http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/328/432654820911e2f11ddbo.jpg
IC360/ flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ic360/4326548209/)
http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/2987/432654823504e55b13bfo.jpg
IC360/ flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ic360/4326548235/)

http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/328/432654820911e2f11ddbo.jpg
IC360/ flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ic360/4326548209/)

nice... not like you could find this in too many cities around the globe. and if you think it looks like a mcdonalds then you need to get out more. like i said before, the building is still under construction! we ain't in albequerque! :nuts:

here is a picture from today... notice the details being added around the top? the devil is in the details and there is still more to come. should be interesting to see how the penthouse level develops.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2763/4362949733_63d78eac08_b.jpg

Height: 686 ft
Floor count: 60
Location: East Walton and North State
Construction end: 2009
Architect: Lucien Lagrange Architects
Developer: Elysian Worldwide Chicago, LLC

Website (http://www.elysianhotels.com/)

http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/3875/theelysian3qf.jpg

May 1, 2007

http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/5166/dsc0075copyzs6.jpg

http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/7469/dsc0077copyzc1.jpg

http://img161.imageshack.us/img161/8343/dsc0085copyli4.jpg

oh wow! what a beautiful skyscraper! i love the old design on it

nice... not like you could find this in too many cities around the globe. and if you think it looks like a mcdonalds then you need to get out more. like i said before, the building is still under construction! we ain't in albequerque! :nuts:

LOL actually even pizza huts etc have similar styled roofs but what about albuquerque?
Hope they will finish it as the render shows, after all I really like it

I completely agree. If they do everything right as in the renders this wouldn't be too bad, but that doesn't mean it does not look like a McDonalds or a Pizza Hut. They are essentially the same kind of style. The McDonalds and Pizza Huts are built with the same kind of "old" mentality in mind. And it has nothing to do with Albuquerque.

My own opinion: This is not ground-breaking in any way. It looks like the Park Tower only with more decorations. If it is done as in the render, it wouldn't be too bad, but if they can't do anything about the top, it will be ugly and disgusting for someone who first came to Chicago without any bias. And if you think this is ground-breaking in any way, you need to get out more.

LOL actually even pizza huts etc have similar styled roofs but what about albuquerque?
Hope they will finish it as the render shows, after all I really like it

nice... not like you could find this in too many cities around the globe. and if you think it looks like a mcdonalds then you need to get out more. like i said before, the building is still under construction! we ain't in albequerque! :nuts:

It comes down to a matter of personal taste and I've already seen enough. :puke:

Looks like St Pete's tallest constructed 1990
http://www.interstate-transport.com/asset/images/stpete/0602.jpg

LOL actually even pizza huts etc have similar styled roofs but what about albuquerque?
Hope they will finish it as the render shows, after all I really like it

nothing against albuquerque... just those who come in here from that place and bash on a chicago building and its architect. nothing wrong with people expressing their opinions, but there is a difference between saying you don't like something and repeatedly attacking it. i don't happen to care much for aqua in chicago, but you don't see me trolling the thread to bash it every chance i get!

i went from lovin it to hatin it now i love it again i just pray for those spikes

Indeed i don't like the old-style design of this one. It can't match the skyline of Chicago

http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/.a/6a00d834518cc969e201310fa1c982970c-800wi

Elegance proves elusive; Elysian's traditional wonderland is topped with a mad hat
Blair Kamin

A lot of skyline-watchers are going to reflexively dismiss the Elysian, a new hotel and condo tower that aspires to re-create the elegance of 1920s Paris. Not me. Nearly 100 years after modern architects promised to remake the world with their revolutionary creations of steel and glass, most of America still prefers to live in colonials, Georgians and other types of traditional design. If all we do is laugh at traditionalism, rather than figuring out how to do it better, then the joke's on us.

That said, it's hard to muster much enthusiasm for the 60-story, $280 million Elysian, which was designed by Chicago architect Lucien Lagrange and his eponymous firm. Highly visible from North Lake Shore Drive, the tower never reaches the level of quality suggested by its reference to the heroes of Greek mythology. While it's an upgrade from the bland residential boxes that have blighted the Near North Side in recent years, it's nowhere near as good as the classic apartment houses along the drive. Its ridiculously overscaled top, which resembles a giant thimble or a Shriner's hat, is a major blot on the skyline.
http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/9447/27601090.jpg
http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/4088/14992674.jpg

This building is gorgeous... the roof resembles a French Chateau more than a f*cking McDonald's. Then again I have never been to the architectural mecca that is Albuquerque...

Looking good!

That gold-ornaments on the top look just too marvelous.

I'll admit that it doesn't look too bad on a rainy night from this angle. :)

http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/6207/cfgtwnlr.jpg
thomassylthe/ flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/thomassylthe/4455576647/)

The tower doesn't look bad at all, but it can be kind of jarring if you're into real Parisian architecture.

Thats really amazing in a world of glottalization end modern glass skyscraper everywhere, this is just back to where architecture belongs, to the good taste! The style is just great, very good proportioned with relief variations. Like it too.

I like it. How much per square foot do the apartments cost?

They could have worked the roof a bit more. Looks incomplete

here is a picture from today... notice the details being added around the top? the devil is in the details and there is still more to come. should be interesting to see how the penthouse level develops.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2763/4362949733_63d78eac08_b.jpg


Like Kamin said in this pic

it looks like a


Shriner's hat at best. At worst is looks like this


http://images.buycostumes.com/mgen/merchandiser/27051.jpg












I wonder if there is any functionality going on up there or is it just steel beams and a place to place the hat.

