#266 l Olympia Center l CHICAGO l 221m l 63fl

***Chad*** · April 27th, 2003, 12:36 PM

Olympia Center
Chicago, USA

HEIGHT: 221m/725 feet
FLOORS: 63 floors
COMPLETION: 1986
ARCHITECT: Skidmore, Owings & Merril (SOM)

Olympia Centre is a major multi-use addition to Chicagos Magnificent Mile. Sixty-three stories and 720 feet (219 meters) high, the 1,420,000 sf (132,000 sm) building incorporates 204 luxury condominiums, 327,000 sf (30,400 sm) of rental office space, a four-story Neiman-Marcus Department Store, and a three and one-half level basement parking garage. For the development, SOM provided architectural and engineering services as well as condominium and public interiors design.

The 53,338 sf (5,000 sm) site is located on the east side of Michigan Avenue between Superior Street and Chicago Avenue and wraps around the 777 Michigan Avenue Building. The site has approximately 121 feet (37 meters) of frontage on Michigan Avenue, 235 feet (72 meters) on Superior Street, and 175 feet (54 meters) on Chicago Avenue. Neiman-Marcus occupies most of the grade level and all of levels two, three, and four, containing 198,000 net sf (18,400 sm) of store area. Vertical transportation is provided by pairs of escalators within a skylight atrium in the south portion and two elevators within the tower.

Condominiums make up the top 39 floors of the tower. Level 24 is the Club Level, providing condominium amenities including a lounge, party rooms and catering kitchen, swimming pool, locker rooms, exercise room and a racquetball court. The 430-car self-park garage occupies three levels beneath the tower and four levels beneath the south low-rise portion. The garage is accessed by three shuttle elevators, one for condominium residents and two for office tenants and department store users. A commissary and a valet are located beneath the tower at Lower Level One.

Wu-Gambino · April 27th, 2003, 02:28 PM

4.5/10

Boring, the windows look bad and the color is bad. The worst of Chicago's top 20.

RafflesCity · April 27th, 2003, 10:07 PM

7.5/10

I love its simple soaring mass, made less boring by the wider base.

And its #179 for now, based on SSC's list

SteelCity32 · April 28th, 2003, 12:12 AM

nice and tall. But color is bad. 7.5/10

The Messiah · April 28th, 2003, 01:12 AM

7.5 Another tower that i haven't seen before.
I should be ashamed

I like the colour

Jase Calvin · April 28th, 2003, 08:38 PM

It's a slab but it's ok. 6/10.

Bobdreamz · April 28th, 2003, 09:02 PM

god this is ugly....I don't know what it is about SOM but it seems like it's hit or miss with their designs....when they're good they
can design some beauties but when they're bad you wind up with crap like this....yuck...4/10.

Liz L · April 28th, 2003, 10:32 PM

5.5/10 - More pictures would be nice, but as it is...*Yawn* another box, and a monotonous one, at that - the facade doesn't catch the light, and even the changes in the shape and spacing of the windows don't seem to help. And the curves, unlike those in the Hancock Tower, just make the base look swollen; they're not at all graceful.

Well, the stone has a fairly nice color....Otherwise, this was designed on one of SOM's off days, or years, or whatever....

April 28th, 2003, 10:43 PM

8/10 I like the color and slope.

Lmichigan · April 28th, 2003, 10:49 PM

Simply awful. The color is doesn't fit. The windows are oddly set apart. It really looks as if some elementary student designed it. I give it a 4.5 just fot it's height.

TropicalSQ744 · May 10th, 2003, 04:10 PM

The apparence of the facade is just horrible.. It looks like some brick skyscraper which is really an eyesore.. Dosent make the cut for me..

Why couldnt SOM have designed something better??

6/10

renell · May 14th, 2003, 08:35 PM

the color of this building is bad. it alone puts down my rate of it to a 6/10.. change the color it wouldn't have been so bad

weirdo · May 20th, 2003, 07:45 PM

the colour isnt that bad to me but it couldve been better. and i dont like its slope. too "modest". better if it was just a plain rectangular box. but the height is impressive. 6/10

huaiwei · May 28th, 2003, 12:22 PM

A wider base makes it look like the work of gravity.

So it gets a 0.5 increment over the 4 points i reserve mainly for boxes...

SkyHawk · July 21st, 2003, 04:38 PM

not bad

7.5/10

New Jack City · July 29th, 2003, 05:49 AM

7.5/10...I like the simpleness, it's interesting color and how it differentiates itself from the rest. Though the curve at the bottom wasn't needed IMO.

Chi-town · July 29th, 2003, 11:16 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by savethewtc

7.5/10...I like the simpleness, it's interesting color and how it differentiates itself from the rest. Though the curve at the bottom wasn't needed IMO.

