Posted October 4, 200915 yr I can't get focused enough to compose an actual thread so I'm just going to post a running stream of images. Anyone is welcome to show a few of their own Chicago pics as well, and there is no limit per post. This thread will cover the entire Chicagoland area, so you'll see a few suburbs as well. I'll begin with a few evening shots by the river: And here's a picture I took from my office on Thursday. What's nice is every desk on our floor has a view of the river. I hope that doesn't change!
October 4, 200915 yr Yup! "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
October 4, 200915 yr Beautiful photos! Here's my contribution - a December evening shot by the river, with rain spots on my UV filter:
October 5, 200915 yr No same D40. I needs a really good cleaning though. I'm still very happy with it, going on 2.5 years now. Excellent photo rob. This has the old SunTimes building and no riverwalk! Wow have things changed Here's a shot from this evening. Taken from Rush University Hospital Garage
October 5, 200915 yr Your most recent addition is a good example of being in the right place at the right time. The combination of sunlight and sky, and having just the right angle for the shot, all come together to make a dramatic photo. Re the 2004 winter photo versus the same scene now, I'm always amazed at how quickly projects are carried out in Chicago, once they get rolling. It's a sharp contrast with what I'm used to; locally, such things move at a glacial pace. They're studied and discussed and argued and quibbled over endlessly, until what was conceived as cutting-edge becomes outdated before the first shovelful of dirt is turned. Then, endless change orders and the resultant delays and cost overruns result in the whole thing being watered down, completely unremarkable, and years late in completion. That's when the naysayers who caused all the problems step up and say, "See. I told you it wouldn't work."
October 5, 200915 yr The most recent photo is breathtaking. They're all great. This thread has me so pumped to go to Chicago in a few weeks.
October 5, 200915 yr Once I get a little cash I will be up there on Monday since I have Monday and Tuesday's off. I'll go in the late fall or winter. I don't care. It's cool to see cities and how they behave during different seasons. Been to NYC in the winter but not the CHI.
October 6, 200915 yr LOL, well Rob Millenium Park was actually an epic budget disaster. It was something like $300 million over budget and 4 years behind schedule? But hey, it got built and that's all that matters to me. Be sure if anyone visits to give me a holler if you want some good skyline shots. My office has excellent vantage points. This next one is of the housing blocks near Chinatown. This train caused a huge upset. There was a big event going on in Ping Tom park which is only accessible by crossing a set of tracks. There is no other possible way to access the park. This train parked itself cutting off access to and from the park. Therefore people were trapped from leaving, and spectators couldn't get into the event as well. Apparently this type of situation is never supposed to happen, but considering a half century of dis-investment in rail infrastructure, you can't make promises.
October 6, 200915 yr In all my visits to Chicago, I haven't yet made it to Chinatown. I intended to go there last July, and then unexpectedly got a monkey wrench thrown in all my plans. LOL, well Rob Millenium Park was actually an epic budget disaster. It was something like $300 million over budget and 4 years behind schedule? But hey, it got built and that's all that matters to me. ... Yep. Took too long, cost too much. But man, what a success as an attraction. The only time I've been there that there wasn't a crowd around the bean was at night in a howling snowstorm, and even then the ice rink, in a more sheltered location, was busy. The Loop has been popular as long as I can remember, but I think Millennium Park has drawn even more - significantly more - people to it. My only regret about Millennium Park is the loss of the views from the South Shore platforms. Day or night, rain, snow or shine, they always conveyed the essence of downtown. Now the platform area with its raw concrete and industrial lighting has all the ambience of a cellar. Day (1998) and Night (1991), before Millennium Park ...
October 6, 200915 yr Incredible! Rob these photos carry alot of importance. It's such a rare site, even as recent as the late 90's to see this stuff nowadays since the digital photography revolution had yet to hit. These shots remind me alot of the commuter rail platforms that once existed East of the Renaissance Center in Detroit. The site of train platforms seemingly running into skyscrapers is a great juxtaposition. Please keep these coming! And remember I expect to see participation from others.
October 6, 200915 yr Ian you have the most random screen names lol. I really like that second picture. The colors are incredible.
October 6, 200915 yr LOL. I keep a theme. All cities, streets, or neighborhoods. Wells street bridge:
October 8, 200915 yr LSD Sidewalk re-route. Something happened to the bridge. Boat crash ? ? Sidewalk collapse ? ? Anyway, pedestrians now walk on the "road" portion. Modernism:
October 8, 200915 yr LSD Sidewalk re-route. Something happened to the bridge. Boat crash ? ? Sidewalk collapse ? ? Anyway, pedestrians now walk on the "road" portion. Modernism: Check to see if there is a movie or commercial prep. We had it closed off when we were filming Batman.
October 8, 200915 yr ^ No this definitely isn't a result of that. This is clearly an unpredicted situation that happened. Only recently was this detour devised because the first detour was extremely dangerous. Pedestrians are actually not allowed to use the sidewalk on the other side. Alot of the filming that does take place gives alot of notice ahead of time and isn't as obtrusive.
October 9, 200915 yr ^Seeing that structure as a whole and from a distance, one might think it interesting or not, but seeing it up close and in detail, my first reaction is "The once-predicted future is here and it's creepy-scary!" :-o
October 12, 200915 yr When is the Riverwalk going to be done? When will Cabrini be totally gone? Are those renovated projects beside Chinatown mixed income and safe?
