August 19, 200717 yr According to the forumers at the skyscraperpage.com forum, this should be completed in 2010. And here's a pic from August 17 taken by SolarWind from SSP; note they're already driving the caissons in: clevelandskyscrapers.com Cleveland Skyscrapers on Instagram
August 19, 200717 yr No kidding. It probably doesn't have all the political red tape to hold it back.
August 23, 200717 yr ^-- "Is there a physical reason for the counterclockwise twist? If it were a drill bit or a screw, the twist would run in the opposite direction. That thing is left-handed." It's to give the advantage to a right-handed swordsman defending his position from the top of a spiral staircase. Facing downstairs, his right hand is on the outside of the circle, where he has room to swing. His opponent, coming upstairs, has his right hand crowded along the inside wall. Oh, wait, I was thinking of castles. :-D
September 16, 200816 yr Chicago Spire: Modest beginnings for a skyline icon September 10, 2008 The Chicago Tribune Before you go up, you go down. An aerial picture by Tribune photographer Zbigniew Bzdak reveals construction progress on the 2.2-acre site of the planned 2,000-foot Chicago Spire condominium tower, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava and located just north of the Chicago River. Plans call for the skyscraper’s concrete core to emerge out of the circular hole, which is 76 feet deep and 110 feet across. Read more at http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/theskyline/ Website for the Chicago Spire: http://www.thechicagospire.com Image Gallery: http://www.thechicagospire.com/building/imagegallery/
September 18, 200816 yr I'm surprised the hole is so small .. 110 feet doesn't sound very big to me, especially for a building that's going to be the tallest in America. Interesting.
September 18, 200816 yr John Hancock is still the most significant building to me. A city under one roof.
September 18, 200816 yr JHC or the Spire? I wouldn't live in the JHC unit that Chris Farley was found dead in thats for sure - (though if its anything like Heath Ledger's loft, its probably worth a lot by now).
September 18, 200816 yr I like how it is a nice center piece to the skyline, whereas in Cincy QCS will kind of "off set" the balance. Kind of too modern and sticks out too much in that city though, this and the Freedom Tower look a little too outlandish for me.
September 18, 200816 yr Aside from being incongruous in its location, there was something about that design that made me uneasy on a primal level from the beginning. Just now I figured out what it is. The spiral is counter-clockwise. I don't know if it affects other people the same way, but to me it's sort of like a screw or bolt with a left-hand thread. Such things exist and have their purpose; a turnbuckle has one end right-handed and the other end left-handed. It's not what we encounter in everyday use though. It's counterintuitive. Compare it with a corkscrew, for example, and you'll see that it turns the wrong way.
September 18, 200816 yr JHC or the Spire? I wouldn't live in the JHC unit that Chris Farley was found dead in thats for sure - (though if its anything like Heath Ledger's loft, its probably worth a lot by now). Neither.
September 19, 200816 yr Aside from being incongruous in its location, there was something about that design that made me uneasy on a primal level from the beginning. Just now I figured out what it is. The spiral is counter-clockwise. I don't know if it affects other people the same way, but to me it's sort of like a screw or bolt with a left-hand thread. Such things exist and have their purpose; a turnbuckle has one end right-handed and the other end left-handed. It's not what we encounter in everyday use though. It's counterintuitive. Compare it with a corkscrew, for example, and you'll see that it turns the wrong way. well when you think about it all the tall buildings in chicago are incongruous for their location. but like many chicago buildings i kind of like the idea of this one and am interesting in seeing what it will looks like in reality. as for the reverse spiral, i think they did that on purpose to be different and thus it's an attempt to attract gay tenants. oh and south equatorans (is that a word?). :laugh:
September 19, 200816 yr oh and south equatorans (is that a word?). :laugh: I think it's South EquatorITES. :)
September 19, 200816 yr as for the reverse spiral, i think they did that on purpose to be different and thus it's an attempt to attract gay tenants. oh and south equatorans (is that a word?). :laugh: my people are not that shallow!
September 19, 200816 yr as for the reverse spiral, i think they did that on purpose to be different and thus it's an attempt to attract gay tenants. oh and south equatorans (is that a word?). :laugh: my people are not that shallow! your people invented shallow!!! :laugh:
September 19, 200816 yr as for the reverse spiral, i think they did that on purpose to be different and thus it's an attempt to attract gay tenants. oh and south equatorans (is that a word?). :laugh: my people are not that shallow! your people invented shallow!!! :laugh: No dear, we just refined it!
September 19, 200816 yr as for the reverse spiral, i think they did that on purpose to be different and thus it's an attempt to attract gay tenants. oh and south equatorans (is that a word?). :laugh: my people are not that shallow! your people invented shallow!!! :laugh: No dear, we just refined it! You are on fire, MTS! :-D
September 21, 200816 yr It's amazing that the hole is no bigger. It would be interesting to see the construction of this....sounds like a perfect candidate for a Modern Marvels episode.
