Author: phil berger
Rehab horror story with fairy-tale ending: only in the NY Times
We have said it before and will no doubt say it again: nobody covers real estate like the New York Times. [Nobody covers anything the way the Times do [...]
Preservation alert on Stratford Place
In the historic preservation arena, you've got to pick your battles. Invariably, you are fighting the forces of the real estate market and when ther [...]
SkyscraperCity.com worth a second look
Yo has already told you about the Skyscraper City Web site, which has some great material among the dross.
Check out the threads STR posts, with incre [...]
Up above it all: partying at the Peninsula Terrace
If you have ever stayed at the Peninsula Hotel, you understand why it's the only place to stay in Chicago for a certain variety of tourist. And it wou [...]
Architectural salvage: one out, one in.
Nature -- at least in its urban, mercantile form -- evidently really does abhor a vacuum .We told you a few weeks ago that architectural salvage pur [...]
Mixed messages on Lincoln Avenue
The "flatiron" retail space at Lincoln and Racine -- for decades the location of the Time Well -- has been vacant for almost a year now, since the u [...]
Porch party season: RSVP at your own risk
Tomorrow summer starts officially, which means that unless you are a total loser, you are more than likely to be invited to a party on somebody's back [...]
In south suburbs, take no prisoners approach to neighborhood disputes
And you thought it was bad on your block. Take a look at the situation in the nether reaches of the Southtown community, where somebody has apparently [...]
Sun-Times goes all design-y on us, and that's a good thing
Whether or not you're a big fan of Sun-Times art and architecture critic Kevin Nance, you've got to give his editors credit for letting him do all kin [...]
NIMBY: Lakeview edition
Mary Schmick reports in today's Tribune that the folks up near the Paulina Brown line stop are plenty miffed about the new retailer soon to be in the [...]
Clark Junction #$%^&s up entire transit system
The Tribune reported today that, due to signal problems at Belmont, there was no Purple Line service south of Howard Street yesterday.
A brief newspa [...]
Attention developers: here is an object lesson in good design
The construction barricades are down at 156 W Superior, and the building looks really great. Noting the flower boxes on a few of the balconies, it app [...]
No longer a source for renovation
Renovation Source, the architectural salvage place at 3512 N Southport, is closing shop. According to the signs posted, "Everything Must Go" by Sund [...]
Historic district residents parry with LaGrange over new high-rise
The Tribune reported today that residents near the Prairie Avenue historic district are complaining about plans for a development that will include tw [...]
Drive-by: Optima Old Orchard Woods shaping up nicely
If you drive the Edens Expressway with any regularity, the Optima project at Old Orchard Road is an ever larger presence in your consciousness, and [...]
Rocks are history, but choicest skyline views restored
The Park District continues its massive rebuilding of the shoreline, replacing the old stone slab seawall with a [hopefully] more stable structure o [...]
NY Times spotlights Chicago real estate and radio
Nobody covers the waterfront quite the way the New York Times does. Yesterday's edition had a story about Millennium Park's impact on the East Loop, n [...]
Sleek and chic remodeling on Elston
You've gotta appreciate bold design, particularly in bleak locations, so it's a pleasure to point out the almost-finished remodeling [really more of [...]
Urban streetscapes on view at MCA expand photographer's reputation
Catherine Opie gained fame and generated controversy in the 1990s with her photographs [many self-portraits] depicting Los Angeles' leather / S&M / [...]
Segal estate finds buyer; landscape preservationists cringe
In what is possibly the most depressing real estate news of the year, the Sun-Times reported yesterday, with a follow-up today, that Orren Pickell Des [...]