Don't like this so much....well, but in Chicago, it is hardly noticed.:cheers:

Not exactly. New York's The Setai is also looking back to the old days, but its end result is much better looking and doesn't look cheap like the Elysian. Trying to resemble the old doesn't automatically equal elegance. You also have to do it right. I think the main problem for the Elysian is that the hat is too large compared to the render.

Thats really amazing in a world of glottalization end modern glass skyscraper everywhere, this is just back to where architecture belongs, to the good taste! The style is just great, very good proportioned with relief variations. Like it too.

hey bnk... wanna use a smaller photo? what a waste of space and time!

No no no. BNK did it just right! ;)

perhaps bnk is wearing the hat? :)

The building looks absolutely gorgeous! :cheers:

http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/552/4498289936d2a8dd7c09o.jpg
Charles Tindell/ flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/katanachuck/4498289936/)

What's going on with the roof? No progress anymore?


Please don't tell me they won't add the details (dormers etc.) the visualisations offered :(

May 28

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4015/4646547752_840244db3d_b_d.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brulelaker/

Lobby

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2536/4184610765_08a5695343_b_d.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/17709764@N08/

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4066/4543858447_1b84dd6445_b_d.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/17709764@N08/

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4008/4544492912_9b5d25abe9_b_d.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/17709764@N08/

wow :bow: great interior

The top of this tower very ugly..........

^^Not only the roof, but the whole thing is ugly. Lol. It IS another skyscraper though, so that will be a cool addition to Chicago's skyline.

The lobby is some of the best interior design I've seen in my life!
As for the tower...Poor quality materials, especially the roof

Very classy interior. Just fix the roof and it will be great!

Sweet interior pics. Thanks.

High quality project. The interior looks amazing guys! Just stunning about so much beauty from outside and so much quality inside the Elysian.

I love the interior in the first interior shot posted: The postmodernist aesthetic of old-age stone floors walls, but with a contemporary "chandelier". It's impressive :).

It's a shame the outside isn't very attractive. The building could have been completed in the same style but with better detailing.

The Interior is almost the sexiest thing I've ever seen lol so beautiful.

From Curbed: http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2010/07/15/parting_shots.php


Architect Lucien Lagrange retiring, firm files Chapter 11

July 15, 2010 (Crain’s) — Architect Lucien Lagrange is retiring as his firm files for bankruptcy protection. One of the city’s most active designers for more than two decades, Mr. Lagrange, 69, says the firm filed for Chapter 11 protection from creditors Wednesday as a way to wind up its affairs and prevent him with being saddled with company debts after he stops working.

The bankruptcy petition is another reminder of how the dramatic downturn in development, particularly condominium towers, has hurt the design industry, which has suffered from layoffs. The filing is seemingly an ignominious chapter in a career that includes such high-profile projects as the Park Tower hotel/condo skyscraper, 800 N. Michigan Ave.; the 840 N. Lake Shore Drive condo building, and Elysian Hotel & Residences, 11 E. Walton St., which opened last year. “No matter one’s stylistic preferences, Lucien is a major figure, not just in Chicago, but internationally,” says architect Stanley Tigerman, a principal in Chicago-based Tigerman McCurry Architects. “Of the type that does upscale condos, can you think of a better architect?” Lucien Lagrange Architects Ltd. lists assets of more than $1 million and up to $10 million, according to the eight-page petition. Liabilities fall within the same range.

Mr. Lagrange declines to comment about the firm’s finances and says the Chapter 11 filing was merely a pragmatic business decision he made after deciding it was time to retire. “Retiring, (there would be) a lot of liabilities are on my back. I can’t just walk away,” Mr. Lagrange says. “Chapter 11 gives you a chance to plan ahead, organize and close in a decent way.” No closing date has been set for the firm, says Mr. Lagrange, one of four principals in the company, which employs four associates and other support staff.

His decision to retire comes as two of his most important projects are under construction: Ritz-Carlton Residences, a 40-story condominium tower at 664 N. Michigan Ave., and Lincoln Park 2520, a three-building complex on the site of the demolished Columbus Hospital, 2520 N. Lakeview Ave. Mr. Lagrange says he doesn’t see development rebounding for at least five years, when he might be too old to undertake another major project. “I could maybe survive the economy downturn, but what’s the point?” he says.

In addition to his new-construction projects, Mr. Lagrange is well-known for his restoration work on architectural treasures, such as Hard Rock Hotel, 230 N. Michigan Ave.; the Insurance Exchange Building, 175 W. Jackson Blvd., and 208 S. LaSalle St., where the lower floor are being converted into a J. W. Marriott hotel to open later this year.

The French-born architect came to Chicago in 1968, when he went to work as an intern for Skidmore Owings & Merrill LLP. He joined Skidmore full-time in 1972 after graduating from McGill University in Montreal with a degree in architecture. Mr. Lagrange started his own firm in 1985.

A key project was the 60-story Park Tower, which was completed in 2000 and was one of the first residential high-rises built in the city in nearly a decade. “That’s the one that really put us on the map,” he says


:banana: :banana:

They could have worked the roof a bit more. Looks incomplete

What's going on with the roof? No progress anymore?


Please don't tell me they won't add the details (dormers etc.) the visualisations offered :(

The top of this building is a big disappointment.

A big, big disappointment. :ohno:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_in_Chicago#Under_construction

Looks like Chicago is becoming a quiet place for construction of new skyscrapers.

From last month:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4117/4804060768_58b8bf8093_b.jpg

Taken tonight:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4084/4955407891_5578976c4f_o.jpg

Chicago is one of my favorite cities, but this building is just ugly. I don't get it. The worst part is the top!

So is it finished now? They won't do anything about that strange top? :dunno: