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I agree with this. The "politics" of Chicago have to be changed. After years of being the "murder capital" in the 90s, DC finally got rid of Marion Barry (mostly from his own infamous doing) and brought in Anthony Williams (Harvard-trained attorney and successful financial career) who completely changed the decade-long culture of the city. Although his gentrification strategy is what lead to improving the ills of the city, it got the job done, much like Gulianni's strong-arm policing. He changed DC from the murder capital to a white-collar city, and turned many of the depressed areas into thriving neighborhoods. he did things completely differently than how the old guard ran things for decades even if it wasn't popular. I think Chicago needs a change in the mindset of leadership. All the political corruption has likely held back a lot of potential progress over the years.
Right - you need to change the climate of chicago and slowly change its rep from Chiraq to a place people want to come. then you have more jobs created and infrastructure has money to repair itself, and also keep the old buildings protected.
now as to architecture, there is a strange looking unused building which has art deco, its sandwiched between two buildings.. its on South Water just west of Michigan Ave. You can see it when you take the bus from the Metra station and it travels past it right before it crosses Michigan Ave. its the 2nd building from the corner on the north side of the street.
Location: East Central Pennsylvania/ Chicago for 6yrs.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by emathias
Funny you mention Eataly. Just a block away are the Tree Studios, fully preserved, and the Shriner's Temple. Many of the other things nearby there that were torn down were warehouses, but not interesting ones like in New York's SoHo, very plain industrial ones. Two blocks north of Eataly is the Driehaus Museum, dedicated to Guilded Age mansions, and on a well-preserved block of old mansions.
New York is older than Chicago, so it had more old buildings to start with. Whether it's really been better at preserving things or not, I don't know. Certainly the Bronx did not do a good job of preservation, not by any measure, and Queens, which probably has the most in common with Chicago of any of the New York boroughs, doesn't appear to anyone like a bastion of preservation. Much of Manhattan was built even before Chicago was incorporated, and nearly all of it before Chicago hit its growth spurt, so comparing them is really a false comparison. It'd be like comparing Manhattan with Istanbul or Rome.
As far as River North goes, as others have said a lot of what's been built on lately has been surface lots, and most of the surface lots came about by the demolition of economically nonviable and not architecturally significant warehouses - not a big loss since being old by itself would be a silly reason to preserve a building if it was in no other way significant. But River North does have some nice collections of older buildings - the Cathedral District has some nice blocks and buildings, including the cathedrals themselves, and Erie just west of Wabash to Rush, the YMCA building, the older stone buildings on Dearborn just south (and north) of the YMCA, the Bush Temple of Music is being renovated at Chicago and Clark, and further south on Clark and along good chunks of Wells are older, well-preserved buildings, as well as near the intersection of Superior and Franklin, Ontario west of Orleans, Kinzie Street has the old Court House building and older brick buildings between Lasalle west to the River. You can't expect a place to stay completely static, especially when River North has converted from an industrial / SRO-dominated area into a vibrant mixed-use community.
There also really aren't that many "Applebee's" type places in River North. Sure, there's a Chili's at Ontario and State, and a few national chains on Ohio between State and Michigan, but not that many other parts of River North are blatantly filled with chains. Weber Grill is a chain, but a chain that's headquartered in Chicagoland. Hard Rock Cafe and Rainforest Cafe are not in the base of highrises, and are likely to be replaced with highrises within the next 20 years.
Restaurants like Maggianos at Clark and Grand and Bar Louie were FOUNDED in River North - that they are national chains now is irrelevant to your argument because they started here. The former Rock and Roll McDonalds is another locally-based outfit and a flagship store at that. With the exception of the ubiquitous Starbucks locations, very few of the highrises have national chains in them - regional chains, some, but many of them are either local chains or even unique shops. That Michigan Avenue has a lot of international brands on the street is also more or less irrelevant because that's always been part of the draw for shoppers - that they could get international brands there. That more places in America now have access to some of those brands doesn't mean Chicago has gotten more bland, but that transportation and globalization has brought more brands to more places.
NYC still is a Great city with sooooo much of our American history, great architecture and skyscrapers we all respect and love....
But to those who DEMEAN CHICAGO FOR FAST FOOD JOINTS AND STARBUCKS VS NYC... HAVE NO LEG TO STAND ON.....
Check our this 5th Ave street-scene.... across from our ICONIC EMPIRE STATE BUILDING... A SHUTTERED Souvenir store, a McDonald's. a Open Souvenir T-shirt shop, then a Money Exchange, a WENDY'S and a DOG JOINT ACROSS THE STREET with PAINTED SIGNS WITH PRICING,,,,, Really not the high-end part of 5th Ave..... OH AND GUESS WHAT..... A NICE BIG PILE OF GARBAGE BAGS ON THE SIDEWALK..... A BIG PILE.... . ⤵
REALLY they mock and knock Chicago downtown for chains look what is here??? Next to The EMPIRE STATE BUILDING and on ICONIC 5th Ave. It's FAR SUPERIOR THEN WHAT CHICAGO OFFERS..... Chicago could NEVER GET AWAY WITH PILES OF GARBAGE LIKE THIS...NEVER. ONLY NYC CAN. ⤵
Oh then across the street next block.... CVS, PANERA BREAD and .....STARBUCKS.....
