YOU MAY HAVE BEEN STUCK AT HOME
FOR THE PAST 15 MONTHS BUT THE
CITY'S EVER GROWING SKYLINE DID
NOT SKIP A BEAT.
NEW BUILDINGS HAVE SPROUTED UP
OVER DOWNTOWN CHICAGO INCLUDING
PROJECTS THAT MIGHT SURPRISE
YOU.
GEOFFREY BAER JOINS US FOR
TONIGHT'S "ASK GEOFFREY".
I DON'T KNOW WHEN THE LAST TIME
YOU WENT TO THE LOOP WAS, I
DON'T KNOW HOW MANY BUILDINGS
WERE A SURPRISE AS WELL.
>> TOTALLY SURPRISED IN SOME
CASES.
>> THIS QUESTION...
>> YOU KNOW, IT FEELS A LITTLE
BIT LIKE MANY OF US DURING THE
PANDEMIC WERE IN SUSPENDED
ANIMATION.
SO THE BUILDINGS SEEMED TO HAVE
GONE UP IN A BLINK OF AN EYE.
LET'S START OUT WITH ONE THAT IS
HARD TO MISS.
IT'S THE ST. REGIS CHICAGO KNOWN
AS VISTA TOWER BY ACCLAIMED
ARCHITECT JEANNE GANG.
YOU PROBABLY KNOW JEANNE GANG
FOR THE ST. REGIS' NEIGHBOR
TOWER CALLED AQUA.
THE SOARING ST. REGIS WITH THE
ZIG-ZAG PROFILE INSPIRED BY A
FRUSTUM IS THE THIRD TALLEST
BUILDING IN CHICAGO AND THE
WORLD'S TALLEST BUILDING
DESIGNED BY A WOMAN.
ONE CURIOUS DETAIL IS THE
83rd FLOOR IS EMPTY AND OPEN
TO THE ELEMENTS BECAUSE IT'S
KNOWN AS A BLOW THROUGH FLOOR
AND ADDED TO THE DESIGN TO REDUE
SWAY IN THE STRUCTURE AFTER
TUNNEL TESTS ON A MODEL.
>> A HUGE DEVELOPMENT IS DOWN
THE RIVER AT WOLF POINT?
>> RIGHT, WOLF POINT IS THE
CONFLUENCE OF THE THREE BRANCHES
OF THE CHICAGO RIVER, NORTH,
SOUTH AND THE MAIN BRANCH.
TODAY IT'S JUST WEST OF THE
MERCHANDISE MART.
OVER THE PAST DECADE, IT'S BEEN
TOTALLY TRANSFORMED FROM A
SURFACE PARKING LOT BY THREE
SLEEK TOWERS TWO OF WHICH ARE
NEW SINCE THE PANDEMIC.
THE 60 STOREY WOLF POINT EAST
WAS COMPLETED LAST YEAR AND IS
HOME TO 700 UNITS.
AND A SOARING OFFICE BUILDING AT
THE CENTER OF THE COMPLEX SET TO
BE COMPLETED IN EARLY 2023.
IS KNOWN AS SALESFORCE TOWER
AFTER THE TECH COMPANY THAT WILL
BE THE TENANT.
BOTH ARE DESIGNED BY PELLI
CLARKE PELLI OF NEW HAVEN WHICH
DID THE SITE PLAN.
ANOTHER SUPER TALL PROJECT YOU
CAN SEE IT FROM THE EXPRESSWAY
IS NEARING COMPLETION CALLED ONE
CHICAGO.
AND IT'S RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET
FROM HOLY NAMED CATHEDRAL ON THE
OTHER SIDE FROM THE EXPRESSWAY
BUT IT'S SO TALL.
THE RESIDENTIAL COMPLEX INCLUDES
TWO TOWERS, 49 AND 76 STOREYS
RESPECTIVELY DESIGNED BY
GOETTSCH PARTNERS AND HARTSHORNE
PLUNKARD ARCHITECTURE AND THEY
ARE CONNECTED AT THE BASE BY
RETAIL AND OFFICE SPACE WITH
TENANTS EXPECTING TO MOVE IN
LATER THIS YEAR.
