A new 76 story building will be going up near The Tides & Shoreham at 375 E. Wacker. Currently the Lakeshore East Sales Center has that address. The building will have a unique 20 story opening in the middle of the building.

Sales will begin in August 2007 and units will be priced from $500,000 to $3,000,000.

From the Chicago Tribune - “The striking design by Miami-based Arquitectonica features a 20-story opening through the building’s midsection. The tower, which will rise at 375 E. Wacker Dr., has two intersecting components programmed to house a five-star hotel with 224 suites, as many as 671 condominiums and six stories of underground parking.”

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-0705080693may09,0,1695623.story 

Construction & Maintenance reports that Otis Elevator Company of Farmington, CT won an $11 million contract to supply the elevators for Aqua. Otis supplied the elevators for all of the building in Lakeshore East except the first one, the Lancaster.

 Regarding the development in general, Lakeshore East is described as: “When completed, the 28-acre, $4 billion Lakeshore East will consist of 16 high-rise residential buildings, 4, 900 residences, 2.2 million square feet of commercial space, 1,500 hotel rooms, a 6-acre public park and an elementary school.”

More information - http://home.nestor.minsk.by/build/press/2007/05/3105.html

A number of annotated photos of the New Eastside community have been posted on the NewEastside.org web site by Richard Ward.

The photos show the lock, DuSable Harbor, and the Lakeshore East construction.

http://www.neweastside.org/Panorama5-07.html

To sign up for updates join the mailing lists at http://www.neweastside.org/MailLists.html 

A article this morning in the Tribune has some nice words about “340 On The Park”, the latest building finished in the Lakeshore East development project. 340 On the Park makes a bold contribution to the Chicago skyline rising 64 stories dwarfing its neighbors at 300 and 360 East Randolph.

From the Tribune - “The doors give onto a wide balcony with a knock-your-eyes-out view of Frank Gehry’s snaking BP Bridge, the trellis of his Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, Sears Tower, the skyline, you name it. On the same floor are a two-lane, 25-yard lap pool and a whirlpool with views out onto Grant Park. The tower’s residents — people in just a handful of units had moved in as of last Monday — will thus be able to indulge themselves and feel virtuous because they live in a green building. This may make 340 the Lexus hybrid of architecture.”

Read the full article. http://www.chicagotribune.com:80/features/chi-0722_towerjul22,1,3374521.story 

Regarding CRITICAL Children’s Museum Neighborhood Meeting on Monday, Sept. 10, 5:30 PM at the Daley Fieldhouse 

Editorial - We at New-Eastside.com have witnessed a variety of ever-increasingly aggressive tactics to characterize the New Eastside neighborhood (which includes the Lakeshore East development) as being partially supportive of the Children’s Museum’s proposed move to the current site of the Daley Bicentenntial Fieldhouse.

The recent meetings at each building presented only one side of the issue - i.e. Children’s Museum staff and representatives proposing the new location for the building.

Nearby public facilities such as the Family Fun Festival in Millenium Park has had boxes for people to write letters to the Alderman in support of the move, with no place to mark or record opposition to the move.

Roving college-age petitioners have been spotted in the neighborhood and surrounding areas who were hired by the Children’s Museum and who clearly upon questioning had no clear idea about what was involved in the proposed move.

A firm in Topeka, KS has been calling neighborhood residents at odd hours to solicit support for the move from central Chicago residents.

In the latest move, the Children’s Museum organization is expected to bus in hundreds of supporters in advance of the upcoming “neighborhood meeting” hosted by NEAR to take all available seats and shut out real neighborhood residents from expressing their opposition to the proposed move ( see http://blog.new-eastside.com/final-meeting-on-the-childrens-museum/, especially the comments). This was originally intended to be a meeting (again it is hosted by NEAR) open only to neighborhood residents.

While I can’t fault the Children’s Museum for being aggressive about what they think could be a good move in location for them — their blatant attempts to mis-characterize our neighborhood is regrettable.

While we hope the best for the Children’s Museum (our own children love it), we must condemn the current administration’s recent activities and hope the neighborhood is able to prevail in this issue and prevent the Children’s Museum from relocating across the street in Grant Park.

The summer edition of the Currents newsletter has been published. Topics include: the start of construction of the first cluster of 24 Parkhomes which will range in size from approximately three to four thousand square foot each; various property updates for Tides, The Regatta, The Chandler, and more; Chicago’s win in its bid to be the Candidate to host Olympics in 2016; and potential developments along the south side of the Chicago River - just on the other side of East Wacker from Lakeshore East.

To view the full newsletter which includes several photos and artist renderings see — http://www.lakeshoreeast.com/pdfs/MGL_CurrentsSUM07web.pdf

The Construction Writers Association (CWA) will meet at the Hotel Allegro, Chicago, IL, from October 10 to 12, 2007.  The association’s midyear meeting will feature a tour of the Lakeshore East development, an education session focusing on digital media, a session featuring construction-related topics, and an awards dinner.

CWA’s Thursday morning education session will include:  Judy Schriener, formerly editor of McGraw-Hill’s construction website, on writing for the web; Toni Antonetti of Public Relations Chicago on new tools available to writers; and blogging, podcasting, and other new techniques with John Usherwood, eChannel Commercial Manager, MPSD - Global Brand Management, Caterpillar Inc. A wrap-up session will cover the pros and cons of digital and print media.

The $4 billion Lakeshore East development site was the largest available urban acreage in Chicago.  Previously a 9-hole golf course made out of a wasteland, it covers 28 acres east of Michigan Avenue along the Chicago River. Magellan Development Group LLC is creating this luxury village including housing, retail, recreation, and a school.  Three residential buildings have been completed, and three more were nearing completion earlier this summer. The spectacular 82-story Aqua Building is currently under construction.  CWA attendees will visit with the developer and tour the site on Thursday afternoon.

Thursday evening will feature the CWA Marketing Communication Awards and Website and Electronic Communications Awards Dinner.

On Friday morning, the midyear meeting session will highlight the 82-story Aqua Building, designed to combine condos, rental apartments, a hotel and retail spaces.  Ron Klemencic, president of engineering consulting firm Magnusson Klemencic Associates, Inc., Seattle and Chicago; David Alexander of the James McHugh Construction Co., Chicago, IL; and James Loewenberg, AIA, co-CEO of Magellan will be on hand to discuss the Lakeshore East development. Design architect Jeanne Gang has also been invited.

Building Information Modeling, commonly called BIM, will also be introduced.  Mark Woodburn, AIA LEED AP, of DMJM Design will be a panelist.  A software supplier, building owner, and a contractor have been invited to participate on this panel.  We are  also planning a session with representatives of the Illinois Tollway, who will discuss open tolling and variable pricing proposals, concepts that are becoming popular throughout the US.

The CWA Board of Directors will meet on Wednesday afternoon at the Hotel Allegro.  Observers are welcome at this session.  A welcoming reception has been scheduled for Wednesday evening at the offices of Concrete Products magazine, published by Penton, in the IBM Building.  Reservations are needed for the reception due to building security, but there is no charge for Wednesday events.

Rooms at the Hotel Allegro will be $219 per night.  The reservation cut-off date is Friday, September 14, 2007.  To book, call 800-643-1500 and mention the “Construction Writers Association.”

Registration fees for members will be $125 for the Friday midyear meeting, which includes the Thursday evening Awards Dinner, and $125 for the Thursday morning education session - or $240 for both.  Nonmembers will pay $150 for each session or $290 for both.  Nonmembers are encouraged to join CWA for $100 individual annual dues and attend the meeting at member registration rates. There is no charge to attend the CWA Board of Directors Meeting, the welcome pizza party, or the Lakeshore East development tour.

