstone Hotel on Michigan Avenue

Chicago's State Street Retail Rebounds
October 11, 2005
By Dees Stribling, Midwest Correspondent



'That Great Street' Once Again?


State Street, known for its ups and downs as a major downtown Chicago retail market, appears to be on an upswing these days, according to a soon-to-be-published report by Northern Realty Group, a Chicago-based real estate firm that has tracked the submarket annually since 1990.

According to the report, vacancies are significantly down and rents are significantly up. This time last year, for instance, specialty store vacancies along State Street--department stores are not included in the totals--stood at 20.9 percent. Now the vacancy is 4.6 percent. Part of the decline is because some 62,500 square feet, or about 6 percent, of a total of 1.05 million square feet on the market last year has now been converted to other uses, such as office space.

But according to Michael Sheilds, an executive vice president with Northern Realty, more than 110,000 square feet of specialty retail was absorbed in the submarket since the fourth quarter of 2004, because “State Street has a lot of momentum.”

“Part of that is the vitality of downtown, with more residents and more money living there,” he continued. “But it's also because success there is building on success. Retailers see that shops are doing well on State Street, and they want to be there too. The street has been undergoing a quiet transformation for a few years now, reinventing itself as a retail street again.”

The revitalization is also showing up in asking rents, which the report currently pegs at $50.30 per square foot, the highest since 2001, when it was $56.34. This figure represents a surge from 12 months ago, when rents were $38.82. “The demand is certainly there,” Shields noted.

The prospect of development at Block 37--a vacant city block with one side along State Street--wasn't really the catalyst for vacancy declines and rent growth, he pointed out, but it didn't hurt. Groundbreaking by the Mills Corp. for that long-delayed mixed-use development, which will include 400,000 square feet of retail in its first phrase, is now scheduled for November 15. :cheers:

Yay!

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0510240210oct24,1,151483.story?coll=chi-news-hed

It's only a test, but Loop will be snarled

By Jon Hilkevitch
Tribune transportation reporter
Published October 24, 2005


A dress rehearsal will be staged on four busy Loop streets Tuesday--complete with a cast of thousands of drivers and pedestrians--to audition traffic changes that the city plans for the upcoming construction project on Block 37.

Temporary closings of some traffic lanes and sidewalks are scheduled from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday on Washington, Randolph, Dearborn and State Streets around Block 37, according to the Chicago Traffic Management Authority.

In addition, some Chicago Transit Authority buses will be rerouted and subway entrances closed during the test.

It is a first-of-its-kind simulation of what travel conditions will be like for about 18 months once work begins in mid-November to transform the long-vacant Block 37 site into a mixed-use development, officials said. The complex will house shops, restaurants, offices, a hotel, a residential tower and a CTA "super station" serving express trains to O'Hare International and Midway Airports.

"The simulation gives us an opportunity before any work gets under way to truly measure the traffic impacts of a major construction project that sits squarely in the central business district," said Andrew Velasquez, executive director of the city Office of Emergency Management and Communications, which oversees the Traffic Management Authority.

The traffic authority will work with the Department of Planning and Development, the Police Department and other city agencies to make any necessary refinements to the traffic plan based on the results of Tuesday's 14-hour dry run, Velasquez said.

The city encourages motorists, pedestrians and transit riders who usually pass through the Block 37 area to stick with their normal travel patterns Tuesday to help give officials an accurate picture, especially when the system is stressed to its limits during the morning and evening rush periods.

During Tuesday's test, eastbound Washington will lose one lane of traffic, leaving three lanes between Dearborn and State, officials said. The sidewalk on the north side of Washington will be closed. Pedestrians will be directed to use the sidewalk on the south side of the street between Dearborn and State.

Westbound Randolph will be reduced by two lanes from State to Dearborn, leaving three travel lanes. Pedestrians will be directed to use the sidewalk on the north side of the street.

Northbound Dearborn will lose one lane, leaving three traffic lanes.

The sidewalk and entrances to the CTA Blue Line on the east side of Dearborn between Washington and Randolph will be closed, transit officials said. Pedestrians and Blue Line customers will be directed to the west side of Dearborn. CTA rail customers can use entrances on the west side of Dearborn and on both sides of the street south of Washington. CTA bus riders will be directed to bus stops at Madison Street and Randolph.

The pedestrian tunnel, or pedway, between Dearborn and State through Block 37 will remain open during the simulation.

State Street will operate with no lane closures. The center median will be used to maintain traffic lanes in each direction. Pedestrians will be able to use the existing sidewalk and entrances to the CTA Red Line. The CTA bus stop on southbound State at Washington will be moved to the south side of Washington.

Before construction begins, city officials said they plan to hold meetings to receive feedback on the plan from businesses and other members of the public.

"The whole idea here is to use public input and maximize efficiency by deploying services from an assortment of city agencies at the right time and the right place," Velasquez said. "This experiment will help us when the time comes to figure out the resources that will be needed for other large construction projects."

you beet me to it , pluss yours is a better longer story but anyways its cool news:


CHICAGO Police say there are going to be major traffic snarls tomorrow in Chicago. They know because city officials plan to create the jams deliberately.

It amounts to a dress rehearsal for the traffic problems that are expected to result when construction work begins in mid-November at Block 37 on downtown State Street. The long-vacant block will become the site of a mixed-use development, including shops, restaurants, offices, a hotel and a residential tower.

The plan is to close some traffic lanes and sidewalks and reroute some Chicago Transit Authority bus lines from 5 a-m to 7 p-m tomorrow to see how the construction project is likely to affect traffic.

I wonder if the underground pedway linking from Marshall Field's to Daley Plaza will be cut off. Naturally, it is right under Block 37.

once work begins in mid-November to transform the long-vacant Block 37 site into a mixed-use development,

Mid November? Interesting..

B37 and Waterview for Mid-November? We should start taking predictions for how many UC+Prep by the end of the year.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-jam26.html
Many not yielding to 'Sidewalk Closed' signs

October 26, 2005

BY LISA DONOVAN Staff Reporter
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They were doing the Loop limbo.

That's what it looked like Tuesday as all those folks leaving work ignored the "Sidewalk Closed" signs and ducked and danced under the yellow "Caution" tape wrapped around Block 37.

"Yeah, I saw it but I just followed the crowd," said Louise Hobbs, 62, of Riverdale as someone held the tape up for her at Dearborn and Randolph and then pushed down a string of red flags for her to step over.

She was making her way from the Daley Center Tuesday afternoon to her home.

Luckily, this was only a test.

On Tuesday, from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m., city traffic engineers looked at how reducing the lanes of traffic around Block 37 -- between the Daley Center and Marshall Field's -- and rerouting commuters would affect the morning, noon and evening rush hours when building begins.

The lot, which has defied city redevelopment efforts for two decades, will soon become home to WBBM-Channel 2 as well as other businesses.

Thom Johnson, with city operations, said engineers expected folks to ignore the signs and tape.

Still, with engineers on four corners, cameras from the 911 center trained on the area and others examining traffic patterns, they hope to get an idea of how best to direct traffic once construction begins.

By all accounts things went well, and this morning city crews will meet to discuss their findings and how to manage traffic, Johnson said.

"We got through Wacker Drive [reconstruction] OK, we'll get through this," he said.

Commercial Real Estate News


Investors, Builders Remain Bullish on Retail Market

By Mark Ruda of GlobeSt.com

Wednesday, October 26, 2005 - CHICAGO-Competition remains fierce for local retail assets, with REITs, tenant-in-common groups, private investors and those needing to make Section 1031 exchanges vying for the properties that come available. Meanwhile, overall vacancy rates dipped slightly in the third quarter to 7.72%, according to CB Richard Ellis’ most recent market report.


Decreasing vacancy rates Downtown, including State Street, has resulted in Mills Corp. deciding to increase the retail portion of its 108 N. State St.—-formerly known as Block 37—-redevelopment by 100,000 sf to 500,000 sf, CB Richard Ellis notes. The overall bullishness comes despite 6.6 million sf of new space under construction at 34 sites, according to the brokerage’s research.

http://www.ccchronicle.com/paper/citybeat.php?id=1836

Block 37 empty no longer
Construction to begin by the end of 2005
By James Ewert
Assistant City Beat Editor

Last week, the streets surrounding Chicago’s now infamous Block 37, at 108 N. State St. experienced lane closures due to upcoming construction on the site that has been tenantless for more than 16 years.

City officials shut down the lanes and sidewalks around the block, which has dormant in the center of the Loop’s theater, business and political districts. The closures were a planned exercise to simulate traffic conditions expected next month when construction is set to begin.

“I think it went well,” said Ty Tabing, executive director of the Chicago Loop Alliance. Tabing, who spoke with city officials after The 14-hour test run, on Oct. 25 said the city learned a lot about traffic patterns that will impact the area when work begins by the end of the year.

“We’ve worked with the city and developer to plan and refine the project, and we’ve also looked at the impact the project will have on traffic,” Tabing said.

The traffic simulation was the first tangible step developers and the city have taken toward a project at Block 37 since the site was demolished and vacated for redevelopment in 1989. For the past 16 years, the city has been working to develop the block at 108 N. State St. and appears to finally have a plan that works, according to Constance Buscemi of the Department of Planning and Development.

“We’ve been trying to develop that piece of property for a while and we’ve found the project that works well there,” Buscemi said. “There weren’t any real developer projects in the past. There were ideas for projects, but they never really materialized.”

The developer for the multi-million dollar, mulit-purpose building development is the Arlington, Va.-based Mills Corp., known locally for the Gurnee Mills shopping center in Lake County.

Amie DeLuca, spokeswoman for Mills, said the company has signed on architecture firms Perkins and Will, Gensler, and Rockwell Group to design the project. The mixed use development will feature 400,000 square feet of retail space, 200,000 square feet of office space, 200 to 300 residential units and an equal number of hotel rooms.

“The project will be a unique Chicago icon that stays true to the city’s architectural heritage,” DeLuca said.

Mills officially bought the parcel of property at 108 N. State St. earlier this year, and it has been the master developer of the project since June of 2003. The city sold the block of land to Mills for $12.3 million, which to some might seem like a steal for a block of undeveloped land in the heart of Chicago’s central loop facing the city’s theater, business, political and shopping districts. The city bought the land for $32.5 million in 2002 and took the hit in order to finally fill this coveted land.

“If you look at the investment the developer is going to make to create this development, I think it was a fair price,” Buscemi said.

According to a Mills press release, Mills will pay the city an initial $3.1 million to purchase the land, and subsequent payments of $4.5 million and $4.7 million will be made upon completion of the office space and development of the hotel and residential units.

Also set to be constructed at 108 N. State St. is a CTA transit center that will provide express rail service to O’Hare and Midway airports as well as connections between the Blue and Red lines. The overall cost of the station is estimated at $213.3 million, of which Mills would pay $40.9 million, with the City and CTA shouldering the remaining $172.4 million.

The block at 108 N. State St. has received alternating amounts of attention since the site became dormant in 1989 when Mayor Harold Washington tore down existing buildings on the site in order to make way for more productive development.

Dominic Pacyga, a history professor at Columbia, who teaches a class on Chicago history, said the construction at Block 37 marks not only an end for its troubled past, but it also marks an end for its historic past as well. Pacyga said before the site was vacated in ’89, there were buildings there that dated back to the development period immediately after the Chicago fire. The McCarthy Building that once stood there was a Chicago Landmark and was stripped of its status to demolish the building and clear the site for redevelopment, Pacyga said.

“There was a lot of pressure from the city to pull down all the buildings and redevelop the site,” Pacyga said. “Unfortunately, when they did the economy went south and not much has been done with it since. Block 37 has a long history with the city, it had always been theaters and small mom and pop stores that were housed there.”

In the new development, the “mom and pop” stores will be replaced with small European retails like Boggi Milano and Sisley, who have signed letters of intent with Mills. Expected tenants in the new retail space include Banana Republic, and an entertainment venture from Steve Foster, creator of the Lucky Strike Bowling Alley and nightclub. A theater at 108 N. State St. has been speculated about but no plans or agreements have been finalized. The only confirmed tenant is CBS/WBBM-TV, which will have its new headquarters in the building

“We were definitely for theaters being included and that’s something we’ve stated strongly time and again,” Tabing said.

The retail and office space phase of the project is set to conclude in 2008 with the residential and CTA project phase concluding in 2010. The CBS/WBBM-TV space will be on the lower floors of the office space and DeLuca said more tenants are expected to sign on and will be announced as they are secured.

The fact that Mills development has been agreed upon by all parties concerned, and will be built gradually, is an aspect that other developments did not have.

“In the past when these projects have failed, you really needed to line up the financing for all of these different uses, from hotel to residential to retail,” Tabing said. “Now, the retail can go ahead and as the hotel and residential markets, which aren’t hot at this point, can come into play later. That’s the real difference in the way of this project versus the ones from the past.”

^ That article leaves me with a LOT of questions.

First of all, so they reduced the office space to 200,000 sf?

They demolished a LANDMARKED building? I wasn't aware of that.

Harold Washington demolished Block 37? I had always thought it was Daley..

And finally, why are they saying that Residential and Hotel development aren't "hot" right now, in the midst of an unprecedented highrise residential construction boom as well as the announcement of several luxury hotels downtown just within the past few years?

With Block 37 slated for construction on 11/15, it is a good time to start marketing the high-rise condo.

Like TUP, I'm confused, befuddled! What about Morningstar? I thought they had signed a deal with Mills for over 100,000 of space? Did they pull out?!?

not all reporters have a clue as to what there talking about.

Yeah, don't be alarmed by this article. I just posted it for some extra information and a bump. They probably have many of the facts mixed up.

yeh , and its always nice to know that things are still moving along on one of my fav. projects in the city. its interesting to note that he explains in the artivle that its expected to be finnished in 2010. thats not very far off in the futer at all!