SPARE US IT'S CHICAGO WITH CHAINS ALL AROUND KEY STREETS... ⤵
OH..... We got a 99 cent Pizza joint and a JAMBA JUICE PLACE..... and WHATS WITH THIS SCAFFOLDING ???? IN older streetviews since 2011. I'd say 3-4 years is A LOOOOONG TIME .⤵
I do not lessen Manhattan but noting these Chains and other food joints..... BUT MEANT FOR THOSE MOCKING CHICAGO AS HAVING THEM vs. NYC as if far less and to SAY....YES YOU DO FIND PLENTY IN MANHATTAN TOO......
JUST TOO MANY REGULAR CHICAGO MOCKERS TOOK OVER THIS THREAD TO BRING NYC IN...... LIKE OUR NOLA101. ALWAYS MANAGES TO DO AND ALLOWED TO.
The thread has NOTHING TO DO WITH NYC OR A NYC vs. Chicago thread...... Both cities are Awesome American cities in peaches own ways and choices.
You don't like Chicago's new shiny or Boxy buildings..... NYC boasters have no leg to stand on with the narrow tall boxes NYC is getting now .... .
First off, comparing San Fran and Chicago is apples and oranges; San Fran does not have the racial tension, and levels of poverty Chicago has.
Well of course not. If an entire race is all but pushed out of the city, there won't be racial tension with that race. Blacks in SF have been marginalized in a far more subtle but no less nefarious way. They've essentially been gentrified out of existence other than in a few evaporating enclaves.
I'll throw a total curveball into this discussion. Gary, Indiana (as a region)
It will come back, it is already starting to comeback. Baby steps compared to Detroit, but it is happening, and it is located in the most beautiful part of Chicagoland (the Dunes), has a SIXMILE long beach, and is governed by sane Republican Hoosiers...low taxes, no debt etc.
Why does this matter to Chicago? Well there is no way that on their own, the collar counties of Chicago in Illinois could do anything at all to independently change the trajectory of the metro area....but Gary and Northwest Indiana can and in my opinion, WILL start to do so.
The Gary Airport alone could do wonders for Chicago, sitting on the South Sore line to Hyde Park, McCormick Place/Chinatown, Museum Campus and Mllenium Station. What train from Ohare or Midway has such potential.
Gary is about to rise, and this will be good for Chicago, especially the South Side. Maybe not for DuPage, McHenry, Will county... mark my word. Destiny.
In neighborhoods like Lincoln Square, Edgewater, Albany Park, Avondale, Uptown, old brick two flats are being converted left and right to sfh but are not being destroyed from the outside. The only teardowns I see are craptastic frame sided homes that are beyond repair and are ugly.
People sometimes include Albany Park in the list of gentrifying neighborhoods but I sure don't see it. The Jewish and Swedish areas north of the river never got run down. The rest of it, is. Where is the gentrification?
Well of course not. If an entire race is all but pushed out of the city, there won't be racial tension with that race. Blacks in SF have been marginalized in a far more subtle but no less nefarious way. They've essentially been gentrified out of existence other than in a few evaporating enclaves.
good bye, Western Addition. so long, Hunters Point. Tough luck, Willie Brown: it aint' your city anymore. black SF is little more than a memory.
I hesitate to introduce this topic as I am becoming more and more convinced that the Chicago sub forum has become an incredibly toxic place where negativity is the rule (perhaps more so than any other sub forum on City-Data) and Chicago bashing is the blood sport of choice, but I'll still give it a stab…
These are hardly the best of times in Chicago, the city we love. The litany of ills….corrupt and inefficient government, poor schools, astounding murder rate, gangs, guns, rogue cops, a world class and third world city mixed into one, etc…….are real and debilitating.
But Chicago has been down before, many times, and it seems always to bounce back. Like the timex watch of yore that takes a licking, but keeps on ticking or the Energizer Bunny who keeps going and going and going, you can't keep Chicago down.
Truthfully, all cities have their ups and downs. I can remember times when NYC and SF were in serious trouble, but look at them today.
Question is: do you believe that Chicago has another "golden age" in front of it, that we can get past our present problems and build on the incredible strength that is hard wired into this very much world class and alpha city.
Our advantages far out way our negatives: we have so much going for us.
Obviously I've made my opinion clear here; no mystery on how I feel.
But how about the rest of you? Yes, times are tough and we've been on the wrong track and have taken a hit. But……...Do you see Chicago bouncing back? And, if so, what do you think would be the factors that would generate this comeback city?