Construction Writers Association is a non-profit, non-partisan, international organization for journalists, publicists, photographers, and marketing communications professionals serving the information needs of the construction industry. By providing opportunities for networking, education, recognition, and fellowship, CWA helps foster a strong community — and improve the quality of construction writing. CWA’s website is http://www.constructionwriters.org/.

The Children’s Museum has scheduled meetings at many of the buildings in the neighborhood to present plans for the Children’s Museum along the south side of East Randolph at the site of the present Daley Fieldhouse. The first meeting was held last night at North Harbor Tower (175 N. Harbor Dr.) and additional meetings are scheduled as follows. More meeting times at other buildings to be posted later.

360 Randolph, Wednesday, July 18 @ 6 pm

195 Harbor, Thursday, July 19 @ 6 pm

155 Harbor, Monday, July 23 @ 6:30 pm

400 Randolph, Wednesday, July 25 @ 6:30 pm

Local residents had expressed concerns about the Children’s Museum locating along Randolph last year so the museum considered moving to a location at Monro and Columbus, however this location was opposed by the Friends of the Park and the Grant Park Conservancy Council.

Now the Children’s Museum is looking back at their originally proposed location at the site of the Fieldhouse much to the ire of those who thought the plan was dead last year. Be sure to attend your buildings meeting to see the detailed proposal and presentation and have a chance to express your opinion to the new Alderman who will be in attendance at each meeting.

Magellan Development Group has published the Spring edition of the Currents Newsletter promoting Lakeshore East and the area.

Topics include: - Lakeshore East named “2007 Development of the Year” by the Greater North Michigan Avenue Association, 340 Sales Office moved to Lakeshore East, Aqua Breaks Ground, Sales Office to Move to Shoreham, Jeanne Gang’s Aqua Design, Regatta Orientation Program, Cafe Roma to open in Shoreham, and 340 on the Park and Chandler “Top Out”.

 View the newsletter here - http://www.lakeshoreeast.com/pdfs/MGL_CurrentsSP07Pweb.pdf 

Bob O’Neill writes that there will be a Grant Park Conservancy meeting on Tuesday, May 29, 2007 - 6:30 p.m.

The meeting will be at Daley Bicennteniel Plaza (337 E. Randolph just east of Columbus Drive) regarding the Children’s Museum Plans for relocating to this area.

He invites that you “Please come out and give us your input on the newest plans for the museum.”

The Parkhomes development at Lakeshore East was mentioned in the Wednesday issue of the Sun-Times. The units are currently prices around 1.7 to 2.5 million dollars and each have roughly 3k to 4k sq. feet. The Sun-Times reports that construction has already started in the southeast corner corner but I don’t see much besides a fence and some grading work. It looks like there is a pile of railroad ties, I’m not sure if that is because the area used to be a railyard (?). If anyone knows please post a comment. You could probably get a good look at them from Lower Harbor Drive between NHT and the Lancaster.

From the Sun-Times - “Now coming to downtown Chicago — low-rise homes! That’s honest-to-goodness, close-to-the-ground, hear-the-birds-in-the-trees living. But of course, you will have to pay steeply for the privilege and the dominant bird might be the noisy Canada geese that are so much trouble to Grant Park. ”

More information can be found at — http://www.suntimes.com:80/business/roeder/396714,CST-FIN-roeder23.article.

“Today’s luxury is tomorrow’s standard. When we first put washers and dryers in rental units 12 years ago, that was considered a luxury. Now it’s [simply] expected,” said James R. Loewenberg, AIA, co-chief executive officer of Chicago-based Magellan Development Group, LLC. Regarding the competitive nature of leasing and selling units, Loewenberg said, “You have one quick chance [to impress and capture their attention] before they walk out. You really only have a half hour to convince them you have the best product before they go down the street to see what the competition has to offer.”

Read more at — http://www.multi-housingnews.com:80/multihousing/headlines/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003575154