They demolished a LANDMARKED building? I wasn't aware of that.


I also wasn't aware of any landmarked building being demolished there but it wouldn't surprise me. Richard J. Daley was a bit ham-handed in his redevelopment of downtown if I am not mistaken.

www.columbiachronicle.com

Block 37 empty no longer
Construction to begin by the end of 2005
By James Ewert
Assistant City Beat Editor

Mills Corporation
Last week, the streets surrounding Chicago’s now infamous Block 37, at 108 N. State St. experienced lane closures due to upcoming construction on the site that has been tenantless for more than 16 years.

City officials shut down the lanes and sidewalks around the block, which has dormant in the center of the Loop’s theater, business and political districts. The closures were a planned exercise to simulate traffic conditions expected next month when construction is set to begin.

“I think it went well,” said Ty Tabing, executive director of the Chicago Loop Alliance. Tabing, who spoke with city officials after The 14-hour test run, on Oct. 25 said the city learned a lot about traffic patterns that will impact the area when work begins by the end of the year.

“We’ve worked with the city and developer to plan and refine the project, and we’ve also looked at the impact the project will have on traffic,” Tabing said.

The traffic simulation was the first tangible step developers and the city have taken toward a project at Block 37 since the site was demolished and vacated for redevelopment in 1989. For the past 16 years, the city has been working to develop the block at 108 N. State St. and appears to finally have a plan that works, according to Constance Buscemi of the Department of Planning and Development.

“We’ve been trying to develop that piece of property for a while and we’ve found the project that works well there,” Buscemi said. “There weren’t any real developer projects in the past. There were ideas for projects, but they never really materialized.”

The developer for the multi-million dollar, mulit-purpose building development is the Arlington, Va.-based Mills Corp., known locally for the Gurnee Mills shopping center in Lake County.

Amie DeLuca, spokeswoman for Mills, said the company has signed on architecture firms Perkins and Will, Gensler, and Rockwell Group to design the project. The mixed use development will feature 400,000 square feet of retail space, 200,000 square feet of office space, 200 to 300 residential units and an equal number of hotel rooms.

“The project will be a unique Chicago icon that stays true to the city’s architectural heritage,” DeLuca said.

Mills officially bought the parcel of property at 108 N. State St. earlier this year, and it has been the master developer of the project since June of 2003. The city sold the block of land to Mills for $12.3 million, which to some might seem like a steal for a block of undeveloped land in the heart of Chicago’s central loop facing the city’s theater, business, political and shopping districts. The city bought the land for $32.5 million in 2002 and took the hit in order to finally fill this coveted land.

“If you look at the investment the developer is going to make to create this development, I think it was a fair price,” Buscemi said.

According to a Mills press release, Mills will pay the city an initial $3.1 million to purchase the land, and subsequent payments of $4.5 million and $4.7 million will be made upon completion of the office space and development of the hotel and residential units.

Also set to be constructed at 108 N. State St. is a CTA transit center that will provide express rail service to O’Hare and Midway airports as well as connections between the Blue and Red lines. The overall cost of the station is estimated at $213.3 million, of which Mills would pay $40.9 million, with the City and CTA shouldering the remaining $172.4 million.

The block at 108 N. State St. has received alternating amounts of attention since the site became dormant in 1989 when Mayor Harold Washington tore down existing buildings on the site in order to make way for more productive development.

Dominic Pacyga, a history professor at Columbia, who teaches a class on Chicago history, said the construction at Block 37 marks not only an end for its troubled past, but it also marks an end for its historic past as well. Pacyga said before the site was vacated in ’89, there were buildings there that dated back to the development period immediately after the Chicago fire. The McCarthy Building that once stood there was a Chicago Landmark and was stripped of its status to demolish the building and clear the site for redevelopment, Pacyga said.

“There was a lot of pressure from the city to pull down all the buildings and redevelop the site,” Pacyga said. “Unfortunately, when they did the economy went south and not much has been done with it since. Block 37 has a long history with the city, it had always been theaters and small mom and pop stores that were housed there.”

In the new development, the “mom and pop” stores will be replaced with small European retails like Boggi Milano and Sisley, who have signed letters of intent with Mills. Expected tenants in the new retail space include Banana Republic, and an entertainment venture from Steve Foster, creator of the Lucky Strike Bowling Alley and nightclub. A theater at 108 N. State St. has been speculated about but no plans or agreements have been finalized. The only confirmed tenant is CBS/WBBM-TV, which will have its new headquarters in the building

“We were definitely for theaters being included and that’s something we’ve stated strongly time and again,” Tabing said.

The retail and office space phase of the project is set to conclude in 2008 with the residential and CTA project phase concluding in 2010. The CBS/WBBM-TV space will be on the lower floors of the office space and DeLuca said more tenants are expected to sign on and will be announced as they are secured.

The fact that Mills development has been agreed upon by all parties concerned, and will be built gradually, is an aspect that other developments did not have.

“In the past when these projects have failed, you really needed to line up the financing for all of these different uses, from hotel to residential to retail,” Tabing said. “Now, the retail can go ahead and as the hotel and residential markets, which aren’t hot at this point, can come into play later. That’s the real difference in the way of this project versus the ones from the past.”

^^Yup, that's the article in page 2 everyone is wondering about

thats the third time somones posted the article

i hate to be the bearer of bad news


Business
Block 37 developer runs into accounting headache

November 2, 2005

BY DAVID ROEDER Business Reporter




Mall owner Mills Corp. warned of falling profits Tuesday and said it needs extra time to deal with accounting problems, raising questions about whether it can fulfill its commitment to turn Chicago's empty Block 37 into a shopping destination.

The company's shares lost 15 percent of their value on the New York Stock Exchange, or $7.82, to close at $45.68.

The company said it was delaying its earnings release from Tuesday to Nov. 9 to gain time "to evaluate the accounting for several items in its third-quarter results.'' At least two analysts cut their ratings on the stock.

The Mills problems come as Canyon Ranch resort, a prospective Block 37 tenant, instead signed a letter of intent to build a high-end spa and fitness center in a new building proposed for 65 E. Huron.

Arlington, Va.-based Mills has said it will restate earnings covering 2002 to 2004 to correct accounting for equity from joint ventures, the timing of sales in partnerships and other issues. Company spokesman David Douglass declined to say if those accounting matters are the same as those delaying the earnings release.

Poor earnings and a falling share price could increase pressure on Mills to get out of long-term developments such as Block 37, which is between the Daley Center and Marshall Field's. Backing new construction is a risky prospect for a real estate investment trust such as Mills, whose investors look for steady growth in earnings and dividends.

Douglass said the company's commitment to Block 37 is unshaken. He declined to speculate on whether Mills would seek another investor for some or all of the project. A spokeswoman for the city likewise said there is no effect on Block 37.

Ground will be broken Nov. 15 for the first phase of the development, an office building that will include the studios of WBBM-Channel 2. Mills also has announced eight relatively small tenants for the retail segment.

"We're continuing to negotiate with a number of firms and specialty restaurants'' for the Block 37 space, Douglass said.

I told you guys and no one believed me. First phase was going to be an office in October or November.

Well, I won't beleive that the project is still a go until 11/15 then.

Well, at least all parties are still very committed at this point.

I will keep saying it--why does the city keep pre-emptively demolishing structures? Makes no sense at all.

Here's what you do: only allow a demolition permit if the owner of the site has a redevelopment plan that has already been approved and has funding. Why is that so hard?

Who knows if Mills' plan will go through, we'll have to see

Douglass said the company's commitment to Block 37 is unshaken. He declined to speculate on whether Mills would seek another investor for some or all of the project. A spokeswoman for the city likewise said there is no effect on Block 37.

Ground will be broken Nov. 15 for the first phase of the development, an office building that will include the studios of WBBM-Channel 2. Mills also has announced eight relatively small tenants for the retail segment.

"We're continuing to negotiate with a number of firms and specialty restaurants'' for the Block 37 space, Douglass said.

I'm not too worried. **knock on wood** We'll just have to wait see I guess. I bet this gets built.

I think I read in one of these articles that just the new station is going to cost between 100-200 million dollars? Someone correct me if I am wrong. If that is going to be the cost of the station that is going to be one HECK of a station. I think I am most excited about seeing the renderings of that more then anything else to do with Block 37.
Hopefully if it is great it will spark a trend to want to upgrade other stations as well among the public and city council.

I saw the red-papered sign posted in the State/Washington underground station: "The Pedway between State and Dearborn will be closed for construction temporarily effective November 16, 2005"

Hopefully if it is great it will spark a trend to want to upgrade other stations as well among the public and city council.

Confused here...

RED LINE
CTA’s $282.6 million Red Line Rehab project is a significant step in bringing more reliable and efficient rapid transit service to the South Side. The work includes power, signal and communication upgrades for more than nine miles of the Red Line from Cermak-Chinatown to 95th Street, as well as station renovations.

BROWN LINE
The main objectives of the Brown Line Capacity Expansion Project are:
To expand the line's overall ridership capacity by lengthening station platforms to accommodate eight rather than six-car trains;
Rehabilitate rail infrastructure and stations;
Provide for station enhancements to meet the accessibility requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA);

BLUE LINE
The project is expected to last from 2001 to 2005 and involve the replacement of five miles of track; the reconstruction of eight stations in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (54th/Cermak, Kostner, Pulaski, Central Park, Kedzie, California, Western and Hoyne); installation of escalators at the Polk Street station; new rail traffic signals and communications equipment to improve the operations of the rail system; and the reconstruction of the rail yard at 54th/Cermak. Construction crews will work mostly during the evenings and on weekends. Current rapid transit service will continue to operate uninterrupted.Upgrade or replace traction power, signal and communication equipment; and
Reduce or eliminate slow zones.

Jackons Station, CHICAGO & LAKE STREET STATIONS ARE COMPLETED WITH RENOVATIONS ON THE REDLINE

Block 37 developer posts surprise loss
Won't affect project, Chicago officials say

By Thomas A. Corfman
Tribune staff reporter
Published November 10, 2005


Nothing ever goes easily on Block 37.

The master developer of the vacant parcel in the heart of the Loop reported a steep, unexpected third-quarter loss Wednesday because of bad tenant debts and writedowns on other projects.

Nonetheless, Mills Corp. executives say they will start construction next week on the first phase of the mixed-use development, which they have already spent about $20 million pursuing.

And city officials said the real estate investment trust's short-term financial misstep will not affect the long-delayed project.

"We envision great things from it," said a spokesman for the Chicago Planning Department.

During a conference call with analysts, Mills executives for the first time disclosed that the development's yield would be between 9 percent and 10 percent, in line with other projects. Yet financial details about the project disclosed Wednesday underscore the challenges the Arlington, Va.-based REIT faces in making the projected profit.

"They will have to achieve rents that are absolutely unprecedented, not only on State Street, but also on the upper floors of the malls on Michigan Avenue," said Bruce Kaplan, president of Northern Realty Group Ltd., which is not involved in the development.

Dubbed 108 N. State, the project would replace a largely vacant block bounded by State, Dearborn, Randolph and Washington Streets. In its first phase the Block 37 project includes parking, retail space, and studios and offices for WBBM-Ch. 2 at the corner of Dearborn and Washington. Later stages would include hotel and residential towers that Mills would sell off to other developers.

In September, in a surprise announcement, Mills and Morningstar Inc. said they had signed a letter of intent for the investment research firm to lease seven floors, or 185,000 square feet, in an office tower to be built above the television station, a CBS affiliate. A lease has not yet been signed.

"In the middle of the process ... the mayor wanted to have more verticality in the project than just CBS," Mills Chairman and Chief Executive Laurence Siegel said during a conference call Wednesday, referring to Mayor Richard Daley.

But negotiations between Mills and Morningstar have not gone smoothly, though a deal is still likely, sources said.

Yet during the call, Siegel took a jab at Joe Mansueto, his counterpart at Morningstar.

Referring to the pending deal, Siegel said, "Nobody would know about it if the CEO of Morningstar had not sent out a press release announcing it."

A Morningstar spokeswoman declined to comment on the negotiations, but noted that Mills approved the press release.

Mills increased the estimated cost of Block 37 by 32 percent, to $295 million, including the office tower.

During the conference call, Mills executives said the amount of space that tenants would actually rent, not including common areas, would be 265,000 square feet for retailing and about 240,000 square feet of office space, and 100,000 square feet for CBS, for a total of 605,000.

As a result, the retail/office/CBS studio phase would be about $487 a square foot, one of the most expensive projects, on a per-square-foot basis, in the city's history.

Mills is expected to reduce those costs by selling the rights to develop the hotel and residential towers, though the city also will share in those proceeds.

A Mills spokeswoman said the leaseable space in the project would be about 675,000 square feet, but could not explain the differences in measurements.

Mills' stock price has declined more than 21 percent, to $41.92 a share, since Halloween, when it delayed its third-quarter report and issued a profit warning. Wednesday, the REIT reported a loss of $20 million, or 61 cents a share, during the third quarter, compared to net income of $73.4 million, or 95 cents a share, in the year-ago period, when more shares were outstanding.

Company executives blamed the showing on several unforeseen factors, including restructuring the leases of a start-up chain of roller skating parks and writing down predevelopment costs for projects in Florida and Italy that were not likely to move ahead. But poor financial performance of some of its properties was also to blame.

Shares in Block 37 developer Mills dive on results

Investors bailed out of Mills Corp. stock on Thursday after analysts criticized the real estate investment trust's quarterly earnings and future guidance as disappointing.

The Arlington, Va.-based company — which reported results after the market close on Wednesday — was downgraded by KeyBanc Capital Markets to ``Hold'' from ``Aggressive Buy;'' Morgan Stanley to ``Equal Weight'' from ``Overweight;'' Deutsche Securities to a ``Hold'' from a ``Buy;'' and JPMorgan to an ``Underweight'' from a ``Neutral.''

