As construction wraps up on Helmut Jahn‘s 600 North Fairbanks, we thought we’d take a glance back at the building’s origins. Its shape was in part determined by its very traditional neighbor, according to Sandy Gorshow, a project architect with Murphy / Jahn.
The 41-story high-rise abuts 610 N Fairbanks Ct, a three-story building steeped in Chicago history. From 1932 to 1960, 610 N Fairbanks was home to the Chez Paree nightclub, known for world-class acts like Tony Bennett, Milton Berle and Sammy Davis, Jr.
Schatz Development owns both sites, which allowed some leeway in the construction of 600 North Fairbanks, Gorshow says. Its location next to the shorter structure ensures unobstructed north views. And because zoning regulations for the two sites were combined, Murphy / Jahn could design 600 North Fairbanks to encroach slightly into the air space over its neighbor. The building has an 8.5-foot overhang on the north side of the building. “It’s the extra 8.5 feet that made the apartments viable,” Gorshow says. “That’s the trick that made this project possible.”
I’m happy that they saved 610 N. Fairbanks. Is that object to the left the new air-conditioning condenser for it?
That’s interesting since there isn’t a single ‘landmarked’ building on Fairbanks St. in the database for the City of Chicago’s Landmarks, meaning someone greased someone’s palms down at the Zoning Dept. to allow this to fly. With 610 N. Fairbanks not having landmark status, it could potentially come down in the future and how there is 8.5 feet of adjacent building overhanging its property.
Unless Shatz, since he owns both properties, resubidivided the lots to be one which would then make it uncompliant because you can’t have 2 buildings on one lot both tapping into city infrastructure and I seriously doubt 600 N is running all of its pipes and power thru 610…
Something smells fishy…
Stokes,
A more innocent and more plausible explanation is that 1) two zoning lots were combined into one; and 2) 600 is the equivalent of a rather large room addition.
Funny Joe