By Emily Clott, Class of 2012
When the Chicago Architecture Center relocated from its longtime home in the Railway Exchange Building, all tours that began there had to be revised to start at 111 E. Wacker. But there was a gap in our offerings; no tour focused on Streeterville, our new neighborhood. Mary Jo Hoag proposed a new tour, What’s New, to plug that gap.
What’s New is about how architects and engineers are designing buildings today; how buildings fit into the cityscape; new materials used in the construction; cladding on the exteriors; consideration of environmental factors and LEED certification; city density; how the new buildings differ from what came before in design and materials, and how the economy and neighborhood associations affect design decisions.
The tour starts at the Center, crosses the bridge to Pioneer Court, and briefly considers the classic skyscrapers supported with steel frames, either hidden or expressed on their exteriors. After that reference to the past, the tour focuses on structures completed since 2010. We discuss the adaptive re-use of the Tribune Tower into residences and the Tribune East Tower that has been approved for construction, no start date yet announced. We discuss David Hovey’s Optima Tower and 465 N. Park by Pappageorge Haymes, both of which respond to market forces by offering units for rent rather than for purchase.
One Bennet Park by Robert AM Stern, Lowe’s Hotel and Residences, by Solomon Cordwell Buenz, Jean Gang’s St. Regis Tower, and Gary Handel’s 111 West Wacker are seen in the distance, while the Apple Store, by Foster and Associates rounds out the tour.
These later structures offer opportunities to discuss materials choices including post-tension concrete, tuned and fritted glass, and engineering innovations such as mass dampers and blow-through floors.
We discuss SOAR, the Streeterville Organization of Active Residents, and their role in determining how new buildings meet the ground, parking location, and matters of importance to the neighboring community. Their influence is key in gaining aldermanic support for any proposed building project.
The ratio of parking spaces to units, transit-oriented development, and amenities for renters vs. condo owners are among other topics docents discuss. One of the major features of the tour, drop-dead views from the 38th floor deck at 465 N. Park, has been unavailable since the onset of COVID, nevertheless the tour has persisted and is well-received by tourees.
What’s New brings tourees up to date with trends and issues facing architects today. Eleven docents are certified to give the tour, which goes out on Wednesdays and Saturdays during peak season. Tour directors Mary Jo Hoag and Emily Clott will be challenged to tweak the tour regularly to ensure that it lives up to its name. It will not do for What’s New to fade into What’s Old.
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