State Street projects’ concepts receive jeers from Gold Coast neighbours

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1130 state st
Rendering of 1130 N. State St. Newcastle/SCB image

Chicago-based developer Newcastle Limited has presented plans for two mixed-use State Street developments.

Curbed Chicago reports a standing-room-only crowd was “unruly” at the presentation on April 10 hosted by 2nd Ward Alderman Brian Hopkins in the Sofitel grand ballroom.

The projects would include 470 rental units and have more than 30,000 sq. ft. of rental space, replacing a Barnes & Noble bookstore and a cluster of vacant commercial buildings.

1130 N State St. today — a Barnes & Noble bookstore (Google Street view)

The 11-story project at 1200 N. State St. with 102 rental units “would eliminate a handful of low-rise structures including the former homes of the Tip Top Inn, Hash House a Go Go, and McFadden’s,” Curbed reported.

1200 N State st
1200 N. State St. (CallisonRTKL/Newcastle Ltd.)

“The 121-foot-tall proposal will offer about 12,000 sq. ft. of ground-floor retail space topped by a reasonably well-concealed 32-car garage as well as resident amenity spaces on the third floor and roof.”

Designer Keith Campbell of CallisonRTKL said the structure would be incorporate a mix of glass, brick, metal and panels.

The larger project, at 1130 N. State St., would reach 39 stories, replacing the bookstore at the same address.

Architect Solomon Cordwell Buenz (SCB) designed the 368-unit rental structure including 19,000 sq. ft. of retail space. “The design features a more traditional base clad in concrete, stucco, and brick topped by a contemporary glass and metal tower with curved corners,” Curbed reports.

“We set the building back and then divided the tower into two interlocking volumes at different heights to increase the slenderness,” said SCB architect John Lahey. “Then we curved the surfaces. There are a lot of rigid buildings in the area, and we thought softening the design this way would give it its own, more elegant, identity.”

Although the buildings would conform to city zoning requirements, their scale requires the Planned Development (PD) process including Plan Commission, Zoning Committee, and City Council approval.

If approvals are achieved, construction will start in early 2020.

But there may be problems with Gold Coast neighbours, who Curbed reported made it clear at the meeting they were unhappy about the usual NIMBY concerns: “Traffic, blocked views, too little parking, and shadows.”

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