Articles by Jack Crawford

Miglin-Beitler Skyneedle

Dead by Design #4: Miglin-Beitler Skyneedle in The Loop

One of Chicago’s tallest and most notorious cancelled developments is the 125-story Miglin-Beitler Skyneedle, the first in this series to surpass the Willis (Sears) Tower in height. Proposed in 1988 by Lee Miglin and J. Paul Beitler, this superstructure would have risen 1,999 feet at 201 W Madison Street in The Loop. If construction proceeded as planned up until its targeted 1993 completion, the tower would have reigned as world’s tallest building for 17 years leading up to the completion of Dubai’s Burj Khalifa in 2010. It is worth noting however that building’s sheer influence would very likely have altered the race to the top, creating what may have been a very different set of subsequent mega-towers around the world.

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375 N Morgan Street

Plans Revealed for Apartment Tower Next To Guinness Brewery in Fulton Market

By Fulton Market‘s height standards, a towering new residential development has been proposed for the 375 N Morgan Street, lying adjacently west of the underway Guinness Brewery project. Spearheading both projects on the two adjacent parcels, developer Fred Latsko has called for a nearly 40-story building with more than 500 for-rent units. Given its similar number of floors to the nearly topped-out 900 Randolph, we can likely expect a height in the range between 450 and 500 feet. Latsko had previously mulled plans for a 30-story office development, but has shifted due to ever-increasing apartment demand and the lifting of the neighborhood’s moratorium on new residential developments.

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2031-33 N Kingsbury Avenue

Sterling Bay Proposes 15-Story Apartment Building Across from Lincoln Yards

Sterling Bay, the real estate developer behind the $6 billion Lincoln Yards masterplan, has revealed plans for a new 15-story apartment building directly to its east in Lincoln Park. The project faces Sterling Bay’s mega-assemblage from across the North Branch river, calling for 359 new units on a parcel addressed as 2031-2033 N Kingsbury Avenue. Of the total unit count, 36 on-site residences will be affordable. In addition, Sterling Bay will contribute $5.1 million to the city affordable housing fund. The Chicago-based developer has partnered with Lone Star Fund as a joint venture, further continuing their collaboration beyond Lincoln Yards.

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