Mills Corp. is the developer of Chicago’s Block 37 project.

Shares tumbled to a new 52-week low of $38.83 in early trading on the New York Stock Exchange, then recovered briefly before losing ground again. In afternoon trading, shares were down $2.77, or 6.6 percent, to $39.15. The stock is down 38 percent from the start of the year.

Mills reported funds from operations fell to 45 cents per share in the third quarter — well below analyst projections. Revenue edged up only 2 percent to $188.8 million. In addition, the company cut forecasts for full-year FFO to between $3.55 to $3.65 per share, from a previous forecast of $4.35 per share. Analysts have predicted 2005 FFO of $4.37 per share.

On a conference call with analysts Wednesday, company executives said the Mills is committed to breaking ground next week on the first phase of the development at 108 N. State St.

The company blamed the shortfall on an increase in its estimates for bad debts and unexpected costs for canceled projects. The quarterly report and guidance caused analysts to say results were ``uninspiring'' and ``disappointing.''

``Management at Mills failed to provide the needed reassurance to analysts and investors that it had put the company's house in order,'' said KeyBanc analyst Richard Moore in a note to clients.

Michael Mueller, an analyst at JPMorgan Securities, criticized a conference call Mills management held with analysts as not providing enough information. He said there remains uncertainty about how future results will come in.

``We were disappointed that management did not use the call as a platform to address concerns as to what the right starting point is for 2006 earnings,'' he said. ``The key wild cards at this point seem to be pinning down the impact that lower 2005 core growth will have on 2006.''

That's not good.

Isn't it rather odd that all this bad news comes so close to groundbreaking? It's the curse I tell ya!

"In the middle of the process ... the mayor wanted to have more verticality in the project than just CBS," Mills Chairman and Chief Executive Laurence Siegel said during a conference call Wednesday, referring to Mayor Richard Daley.

The Mayor wanted more verticality? What? Doesn't Mills want more "verticality" as in more office space to sell, to increase their potential profit on this apparently hexed block? Sure, the office market is "soft as a baby's bottom" but if they can score a tenant, why not.. Its odd that this CEO implies it was the Mayor who pushed them to get more tenants.

With such a high price per square foot, I assume that means we're going to get very high quality materials, at least on the exterior?

Let's hope so.

A little bit of snooping:

http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/2059/b376ld.jpg

Could it be? No, there's no working directory or anything else. But the fact that they have Movies under Entertainment leads me to wonder if it is possible.

otherwhize why would they even bother waisting time and money setting up the programming of that part of the web site? who knows, it could be just a bare template thats used through out the ,mills web sites and it hasent been costomized yet. and your seeing the "canned " web page

how did you get to that page anyways? when ever i go to the site i only see "media" and "property info" as in the top menu . how are you able to get such a full menu?

Does anyone else think that $295M is awefully cheap for a project that is supposed to wow us all? I mean, this thing occupies a full block and is supposed to be cutting edge. Can someone explain to me how you get all that, without cutting corners, for less than $300M?

Does anyone else think that $295M is awefully cheap for a project that is supposed to wow us all? I mean, this thing occupies a full block and is supposed to be cutting edge. Can someone explain to me how you get all that, without cutting corners, for less than $300M?

One of those end-of-the-year inventory closeout sales ?

I think $295m is an initial cost that is dedicated to construction of the shopping/entertainment complex. Maybe that's why it does not account for CTA superstation, Morningstar HQ bldg, high-rise hotel and condo.

The figure sounds low to me even if it's just for the half-million sqft retail component. I'm no bid expert though :)

now might be the perfect time to invest in mills corp. the price just went down and once the shit hits the fan about them breaking ground this week , you'll suddently see a spike in the value of that stock. so if anyone gets rich from my stock tip ill let you know were to send the tip fee (and if you go broke,what tip ? i never gave a tip? whos wickedestcity anyways? i never herd of him. skyscraper what? .... well who told you to listen to me anyways) :laugh:

108 N. State St.
GlobeSt.com UPDATE: 108 N. State Closing Paves Way for Construction
By Mark Ruda
Last updated: November 14, 2005**10:45am


CHICAGO-Mills Corp. has closed on its $12.3-million purchase of the former Block 37 site, about one-third the property’s most recent appraised value, clearing the way for a ground-breaking on the 108 N. State St. project next week. Also, the $336-million mixed-use project on the city block between Marshall Field’s flagship store and the Daley Center will have some changes in its design unveiled Tuesday.


The city bought the property back from a previous development team in 2002 for $32.5 million. Last year, the long undeveloped parcel in the middle of the Loop was appraised at $37 million.

Arlington, VA-based Mills Corp., the master developer of the retail, entertainment, office and possibly multifamily and hotel complex has succeeded in getting WBBM-TV Channel 2 as a 100,000-sf office anchor for the building at Washington and Dearborn streets, before landing Morningstar as a 185,000-sf tenant. Plans call for up to 450,000 sf of office space, but the centerpiece of the redevelopment is expected to be the 400,000 sf retail and entertainment space. The multifamily portion could hit 300 units, and the hotel could be as large as 300 rooms.

http://www.globest.com/news/413_413/chicago/140177-1.html

Groundbreaking starts next week as in 11/21??? Not tomorrow???

A change in design???? uhh ohh! I’m hoping it’s for the better! I would hate to see them remove the "artistic freeze" for example.

What's the "artistic freeze"? There haven't even been any real renderings out.

http://cbs2chicago.com/topstories/l..._319103516.html

CBS Breaks Ground On Innovative Broadcast Center
Video Of The Ceremony Will Be Available This Afternoon

(CBS) CHICAGO CBS 2 Chicago/WBBM-TV today broke ground on an innovative new Broadcast Center located at 2 West Washington. The station will relocate its entire broadcast operation to the new building upon completion.

“We’re making local television history today,” said Joe Ahern, President and General Manager of CBS 2 Chicago. “The new CBS 2 Broadcast Center will be a world-class communications center with state-of-the-art technology and a sleek street-side studio facing Daley Plaza. CBS 2 has a long and rich history of serving Chicago for more than five decades. When we move to our new home we’ll be able to connect with our audience like never before.”

“Today’s groundbreaking marks a defining moment for an idea that began a very long time ago,” said Tom Kane, President and CEO of the Viacom Television Stations Group. “The new CBS 2 Broadcast Center illustrates the commitment this station and our company have made to this great city.”

“WBBM has found the ideal location for their new studios -- in this magnificent new development in the heart of downtown Chicago,” said Mayor Richard M. Daley. “This is a very exciting development -- with a hotel, condos, retail, dining, entertainment and a high-tech transit station serving both airports. A television station will make it that much more exciting and interesting for Chicagoans and visitors.”

The CBS 2 Broadcast Center will be all digital and HD-ready. Every CBS 2 local newscast will be broadcast from the 2800 square-foot street-side studio. An outdoor video wall, measuring 80 feet by 20 feet, will feature CBS news, special events, sports and entertainment, 24-hours a day. An electronic ticker wrapping the corner of the building will also be a 24/7 information source with news headlines, weather alerts and stock prices. The CBS 2 Broadcast Center will also have a second studio for production of long-form shows and special broadcasts. In addition, CBS 2 weather control will feature the station’s own Doppler radar and the latest forecasting technology for street-side viewing.

The CBS 2 Broadcast Center will be located at the corner of Washington and Dearborn Streets and will occupy the first five floors of the building.

http://wilthe3rd.smugmug.com/photos/44653279-M.jpg

http://wilthe3rd.smugmug.com/photos/44653282-M.jpg


(© MMV, CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.)




__________________
http://Wilthe3rd.smugmug.com/

November 15, 2005 12:00 PM US Eastern Timezone

The Mills Corporation Breaks Ground on 108 N. State Street Project; Mayor Daley, CBS 2 Chicago and Chicago Transit Authority Join The Mills in Celebrating Major Project Milestone

ARLINGTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 15, 2005---The Mills Corporation (NYSE:MLS), a developer, owner and manager of a diversified global portfolio of retail destinations, today broke ground on the much-anticipated 108 North State Street project, an urban mixed-use destination, located in the heart of Chicago's Loop.


The complex will feature retail, entertainment and dining offerings; a state-of-the-art CTA transit station providing service to and from Chicago's O'Hare and Midway airports; office space; a luxury hotel and residential units.

"This is a great day for all the residents of the city of Chicago. We're beginning construction of a one-of-a-kind retail, residential, entertainment and transportation center that will make downtown Chicago even more attractive and enjoyable than it is today. And this new project isn't just about downtown. It will benefit every neighborhood, by providing 2,700 jobs for the hard-working people of our city - on top of hundreds of construction jobs," said Mayor Richard M. Daley.

"By entering the construction phase of this project, The Mills has accomplished what no other developer has been able to achieve with this site," said Laurence C. Siegel, chairman and chief executive officer of The Mills Corporation. "We look forward to transforming this high profile, long-vacant land parcel into a vibrant new destination that will create tremendous value for our investors, the City of Chicago and visitors to 108 North State Street and the Loop."

To date, The Mills has received commitments from several retail tenants for 108 N. State Street, including CBS 2 Chicago Broadcast Center, Boggi Milano, Sisley, Andrew's Ties, Banana Republic, Rosa Mexicano, David Barton Gym and new concepts by Steve Lombardo, creator of Gibsons Steakhouse and Hugo's Frog Bar, and Steven Foster, creator of Lucky Strike Lanes in Hollywood. In addition, a CTA transit station will also be a part of 108 North State Street.

As part of the groundbreaking ceremony, The Mills also unveiled the latest architectural designs of the project. The designs feature transparent corners of the project's facade that will pull visitors into the space, and each corner will feature a different component to surprise and delight visitors, whether with the CBS studio, restaurants, or dynamic retail options. Crystal-clear street-level glass panes will create a seamless experience between the building's interior and exterior.

The Mills has assembled a team of world-class architectural designers and artists for the design of 108 N. State Street. The team includes: Gensler, Perkins + Will, Rockwell Group and James Carpenter, an artist known for developing new and emerging glass and material technologies.

"I'm excited for the city and for what this project and our new Broadcast Center will mean for this block," said Joe Ahern, President and General Manager of CBS 2 Chicago. "And, I'm even more excited for our viewers who will experience something fresh and dynamic each day when they turn to CBS 2."

"Today's groundbreaking is significant for the CTA both for the state-of-the-art transit station that will provide convenient airport service for our customers, but also for the partnership with the City of Chicago and The Mills that made it possible to leverage our resources for an extraordinarily important infrastructure improvement that provides a critical rail link for our entire system," said Frank Kruesi, president of Chicago Transit Authority.

The Mills completed the purchase of the land parcel at 108 North State Street from the City of Chicago on November 11. The CBS 2 Chicago studio and office tower are expected to be completed by late 2007, and the retail, dining and entertainment component is estimated to be completed by Spring 2008.

About 108 North State Street

Located in the heart of the City of Chicago, 108 North State Street will be an urban mixed-use destination. The new Chicago icon will feature approximately 400,000 square feet of gross building area (GBA) of retail, entertainment and dining offerings and a state-of-the-art CTA transit station providing service to and from Chicago's O'Hare and Midway airports; 200,000 to 450,000 square feet of office space; a 200- to 300-room hotel; a 200- to 300-unit residential tower.

About The Mills Corporation

The Mills Corporation, based in Arlington, Virginia, is a developer, owner and manager of a diversified global portfolio of retail destinations including regional shopping malls, market dominant retail and entertainment centers, and international retail and leisure centers. It currently owns 42 properties in the U.S., Canada and Europe, totaling 51 million square feet. In addition, The Mills has various projects in development, redevelopment or under construction around the world. Its portfolio of real estate properties generated more than $8.7 billion in retail sales in 2004. The Mills is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker: MLS. For more information, visit the company's website at www.themills.com.

http://img487.imageshack.us/img487/5121/108mediacbs2broadcastcenter9cr.jpg

http://img487.imageshack.us/img487/1489/108mediacbs2nighttimeview7xi.jpg

http://img487.imageshack.us/img487/8295/108mediaretailcornerstatewashi.jpg

http://img487.imageshack.us/img487/1725/108mediafoodcourtview110528ru.jpg

Thanks, wickedestcity! Two things I likey: (1.) Food court concept really rocks. Brilliant idea to have a band playing while having a meal; and (2.) CBS 2 Studio could become a Times Square of the Midwest. The outdoor video wall will create a new audience with people watching from the Daley Plaza public square. I could see myself munching sandwich and watching the video at the plaza during lunchtime.

no prob chi cruscant. i am a bit annoyed theres no new rendering for the state randolph corner by the chicago theater and channel 7,and the oriental. i personaly would like to see that corner blow all the other corners out of the water and be the highlight of the complex! somthing extraorinary and realy dazzeling to pedestrans on that corner.

I thought there was going to be LED displays on some of the sides but it doesnt look like a LED screen in the rendering. I hope that does remain. Too bad they havent posted the Randolph side.

The Randolph side is the side that matters! That better be damn impressive and bold.

From the new renderings.
What I like: the studio looks nice, and if they can get the CBS logo on the top like that it will be very cool. I also like those colorful waving glass things, but only if they can like change color and what not. Have to incorporate some technology you know.

What I don't like:
What I enjoyed most about the previous old renderings was that the glass kind of came out very randomly. It had this cool pop-out feature. Now they just have a few pop-outs with little variation, and it looks rather bad.

Ok, actually now that I think about it more I'm satisfied thus far. It looks much more lively and entertaining than before. As long as they keep some of the cool features from before I'll be a happy camper :)

What I don't like:
What I enjoyed most about the previous old renderings was that the glass kind of came out very randomly. It had this cool pop-out feature. Now they just have a few pop-outs with little variation, and it looks rather bad.