The irony is that it was needed... the top floors are residential and the bottom is offices. The offices need a larger floor area, so the building needed either a setback or a sloping facade.

Wisma · August 7th, 2003, 10:30 AM

shape ok, color not. I don''t like red buildings. I think tis tower would look nice when itt was black with bright glass.

7/10

james2390 · August 7th, 2003, 11:55 PM

8

AtlanticaC5 · August 24th, 2003, 10:04 PM

A classic "7/10-skyscraper"

Btw, post number 300!!

View Poll Results: Olympia Centre, Chicago
10	11	5.37%
9.5	3	1.46%
9	4	1.95%
8.5	8	3.90%
8	28	13.66%
7.5	24	11.71%
7	33	16.10%
6.5	20	9.76%
6	20	9.76%
5.5	15	7.32%
5	18	8.78%
4.5	6	2.93%
4	3	1.46%
3.5	3	1.46%
3 or less	9	4.39%
Voters: 205. You may not vote on this poll

April 28th, 2003, 12:12 AM	#4
SteelCity32 Don't be that guy! Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Pittsburgh Posts: 1,098 Likes (Received): 0	nice and tall. But color is bad. 7.5/10 __________________ I often dream of huge numb buildings, jet black sinister architecture. Being installed when nobody sees. Their appearence so sudden that few would take notice.

April 28th, 2003, 01:12 AM	#5
The Messiah Finishing this fight Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Middelburg(The Netherlands) Posts: 1,301 Likes (Received): 1	7.5 Another tower that i haven't seen before. I should be ashamed I like the colour __________________ The message you have entered is too short. Please lengthen your message to at least 2 characters.

April 28th, 2003, 09:02 PM	#7
Bobdreamz Registered User Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Miami/Orlando, Florida Posts: 1,846 Likes (Received): 3	god this is ugly....I don't know what it is about SOM but it seems like it's hit or miss with their designs....when they're good they can design some beauties but when they're bad you wind up with crap like this....yuck...4/10. __________________ Metro Miami...1000+ highrises completed & under construction.

April 28th, 2003, 10:32 PM	#8
Liz L Registered User Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Indianapolis, IN Posts: 403 Likes (Received): 0	5.5/10 - More pictures would be nice, but as it is...Yawn another box, and a monotonous one, at that - the facade doesn't catch the light, and even the changes in the shape and spacing of the windows don't seem to help. And the curves, unlike those in the Hancock Tower, just make the base look swollen; they're not at all graceful. Well, the stone has a fairly nice color....Otherwise, this was designed on one of SOM's off days, or years, or whatever.... __________________ Liz L Art Deco rules!

April 27th, 2003, 12:36 PM	#1
*Chad* Kickimus Gluteus Maximus Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Bangkok Posts: 36,258 Likes (Received): 296	#266 l Olympia Center l CHICAGO l 221m l 63fl Olympia Center Chicago, USA HEIGHT: 221m/725 feet FLOORS: 63 floors COMPLETION: 1986 ARCHITECT: Skidmore, Owings & Merril (SOM) Olympia Centre is a major multi-use addition to Chicagos Magnificent Mile. Sixty-three stories and 720 feet (219 meters) high, the 1,420,000 sf (132,000 sm) building incorporates 204 luxury condominiums, 327,000 sf (30,400 sm) of rental office space, a four-story Neiman-Marcus Department Store, and a three and one-half level basement parking garage. For the development, SOM provided architectural and engineering services as well as condominium and public interiors design. The 53,338 sf (5,000 sm) site is located on the east side of Michigan Avenue between Superior Street and Chicago Avenue and wraps around the 777 Michigan Avenue Building. The site has approximately 121 feet (37 meters) of frontage on Michigan Avenue, 235 feet (72 meters) on Superior Street, and 175 feet (54 meters) on Chicago Avenue. Neiman-Marcus occupies most of the grade level and all of levels two, three, and four, containing 198,000 net sf (18,400 sm) of store area. Vertical transportation is provided by pairs of escalators within a skylight atrium in the south portion and two elevators within the tower. Condominiums make up the top 39 floors of the tower. Level 24 is the Club Level, providing condominium amenities including a lounge, party rooms and catering kitchen, swimming pool, locker rooms, exercise room and a racquetball court. The 430-car self-park garage occupies three levels beneath the tower and four levels beneath the south low-rise portion. The garage is accessed by three shuttle elevators, one for condominium residents and two for office tenants and department store users. A commissary and a valet are located beneath the tower at Lower Level One. __________________ You have the right to remain silent, everything you say will be misquoted and used against you in the forum -Imate pravo da ?utite, sve što budete rekli može i bi?e upotrebljeno protiv vas na forumu You know you love me. XOXO. Last edited by ZZ-II; July 22nd, 2008 at 06:33 PM.

