Lagrange's cutting-edge X/O towers ready to tango in the South Loop 

Architect Lucien Lagrange is best known for his ultra-luxury buildings in and around the Gold Coast, elegant structures that, observers often remark, look like they've always been here. But with projects such as Erie on the Park and Kingsbury on the Park, favorites among local architects (see architecture feature on pg. 34), Lagrange proved he was just as capable of making bold statements and creating buildings that both stand out in and enhance Chicago's famous skyline. (more…)

Thrush's 740 Fulton sits head and shoulders above West Loop neighbors One of the best places in Chicago to linger over lunch or an after-work drink is the roof deck at Pegasus, the Greek Town restaurant at 130 S. Halsted St. It's not so much the food, which is terrific, as the breathtaking views of downtown that make the experience. From this third-floor space, the Sears Tower looks close enough to touch and the sun playing on one of the world's great skylines is worth a trip to the West Loop no matter where you live.

Now, consider that at The Thrush Companies 740 Fulton high-rise development, several blocks north, the first residence doesn't start until the fifth floor, and you might be tempted to join the 100-plus condo buyers who decided to live where they could enjoy similar views without leaving their living room. (more…)

CMK's 1720 S. Michigan combines cutting-edge look, low prices in South Loop

Homebuyers often associate cutting-edge design with high prices, but CMK Development, which is known for pushing the envelope of contemporary architecture, says it is just as concerned with value and price point. The company's latest project, a 33-story modern tower of glass and concrete at 1720 S. Michigan is a prime example, according to CMK President Colin Kihnke. (more…)

Chicagoans have always treated architecture as a spectator sport, but for decades frustrated fans have watched as the players repeatedly dropped the ball in a game we once dominated.

However, in 2006, Chicago is staging a comeback in the most exalted of architectural endeavors: high-rise design. The condo boom in new downtown neighborhoods like Lakeshore East, the Loop and Streeterville, continues to yield high-rises of varying quality, but the overall field of contenders is a lot stronger than in years past. (more…)

North Shore's CBI brings its high-end historic homes to city

It has been more that 15 years since the principals behind CBI Custom Homes started their business by purchasing a vacant lot at a tax sale with a credit card.

Today, the Marlowe family, Jim and his sons, Brett and Todd, have molded the company into a premier design-build firm that rests on a philosophy of architectural purity and reverence for craft as they cater to buyers of high-end custom homes. CBI has worked primarily on the North Shore, though it also has moved into the city market and plans to open an office in Lincoln Park. (more…)

Big new projects tout progressive design while low-rise looks to past

Speculative housing in Chicago hasn't offered much for architecture aficionados to love for the last half-century or so. Since the early 1960s, after Marina City, the last Mies van der Rohe towers in Lakeview and small projects like the Atrium Houses in Hyde Park, the developer-built residential portfolio has been bleak. But that's changing, and rapidly. Encouraging new examples of progressive design are appearing on the skyline and the streetscape. (more…)

Something good is happening to highrise design in Chicago

It must be tall, every inch of it tall. The force and power of altitude must be in it, the glory and pride of exaltation must be in it. It must be every inch a proud and soaring thing, rising in sheer exaltation that from bottom to top it is a unit without a single dissenting line, that it is the new, the unexpected, the eloquent peroration of most bald, most sinister, most forbidding conditions.
—Louis Sullivan

What would Louis Sullivan, one of the world's greatest architects and the genius behind many of Chicago's greatest buildings, think of the city's skyline today? Given his quote above and his quest for an original American architecture, to say that many of our newest tall buildings would disappoint is probably gross understatement. (more…)

The environs of Millennium Park can count another adaptive reuse project among their budding ranks of residential buildings. At press time, developer Winthrop Properties planned to open sales in August for condos at the Boulevard, the conversion of the historic Monroe Building, 104 S. Michigan Ave.

Architects Holabird & Roche designed the 1912 structure with a terra cotta skin and gothic flourishes that make it a standout among its historic neighbors in Michigan Avenue's renowned curtain wall. The 16-story tower's gabled roof – a contrast with its flat neighbors – is its trademark feature, though for condo buyers, the park and lake views may be more important. (more…)

It wasn't long ago that real estate agents and developers were insisting that modern design would not sell when it came to Chicago real estate. Today, cutting-edge design has built a strong and growing track record in Chicago, and new projects like 550 St. Clair are touting their contemporary aesthetic as an asset that sets them apart in a crowded market. (more…)

Viewing the latest work in progress by craftsman developer Bill Lavicka is always a joy.

Lavicka, whose passion is restoring Chicago's historic architectural gems to their original splendor, turns each showing into a history lesson, an architectural tour and an art exhibition, all wrapped in one. His latest project, the gut rehab of an 1880s Italianate beauty in the picturesque Near South enclave known as the Gap, is no exception. (more…)