You mean the whole “artistic freeze” concept? Yeh that really pisses me off! :bash: :bash: That’s the one thing I wanted them to keep and that ended up becoming the one major extractions!
For those of you who are wondering what this “artistic freeze” was , it was a bright LED screen similar to crown fountain in millennium park wish would wrap around the entire building and extend upward to the buildings roof in several locations . This screen would be a brightly lit display of colors (which I think was also supposed to be in constant movement but I’m not sure cuz then what’s the whole “freeze” part? Either way, I imagined it to be fucking gorgeous and definitely an eye popping display!


cheap bastards lol

^^It may still be there on the State/Randolph side. Or so we can hope.

For anybody interested, here is a shot of the ground breaking set up, this morning at about 7:20. (note the billboard above the MoMo site leaning only moments before it was felled this morning.) I did a post on it with pics this morning on my blog (http://iconeon.blogspot.com).

http://photos1.blogger.com/hello/254/3300/1024/PB150007.jpg

wickedest: I think you're referring to a frieze, not a freeze. A frieze is a kind of architectural detail :)

haha , no wonder lol

From the Sun-Times:
THE NEW BLOCK 37
The map shows tentative components of the Block 37 project. Only the CBS building at Dearborn and Washington has a finished design. The CTA is aiming for a March 2008 completion of the transit station. Developer Mills Corp. says it hopes to complete the retail and entertainment part in spring 2008. No arrival dates are known for future high-rises other than the CBS building
http://images.suntimes.com/popups/NWS/images/block37mapC_111605_550.jpg

Channel 2 breaks ground with Block 37 studio

November 16, 2005

BY DAVID ROEDER Business Reporter Advertisement

A developer and WBBM-Channel 2 staged a multimedia groundbreaking Tuesday for Block 37, hoping corporate showmanship would lift a curse on downtown's most difficult development site.

The bash featured dancers, magic tricks, cannon shots of confetti and a parade of Channel 2 reporters and anchors doing their best runway strut. The celebration of CBS' decision to occupy an office tower on the block suggested that development on the rest of the site is inevitable, when that's far from the case.

What's certain is the CBS building at the northeast corner of Dearborn and Washington should be finished in two years. Another confirmed portion is a Chicago Transit Authority connection, scheduled to open in March 2008, for nonexpress service to the city's airports. The CTA has asked for federal money for express trains.

But everything else, a condominium tower, a hotel and a concentration of stores along State Street, remains a work in progress, subject to economic whims and dealmaking abilities of the developer, Mills Corp. A publicly traded company, Mills has reported financial setbacks in its most recent quarterly earnings, but executives insisted that has no bearing on their commitment to Block 37.

Mills and CBS executives said they shared the costs of the groundbreaking, held in a huge tent on the site. A source at the party who is experienced in planning corporate events said it cost at least $175,000.

Executive Vice President Steven Jacobsen, who oversees Block 37 for Mills, denied assertions by project observers that the company has quietly downsized the retail portion of the complex. Initial project descriptions said it would feature 400,000 square feet of commercial space, an amount Mills now describes as the "gross building area.''

Overall leasable space, including an allotment for the CTA, totals about 300,000 square feet, Jacobsen said. He said Mills has conformed to its deal with the city allowing for up for 5 percent changes in space allotments.

The city sold Mills the block, which sits between the Daley Center and Marshall Field's, for $12.3 million two years after acquiring it from another developer for $32.5 million. The city also has committed $42.4 million in public subsidies from the land's future tax revenues.

Several speakers, leading off with Mayor Daley, all said the project was marking a key milestone with the CBS agreement to anchor the office building and provide a street-level broadcast studio that will have the Picasso sculpture and events in the Daley Center Plaza as a backdrop.

Daley acknowledged that numerous plans for Block 37 have come and gone. "But when a project is that important and when land is that valuable, time brings out the best,'' he said.

He later told reporters that prior proposals never matched his idea that the site deserved unique attractions, something Mills hopes to attract. "We had a lot of people come forward and they were unacceptable, and that's why we turned them down,'' Daley said.

Mills has disclosed tentative lease agreements with eight users in the retail space, but all are relatively small operations. It's not known if Mills can fill the complex with enough stores to create excitement.

It does not expect an agreement with a large department store. It also has quarreled with the city over whether movie theaters or a pool hall would be permitted.

City officials are worried that some of the Mills ideas don't conform to their idea of upscale appeal.


Central area could become a signature space

BY KEVIN NANCE Architecture Critic

Downtown retail-and-entertainment centers can be shots in the arms of struggling city cores, but they're often architectural sphinxes -- walled-off urban fortresses with drab, mostly opaque exteriors that neither lend visual interest to the streetscape nor entice shoppers inside. For cases in point, see Indianapolis' Circle Centre or Chicago's own Water Tower Place.

It's too early for a definitive judgment on 108 N. State Street, the planned retail, entertainment, business and residential complex on the choice but long-bedeviled parcel of land known as Block 37. But if the entire project gets built, and if it ends up looking anything like the handful of renderings made available at a rather sketchy groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday, it could turn out to be one of Chicago's signature public spaces.

Its popularity might never rival that of Navy Pier or Millennium Park, but it could be an important component in the ongoing campaign to make downtown more attractive to workers, residents and visitors.

If that happens, the project's appeal will be inseparable from its glass-based exterior designs, which emphasize visual transparency -- inviting visitors in, rather than symbolically shutting them out, and integrating with the streetscape rather than hiding from it. Designed by the Chicago offices of the architecture firms Gensler and Perkins + Will, the complex's exteriors echo the strategy of Renzo Piano's planned addition to the Art Institute of Chicago: Let the light in, the theory goes, and the people will follow.

The transparency would work both ways. As you're shopping, dining, working out or going bowling in the complex, you'd have a constant visual connection with what's happening on the street. (As a bonus to merchants, studies have shown that daylight in retail environments increases sales.)

But if 108 N. State were merely a series of glass boxes, its see-through aspect wouldn't generate enough architectural heft to allow the building to hold its own against the massive edifices (including the Daley Center, the Oriental Theatre and Marshall Field's) that surround it. That's partly why the design has several eye-catching touches that emphasize mirroring and other reflective effects, many of which take aesthetic cues from some of the most popular features of Millennium Park.

There is, for example, a vertical art installation on the State Street facade by artist James Carpenter, featuring projected video imagery of the city that might remind viewers of Jaume Plensa's Crown Fountain. Flanking Carpenter's work on either side are Gensler-designed stainless-steel panels that will undulate in a basket-weave pattern that reflects the buildings and street life around them in a manner vaguely reminiscent of Anish Kapoor's Cloud Gate. The idea: Look at us, and see yourself.

Whether Mills Corp., the project developer, can pull all of this off is unclear. If it does, 108 N. State could be Chicago's newest spot in which to see and be seen, in more ways than one.

a semi sigh of releif. i like what he says about how ther keeping alot of the visual aspects of the designs but im not sure i like some of the layout in the 3d graphic. i dont think that the state and randolph corner is a place for a residential tower. that corner should be the entertainment hub of the project. also although the greenspace in the center looks like it might be cool , i would much rather the pedestrians flood the streets than to be standing around in the center courtyard thingi

So the podium is gone? No shopping podium and not roof garden?

I don't like to be negative, but this project seems so timid. There are so many possibilities for such an outstanding site, and what I'm seeing is so safe. At least it will be developed in pieces. That leaves some hope that something really incredible might still happen.

I hope the hotel and residential sides will be designed by a big-name architect, even a rising star (So sorry, Lowenberg does not qualify).

^ LIke HowardL, I'm a little underwhelmed by this project. What really seems worth celebrating is the fact that there are now real signs that that vacant lot is becoming history. The components they are building now, however, aren't that exciting in and of themselves. A medium-sized office building (by downtown Chicago standards) with only one tenant that actually signed a contract being constructed in a weak office market. OK, I grant that a street-level TV studio is exciting, but another street-level TV studio is being built within an existing building elsewhere, so this is not exactly even unique. The mix of retailers is fine -- nothing to complain about -- but nothing to write home about either. I don't hear any specific mention of a unique entertainment center as had been mentioned in the past. There is apparently adamant refusal by the city to include a movie theater, a fact I find frankly *BIZARRE*. There is nothing "downscale" about a multiplex, and if we're talking in terms of pedestrian-scale, rather than auto-scale, that part of downtown lacks a movie theater, especially with Fine Arts having closed. If there was serious interest by Mills to build a theater there, to which Daley demurred, then analysis must have supported the idea of existing demand there. Well that's just dumb for Daley to ignore demand and focus on his personal preferences. A lot of people would love a first-run theater there.

There have been so many (overblown in my opinion) comparisons between this project and Times Square. Well part of what makes Times Square so vibrant is the throngs of people going to the movies there. Multiplexes generate throngs, and so if this project is supposed to be "throng-inducing," why not?

Its too hard to tell whether the architecture will be anything outstanding, as Nance said. But my goodness, the pace at which this project has moved is snail-like. MoMo is going up across the street, but meanwhile, Mills hasn't yet even gotten started on the residential portion of this. Apparently it seems there is still such a hex on Block 37 that, in the midst of a downtown residential boom, the residential component of Block 37 STILL amounts to mere talk.

Then to top it all off you have trains to the airport, for which a study found weak demand. And did anyone else notice these trains were called "nonexpress" in the article posted above?! What?

To be sure, I don't see this development negatively. Its just that there are many more exciting developments going on in the city right now. 340 on the Park and One Museum Park are examples.

Daley's positive spin, while certainly expected or even obligatory from a politician, is nonetheless particularly separated from reality. Fifteen years ago, massive Helmut Jahn-designed office towers with something like 1.5 million square feet of space was being seriously proposed. In contrast to that, this is at best comparable in terms of excitement and adding value to the city. I think its a testament to just how impossible Block 37 is, and just how desperate the city is to develop it, that the project released today is treated as such an unqualified success.

From the looks of the new Sun-Times diagram and I am actually more excited then I was about this project. What I wanted was a good outdoor pedestrian and lounging space and in those other renderings I don't remember seeing them. From the other renderings it looked like it would all be indoor rather unexceptional retail. If they make the center of the square with the green space "atrium" somewhat cool then the project will meet my approval.
The buildings and architecture from what I can tell are not exceptional so far and that kinda sucks but it seems like not all the plans are in full detail and we can hope for some architectural creativity. When such a prime sight is well under its way I can't see how there will not be a developer and tenet that would not love to put something elegant, unique, or at least tall on such a prime sight. From the looks of the new Sun-Times diagram and I am actually more excited then I was about this project. What I wanted was a good outdoor pedestrian and lounging space and in those other renderings I don't remember seeing them. From the other renderings it looked like it would all be indoor rather unexceptional retail. If they make the center of the square with the green space "atrium" somewhat cool then the project will meet my approval.
The buildings and architecture from what I can tell are not exceptional so far and that kinda sucks but it seems like not all the plans are not in full detail and we can still hope for some architectural creativity. When such a prime sight is well under its way I can't see how there will not be a developer and tenet that would not love to put something elegant, unique, or at least tall on such a prime sight.

The rooftop garden? Are there now plans for it not to be included? As nice as the thought at it was it is not the end of the world if it doesn't get done. How they landscape the atrium and pedestrain area in the center is of much much more importance IMO.
It would be cool if they cool build the arch in Lakeshore East and somehow incorperate it into one of the new buildings at Block 37.

From the looks of the new Sun-Times diagram and I am actually more excited then I was about this project. What I wanted was a good outdoor pedestrian and lounging space and in those other renderings I don't remember seeing them.............................................................
...........................................................................The rooftop garden? Are there now plans for it not to be included? As nice as the thought at it was it is not the end of the world if it doesn't get done. How they landscape the atrium and pedestrain area in the center is of much much more importance IMO.
i accualy dissagree. i feel this project is meant to promote throngs of pedestrians to the street , and if there all in the atrium then the streets will look dead. keep em all on the streets were things are happening and excitement fills the air were all walks of life are crouding the sidewalks keeping the area alive and buzzing!

now might be the perfect time to invest in mills corp. the price just went down and once the shit hits the fan about them breaking ground this week , you'll suddently see a spike in the value of that stock. so if anyone gets rich from my stock tip ill let you know were to send the tip fee (and if you go broke,what tip ? i never gave a tip? whos wickedestcity anyways? i never herd of him. skyscraper what? .... well who told you to listen to me anyways) :laugh:
http://chart.finance.yahoo.com/c/3m/m/mls

lol god i love always beeing right!! up 4 points to 41.83 !!! and it jumped right whgen i said it would. so did anyone take my advice?

Looks like they're putting up some scaffolding for a pedestrian walkway.

That's encoruaging news, more so than the groundbreaking.

Is the pedway between the blue and red lines going to be closed soon? I'm guessing they would have to close it.

Is the pedway between the blue and red lines going to be closed soon? I'm guessing they would have to close it.

I thought it was already closed? Nov 16th? That is what all the signs are saying. Also aren't their two pedestrian tunnels? One at the mezzanine level and the other at the track level? Will both be closed?

Last time I was in it I transfered from the blue to the redline on thanksgiving night.

I use the transfer tunnels every day and no, they aren't closed. My understanding is that the two tunnels (one at Washington and one at Jackson) will remain open throughout the project. The only pedway closings are from Daley Plaza and Fields (I believe). <-- don't hold me to that one though

Also, as far as I know... there is only one tunnel at each station and it is on the platform level, not the mezzanine.

just thought i would post a small quick update.

they are doing digging on the southwest corner today.

Sweet! Thanx man. Sometimes, quickies are the best.

they also cut down all the trees on the site and at around 2:30 or so there were at least a half dozen comed trucks and 4 bulldozers working.

Alright!! REAL activity, good to hear.

Diggin' away...

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y150/wjcordier/Block372005-12-07-1.jpg

^^Great.

dig baby dig

Alright!! REAL activity, good to hear.

And good to see :) . Thanks wrabbit!

Good news...

