Height: 470 ft
Floor count: 40
Location: North Michigan and East Randolph
Neighborhood: New Eastside
Construction end: 2010
Architect: Solomon, Cordwell, Buenz and Associates
Developer: BJB Partners, Inc.

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2008/01/584569.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2008/01/584564.jpg


Old renderings:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0903/johnpdd/MillenniumParkPlazaRESIZE.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0903/johnpdd/MillenniumParkPlazastreetviewRESIZE.jpg

The footprint will be approximately 70 feet X 80 feet (21 meters X 24 meters).

Intriguing. I hate the balconies, but, love the entry.

Quite nice coming from SCB. The base looks spectacular and the roof garden is an interesting element, hopefully it will be lit at night. All in all, I'm pleased, especially since the UGLY Doral Plaza will finally be hidden.

I can't help wondering how they'll handle the south-facing windows in Millennium (Doral) Plaza. It's a rental building, but those must be bedroom or living room windows, and I wouldn't think those rooms would also wrap around to the east or west sides. Will they have to reconfigure those south end apartments?

....and the roof garden is an interesting element, hopefully it will be lit at night.


it will. what's his name from SCB specifically said that the rooftop atrium would be illuminated at night for dramatic effect.

^Ah, that's cool.

BTW, there's a misspelling in the thread title :D

^Fixed it, thanks.

That new sidewalk frontage, with its modern looks, will hopefully attract some more higher end stores south of the river, I always hate how the river divides the high end stores on Michigan from the incredibly crappy low end ones, especially considering its so close to MP.

I can't help wondering how they'll handle the south-facing windows in Millennium (Doral) Plaza. It's a rental building, but those must be bedroom or living room windows, and I wouldn't think those rooms would also wrap around to the east or west sides. Will they have to reconfigure those south end apartments?

Configurations wern't discussed.
It was mentioned that the first 2 floors of the Doral would be reclad. Also, the Michigan Avenue front will have retail along it.

That new sidewalk frontage, with its modern looks, will hopefully attract some more higher end stores south of the river, I always hate how the river divides the high end stores on Michigan from the incredibly crappy low end ones, especially considering its so close to MP.

Funny you should mention that because if you look at the rendering:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0903/johnpdd/MillenniumParkPlazastreetviewRESIZE.jpg

I spy with my little eye, methinks a Starbucks logo LOL.

^Yeah I noticed that. :ohno:

Also I noticed the balcony railing, eww!, why not make them glass instead? I think this visually ruins the flow from street level, other than that this is a home run.

Why they chose metal balusters instead of glass is so far beyond my comprehension I can't even begin to speculate. I mean, this isn't some 80's tower on Lakeshore for shit's sake!

It's actually a Buckstars logo. We can't be infringing on copyrights here. ;)

But yeah, Michigan's street frontage on MP has some crappy stores. There's a spot at the base of Willoughby Tower that's been vacant for awhile, it looks horrible.

Michigan between Randolph and Wacker isn't so bad - you have some drugstores, HawkQuarters, the Hard Rock Hotel, Moonstruck, etc.

^^ Moonstruck is yummy. Coffee and chocolate, what a great combo :cheers: Starbucks is good too.

About the building though, I noticed that both this building and Heritage have horizontal rectangles on top. In Heritage, it is used for light decoration. I wonder if this building will have its rectangle lit up as well. I also wonder if the architect tried to complement Heritage by having a similar geometric feature. The bottom of this building also reminds me of the top of One South Wacker. I hope MPP gets built, overall its a good design.

About the building though, I noticed that both this building and Heritage have horizontal rectangles on top. In Heritage, it is used for light decoration. I wonder if this building will have its rectangle lit up as well.

That's the plan, according to what was stated at the recent Grant Park Advisory Council Meeting.

A lot of recent buildings have similar crowns - One South Dearborn, 191 North Wacker, the proposed Mandarin Oriental, and, to some extent, the Legacy.

SCB seems to like them a lot - there might even be one on the plans for 560 North Fairbanks.

On post 14, I meant One South Dearborn and not One South Wacker. Who the hell cares though. Me, obviously :)

Newcityskyline.com
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
By Mario Velazquez

NewcitySkyline - Park Ridge, IL developer BJB Partners, owner of the Millennium Park Plaza apartment building, announced a few months ago that they were adding a new residential tower to the existing structure.

