Wabash Properties CEO See Y. Wong may be the luckiest man on the Near South Side, but will his brand of building magic work in Uptown?
Wong, the developer of such successes as the 1349 South Wabash Private Residences tower in the South Loop and the Grand Imperial Hotel in Chinatown, announced today that he will replace Holsten Development as the developer of the embattled Wilson Yard project, located near Montrose Avenue and Broadway in Uptown.
“Consider Wilson Yard fixed,” Wong said in a brief interview this morning. “Uptown is ready to resolve the problems it’s faced with this development, and I’ll walk from one Chinatown to another to make sure that happens.”
Although most of Wilson Yard’s retail component, anchored by an 180,000 square-foot Target department store, will remain intact, Wong says he plans to “spice up” the site with several developmental revisions, including the addition of two 40-story residential high-rises, tentatively named One Shiller Tower and One Shiller Tower West.
Wong envisions one tower comprising luxury condominiums, rental apartments, and hotel suites, and one tower devoted entirely to public housing.
“Opponents of the old Wilson Yard say it was built on a ‘failed housing model’ that focused solely on low-income homes. A luxury condo tower next door surely will bring balance to those concerns,” he says.
In a sign of gratitude toward the buildings’ namesake, he plans to offer Ald. Helen Shiller her choice of either of the buildings’ top-floor penthouses, “from which she can look down on her ward as its humble guardian.”
Wong has enlisted the help of veteran architects George Pappageorge and Larry Booth to design the high-rises. Citing a mutual admiration and a desire to put their stamp on what is
certain to be Uptown’s signature destination, Pappageorge and Booth issued their own joint statement promising “something special” for the neighborhood. Renderings of the buildings will be unveiled at a public meeting next week.
The normally subdued Pappageorge hinted at the team’s goals in the final sentence of its memo with the following exclamation: “If you thought Chicago architecture reached its peak with the South Loop, then you ain’t seen nothin’ yet!”
When asked how he could afford to move forward with such large-scale changes to the Wilson Yard plans in such a stingy lending climate, Wong just laughed. “That’s what TIF is for, right?”
I hope this is an April Fools joke. Please say yes. Please.
Jenni,
Wilson Yard is not a joking matter.
Fear not. Given the already huge surplus of luxury housing in Uptown Wong’s approach is not likely to find market acceptance.
If there was any doubt that this is an April Fool’s joke, this statement is the smoking gun:
“the developer of such successes as the 1349 South Wabash Private Residences tower in the South Loop”
I’m disappointed he went with George Pappageorge and Larry Booth, Calatrava or Gehry weren’t available? Thank god for TIF money.
I heard that in an unprecedented partnership, both Frank Lloyd Wright and Mies van der Rohe are designing the development’s towers and extraordinary amenities, including hydrogen filled Zeppelin offering residents complimentary rides to downtown and state of the art oxygen bar.
Personally I would have preferred if Trump had been involved in “the deal”.
At least I could ogle his daughter and trophy wife du jour. They’d probably want me. Which is another joke for the day now that I think about it.
I think the Shiller Towers should be done in green tinted painted concrete topped with a Neon Dollar sign. As you enter the towers above the door in pidgin Latin “E Pluribus Tifun”. Which roughly translates as “Many are Screwed”.
I just hope that the public taxpayer contribution to these two new towers is kept at below a reasonable $400-500 thousand dollars per unit. I also hope that various relatives of the Mayor and Alderman are deeply involved in the money making aspects of the deal. I’ve heard such things happen in Chicago and I’d HATE to think it didn’t happen with Shiller Towers Phase One and Phase Two.
There could even be movies about it.
TIF Wars: Part 4 A New Hope(FWY)
TIF Wars: Part 5: The Empress Strikes Back
TIF Wars: Part 6: Returns of the Feds
Later, a prequel trilogy of three movies will come out detailing how young Hellakin Skytalker went over to the “Daley Side” and joined the Emperor.
“He plans to offer Ald. Helen Shiller her choice of either of the buildings’ top-floor penthouses, “from which she can look down on her ward as its humble guardian.””
This has to be a joke.. a bad april fools joke!
“Wong, the developer of such successes as the
1349 South Wabash Private Residences tower
in the South Loop and the Grand Imperial
Hotel in Chinatown”
How are those successes if they have not been built?
What’s next, awarding a project “development of the year” award before it is built and the project craters? Oh wait, that was done in 2007 🙂
This has a ‘Rokas’ type situation possibility written all over it.
April Fools!
Okay, this is obviously an April Fools joke, since there are no sources cited
Are you serious. This must be a joke and what kind of timming, on April 1st, 2009.
tup,
No sources? We quoted Wong. We quoted Pappageorge. We referenced a joint statement from the architects. Others spoke to us on deep background. Is Holsten denying this? No.
This story was thoroughly researched and documented well beyond New York Times standards.
Here’s an insider tidbit for you. The towers will actually be 52 stories each. Everyone’s counting on the typical Uptowner’s inability to count past 30.
tup,
Perhaps you’re skeptical about Pappageorge and Booth working together. Here’s a brief outtake from a video interview I did with George Pappageorge and David Haymes, in which George expresses his admiration for Larry Booth and his work.
Okay lets get it out in the open. What is the deal with the Wilson Yard.
Today is now April 2.
It was a joke.
Trump is taking over Wilson Yard and has renamed it “Trumptown.”
I would love it if he would take over the project. In fact I would love it if anyone else would take over the project.
Joe,
By sources I meant links
tup,
Well, you said “sources cited” and one doesn’t normally think of links as “cited.”
This was, of course, an item appropriate to its date of publication. The clue came early on, in this quote: “Uptown is ready to resolve the problems it’s faced with this development …” Who in their right mind could believe that Uptown will ever resolve the issue of Wilson Yard?