Finally... now that is a great begining of my REAL conclusion of paper from early this year(if, I was still doing it)... about construction instead of ending my paper open-ended.

My conclusion from like April from this year was

This is how Block 37 changes over the years, from rat-infested buildings to this transportation center in the future. Construction is going to start very soon, specifically, fall of 2005 or when all of the necessary approval has been obtain. Construction can cause traffic jams and more parking restrictions around Block 37. Underneath Block 37, are many CTA tunnels and many electrical lines which can be hazardous while constructing. There is a Blue and Red Line stop at Washington with a transfer tunnel under Washington Street, which is where Block 37 is. As a result, that tunnel is most-likely to be shut down, because of construction above. Only time can tell, if all of the proposals go as planned or when will the actually construction start. Block 37 will be forever change regardless of what happens in present day.

Good news!
:dance:

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=18918

Morningstar finalizes 15-year lease for Block 37
(Crain's) — Morningstar Inc. has signed a 15-year lease with developer The Mills Corp. for office space at Block 37, the long-delayed mixed-use project in the Loop, Mills said Friday.

The Chicago provider of investment research will be the largest tenant in the planned office tower at 108 N. State St., occupying about 210,000 square feet over eight floors.

Morningstar said back in September that it had signed a letter of intent to move its headquarters into the development. In April, Mills announced that WBBM-Channel 2 would lease about 100,000 square feet for offices and a showcase television studio. The CTA is also planning a station underneath the complex for shuttle service between downtown and Chicago’s two airports.

Construction on Block 37 began in November.

The 16—story office tower and CBS 2’s broadcast center are expected to be completed by 2007, while the retail dining and entertainment component of the site will be finished by spring 2008. Morningstar is expected to move into its new space in March 2008.

http://img463.imageshack.us/img463/9603/og031405e2ft.gif

Star tenant for Block 37
Morningstar signs on; developer Mills a takeover possibility

By Thomas A. Corfman
Tribune staff reporter
Published December 24, 2005


Mills Corp. and Morningstar Inc. said Friday that the investment research firm, as expected, has agreed to move its headquarters to the Block 37 development, amid speculation that the Virginia developer is vulnerable to a takeover.

"It's such a dynamic development right in the heart of Chicago, and to be a key part of that, we're very excited," said Joe Mansueto, Morningstar's chairman and chief executive.

Morningstar has signed a 15-year lease for 210,000 square feet of office space in the Block 37 project, which the city has renamed 108 N. State.

In an effort to make a quick profit on the deal, Mills executives are holding discussions with developers about selling off the office portion of the project, which also would include the studios of WBBM-Ch. 2, according to people close to the development.

The real estate investment trust's fortunes have fallen since Oct. 31, when the REIT delayed its third-quarter earnings. Shortly after it disclosed an unexpected $20 million loss, acknowledged accounting "control deficiencies" and declined to offer guidance on its financial performance in 2006.

"Potential bidders are likely circling Mills," analyst Jonathan Litt of Citigroup Inc. said in a Dec. 2 report, citing the REIT's declining stock price, a large development pipeline that's in need of cash and the limited number of malls nationwide that are up for sale.

"Mills is a black box right now, with high risk but potentially high reward," he said.

A Mills spokeswoman declined to comment on the report. Mansueto said any takeover wouldn't affect the Block 37 development.

Construction has started on the mixed-used development on a block bounded by State, Dearborn, Randolph and Washington Streets, which has been vacant since 1989.

Morningstar, which was represented by real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield Inc., will move from its current West Loop location at 225 W. Wacker Drive in March 2008. The Block 37 lease had been expected since Sept. 1, after Morningstar signed a letter of intent.

Morningstar will take eight floors in a 16-story, 400,000-square-foot building at the corner of Dearborn and Washington. The building is anchored by the CBS affiliate, which is taking the first five floors of the structure.

To establish Morningstar's identity on the building, the company will have a large sign at the top of the structure, on the Dearborn side, overlooking Daley Plaza, and a large "financial information display" on the Washington side, closer to street level.

The CBS and Morningstar leases have surprised some observers because few office tenants favor a Central Loop location.

"Kudos to Mills for landing two tenants, because that is not one of the `alpha' sites in downtown Chicago," said Richard Schuham, executive vice president with tenant representative firm Studley Inc., which isn't involved in the deal.

But Mansueto said, "It's an area that's being reinvigorated." He said he was aware of Mills' talks with other developers, but said Morningstar is protected by its lease.

Mills declined to comment on discussions with developers, but the talks do not come as a surprise. The REIT had a letter of intent with Dallas-based Lincoln Property Co. to develop the office part of the development, but the deal fell apart before the Morningstar deal came along.

As recently as last month, Mills executives said they planned to develop the office portion themselves.

For a year, Mills has been negotiating with German investment firm Kan Am to be a joint venture partner in Block 37, though a deal has not been reached.

Many analysts predict Mills has more bad financial news in its pipeline. Merrill Lynch's Steve Sakwa said the REIT may take a hit of "upwards of $30 million" on a stalled San Francisco development.

Mills' stock price has dropped 20 percent since Oct. 31, closing Friday at $42.90 a share in trading on the New York Stock Exchange. A REIT spokeswoman said any write-offs wouldn't affect the Chicago project.

With the public plaza in the middle of the Block 37 rendering does anyone else think it will end up akin to Monument Circle in Indy?

After about seven months away, I visited Chicago last week. Here are some snapshots of Block 37 taken on Christmas Day.

From the northwest corner:

http://images.snapfish.com/345949572%7Ffp336%3Enu%3D3248%3E9%3A9%3E937%3EWSNRCG%3D323342%3C495633nu0mrj

http://images.snapfish.com/345949572%7Ffp337%3Enu%3D3248%3E9%3A9%3E937%3EWSNRCG%3D323342%3C495635nu0mrj


http://images.snapfish.com/345949572%7Ffp337%3Enu%3D3248%3E9%3A9%3E937%3EWSNRCG%3D323342%3C495636nu0mrj


From the west looking east:

http://images.snapfish.com/345949572%7Ffp336%3Enu%3D3248%3E9%3A9%3E937%3EWSNRCG%3D323342%3C495638nu0mrj

Looking east from the southwest corner:

http://images.snapfish.com/345949572%7Ffp338%3Enu%3D3248%3E9%3A9%3E937%3EWSNRCG%3D323342%3C495639nu0mrj

Looking northeast:

http://images.snapfish.com/345949572%7Ffp336%3Enu%3D3248%3E9%3A9%3E937%3EWSNRCG%3D323342%3C49563%3Anu0mrj

I am so excited for this area. It's truly the most "chicago" place in Chicago.

I still dont get it. Daley is far from being an idiot....or so id like to think. why doesent he see that the area is dif. than it was 20 years ago? a movie theater as part of this developement wouldnt atract the scum it did back then. Why doesent he understand that it was more a product of the overal decay in the area that has long since been cleaned up? Is it just me or do you guys also feel that a movie theater on the corner of State and Randolph would be a great addition to this location and Block 37 venue.Im envisioning somthing like huge majestic 10 story entrace with all the proper flashy lights ornamenting the grand entrance, a half a dozen of those big searchlights flashing there beams to the sky. 25-30 IMAX style screens with state of the art technologie, somthing chicago can use to host a real red carpet premier shindig. the location realy begs for it now that theres so many residents living in the area. and plus what good upstanding theater district doesent have a movie theater! so why doesent daley ee the benefits? is our king a compleat moron?

Who says there won't be a movie theatre? It hasn't been announced, but then again, not much else has been in this whole development.

Also, IMAX screens are a waste except in touristy places like Navy Pier. In other places they've been converted into other kinds of screens.

I totally agree with the idea of a movie theater complex. But it if they stick with the original design I find it difficult it will work out.

Who says there won't be a movie theatre? It hasn't been announced, but then again, not much else has been in this whole development.
Daley did.this is a discution topic that started way before you came to this forum. he doesent like the idea,since last he remembers the previouse movie theater that was on that site became a real eye soar compleat with crack whores, drunken homeless bums and all. so when the idea was brought up he shot the idea down.

^^Yeah I know he doesn't like movie theatres because of their history, but then again, since when have we counted on him to stay consistent (like his change over the Olympics)? I think if someone were to present him a plan to create an innovative, upscale theatre he would reconsider.

Daley did.this is a discution topic that started way before you came to this forum. he doesent like the idea,since last he remembers the previouse movie theater that was on that site became a real eye soar compleat with crack whores, drunken homeless bums and all. so when the idea was brought up he shot the idea down.

Lol...and yet look what the AMC 21 has done for that area and look at how awful the Century has treated Evanston. He needs to get his head out of his ass and approve the movie theater. But I still love Daley!

Lol...and yet look what the AMC 21 has done for that area and look at how awful the Century has treated Evanston.
What's so bad about them?

What's so bad about them?


I think he was being sarcastic.

http://www.crainschicago.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=19045

Mills committed to Block 37 despite financial woes
By Alby Gallun

The developer of Block 37 is retrenching amid financial difficulties but plans to push ahead with the Loop mixed-use project.

Arlington, Va.-based Mills Corp. said Friday that it plans to restate earnings, take about $76 million in charges, cut jobs and cancel some projects. But Block 37, which sits across State Street from Marshall Field’s flagship store, is one of several developments that will continue, the company said in a press release.

“We intend to enhance our focus on those projects with the greatest potential for shareholder value creation,” Mills President Mark Ettenger said in the release.

Mills’ plans for Block 37 include retail and office space, a hotel and condos and an express subway with links to O’Hare International and Midway airports. WBBM-TV/Channel 2 has agreed to open a street-level broadcast studio on the site and mutual fund research firm Morningstar Inc. in December signed a 15-year lease for 210,000 square foot of office space in the development. Mills broke ground on the project in November.

Mills has come under scrutiny in recent months after reporting disappointing earnings in November. Its shares have fallen 29% in the last 12 months.

Something caught my attention in the business section of the Tribune. They had a piece on Gensler and in many of the pictures you could see somewhat interesting 3D diagrams of B37. Anyway, I think I remember that the Tribune said it was a 17 story building. But more interesting was the fact that if Mills could sign more tenants they'd be able to add more floors to the building.

Perhaps I haven't been following this development too well. But I thought there was only a 4 story retail component to B37? This article (it'll be online soon) says 4 stories of above ground retail in addition to 4 stories of below ground retail.

I still think this development should be taller Christ they are building taller Condos in Evanston....come on this is the center of the center....it should be truly awesome and grand

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-0601220225jan22,1,5052844.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

Architects' pace rapidly builds
Developers have added incentive to grab tenants, and by designing buildings quickly, they'll land business--even begin construction early

By Susan Diesenhouse
Tribune staff reporter
Published January 22, 2006

108 N. State St.

To meet the tight design schedule for its portion of the approximately $300 million first phase mixed-use complex slated for 108 N. State St., Gensler tried an approach that is being adopted by more and more architectural firms. It broke the retail and underground train station structures that it is designing into smaller pieces: the foundation, parking, train station and four stories of retail below ground and the four stories of retail above.

The 400,000 square feet of retail must open by the first quarter of 2008 to meet city goals and to serve those who will occupy the complex's 17-story office tower. Anchor tenants Morningstar, the financial research firm, and broadcaster CBS, hope to move into their new offices by the end of 2007. That tower, being designed by Perkins+Will, must be planned with the possibility that Mills Corp., of Arlington, Va., the developer, may add several stories if it signs up additional tenants, said a Perkins spokeswoman.

Adding upper stories is in itself an unusual break from the past. Additions to office buildings more often come in the form of a horizontal wing or a companion tower--not extra floors above the base, explained Janet Stegman, a Boston architect. "It's not your everyday approach but makes sense when land values are high," she explained.

In the past, Gensler architects would have finished creating their portion of the complex before any construction started, said Grant Uhlir, the Gensler partner in charge of designing the glass-and-metal retail building and the underground transit station. "Just a couple of years ago, it would have been design, bid, build," he said.

Once the firm broke the project into smaller design components, it had to reconfigure how its team approached the work. Last summer, Gensler's architects cleared out part of their office to set up a project workspace for themselves and their outside consultants--a team of 45 people. And to streamline communications, the team included structural, civil, mechanical and electrical engineers and representatives of the contractor and owner.

"We can share knowledge and communicate instantly without waiting for return calls or e-mails. That avoids mistakes down the road and there will be a time saving of maybe 15 percent," Uhlir explained.

Last week, for example, Uriel Schlair, the "above ground" team coordinator, had questions about the Dearborn Street entrance. How big will it be? Will it interfere with city sewers or underground electric vaults?

"Because everyone I needed to talk to is right here we solved half the problems in one day rather than several," Schlair said. "This is really complex; that's why I love it."

Jerry McElvain, the "below ground" coordinator, expects to shave about 30 percent off the time needed for his team's assignment. "Today, one of the above ground structural engineers wanted to lower a beam three feet but first he turned around and asked me if that would work with my stairs and air ducts," he said. "No missed calls or e-mails or need to write back and ask, `What did you mean by this?'"

Doing more work at a faster clip also has improved Gensler's finances. Nationwide, its 28 offices generated $311 million in revenues in 2005, said Uhlir. He declined to reveal the firm's profit margin, but industrywide they are usually about 10 percent. After the economic slowdown in 2000, Gensler's results declined, but with its new approach to design, including the use of the latest technologies, company revenues are "back in the ballpark" of where it had been in the heyday of the mid-1990s, Uhlir said.

In the last 12 months, the Gensler office here has added 62 people, bringing its total to 163. Hailing from places like Germany, Serbia and Canada as well as the U.S., some of the new people are a different breed. They are adept at both traditional architectural drawings, but also operate building information modeling software, which is an automated three-dimensional illustrating tool that also crunches numbers.