September 21, 200816 yr thre "representative" units look tiny as hell and I bet are super expensive! 1 bedrooms from $1.35 million 2 bedrooms from $1.65 million 3 bedrooms from $4.3 million 4 bedrooms from $5.8 million It's more expensive than Trump Tower Chicago. Not sure about the sq. footage or amenities though. I don't understand why the lake views are more expensive than city views in Trump Tower. Who wants to stare at a boring lake when you could have a nice view of a huge dynamic downtown with neighborhoods in the background!?
September 22, 200816 yr I am fundamentally opposed to them building this skyscraper. Every time I watch Family Matters now the skyline won't be correct and it will remind me that the show ended a long time ago and that there is no Carl Winslow or Steve Urkle . . . . :(
October 7, 200816 yr A boost for the Chicago Spire: Beanie Babies magnate signs up for $40 million penthouse Chicago Tribune, The Skyline Blog by Blair Kamin Date: October 01, 2008 Just a week after Donald Trump was in town, shedding crocodile tears at the demise of American supertall skyscrapers (except for his own, of course), there's a sign of life for the Chicago Spire, the under-construction 2,000-foot-tall tower designed by Santiago Calatrava. Both Chicago dailies are reporting that Ty Warner, the Beanie Babies magnate, has signed a deal for the Spire's ultra-expensive penthouse. At the same time, though, project spokeswoman Kim Metcalfe says that turbulence in the credit markets has forced construction to slow. The developer, Garrett Kelleher, still is aiming for completion in 2012. Here are the stories from the Tribune at http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-talk-spire1001oct01,0,626642.story and Sun-Times at http://www.suntimes.com/business/1194752,CST-NWS-roeder01.article. Read more at http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/theskyline/chicago_spire/index.html
October 20, 200816 yr Chicago Spire looking shaky; Calatrava stops work, files lien against developer, saying he's owed millions Originally posted: October 17, 2008 The Chicago Spire is back in the news, and not for selling another of its expensive condos. There are new questions about whether the skyscraper, which would become the tallest building in America, is going to get built. A firm associated with project architect Santiago Calatrava has filed a lien with the Cook County Recorder of Deeds against developer Shelbourne Development Group Inc., saying he is owed $11.3 million on the project. Separately, architectural firm Perkins+Will has filed a lien seeking $4.8 million in payment. The developers of the Spire, 400 N. Lake Shore Drive, have said more than 30 percent of the units in the 2,000-foot-tall building are sold, but they also have acknowledged being in a "slowing-down phase," and the site has been quiet. Read more at http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/theskyline/2008/10/from-chicagotri.html
October 20, 200816 yr aww this is not worth that kind of drama. all total its less than the price of the beanie baby penthouse apt there. payments and disagreements over stuff like this is normal. it's certainly not enough of a problem for the spire to not to get built. carry on spire!
October 20, 200816 yr They can always fill the giant hole with water and use it as the swimming pool for the Olympics.
December 15, 200816 yr Skyline on pause: Credit crunch leaves Spire, other towers short Originally posted: November 3, 2008 In the wake of the global credit crisis, Chicago's once-superheated skyline—radically transformed during the last 10 years by one of the greatest building booms in the city's history—is on the verge of being frozen in place. How long the freeze will last is hard to predict. But it's clear that a chill has set in. And the trend reaches beyond the halt in construction on two supertall skyscrapers, including the twisting Chicago Spire (foreground, with Trump Tower in background) that promised to soar 2,000 feet above the city's lakefront. Read more at http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/theskyline/2008/11/skyline-on-paus.html
December 15, 200816 yr Deep trouble: How would you fill the Chicago Spire hole? Originally posted: October 31, 2008 With major construction halted on the Chicago Spire, skyline wags already have started making sport of the giant hole from which architect Santiago Calatrava's twisting, 2,000-foot-tall tower is (or was) supposed to rise. Kim Metcalfe, a spokeswoman for Spire developer Garrett Kelleher, insists that work on the skyscraper will resume, though she won't say when. If the Spire doesn't get built, experts sketch out three scenarios that a developer could follow: 1) Ignore what's on the 2.2-acre site now and build something different; 2) Pour a thick concrete mat over the Spire's caissons, which ring the hole, and use them to support a typical, right-angled skyscraper; 3) Use the caissons to hold up a shorter, cylinder-shaped skyscraper. Instead of the Spire, it could be called the Spud. Read more at http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/theskyline/2008/10/the-chicago-spi.html
December 15, 200816 yr Wow, that hole is 110 ft wide? To put it in perspective, it's wider than a boulevard which is typically 100 ft. I think they should fill it in with concrete, and create a new Sea World -midwest.
December 15, 200816 yr What is actually visible in this photo is temporary, it's not intended to support a building, but hold back earth while foundation work proceeds. If this thing sat there for 10 years left alone, it would probably collapse. It's like leaving scaffolding up on a building without any construction...the forces of nature eventually knock it down.
December 16, 200816 yr bah, holes in the ground. so what? manhattan's littered with'em. thanks a lot financial crisis. (and i mean that...most of it would have been schlock) the spire will get built when this depres, i mean recession passes.....um, just don't hold your breadth.
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