I thought about your question, and I would actually argue Chicago is probably close to peaking right now; sure there are crime and corruption issues, but that is not unique to current Chicago, I'm not from Chicago, but seems to be business as usual. To my knowledge, the city has never been as wealthy, or with as many high paying jobs as it is now.
I think the biggest difference now is that other cities have caught/passed Chicago in several aspects. LA and NYC now have much safer cities (both in reality and perception), and regions such as Wash. DC and SF Bay Area are now wealthier (both on average and raw numbers), so while Chicago probably is enjoying more success than it ever has, it's no longer the next premiere city after NYC (arguably).
For me personally, the biggest thing holding Chicago back is still crime, not so much black on black violent crime on the Southside that Northersiders may or may not pay attention to on the news, but the spillover to good, family oriented neighborhoods. I live in what is arguably the best neighborhood for families in the city (West Lakeview/Southport Corridor), and the crime here is pretty alarming, and much higher than I ever anticipated. My garage has been broken into twice in the past 18 months, there was a armed robbery in front of my house (in broad daylight), there are literally robberies/assaults every weekend within a 2 block radius of my home, and to top it all off, there was a shootout yesterday 2 blocks from my home, where ~80 gunshots were fired. These are the issues Chicago should be most concerned with, violent crime in wealthy, family neighborhoods.
now as to architecture, there is a strange looking unused building which has art deco, its sandwiched between two buildings.. its on South Water just west of Michigan Ave. You can see it when you take the bus from the Metra station and it travels past it right before it crosses Michigan Ave. its the 2nd building from the corner on the north side of the street.
I'm curious. Is it on South Water (from the Metra station on Randolph) or on East Wacker?
Doesn't Chicago have a lot of vacant lots in and near the Near South Side for building large towers?
Yes, it does. Some of them are being built on right now, some have active proposals, but even after all that there are still a good number of lots or low-use (i.e. single-story) lots available in the Near South Side. There are even large grassy lots left over from the removal of the Grand Central train terminal along the east bank of the South Branch. The section north of Roosevelt now has an active proposal for that, so things are getting steadily built on even in the Near South Side.
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Originally Posted by FAReastcoast
First off, comparing San Fran and Chicago is apples and oranges; San Fran does not have the racial tension, and levels of poverty Chicago has.
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To properly compare San Francisco to Chicago I think Oakland should be included in the discussion since West Oakland is as close to San Francisco's Financial District as Englewood or Austin are to the Chicago Loop. When you include Oakland in the discussion there is plenty of racial strife, poverty and crime in the Bay Area to be compared to Chicago.
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Originally Posted by FAReastcoast
To reply to your initial question, "Global Chicago" (ie. the good parts), will continue to do well and thrive, while the Black Belt of Chicago will continue to Struggle. I just don't see areas like Englewood ever coming back.
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Peopled used to say the same about Garfield Park and yet if you look at the census data, East Garfield Park has hit bottom and is even starting to gentrify. That will take a couple decades, but in our lifetime I think it's entirely possible for the notorious West Side to lose its reputation for danger as the crime from it gets slowly pushed out of the city into near west and near southwest suburbs.
Englewood doesn't have the same advantages as the West Side, so it may take longer, however in the same timeframe as the West Side getting gentrified, the socio-economic gap between the Near South Side and Hyde Park is very likely to be closed, and if that happens Englewood stands a chance to stabilize in that timeframe, after which it could very well start on an upswing. Again, looking at Census data, the problems of Englewood are already moving west and in our lifetime will probably be pushed into places like Oak Lawn and Lyons.
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Originally Posted by FAReastcoast
As for "progress", I absolutely hate the city Chicago is turning into; I'm not a native Chicagoan, but the city has lost it's soul in my opinion. I'm not interested in walking past parking podium after parking podium, and I hate the lack of preservation in this city, the number of historic/classic buildings being torn down for shiny glass boxes on parking structures is really depressing. So while, I don't think Chicago is in any danger of being the next Detroit, as the city "progresses", it is slowly turning into a generic, cookie cutter city. I know that is Harsh, but just my opinion having lived here for 3 years.
There simply aren't very many podium buildings being built outside of the Central Area, and while downtown is critical to Chicago economically and is the most significant geographical region that currently ties Chicago into the Global economy, it has never really been the "soul" of Chicago. Places that are the soul of Chicago are being renovated/gentrified in a far more fine-grained fashion than the Central Area. Places like the Bungalow Belt, which have been closer to the soul of Chicago than downtown, are still around and, while changing, moving more slowly and less dramatically. The Central Area has always been Chicago's face to the world and region, not the heart and soul of everyday local Chicago.
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It's FAR SUPERIOR THEN WHAT CHICAGO OFFERS..... Chicago could NEVER GET AWAY WITH PILES OF GARBAGE LIKE THIS...NEVER. ONLY NYC CAN. 
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