Once an architect feeds project information into the database, a visual image automatically pops up with dimensions and prices of structural elements such as beams and windows. Since the images can be launched on a Web site, members of the project team can all work together in real time, saving thousands of work hours.

Finally scanned the image.

http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/6273/108nstate9ox.jpg
In the computers you can see 3D models of B37.

The guy holds up the "woven" material being used.

Another model of B37.

I may be in the minority but I am really really underwhelmed by this project......I really think it lacks any "omph"....it doesn't seem to elicit any type of emotional response on it being viewed......one word Banal.....

I may be in the minority but I am really really underwhelmed by this project......I really think it lacks any "omph"....it doesn't seem to elicit any type of emotional response on it being viewed......one word Banal.....

just a suggestion, forumly. try something different with this building. try, if you can, not to view it as a whole, but see it as different buildings facing different streets. That is, look at it from State Street and think retail. See it from Randolph and see its connection to the threatre district. From Dearborn, examine its relationship with the Daley Center.

If you can break your paradigm to see this building not as a whole rather than how it relates to various streetscapes, you may be able to appreciate it more.

I'm having a hard time understanding this whole project, what the hell is it supposed to be? I've heard mention of a Times Square type development but those renderings
don't do it justice if that's what it's supposed to resemble. CBS is going with a 80ft. x 20ft. video screen along with a news ticker wrapping around the building, and Morning Star is following suit with it's own stocks and financial news ticker along it's building, so are all these buildings gonna be giant advertisements with billboards and neon lights with video screens 50 feet in the air? I wouldn't have a problem if it ended up like that but I think you would have to convince the entire area to join in with the lights, advertisements and tickers and what not, it would look silly if it were confined to one block, IMHO of course.

They aren't really advertisements, except for maybe CBS and Morningstar. I don't think we'll see Coke ads or something on them, just ticker symbols and weather and news updates/video. Also, ABC 7's new studio will also have plasmas, a ticker, and this cool artsy video screen the curves.

I'd also rather this not be Times Square full of Planet Hollywood's and MTV's and all the rest of America's national chains. I wouldn't mind the vibrancy though :)

I think we should wait and see before giving out the final verdict, since we've only seen one of many components of this project. We still have the retail (4 story above + 4 below?) and the hotel and the residential and the CTA station. But to tell you the truth, this office part came out better than I expected for the most part, even if it isn't the "instant landmark" we all hoped for.

I don't think we'll see Coke ads or something on them,

That's what you think. As a member of the advertising industry, I'm confident the only large screens in the loop will be hocking Coke and ipods and Herpacil PM in no time. Gotta love capitalism!

just a suggestion, forumly. try something different with this building. try, if you can, not to view it as a whole, but see it as different buildings facing different streets. That is, look at it from State Street and think retail. See it from Randolph and see its connection to the threatre district. From Dearborn, examine its relationship with the Daley Center.

If you can break your paradigm to see this building not as a whole rather than how it relates to various streetscapes, you may be able to appreciate it more.

perhaps you are right.....but just from the renderings....since that is all we have at this point.....it just doesn't do it for me.....I hope in real life it will make a better impression on me and that it changes my opinion

^ I hear ya about the chain thing SpuyGuy, (sorta cheesy) but I think that's pretty much the only way that you can get all those reds, greens, blues, yellows and pinks in one place. The most exciting part for me would be the lighting, I don't know that's just me, I guess i'm easily entertained and a cheap date, but lights always do it for me. I really hope that they do incorporate the Vegas style lights sometime in the future, but that would probably depend on how successful it becomes, then, in-turn the surrounding area not wanting to go unoticed (or just looking boring) might be forced to join in, next thing you know, we got something of a Times Sqaure look, but not necessarily the same occupants. Anyway enough rambling, so is the ABC broadcast center a part of Block 37 too, or is it close? That would be nice to see two media outlets there, lot's of exposure.

ABC 7 is close but not a part of B37.

perhaps you are right.....but just from the renderings....since that is all we have at this point.....it just doesn't do it for me.....I hope in real life it will make a better impression on me and that it changes my opinion

i believe they are at a disadvantage here, having been given a situation that is generally one that is not favorable to architecture: build a base because the market is ready for it, but hold off on anyting definitive above that base.

i don't see this as a fatal flaw. Instead, it means that serious design of the towers above the base and how they will fit together as a whole won't happen until we know the needs and requirements of the towers.

in other words: (and with CBS on a corner!): stay tuned.

David Roeder
Clouds gathering over Block 37 developer

January 25, 2006

BY DAVID ROEDER SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST




It was just two months ago that Mills Corp. and its best friend in Chicago, WBBM-Channel 2, went in together on a lavish bash highlighting the first tangible progress for downtown's stubbornly empty Block 37. The event, which an authoritative source said cost $175,000, used dancing girls and smiling news personalities to promote CBS' decision to have its Chicago affiliate anchor a new office building on the site.

Since then, the news for Mills has been nothing but negative, calling into question its ability to proceed with other phases of the development. It has announced a need to restate earnings for the second time in less than 12 months, admitted that the Securities and Exchange Commission is reviewing its books, scrapped support for 10 long-term projects (but not Block 37), said it's in default on some loans and obtained $150 million as a short-term bailout.

The price of the stock is down by 40 percent since the start of 2005. Shareholder lawsuits are attaching themselves like barnacles to this real estate investment trust, which owns Gurnee Mills and 41 other malls.

Then last week came perhaps the worst news for those rooting for Block 37. Mills' first source of equity money when it wants a partner, German property investor KanAM International GmbH, halted redemptions in two of its funds because people were pulling out cash in a stampede. One fund, worth about $3.9 billion, tallied redemption requests for 20 percent of its assets in just one day, said Bloomberg News.

The rush to the exits started after a German rating agency slapped a "sell" rating on the funds because of concerns about KanAm's tie to Mills. A KanAm spokesman said the rating cut was "surprising and on factual grounds incomprehensible," noting that the funds earned strong returns. Most of KanAm's Mills money is believed to be in other funds.

But the problem may have ruptured a long-term relationship that's been helpful to Mills. KanAm executives co-founded Mills, and its funds are invested in 12 of its projects, including a $1.3 billion shopping center and entertainment complex planned for the Meadowlands in New Jersey. Mills has been talking with KanAm about a Block 37 stake.

Make no mistake, the CBS building is a secure deal. It's got long-term leases with both Channel 2 and the investment firm Morningstar Inc. The building should occupy the northeast corner of Dearborn and Washington.

What about the rest of the block, the promised retail Valhalla along State Street, the theaters, the classy hotel and the obelisks flashing digital readouts of news and travel information? It's becoming less likely that, if it happens, Mills will be the responsible party. The inescapable forecast is that more delays are due for the block between the Daley Center and Marshall Field's some 16 years after its last buildings were torn down.

Connie Buscemi, spokeswoman for the city's Planning Department, said her agency remains in close touch with Mills about Block 37, whose official name is 108 N. State. "Their continuing financial saga has absolutely no impact on 108 N. State, nor will it," Buscemi said.

But events are overtaking the official reaction. Mills Chairman Laurence Siegel has left open the possibility of a sale, perhaps the only way he gets out on his own terms. A Mills spokesman and its executive vice president in charge of Block 37, Steven Jacobsen, did not return calls Tuesday.

"We question whether Mills has the resources, time or execution capability to thrive as a public company," analyst David Fick, who tracks the stock for Stifel, Nicolaus & Co. Inc., told the Washington Post. Fick, who has a "hold" rating on the shares, is a former finance executive at Mills.

Investors want stable returns from real estate stocks. They want to buy into rent-collection machines, but will tolerate iffy development deals if the companies are well run. Now reviewing "accounting errors" that go back to 2000, Mills doesn't fit that profile by any stretch.

crap, when first hearing about Mill's finacial troubles I was thinking the normal ups and downs of a buisness but it seems they might be really over their head and this could more then likely will get yucky.

It is good that the Chan.2 deal is assured even if Mills does go down the toliet. It would at least give someone else the momentium to carry the torch. Still, it would delay and complicate matters without quesiton I would think. It might be difficult to make sure that quality doesn't take a hit as a result. Hopefully it wouldn't.

crap, when first hearing about Mill's finacial troubles I was thinking the normal ups and downs of a buisness but it seems they might be really over their head and this could more then likely will get yucky.

It is good that the Chan.2 deal is assured even if Mills does go down the toliet. It would at least give someone else the momentium to carry the torch. Still, it would delay and complicate matters without quesiton I would think. It might be difficult to make sure that quality doesn't take a hit as a result. Hopefully it wouldn't.

^ My sentiments exactly. At least the office tower/street-level TV station portion will be built.

This corresponds to many of our convictions, that Mills will likely fail as a "master developer" for this site and that it should be partioned off to multiple developers. I just hope that the City's Dept of Planning and Devt acts to ensure quality development for this highly prominent site, perhaps also by encouraging developers to still use Perkins & Will's architectural schematic.

Downtown real estate is becoming too valuable--eventually something great will be built there, I just think Mills wasn't able to make it happen

Well, this is disturbing.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-0601260090jan26,1,133051.story?coll=chi-business-hed

2 Chicago firms finalists on Block 37 office building

By Thomas A. Corfman
Tribune staff reporter
Published January 26, 2006


Amid continued uncertainty about the developer of Block 37, Mills Corp. has narrowed its search for a new entity to take over the office building portion of the mixed-use project that will be anchored by WBBM-Ch. 2 and investment research firm Morningstar Inc.

The finalists include two Chicago development firms, Golub & Co. and Fifield Cos., as well as the local office of Houston-based Hines Interests LP, according to sources familiar with the negotiations.

Falling share prices and other financial woes have made Mills vulnerable to a takeover bid and raised questions about the REIT's ability to finance Block 37. But some experts not involved in the development say that financing depends on Mills' ability to secure leases in the project.

"Retail is hot, and there are so many avenues for capital," said David Stone, president of Chicago-based Stone Real Estate Corp.

To raise cash Mills has been looking to sell off the office project, a 16-story, 400,000-square-foot building, which would be located at the corner of Dearborn and Washington Streets. If a deal is reached Mills would then focus on the retail portion of the $295 million project.

Morningstar and Channel 2 have already signed long-term leases for most of the office space, making the project easier to finance. The new office developer would make an upfront payment to Mills while undertaking the risk of completing construction on time and within budget.

Each of the finalists has strong resumes, but Golub has ties to Channel 2. Last month the developer purchased the station's current Streeterville building for $26 million, with plans to build an apartment complex on the site after the station moves.

Representatives of the REIT and its adviser, real estate finance firm Holliday Fenoglio Fowler LP, declined to comment on the negotiations.

Questions about Mills have raised concerns among German investors, who started pulling money out of two funds managed by Munich-based KanAm International, the REIT's longtime finance partner. Last year KanAm was close to a deal to finance Block 37.

The KanAm funds were frozen last week to prevent a liquidity crisis, which has prompted speculation that KanAm has pulled out of the Chicago project, which has been renamed 108 N. State. But a Mills spokeswoman said negotiations are continuing.

"We are in discussions with KanAm on a lot of projects, including 108 N. State," she said.

----------

tcorfman@tribune.com

They may as well just let some West African nation build an embassy on this block and then it would't be U.S. territory anymore, henceforth, we wouldn't have to watch over-eager and under-funded developers grandious ideas come to a screeching hault every few years. Knowing this blocks history, the day it's complete, a massive hurricane will form in Lake Michigan and instinctively find it's way to 108 N. State.

^^ haha

i dont understand it . this is prettey much the last developable plot of land in its ranking of importance in location in Chicago...make that the Midwest....make that the US. why ahvent more developers caught wind of this location and its posibilities?

INSIDE INFORMATION

NEW CONSTRUCTION

Published January 30, 2006


The following construction projects are coming up for bid. Listings include project city, name of project, address, description, start date and project value. Complete bidding details and contact information can be found at BidClerk.com.

COOK COUNTY
................... ................................ ....................................................... ........................ ....... .blahblahblah ...................... ............................. ........................
Chicago--Block 37 retail building, 108 N. State St., 400,000-square-foot mixed-use building, February, $200 million


sweet!

does this mean is block 37 is for sale again?

does this mean is block 37 is for sale again?

No, I believe it's a bid for construction.

does this mean is block 37 is for sale again?

No, they post new construction in the Tribune almost every week. This is just public information so that there is a fair bidding process. It's also a great place to find out about new projects.

Ahhhh yes, a webcam capturing the northern two-thirds of the site:

http://38.112.40.106:8081/CgiStart?page=Single&Language=0

In time (assuming it stays on-line) the webcam will be great for watching Joffrey Tower go up...

http://www.studio1304.com/webcam/cam_1_archive.jpg

They sure are moving around a lot of earth. Still, I guess the transit station is being tunneled and not dug out and later covered...

Anyone know?

Whoa! That camera is awesome (like the Columbian one). Where'd you find it?

Also, TransitEngr knows a lot about the transportation part of it.

Ahhhh yes, a webcam capturing the northern two-thirds of the site:

In time (assuming it stays on-line) the webcam will be great for watching Joffrey Tower go up...

They sure are moving around a lot of earth. Still, I guess the transit station is being tunneled and not dug out and later covered...

Anyone know?

My understanding is that there is nothing happening with any new tunnels yet, and when/if they are done they will be tunneled.

Also, unless that camera moves, you won't be able to see Joffrey (MoMo) go up, the site is off to the upper left corner of that picture....

My understanding is that there is nothing happening with any new tunnels yet, and when/if they are done they will be tunneled.

Also, unless that camera moves, you won't be able to see Joffrey (MoMo) go up, the site is off to the upper left corner of that picture....


OK, I just checked out the site, the picture is adustable. I'll have to see what it looks like during the day, but you should have a view of Joffrey once it gets a little ways up.

