Viewed from a balcony on the penthouse level of 235 Van Buren, the fenced-in part of the new “dog-friendly area” adjacent to the building vaguely resembles a long-necked dog.
We’ve been referring to the new park south of the building as Wacker Gateway Park, but before becoming part of the Chicago Park District it had been informally named Oscar D’Angelo Park after the disbarred attorney known as the “Mayor of Taylor Street.”
The park doesn’t yet appear on the list of parks at the Second Ward site, but a recent notice from the ward, reproduced by the South Loop Dog Park Action Cooperative, refers to it as D’Angelo Park.
There are subtle differences between the rendering for the park, above, and the as-built south and north areas of the park, below. Until warm weather in the spring adds clarity, the rendering helps to understand the various plantings.
235 Van Buren is a Ralph Johnson-designed award-winning new high-rise condo. One-bedroom units in the building start at $198,900, 2-bedrooms at $275,900, and penthouses at $339,900. South-facing units overlooking the park are still available.
Note: 235 Van Buren is one of our sponsors.