April 27th, 2003, 02:28 PM	#2
Wu-Gambino Registered User Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Indianapolis Posts: 2,679 Likes (Received): 2	4.5/10 Boring, the windows look bad and the color is bad. The worst of Chicago's top 20. Last edited by Wu-Gambino; May 11th, 2004 at 04:36 AM.

April 27th, 2003, 10:07 PM	#3
RafflesCity By Spirit Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: S I N G A P O R E Posts: 26,215 Likes (Received): 2	7.5/10 I love its simple soaring mass, made less boring by the wider base. And its #179 for now, based on SSC's list

April 28th, 2003, 08:38 PM	#6
Jase Calvin Registered User Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Melbourne, Victoria Posts: 282 Likes (Received): 0	It's a slab but it's ok. 6/10.

April 28th, 2003, 10:43 PM	#9
BGT Guest Posts: n/a Likes (Received):	8/10 I like the color and slope.

April 28th, 2003, 10:49 PM	#10
Lmichigan Registered User Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Mid-Michigan Posts: 2,727 Likes (Received): 6	Simply awful. The color is doesn't fit. The windows are oddly set apart. It really looks as if some elementary student designed it. I give it a 4.5 just fot it's height.

May 10th, 2003, 04:10 PM	#11
TropicalSQ744 Boeing 747-412 9V-SPK Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Singapore (Yishun) Posts: 383 Likes (Received): 0	The apparence of the facade is just horrible.. It looks like some brick skyscraper which is really an eyesore.. Dosent make the cut for me.. Why couldnt SOM have designed something better?? 6/10 __________________ Singapore Roars! into SSC - Visit our forum today! Lion City in the sun, Tropical paradise on earth ----------------------------------------------------- Skyscrapers.com - Stuff on architectural styles, facade materials and building structures etc. \| HowStuffWorks.com - Skyscrapers \| Popular Science mag - How high can they build? \| Popular Science mag - New sturdier, safer, and smarter skyscrapers. \| Asian forumers post count thread \| Asian and Middle Eastern Skyscraper Forums Stats thread \| Singapore U/C thread

May 14th, 2003, 08:35 PM	#12
renell Here Since 2002 Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Sydney/Metro Manila Posts: 6,715 Likes (Received): 2	the color of this building is bad. it alone puts down my rate of it to a 6/10.. change the color it wouldn't have been so bad __________________ dafuq I've been here ten years?!

May 20th, 2003, 07:45 PM	#13
weirdo helter skelter Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: avenida taft Posts: 652 Likes (Received): 2	the colour isnt that bad to me but it couldve been better. and i dont like its slope. too "modest". better if it was just a plain rectangular box. but the height is impressive. 6/10 __________________ metro manila daily bangkok \| manila \| singapore \|

May 28th, 2003, 12:22 PM	#14
huaiwei The Monkey King Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Singapore 新加坡 Singapura சிங்கப்&#2986 Posts: 11,897 Likes (Received): 0	A wider base makes it look like the work of gravity. So it gets a 0.5 increment over the 4 points i reserve mainly for boxes... __________________ Majulah Singapura 前进吧，新加坡！Onward Singapore முன்னேறட்டும் சிங்கப்பூர் "My Settlement of Singapore continues to thrive most wonderfully - it is all and everything I could wish and, if no untimely fate awaits it, promises to become the Emporium and the pride of the East" - Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, 10th September 1820

July 21st, 2003, 04:38 PM	#15
SkyHawk Registered User Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Lombardia, Italia Posts: 188 Likes (Received): 0	not bad 7.5/10

July 29th, 2003, 05:49 AM	#16
New Jack City User Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: NYC Posts: 5,651 Likes (Received): 2	7.5/10...I like the simpleness, it's interesting color and how it differentiates itself from the rest. Though the curve at the bottom wasn't needed IMO.

August 7th, 2003, 10:30 AM	#18
Wisma Registered User Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Jakarta (Tanah Tinggi) Posts: 2,889 Likes (Received): 0	shape ok, color not. I don''t like red buildings. I think tis tower would look nice when itt was black with bright glass. 7/10

August 7th, 2003, 11:55 PM	#19
james2390 Tribune Tower Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 2,920 Likes (Received): 0	8

August 24th, 2003, 10:04 PM	#20
AtlanticaC5 Right Here, Right Now Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Stockholm Posts: 2,655 Likes (Received): 0	A classic "7/10-skyscraper" Btw, post number 300!! __________________ Higher and higher, straight up we'll climb

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