The 24-year-old building formerly known as Doral Plaza is located at 151 N. Michigan in one of the best locations in downtown Chicago.

The new addition would stand at the south end of the existing property, sitting on a small 6,000 square-foot lot currently occupied by La Strada restaurant.

Once built, the new tower located at the north east corner of Michigan Avenue and Randolph Street would become one of the most visible buildings in the city of Chicago due its strategic location – facing Millennium Park to the south and Michigan Avenue to the west.

Such a high-profile location required a design that would be so worthy. The new building would be the latest contribution to Grant Park’s north wall, which includes some of downtown’s most prominent skyscrapers – the likes of the Aon Center, the Blue Cross Blue Shield building and the Prudential Plaza complex.

To achieve a suitable design for their new high-rise, BJB entrusted Chicago-based architectural firm Solomon Cordwell Buenz and Associates with the task.

Originally the project called for a 40-story tower measuring approximately 416 feet. However, the most recent design unveiled Monday at the Grant Park Advisory Council and Grant Park Conservancy meeting by Architect John Leahy from Solomon Cordwell Buenz, calls for a 41-story structure measuring 470 feet.

The building’s skin consists of glass and stainless steel finishes. To add more consistency, the first two floors of the existing Millennium Park Plaza would also get new cladding.

The 74-apartment tower will also include retail on the first floor, a restaurant on the 2nd and 3rd floors and a roof garden on top of the building next to a mechanical penthouse.

The entrance of the new building will be located on the east side, on Beaubien Ct., avoiding increased traffic to Michigan Avenue or Randolph Street. Residents would also have access to the pedway and the public parking garage underneath Millennium Park.

So far the project has not gone through the Chicago Planning Commission and the developers still don’t have a starting construction day, however, the project is expected to take approximately two years once it starts.

Other projects in Chicago by Solomon Cordwell Buenz proposed or currently under construction are 340 on the Park, Madison West 645, The Legacy, Mandarin Oriental, Block 37, Parkview Towers and 50 East Chestnut.

For more information about Millennium Park Plaza visit www.doralmichiganavenue.com or call 312.616.6000.


Copyright © 2006 - 2007 NewcitySkyline, Inc.

According to Shawn at SSP, this one has been approved.

^^ Wow, that didn't take long.

I'm really excited about this tower - despite the prison-cell balcony treatment. I think it will be a huge addition to the GP streetwall.

But apparently construction won't begin for, at a minimum, at least 18 months. I wish this one would start sooner.

I wonder if that timeline accounts for the demo of LaStrada?

I wonder if that timeline accounts for the demo of LaStrada?

Yeah, but how long would that take? A week?

Uhh, a lot longer than that. You've got demo, then you've got cleanup, then you've got to clean up all the shit that's underneath the building we see above grade. It's usually a fairly involved process (just look at how long demo took before the Clare could get underway).

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?post_date=2007-12-21&id=27550

La Strada Ristorante on Michigan Avenue closing
By Alby Gallun

After 28 years in business, La Strada Ristorante is shutting its doors to make way for a 40-story apartment tower planned at the Italian restaurant’s current home at the northwest corner of Millennium Park.

Michael Mormando, the owner of La Strada and J. Randolph’s Bar & Grill next door, which also will close, says he is in talks with the developer of the proposed high-rise about reopening La Strada in the new tower when it’s complete in 2010. The two restaurants will close Jan. 5, according to a news release.

Great news. I've patiently been awaiting news about this proposal and feared it might be dead.

That would be really cool if they could get those restaurants to open back up in the new tower!

I don't think there's enough space at ground level for this restaurant, since the renderings show a generous lobby. If they gave La Strada the second floor, then they would gain great Millennium Park views - a huge improvement over the below-grade location they have now.

New renderings:

This is the image on the front page for Millennium Park Plaza

http://img157.imageshack.us/img157/4003/millenniumparkplazaiq6.jpg


These have just come into my posssession. The resolution is a bit better. If these have been posted before, sorry.

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2008/01/584569.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2008/01/584564.jpg

Umm... I find the giant METRA branding in the lobby of the Doral to be VERY interesting!