October 13, 200915 yr At least the first phase of the Riverwalk is done. I do know they will extend it much further. I actually haven't walked it yet despite it being right outside work. At least within the next year, the remaining 3 towers will be gone. There's a few lowrise buildings, but I've heard they might be renovated. The 1940's rowhouses were completely renovated, and they've begun moving residents back in. The Chinatown units are market rate and section eight....though I'd wager mostly market rate.....at least what's been built at the moment. Not sure about the larger buildings in the foreground (they've just been finished).
October 13, 200915 yr At least the first phase of the Riverwalk is done. I do know they will extend it much further. I actually haven't walked it yet despite it being right outside work. At least within the next year, the remaining 3 towers will be gone. There's a few lowrise buildings, but I've heard they might be renovated. The 1940's rowhouses were completely renovated, and they've begun moving residents back in. The Chinatown units are market rate and section eight....though I'd wager mostly market rate.....at least what's been built at the moment. Not sure about the larger buildings in the foreground (they've just been finished). I appreciate the info. You are a good source for Chicago info.
October 14, 200915 yr What brings you to the south loop so often? who cares, more oak street! :P ;D :P ;) ;) :wink2:
October 14, 200915 yr Many of these were taken same day. I spent alot of time around the South Loop / Chinatown the weekend before the last. I'll be getting more photos in different neighborhoods this weekend.
October 15, 200915 yr For your viewing pleasure, may I present the 1911 Chicago Northwestern Station. Replaced by Ogilvie Transportation Center in 1984. I took this photo about 1980 on an unpleasant winter day; the original is a 35mm slide, Kodachrome, I think.
October 15, 200915 yr This is within my top 3 of Chicago Demolition tragedies. The highrise building there today screams awful 80's. This was clearly a victim of the "need for more office space in the loop." BTW, did you hear the winning bidder of the old Chicago Post Office backed down, meaning it may be awarded to the runner up. What a mammoth building. Apparently 2/3 of the building is protected under preservation restrictions, because it is so large, portions must be demolished to make any plan viable. I'd say convert it to the worlds largest and most beautiful parking garage, since it's really built close to such intentions and purposes.... not to mention a freeway runs right through it lol.
October 15, 200915 yr I have interior and trainshed photos of Northwestern from 1980, too. I'll have to rummage around and see if I can turn them up and make a thread. That session was the first time I was accosted by security for taking photos in a trainshed. That was quite a grand facility. Not as imposing in scale as Union Station, but it was just enough older to have more intricate detail. I believe it had terra cotta tiles in a herringbone pattern on the ceiling vault in the main concourse, something similar to Cleveland's West Side Market. Parking garage sounds good for the old Post Office. I think there's probably already underground access to Union Station; if I remember correctly, the trains from the south and east pass under the PO on the Union Station approach, and there are loading docks where they used to load mail cars to be picked up by the passenger trains. Maybe they could incorporate a commuter annex, to relieve some of the rush-hour congestion at Union Station.
October 15, 200915 yr I think what will end up happening is the original 1920's portion (which is actually ugly and plain) will be demolished while keeping the 1930's art deco portions which everyone identifies as the actual building. It's only a sliver, but perhaps the East elevation will be pushed back somehow. http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCP&cp=qzcbqn7px31g&style=b&lvl=1&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&scene=11385995&encType=1 I am a little tired though of the pie in the sky proposals for the place. Largest car dealership? Indoor amusement/water park? Casino?
October 15, 200915 yr Casinos and indoor water parks are the successors to enclosed malls in lame, destined-to-fail fantasies for urban revitalization. The people who are floating ( :-D) the water-park delusions have no clue to how much the construction and operation costs would be, and how soon the novelty would wear off. Casinos already have become so overbuilt that they're diluting each other's markets, and Chicago already is surrounded by so many casinos in outlying smaller cities, with acres of free parking, that a casino downtown would be completely dependent upon the existing tourist trade in a market that already offers so many other distinctive options that few visitors would want to spend a night in a same-old, same-old casino environment. How about senior housing? :wink:
October 16, 200915 yr Alright, it's going to be a busy weekend, and I hope to get the opportunity to get some photos on Sunday if the weather is nice. Here's a few to cover today through Saturday Chicago Fire Department - Chinatown Printers Row Shedd Aquarium From Shedd aquarium
October 19, 200915 yr Those last two - Really? Or are the "Before" and "After" switched? Looks like the lovely EIFS even made the clouds go away and the street lights turn on! :-)
October 19, 200915 yr I like ghost signs. They tell you so much about the building's history or the city's history. The bottom one looks a hell of a lot better. I went to the old neighborhood I grew up in, recently and this building still had the same faded ghost sign covering the whole bottom half of the building but it didn't look any more faded than it did 15 years ago. I wonder what their typical lifespan is - assuming no one paints over it.
October 19, 200915 yr I have some of it. But I'm hosting these on my flickr and I don't want to post that ugly concrete mess. Ill try to get a cool one of it at night.
October 20, 200915 yr FYI, the family dollar photos are in the correct order. I took the first one winter 2008 and the second just the other day. They've been restoring the building since. More Pilsen:
October 21, 200915 yr Today's installment: Armitage Ave. (More photos of the street in my other Chicago thread)
October 22, 200915 yr Wow...I'm so glad to see that facade removed in Pilsen; that building has always bothered me.
October 22, 200915 yr Wow...I'm so glad to see that facade removed in Pilsen; that building has always bothered me.
October 23, 200915 yr Same here. And so close to the L stop, the heart of the neighborhood where you would expect better architecture. I'll be sure to snap another photo as they progress. Here's a shot where the the public art wall on the side was being changed. It's okay, but I think this one just off Cermak and Ashland is better
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