South Loop change of skyline, good or bad on North LSD (Chicago: real estate, school)

[westburbsil]

I always thought the two best places to view the city of Chicago was driving inbound on the Kennedy into the loop or when you take 55 to LSD heading North.

Let me preface this by saying I love all the architecture in the city and all the new architecture. It is amazing how much the city just continues to build.

There is only one area where I think the past was better. before the south Loop boomed, when you got on North LSD from 55 or heading north from SLSD you would see 311 South Wacker and Sears and the entire skyline laid out in front of you.

Now the new south loop buildings completely block that view. I always thought it was just the most beautiful part and now it is gone. Yes you see it later, but maybe just me.


Now heading south or looking sout from say Millennium Park it is beautiful how the south loop has formed a wall around Grant Park. So your thoughts? Maybe to others it makes no difference. Thanks

[edsg25]

Originally Posted by westburbsil

I always thought the two best places to view the city of Chicago was driving inbound on the Kennedy into the loop or when you take 55 to LSD heading North.

Let me preface this by saying I love all the architecture in the city and all the new architecture. It is amazing how much the city just continues to build.

There is only one area where I think the past was better. before the south Loop boomed, when you got on North LSD from 55 or heading north from SLSD you would see 311 South Wacker and Sears and the entire skyline laid out in front of you.

Now the new south loop buildings completely block that view. I always thought it was just the most beautiful part and now it is gone. Yes you see it later, but maybe just me.


Now heading south or looking sout from say Millennium Park it is beautiful how the south loop has formed a wall around Grant Park. So your thoughts? Maybe to others it makes no difference. Thanks

interesting point you make. The inbound Kennedy is as you describe. And yes, I would say that is the #1 view by far. What is amazing about it is that it totally showcases the Loop and the near North skylines, side by side....nothing is blocked; no place offers such a vista.

I fully see your point about how the South Loop towers block the view of the Loop skyline. The Loop is easily the single best component of the skyline...the vintage towers, the birth of the Chicago school of architecture. It is to Chicago what lower Manhattan once was to New York (before a bunch of big, squatty boxes ruined it).

So showcasing the Loop is pretty much an essential. That's why S/LSD has a huge advantage over N/LSD. On the South Drive, going north, the view past the point is drop dead gorgeous. Now part of that beauty comes from the incredible sight of the skyline resting on water, appearing island like. But there is something else special about it...the Loop skyline faces the South Side; the Near North does not. So when you flip over to the North Drive's best inbound view, turning the bend at Belmont Harbor when the skyline opens up, you get the domination of the Near North Side because, well, it's right in front of you. And what does that do: it moves the Loop to the background.....and that is not where you want it to be.

So your observation on Museum Park and other trendy South Loop towers blocking the Loop is not a good thing, I have to say: SPOT ON!!!!

As far as your other observation which suggests that the three sided box formed by Randolph, Michigan, and Roosevelt is an impressive sight, much more impressive, given the symmetry than when the skyline was only Randolph and Michigan.

So this makes it necessary to give you: SPOT ON II !!!!

[emathias]

Personally I prefer the way it is now. It just makes the city feel bigger now. It always felt so empty before, with so much open space between SLSD and the area near the Sears Tower. Now that that space is filling in, it makes the city feel bigger and more vibrant, and I think that will just continue to be more and more true as places like the 78 and the empty River sections North of Roosevelt fill in.

So, yeah, it was kind of a nice view, but the cause of there being a good view there always made it less good for me.

Plus, for views from the south, I always preferred the view from 90 as it curves West from near State Street to closer to Halsted at around 26th Street.

[Chicago60614]

I've always loved the Kennedy skyline. I always notice even friends or my husband who have been in the city forever will kinda shut up and I see them intently admiring the skyline right about when we hit the bridge over North Ave. I've had people from out of town, my parents, etc who have quietly gone "wow" or mentioned something in passing as we drive by that the skyline looks huge.

[SkylarkPhotoBooth]

Originally Posted by westburbsil

I always thought the two best places to view the city of Chicago was driving inbound on the Kennedy into the loop or when you take 55 to LSD heading North.

Interesting! For me it's the opposite: I've always liked the way downtown looks headed Southbound on LSD (especially before it turns, when it looks like you're headed straight toward the Hancock building), and coming in Northbound on the Dan Ryan, when you get to around Bridgeport or Chinatown.

[SkylarkPhotoBooth]

Originally Posted by emathias

Personally I prefer the way it is now. It just makes the city feel bigger now. It always felt so empty before, with so much open space between SLSD and the area near the Sears Tower.

I remember the first time my brother, who was living in NYC at the time, came to visit me in Chicago. He pointed at the big empty space just south of the loop as we were driving by and asked, "Why is there that much empty space so close to the middle of the city?" I had never thought about it before, but agreed it was weird and said there must be such a stigma against the "South Side" that people didn't want to build on even the closest-in most convenient parts of it.

It was only a year or two later when I started hearing the term South Loop regularly and the development started to take off there. I told my brother he should be a real estate speculator.

[pvande55]

Try riding in on the Rock Island. There is open space in front of the skyline. But do it soon. A deal to develop the property (old railroad right-of-way) was reached recently.