David Roeder
Block 37 plans spare the details, fail to floor us

February 15, 2006

BY DAVID ROEDER SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST




After all the public subsidies poured into the empty Loop tract known as Block 37 -- and the total that's been spent and promised surpasses $76 million -- Chicagoans have a natural interest in what the "mixed use" project will look like, especially on its State Street side. If they saw the sketchy plans of the developer, Mills Corp., I'm not sure they'd think the subsidies and the years of waiting were worth it.

Mills Vice President Lawrence Costello discussed the plans Tuesday morning during a convention sponsored by the International Council of Shopping Centers. Before a rapt audience of about 300 at the Hyatt Regency downtown, Costello showed tentative floor plans for the site and one of them contained a surprise.

On the fourth level, the highest and the one Mills labeled its prime retail floor, the entire State Street frontage was assigned to Lucky Strike Lanes. That's a Hollywood-based concept that blends bowling and pool tables with a swanky nightclub. It's very high-end, and if you don't believe me, you can check out the Lucky Strike in Streeterville's River East complex.

But the fact remains that State Street across from Marshall Field's would be branded with a bowling alley. Mills has announced topflight dining tenants for Block 37 and some exclusive small-scale retailers, but so far has been unable to produce the kinds of stores that pull in a lot of shoppers. And the third level in Mills' design was given over mostly to a food court, hardly a new idea.

G. Brent Minor, an executive committee member of the Chicago Loop Alliance and a businessman who has tracked Block 37 planning, said he's happy with the Mills design because Lucky Strike is crucial to the site's entertainment appeal. "They have to get people up to the fourth floor," he said.

Left open, however, is the question of what faces the street for the other three floors. On that point, Costello was no help. "The lease plan is an evolving thing," he said.

Costello was a late fill-in for the Block 37 program. The Mills executive with direct responsibility for the block, Executive Vice President Steven Jacobsen, was the scheduled speaker but recently fell off a horse and will wear a back brace for a few weeks, company executives said.

May he enjoy a quick recovery. But the mishap reinforces the notion that there's something cursed about this project, a case of urban renewal gone awry. Now that crews have started digging there, they'll probably discover an old Native American burial ground, just so progress can come to a halt once more.

I cant really tell if this article is negative or not. But I do like the idea of having Lucky Strike on the State St. side. It gives a good mix of entertainment and shopping on State.

Again I have to reiterate this project as envisioned just does not "grab me".....it really seems rather bland and pedestrian for such a prime location.......I think this could be done better

Hopefully the entire project doesn't fall off a horse.

Maybe they should just quit right now and use it for BMX/Motorcross/dirtbike races. With all those hills of dirt piled around, the site is ready to go.

Lucky strike? I'm sorry, but that's not the unique shopping/entertainment destination that was promised. Hell, there's even a Lucky Strike a couple of miles away in Streeterville. What do you expect from a Virginia company that specializes in surburban malls and other schlock?

This is starting to look PRETTY lame. For all the hype and excitement, we're not getting too much in return.

Why is it only 4 floors?

^^I think this is an unknown. We've all seen renderings for 4 floors, but the Tribune article clearly says 4 floors above and 4 below. Maybe it was an typo, or maybe we just don't know something?

I'm always on edge about Block 37. It needs come off well. No other project in the works has as much potential to change the dynamic of the Loop. Sure, there are taller and more beautiful buildings under construction (Waterview, Trump), but Block 37 could be a destination and a source of vibrancy in a way that no residential building could be.

I'm still optimistic about the potential retailers... Lucky Strikes should try a new concept... Bowling alley/exotic dancers... Maybe a dance club.

I'm still optimistic about the potential retailers... Lucky Strikes should try a new concept... Bowling alley/exotic dancers... Maybe a dance club.

No exotic dancers...

Why not? A high end strip club (oxymoron?) can cater to plenty of horny business men...

I am just all but sure if this thing is pulled off it is going to be lame-o-rama in caps.......I have a vision of a plot w/ essentially an anonymous suburban style entertainment complex......it will not scream chicago.....

.....it should scream chicago

http://www.suntimes.com/output/business/cst-fin-mills17.html

Business
Financial pinch for Block 37 player

February 17, 2006

BY DAVID ROEDER AND FRAN SPIELMAN Staff Reporter

Mills Corp., the developer of Block 37 in downtown Chicago, is close to selling two major portions of the property, sources said Thursday.

Word of the looming sales comes amid new reports that suggest financial pressures on Mills will force the company to put itself up for sale, allowing another interest to gain control of the Loop project.
Mills is in final negotiations with developer Hines Interests LP to sell it an office building now under construction on the site, the sources said. They also said Chicago residential specialist Golub & Co. is Mills' preferred bidder for the block's high-rise condominium component, which could end up as one or two towers.
A sale of the pieces, which has been part of Mills' plans to phase in the complex project, would give the company cash to tackle the retail part of the block. Retail is Mills specialty, and it has announced a few agreements with small stores, but larger operators haven't signed on.

Whether Mills will sell off its entire stake in the downtown site between the Daley Center and Marshall Field's is a distinct possibility. It has restated earnings twice in the last year, delayed the earnings report for its latest quarter and admitted the Securities and Exchange Commission is checking its books.

On Thursday, the Wall Street Journal and the Australian newspaper reported Mills has hired J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. to consider offers for all or parts of the company. A Mills spokesman characterized those reports as "rumors" and declined to comment.

Several experts in retailing said the growing uncertainty about Mills would not hurt the financial viability of the Chicago project. Their opinions were divided on whether they believed Mills would sell the retail part of Block 37 or see it through.

Representatives of Hines and Golub did not comment or could not be reached. The office building, now under construction at the northeast corner of Dearborn and Washington, has signed leases with WBBM-Channel 2 and the investment firm Morningstar Inc.

Mills shares lost 8 cents in Thursday's trading to close at $42.14. Early word of the company's potential sale surfaced during Wednesday's trading, and the shares rose more than 8 percent for the day. But their 52-week performance is a loss of 27 percent.

A top retail executive in Chicago said he expects Mills to sell its stake in Block 37, although he doubted buyers will line up to bid. "They are having trouble finding major retailers that will have an impact on the project," he said.

The executive also said the hiring of the investment banks was more to placate shareholders than to pursue a sale of the company. "The end of the story is a long way from being known,'' he said.

Analyst David Fick, who follows Mills shares for the brokerage Stifel, Nicolaus & Co. Inc., said the company has been a buyout candidate for some time. But he said that while its finances are in sorry shape, it can still complete Block 37 because its contacts with retailers are superb.

Fick, a former chief financial officer at Mills, recalled securing a loan for Mills from Citigroup even when the shopping mall owner was in default on two other debts to that lender. Ultimately, each development deal has to stand on its own merits, he said.

A similar view came from City Hall, which invested its political capital in Mills by picking it in 2002 to oversee the block. Mayor Daley's planning commissioner, Lori Healey, said Mills has continued to work diligently on the project. "Everything is moving ahead," she said.

Healey said she retains confidence in Mills, even though reports that it has offered itself for sale caused her to make new inquiries "to get the facts."

"We've had continued assurances that the dollars for development are different from the buying and selling of existing property," Healey said.

For analyst Ivan Feinseth at Matrix USA LLC, Mills will have no choice but to sell the company. "This has been a disaster. We still think the stock is way overvalued,'' he said.

Feinseth and other experts said Mills took on far too many speculative deals, when investors in real estate stocks want safer returns. Its largest deal in the development pipeline is a $1.2 billion Xanadu project for the Meadowlands in New Jersey, where local opposition has rendered its ultimate size uncertain.

"Mills is in a very hot sector, but they have a negative return on capital," Feinseth said.

I had a feeling this would occur. Its best for the project.

I think Mills is doing the right thing in selling portions to more experienced developers whose expertise is in office or hotel/condo. Hines and Golub are more appropriate choices. At the end, Mills can devote its attention to snagging well-known retailers to Block 37.

^ I hope this ends up benefiting this project. Good luck to Mills

I think this was inevitable and for the the best.

does anyone know if the excavation is for the ORD-B37-MDW direct line also , or just for the new building?

Given that I have heard NOTHING out of the CTA regarding station closures or transfer tunnel closures, I would have to assume that what we're seeing is strictly for the retail and office components of the project. I would expect the CTA facility to come later, although, I would have thought it easier to handle the tunnel work without the buildings above it already in existence. Anybody who knows any differently, please let us know!

No I would have to say they are doing the underground work to. Alot of the drawings that are being issued for this project include the underground tunnels and stations. I don't see why they would be releasing drawings if they were not going to use them.

awsome, thaks richardsonhomebuyers! u da man!

http://www.studio1304.com/webcam/cam_1_archive.jpg


Compared to today:
http://img357.imageshack.us/img357/6937/block371wi.jpg

Compared to today:
http://img357.imageshack.us/img357/6937/block371wi.jpg

Are you saying no work is being done on this project? Because both photos are very similar. But they are focusing on the CBS studio site which is blocked from that camera angel

I will not be surprised if Tides in LSE development has been moved to UC quicker than Block 37.

Are you saying no work is being done on this project? Because both photos are very similar. But they are focusing on the CBS studio site which is blocked from that camera angel

Of course he is. Just look at that bus; it hasn't moved in over two weeks!

:)

Actually, I believe the CBS studio site is at State and Randolph, not Dearborn and Randolph, like in the photo.

But yeah, this is kinda sad. The only thing that's changed has been the position of the vehicles on the lot. Do we know whether it's a corporate or a city-level problem?

Actually, I believe the CBS studio site is at State and Randolph, not Dearborn and Randolph, like in the photo.

But yeah, this is kinda sad. The only thing that's changed has been the position of the vehicles on the lot. Do we know whether it's a corporate or a city-level problem?

From what I understand, the studio is supposed to face Daley Plaza.

I'm not a Chicagoan and I still can't believe Block 37's getting redeveloped.

B37 from across from Daley Plaza
http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/2889/sw4.th.jpg (http://img137.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sw4.jpg)

Aerial
http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/8170/sw6.th.jpg (http://img137.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sw6.jpg)

in that aerial pic i just noticed that the space between central station and sears tower really NEEDS to be FILLED it would make the loop about twice as dense as it is. however i know thats the most booming part of the city. however the river area by riverside park really needs to be filled in. btw it wouldnt hurt to have a thousand footer in there as another peak.

Two things:

1) The CBS studio is going in the SOUTHWEST portion of the site at the corner of Washington and Dearborn.

2) Work is progressing on the site at the aforementioned location... but, nothing appears to be happening anywhere else.

We really need Devyn to stick his nose in on this one (not sure where he up and disappeared to) with some pictures from his window. He's got a clear shot of the entire site.

Here's a Block 37 web cam that shows signs of life:
http://38.112.40.106:8081/BufferingImage?Type=1&ImageAdr=0&Count=95015148

Here's a Block 37 web cam that shows signs of life:
http://38.112.40.106:8081/BufferingImage?Type=1&ImageAdr=0&Count=95015148
Forget it. Apparently it died around Feb. 24-25. May it rest in peace. :angel1:

This whole project seems dead to me and I'm one of the few optimists :)
Mills needs to sell the office and condo/hotel parts and really focus on creating an awesome retail portion. That includes creating a buzz about State St. to get new tenants and also releasing a significant amount of new info, something they haven't done since November!

Forget it. Apparently it died around Feb. 24-25. May it rest in peace. :angel1:
:ohno: :rant: :no: :bleep: :mad2: :doh: :wallbash: :jippo: :hammer:

Maybe they should just make it into a park . I think this block is jinx.

:ohno: :rant: :no: :bleep: :mad2: :doh: :wallbash: :jippo: :hammer:

I think maybe he was talking about the webcam...

This project is not dead. We are still making alot of prints for this project. Most people don't like to spend money on things they don't plan on using. Have a little more patience. Ever think maybe they are doing work under ground that you can't see?

I guess although most of us are more anxious on the retail which has been lackluster thus far.

if i had things my way i would have changed the whole design back to one big continuous building. with entire facades boasting the flashy colorful freaze they were origanaly going to display. but i suppose i should be happy that there doing something at least with this cursed Block 37.

It was a mistake not to let Harrod's take it over.

:bash: :wallbash:

When I said the site was dead, I was referring to the webcam to which I had directed this thread. Block 37 is certainly not dead, not all that robust, but certainly not dead. Sorry for causing the confusion.

No, I understood that but I took it a step further in saying that the whole project seemed dead (which it isn't, but it is surely taking a long time).

No, I understood that but I took it a step further in saying that the whole project seemed dead (which it isn't, but it is surely taking a long time).
Agreed. I am holding out hope that the present unsettled state of things keeps a door open to better future prospects. Meanwhile, much of the steam has left this high profile development. :fiddle:

- edit

Right now, I am feeling this: :bleep:

Why do I have the sneaking suspicion that all of Mills' responsibilities regarding pre-payment to subs is all in the contract they've got with WE Oneill. It should be pretty cut and dry... if the contract states that they must pre-pay (which I doubt), then they're in trouble; otherwise, I would think that WEO is in breach of contract and Mills should have every right to just go out and find themselves a new sub.

A lawsuit is needed to complete the sequence of drama...

Looks like Block 37 is getting another chance:
=====================================

German firm nears stake in Block 37 project
By Thomas A. Corfman
Tribune staff reporter
Published March 23, 2006
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-0603230247mar23,1,2820034.story?coll=chi-business-hed

A German real estate investment firm is riding to the rescue of Block 37, the proposed mixed-use development in the heart of the Loop that has been delayed by the spreading financial woes of its master developer, Mills Corp.

DIFA Deutsche Immobilien Fonds AG is close to a deal to become a key investor in the first stage of the project--an office building anchored by WBBM-Ch. 2 and investment research firm Morningstar Inc.--people familiar with the negotiations said late Wednesday.

If a deal is finalized it would set the stage for construction to begin--at long last--on the site bounded by State, Dearborn, Randolph and Washington Streets. It has been vacant since 1989.