GOETTSCH PARTNERS DESIGNED A NEW
TOWER ON THE CHICAGO I'VE
SOUTH --
RIVER'S SOUTH BRANCH.
110 NORTH WACKER IS SUPPORTED BY
METAL INDUSTRY DENTS TO OPEN UP
THE BASE FOR A RIVERWALK.
GOETTSCH HAS DONE DRAMATIC
THINGS AT THE BASES OF RECENT
BUILDINGS.
ACROSS THE RIVER AT 150 NORTH
RIVERSIDE THAT BUILDING SEEMS TO
COME TO A POINT AT THE BOTTOM.
AND ANOTHER BUILDING 111 SOUTH
WACKER BY GOETTSCH.
WHERE THE CEILING OF THE LOBBY
IS THE UNDERSIDE OF THE SPIRAL
RAMP TO THE PARKING GARAGE.
>> NOT EVERY NEW ADDITION
DOWNTOWN IS A NEW BUILDING?
>> RIGHT.
YES.
THERE'S ONE THAT YOU WON'T SEE
FROM LAKE SHORE DRIVE.
THE RENOVATED BASE OF THE
SEARS --
I MEAN WILLIS TOWER.
OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, THE
BUILDING'S LOBBY AND GROUND
LEVELS HAVE UNDERGONE A COMPLETE
OVERALL BY GENSLER FEATURING A
SOARING ATRIUM AND SHOPS,
RESTAURANTS, AND AN OUTDOOR
GREENSPACE.
IT'S ALL DESIGNED TO CONNECT THE
BUILDING WITH THE STREET INSTEAD
OF IT BEING A FORTRESS AND THERE
IS AN EYE CATCHING NEW PIECE OF
PUBLIC ART ON JACKSON STREET BY
ARTIST INSPIRED BY WAVES ON LAKE
MICHIGAN.
AND THEN THE $800 MILLION
TRANSFORMATION OF THE OLD
CHICAGO POST OFFICE INTO 2.5
MILLION SQUARE FEET OF OFFICE
SPACE IS FINISHED AND IT
INCLUDES 3.5 ACRE ROOFTOP PARK
COMPLETE WITH A RUNNING TRACK
AND ONLY OPEN TO THE TENANTS BUT
IT CAN BE RENTED FOR SPECIAL
EVENTS.
AND THERE ARE JUST THESE ARE
JUST A FEW OF THE TRAPS
FORMATIONS THAT YOU WILL NOTICE
WHEN YOU RETURN TO THE LOOP.
AND IF YOU CAST YOUR GAZE IN THE
OTHER DIRECTION OUT TO SEA, YOU
WILL SEE THE NEW SABLE HOTEL AT
THE EAST END OF NAVY PIER WHICH
IMPROVED THE LOOK OF THE PEER
WHEN YOU VIEW IT FROM THE SOUTH.
MARKETED AS THE FIRST HOTEL EVER
BUILT ON TOP OF LAKE MICHIGAN.
ONE FINAL NOTE, BEFORE WE GO, WE
RECENTLY DID A STORY ON THE
SEARCH FOR A CHICAGO ANTHEM BACK
IN THE 1980s.
AND AFTER THE STORY AIRED, THE
WINNER OF THE CONTEST JEFF
JACOBS CONTACTED US AND GIVE US
A RECORDING OF HIS ANTHEM.
AND CONTRARY TO WHAT I REPORTED,
JACOBS TOLD US THAT HE DID, IN
FACT, RECEIVE THE PRIZE MONEY
AFTER A YEAR OF QUOTE WRANGLING
WITH THE CITY.
YOU CAN LISTEN TO HIS SONG ON
OUR WEBSITE AND IT IS WELL WORTH
IT.
>> TOUGH TO GET MONEY OUT OF THE
CITY THAT IS GREAT THAT HE
REACHED OUT TO US AND HE DID GET
THE PRICES MONEY FROM THE CITY.
>> ALL RIGHT.
GEOFFREY BAER THANK YOU AS
ALWAYS.
>> MY PLEASURE.
>> AND YOU CAN VISIT OUR WEBSITE
FOR MORE DETAILS ABOUT NEW