I really like the lobby redesign, too, but, I'm not convinced of the changes to the crown. I kind of liked the greenhouse thing they had going on. We keep getting screwed out of those! (600 N. Fairbanks, I'm looking right at you!)

^But the glass balcony railing is MUCH better than before.

Umm... I find the giant METRA branding in the lobby of the Doral to be VERY interesting!

Yeah, we discussed this awhile ago at SSP. There's no confirmation from Metra or from the developers that a new station entrance will go here, so it could just be wishful thinking on the part of SCB. In any case, the bottom of the Doral will be remodeled into a form where an entrance can easily be incorporated. The lower level of Beaubien Court would have to be vacated to build the connection.

Millennium Station really needs another entrance besides the one on the SW corner of Randolph/Michigan. Millennium Park traffic make those sidewalks some of the busiest in the downtown area. Illinois Center and Prudential Plaza have station entrances, but they are obscure and not easy to find.

^But the glass balcony railing is MUCH better than before.
Good call! I had forgotten how hideous the old balconies were! Much improved :).

...

Millennium Park Plaza capitalizes on a unique opportunity in Chicago’s landscape. Located at the northwest corner of Millennium Park, a new forty story tower will rise from the underutilized south end of the existing Millennium Park Plaza site (formerly Doral Plaza). The new tower will house a three story restaurant at its base which will be sheathed in a low iron, point-supported glass skin. Seventy four luxury residential units sit above this base and are capped by a winter garden and thirty foot tall terrace overlooking the park.

Along with the new tower, the first two floors of the existing building will be completely renovated to incorporate over 25,000 square feet of retail (doubling the previous retail space), as well as relocating the existing lobbies from Michigan Avenue to Beaubien Street and finally creating a new pedway link from Michigan Avenue to the newly renovated Randolph Street Metra station and the Grant Park Garage. This renovation will feature a sleek, two story glass and metal skin which will bring a new vitality to Michigan Avenue.

The residences incorporate generous balconies and floor to ceiling glass to maximize the views of Lake Michigan and Millennium Park. The building is also registered to become a LEED certified building.
----

They had the two renderings we've already seen, but then they also had this one as well
http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/3841/renderingjz6.jpg

^^ That is awesome! So when are they going to start building it, because right now it is one big tease.

http://www.suntimes.com/business/roeder/1388841,CST-FIN-roeder21.article

O'Hare hotel market a 3-for-all
January 21, 2009
DAVID ROEDER

Not moving as quickly is a plan for a 40-story apartment building at the northeast corner of Michigan and Randolph. Barry said the project is on hold until the market for its large units looks better. In the meantime, BJB wants to expand retail space connected to the Doral Plaza, 151 N. Michigan, by 20,000 square feet.

http://www.chicagorealestatedaily.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=33523

More apartments sought for Millennium Park tower
By Alby Gallun, April 01, 2009

A Park Ridge apartment investor that plans to build a 40-story high-rise at the northwest corner of Millennium Park wants to more than double the number of units in the building, to 185.

...The new proposed tower is the same height as the old one, but includes 185 units rather than 80. The old plan, with larger, more expensive units, “is just not economically feasible in this market,” BJB Principal Jamie Purcell said in a brief e-mail. He was not available for further comment.

^^ At least it sounds like they are going to try to move on with it.

There's still hope...

First, BidClerk mentions the Doral Plaza expansion project:
2011/01/16 Millennium Park Plaza 80-unit multi-residential building, $20 million N Michigan Ave & E Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60601, US Cook

I'm really hopiing for this one. The Doral's such a turd, and the location is primo.

^Yes!!! :dance2::dance2::dance2:

This tower looks like air rights over an existing restaurant on a very small site for a 470-ft skyscraper.

That must have pissed off the restaurant that closed.
You close and then poof nothing....

Looks like La strada lives on in Hoffman Estates

http://www.lastradaristorante.com/awards.html

But that is indeed a strange little parcel of land.
It looks like it was something from the 60s brutalism.
Concrete stairs? There? with the strange half submerged
half floor underneath? Very Very Ugly.

I hope that this building is built.

I live in S. Barrington and the Lastrada out here closed more than a year ago