In the most recent black eye for the project, excavation contractors this month walked off the job because of concerns that they would not get paid. The dispute was symbolic of the long-running troubles of the project.

And although the DIFA deal is a critical step forward, challenges remain for the development now named 108 N. State, including leasing up the retail space.

And Arlington, Va.-based Mills served up another reminder of its own troubles Wednesday, disclosing that the Securities and Exchange Commission had converted an informal inquiry into the company's finances into a formal investigation.

But despite the uncertainty, Mills has repeated its commitment to the Block 37 development.

Representatives of Mills and Seattle-based real estate firm Metzler North America Corp., which is advising DIFA, could not be reached for comment.

Mills, which is advised by real estate finance firm Holliday Fenoglio Fowler LP, began considering a sale of the office portion of Block 37 in December. Yet even as the real estate investment trust's financial problems deepened, the REIT has seemingly moved at a snail's pace.

The transaction with DIFA would be a "forward sale," an agreement by DIFA to buy the 400,000-square-foot building at the corner of Dearborn and Washington after the 16-story structure is completed, those people said. Hamburg-based DIFA is very familiar with the Chicago downtown office market. Last year it acquired the skyscraper at 111 S. Wacker Drive for a record-setting price of $401 a square foot, or $412 million.

The Block 37 office deal is also expected to be priced at about $400 a square foot, sources said, making the transaction worth more than $160 million.

In another key move, Mills has selected Chicago developer Golub & Co. to build the office tower for DIFA, sources said. But Golub would likely earn fees managing the project rather than take an ownership stake.

Golub has also agreed to acquire the rights to develop the condominium tower proposed for the corner of State and Randolph, a later stage of the development.

How much Golub would pay for the condo rights could not be determined.

DIFA has an international real estate portfolio of 13.7 billion euros, or more than $16.5 billion.

The company manages open-ended funds, a sector of the German investment industry that has been hurt in recent months by heavy withdrawals by investors.

----------

tcorfman@tribune.com

I've come in defense of the cam and to express my utter boredom with the fact that this pile of dirt hasn't moved in well over a month. Where's the fun in that? Lets get these contractors back to work, if only for our breaktime amusement.

There is a 'saved snapshot' part of the webcam page which only works when I have a certain program running. And unfortunately that hasn't been a priority since the fun on the ground stopped. But the cam itself is a standalone IP camera so it is on 24-7. The top picture on this page (http://www.studio1304.com/webcam/) is live, and if you click the '
Click here (http://38.112.40.106:8081/CgiStart?page=Single&Resolution=640x480&Quality=Clarity&RPeriod=0&Size=STD&PresetOperation=Move&Language=0) for live robotic camera control & video.' link you can drive it around.

> Chicago Block 37 Webcam (http://www.studio1304.com/webcam/)

:dance2:

It is cool. the Hill...we can call it Mt. Daley and have sledding on it for the next 2 decades! And the two Daley parking lots at Van Buren and Wabash have added so much to the University District and what with the three lots over at Washington and Franklin we can only thank Daley for all the decay...happening in the loop. He needs to make things happen and NO MORE tear downs without approved financed projects!

Of course, for the sake of 3rd's argument... we're all being forced to forget about the hundreds of projects that wouldn't exist without the Daley dynasty. So, yeah, except for those... thanks King Dick for knocking down these few!!!

Of course, for the sake of 3rd's argument... we're all being forced to forget about the hundreds of projects that wouldn't exist without the Daley dynasty. So, yeah, except for those... thanks King Dick for knocking down these few!!!

This is his baby...I love the mayor. Most of all the other stuff going up is not going up with his help....it is beautiful capitalism. This block is the one he has managed....and the other holes he has allowed without any plans to fill them. So don't make it into a Daley issue...just pissed at these few things...if I could I would make his being king official. :)

http://www.architecture.org/programs.html

Wednesdays at 12:15–1pm, Free and open to the public
No reservations are required. Guests are welcome to bring a bag lunch. Please join us at The John Buck Company Lecture Hall Gallery just off the atrium lobby of the Santa Fe Building, 224 South Michigan Avenue.

Wednesday Lunchtime Lectures are worth 1 Continuing Education Learning Unit with AIA/CES.

Call 312.922.3432 x266 for futher information.

April 26
Update on 108 N. State St. (Block 37)
Grant Uhlir, AIA, principal, Gensler

I saw about six dump trucks entering and leaving Block37 earlier today with a few construction crew members at the site... Not sure what to make of that....

I saw about six dump trucks entering and leaving Block37 earlier today with a few construction crew members at the site... Not sure what to make of that....

Yeah, I didn't notice it yesterday because I stayed in the pedway on the way to work, but today they are moving dirt and miscellaneous debris from the site.

SSDD

According to two construction guys standing by the gate today told me construction is begining to start up again but nobody seemed to know the details of what Mills's is going to do or already has done to get the construction started up...who knows keep your fingers crossed.

- edit

- edit

http://www.architecture.org/programs.html

Wednesdays at 12:15–1pm, Free and open to the public
No reservations are required. Guests are welcome to bring a bag lunch. Please join us at The John Buck Company Lecture Hall Gallery just off the atrium lobby of the Santa Fe Building, 224 South Michigan Avenue.

Wednesday Lunchtime Lectures are worth 1 Continuing Education Learning Unit with AIA/CES.

Call 312.922.3432 x266 for futher information.

April 26
Update on 108 N. State St. (Block 37)
Grant Uhlir, AIA, principal, Gensler

Two quick things, I wanted to remind everyone about the meeting next Wednesday (thanks Spyguy), and quickly post that it looks like all of the excavated dirt looks to be off the site. It will be interesting to see where it goes from here.

Two quick things, I wanted to remind everyone about the meeting next Wednesday (thanks Spyguy), and quickly post that it looks like all of the excavated dirt looks to be off the site. It will be interesting to see where it goes from here.

Minor point, I'm going to try and make this meeting, it would be cool to meet up with someone there.

wait - will the CTA linkage track be built before the rest of it, or will construction of the building itself proceed?

wait - will the CTA linkage track be built before the rest of it, or will construction of the building itself proceed?

Hopefully we'll have a better idea of that on Wendsday.

Just a reminder about the meeting tomorrow.

The quote below came from a post I made on SSP, I just didn't feel like retyping it...

Was anyone else there? I didn't get a chance to take notes, and I was slammed at work so I didn't write anything down anything when I got back. Let me look at the renderings and job my memory about what I saw and heard.

The PD is zoned for a max for 675. The current office tower is closer to 500, BVictor said he had heard 515. The tower itself didn't look that interesting, but the base, since I heard some explanation of the details, I think will be more impressive than first thought. Will it be Fordham Spire? No, but it won't be one of those boring River North condos either.

More to follow...

OK, lets hope I don't screw this up.

The room the lecture was held in was standing room only when I arrived at noon, 15 min before it was supposed to start. People were sitting on the floor in the aisle. This was my first lunch lecture, so I don't know what the turnout usually is, but people were looking at the packed room, and turning away.

The first portion of the talk was about the history of Block 37 and the North loop in general.

Then they moved on to the concept of the site planning, the city's expectation of the city, the restrains of the PD, and how development would tie into the city.

Alot of what I'm going to say might already be know, but hopefully I throw something new out.

First the street level:

There will be ALOT of glass on the street, along with the channel 2 studio. Part of the PD is that pedestrians could get from Dearborn to State without going down Randolph or Washington. To that end there are three entrances to the atrium area of the development. The one on Dearborn will be pretty much next to the Com-ed substation, looking out to Daley plaza and the Picasso. There will be two entrances on the other side of the building. These will not be at the corners of the building, instead one will be on Randolph at an angle on line with the Chicago theatre marquee. The other will be on an angle exiting on to State on line with the Marshall Fields' clock. Two reasons for this: The wanted to bring some of the city's local landmarks into the building. Second they did not want the exits on the corners because they think that they can "liven" up the building by having retail at the corners instead of entrances.

Corner of Dearborn and Randolph will be a two story restaurant space. The main dining space will be on the second floor. Dearborn and Washington will of course be the channel 2 street side studio. Also the the Dearborn side will be the entrances to the below grade parking, and service access for the building. The rest of the ground floor appears to be retail. The ground floor will be set back under the over hang of the upper floors. This is to provide "strolling" space as well as space for the L stations, bus stops, and landscaping.

From the second floor up the facade will be more glass and a stainless steel weave. The idea being to tie into the Gehry bandshell down the street, as well as to reflect some of the surrounding architecture. The windows have been integrated into the design so that the building can be modified in the construction design to provide more glass if the retailer desires it. They mentioned that this could be done without messing with the symmetry of the building. There was talk about art at all the entrances to help draw people into the structure. One of the possibilities would be something similar to the "artistic frieze" that was shown earlier, or perhaps something like the Crowne fountain with seasonally changing images. One final exterior detail is a line that go around the structure inline with the top of the "doorway" on the front of the Com-ed structure to tie the entire building together.

I'll getting tired so I'm going to quickly wrap this up. The atrium will be five stories, from the green roof, down to the pedway. The pedway will be more along the lines of millennium station: wide walkways with retail, than the standard pedways around the city.

He didn't go into specifics about any tenants. Some general massing for areas that I haven't touched on yet: Fourth floor will be the entertainment portion. The idea being it can be difficult to get people into a vertical mall, if they are going specifically to the entertainment you will be brought threw the rest of the structure, and forced by the stores. There will also be some "specialty" retailers up there. Third: retail and food court. Second: restaurant and retail. First: pretty much the same as the second.

One additional thing, the corridors coming off of the atrium will not be straight, but tapered towards the street. The idea here being instead of just seeing flat walls, you will see the storefronts.

That is it for now. I'm sure I missed something, any questions, ask, and I'll try to recall an answer.

OK, ignore what said that BVictor said, he was talking about a diffrent project. During the lecture all I heard about the office tower was around 20 stories (15 or so above the base) just under 500 feet. The four story podium is designed to allow either a variable number of additional towers depending on the market.

im still trying to figure out if what your describing is dif. from this diagram we got months back
also did they mention anything about the airport express trains?
http://images.suntimes.com/popups/NWS/images/block37mapC_111605_550.jpg

^^^
Thanks for the update!
Wow, this project looks so cool, it will be fun there! :)

im still trying to figure out if what your describing is dif. from this diagram we got months back
also did they mention anything about the airport express trains?
http://images.suntimes.com/popups/NWS/images/block37mapC_111605_550.jpg

That image was just to show the different parts of the project, not the final design. The renderings they shows where very close to what you posted back on page 5 of this thread. If anything there was less glass, and more stainless.

Looking at that graphic, going up State from Washington you see a couple of things that I touched on:

1) Retail at the corner, no corner entrance.
2) It shows where the art I mention will be, drawing the pedestrian to the entrance of the development.
3) Directly to the right of that you have the stainless weave, that I believe will be more prominent in the final product. It was never mentioned that it would be back lit as in the graphic, so I don't know what the deal with that is.

It also doesn't show the "line" (think BCBS building) that will line up with the "door" on the Con-ed station.

He touched on the express trains, but nothing in depth. Stating that the trains would enter the site at an angle, would have air carriers onsite to check luggage. Not much more than that.

^ Thanks, Headcase.

The plans are great, but once again without lining up tenants it all just seems like a pipe dream.

Sigh...

I was just driving past Block 37, and I don't believe that I'm delusional, but I can almost swear that I saw green settlement marks. I also think that I saw the beginnings of caisson equipment.

No cranes, but there was something. I couldn't really tell as once again I was in the car.


And then this was posted.....
http://38.112.40.106:8081/SnapshotJPEG?Resolution=640x480&Quality=Precision&Count=561058859

Uhh... thanks for the random picture of shitty Chicago weather. I don't get what we're supposed to be looking at?

Uhh... thanks for the random picture of shitty Chicago weather. I don't get what we're supposed to be looking at?

I think he linked to the Block 37 webcam, instead of a specific picture, it is updating.

I have only heard of the circle line project...is this airport express line any time soon?

I think he linked to the Block 37 webcam, instead of a specific picture, it is updating.
Well, that makes more sense :) It's a pic of B37 now... not some random shot of Unitrin :))

Well, that makes more sense :) It's a pic of B37 now... not some random shot of Unitrin :))

Yeah, I went to the website and moved the camera, then I tested by updating theory. I'm right, everytime the page with that picture is refreshed it is picking up a new snapshot off of the webcam.

The loop will continue to suffer as the wheels of progress on Block 37 remain stagnant. So I have a proposal.

I say turn Block 37 into a giant parking lot and a gleaming one of these in its center:

http://edweb.tusd.k12.az.us/sped/images/reallifephotos/Taco%20Bell.jpg

Block 37 will become 10,000 times more useful with one of these than it is now. At least with a TB I can grab some late-night gorditas!

uh, urb, we already have a B37 thread going on in the proejcts and evelopemnt forum.

and your post hardly warrants its own thread.

i'm gonna go ahead and merge 'em.

Well B37 supposedly will have a Rosa Mexicano.

And you could have at least picked an urban Taco Bell pic :)

http://img477.imageshack.us/img477/5117/tacobellclosure2wn.jpg

^^Knowing B37's luck, that'll soon be the case

Block 37 might have made a good park. The city needs a few more open spaces.

Block 37 might have made a good park.


:weirdo:

You have to be kidding right? Not everything has to be developed.
Density is great, but density with a contrasting open space is even better.
IMHO

You have to be kidding right? Not everything has to be developed.
Density is great, but density with a contrasting open space is even better.
IMHO

Am I kidding about you being weird? Maybe, I really don't know you well enough to pass judgement on that.

But do I think you are weird to think that Block 37 would make a good park, yep I do. I agree that you need some open space, but not directly in the middle of the CBD, with Millennium and Grant parks two blocks away, and the plazas that are sprinkled throughout the loop.