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Optima Center
William “The Refrigerator” Perry, a/k/a The Fridge, has an irreplaceable spot in the hearts of Bear fans of a certain age. Some of the wags at the SkyscraperPage forum have noted a resemblance between the new Optima Center and a giant refrigerator and dubbed the building “Da Fridge.” Another commenter sees an “Android Style Robot ...
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Posted by Joe Zekas on May 15, 2013
Late last week Crain’s Chicago Real Estate Daily reported that the developer of the former Lakeshore Athletic Club at 850 N Lake Shore Dr had secured an $80 million construction loan to complete the conversion of the building to 200 rental apartments. The Crain’s report contained a major surprise: “The construction is probably about two-thirds ...
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Posted by Joe Zekas on May 14, 2013
Crain’s Chicago Real Estate Daily reported yesterday that Optima has acquired a site at 220 E Illinois immediately adjacent to its Optima Center, which is nearing completion. The Centrum-owned site, which has been on the market for a while, was zoned for up to 600 apartments, and we’d tallied that number in our at-a-glance list ...
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Posted by Joe Zekas on May 9, 2013
I was apparently off-cycle on the window washing schedule at Trump Tower, so these views aren’t as clear as they might otherwise be. The east views of Optima Center, Coast and 500 N Lake Shore Drive were shot from the 74th floor of Trump. The west view of AMLI River North, which is topped out ...
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Posted by Joe Zekas on March 29, 2013
Architects are generally sensitive to the context in which their buildings will be situated. Building renderings and photos, however, rarely show the context, or offer only a limited glimpse of the surroundings. This panoramic view of the north side of the Chicago River, seen from upper Wacker Drive, illustrates Optima Center‘s distinctive presence on this ...
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Posted by Joe Zekas on March 22, 2013
One of my correspondents sent the following brief note: “Nothing is moving. This spring is going to be huge for rentals or a bust.” Not much guidance there! The buildings that came to market last year, including SoNo East, Randolph Tower and 1225 Old Town, reported leasing up rapidly with minimal concessions. The 496-unit K2 ...
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Posted by Joe Zekas on March 4, 2013
Early yesterday afternoon I visited Streeterville for a look at two major apartment projects underway in the neighborhood. Drilling of the caissons for 435 North Park began two weeks ago, and is continuing. A line of concrete trucks was on the site yesterday, awaiting their turn to empty into the caissons. When complete the nearly ...
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Posted by Joe Zekas on January 10, 2013
The 495-unit, 43-story Hubbard Place is rising rapidly at 360 W Hubbard in River North, and is about three-quarters of the way toward its full height. Judging from the last photos I took at the site the building is adding a floor about every three working days. Hubbard Place’s website is currently estimating occupancy in ...
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Posted by Joe Zekas on January 8, 2013
Ever wonder what keeps Chicago’s giant high-rises from sinking into the ground under their own weight? The answer is caissons. Workers are currently drilling the concrete caissons – you can think of them as stilts – that will support Optima Center, the 42-story, 325-unit apartment tower being built at 200 E Illinois St in Streeterville. ...
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Posted by Joe Zekas on December 17, 2011
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