Posted on 04/20/2007 2:56:15 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- The city's planning board has endorsed a proposal for a twisting lakefront tower that would become the nation's tallest building.
With Thursday's approval from the Chicago Plan Commission, the design and site plan for the 2,000-foot Chicago Spire goes to the city zoning committee next week.
"This is a wonderful project, and everyone is very enthused," said Constance Buscemi, spokeswoman for the city's planning department.
The 150-story tower, which would feature 1,200 residences, would unseat Chicago's 1,451-foot Sears Tower as the tallest U.S. building. It would also top New York's 1,776-foot Freedom Tower, under construction at the former World Trade Center site.
The Chicago Spire was designed by Santiago Calatrava, the Spanish-born architect known for designing the Milwaukee Art Museum addition and the Athens Olympic sports complex.
If the zoning panel approves the plan, the City Council will consider it May 9. If it is approved, construction would begin this spring, said Thomas Murphy, general counsel to developer Shelbourne Development Ltd.
Shelbourne executives have declined to estimate the building's total development cost. Real estate experts put it at well over $1 billion, the Chicago Tribune and Crain's Chicago Business reported on their Web sites Thursday.
The tallest building in the world is the Taipei 101 tower in Taiwan, which measures 1,671 feet and 101 floors. A tower in Dubai now under construction is expected to rise beyond 2,300 feet and more than 160 floors .
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
I thought “Twizzle Stick” was an apt description. The other one I can’t post here.
Sorry, I don’t get it. Why make that many lives and that much property an open target for terrorists? Plus, all it takes is a couple of reports of terrorist threats on the building and no one will want to buy property there- sending property values way down. I wouldn’t invest in property there.
The NIFHI has found a new home!!!
So don’t build it and let the terrorists win?
Nice!
All it needs is a big bull’s eye for next 9/11.
“So don’t build it and let the terrorists win?”
Terrorists win if we have to tear down a building or something already built. They don’t win by us refusing to build them a juicy target to aim at. It’s not like there’s been some public clamor for bigger skyscrapers in the US that I’m aware of.
Who’s gonna work above the tenth floor?
The Freedom Tower is going to be 1,776 feet tall...
Liberals will say don’t build it, it will only be a target, we don’t want to anger them with ostentatious buildings that might offend them.
Why all the confusion over the WTC, re-build it and add the top or bottom floor for a memorial.
I agree. Often the best solution is a simple one.
No actually if we chose not to build buildings we want/ need because of the fear of terrorists they indeed do win. There might not be a public clamor but in core business cities there’s a general need for more floor space than the ground can provide. That’s why tall buildings exist in the first place. Chicago is a big city with a lot of money moving around, even though there is surrounding area it could expand into horizontally (though it would have to take over some burbs to get to most of it) that land is all away from the city center, the city center is a high value real estate area.
Maybe Target should build a world record sky scaper and put their logo on it.
Me. I work on the 37th floor, directly west of the spire building. The view is absolutely beautiful up here, especially during a thunderstorm or sunset.
Actually, as long as private money is spent on this project I say let them do what they want to do. Anyone who wants to live there can do so- they know the risks.
I’m just saying I wouldn’t invest my money in the project because I know that all it would take is news of some plot to bring down the building and property values would start plummeting.
But hey, if the developer wants to take the risk and people want to live there then it’s ok with me.
No, the problem is that the WTC was a lousy complex. It was ugly (the plaza was just awful), and it was an incredibly expensive and inefficient use of space and never profitable.
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