Trump International Hotel and Tower - Chicago - by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

[NYC4Life]

This is as close a building and tower can get to from its original renders. The tower is perfect and that is what has made it an instant hit.

[NoyokA]

This looks like a building that's always been a part of Chicago. Well done.

[ablarc]

We could use one of these in New York.

(In place of the Maki?)

[NYC4Life]

That would look nice here, but we have our own architecture and style here just like Chicago has theirs.

[Zephyr]

I second that response :).

[Jasonik]

That would look nice here, but we have our own architecture and style here just like Chicago has theirs.

Though the setback style -- with which this tower can be loosely associated -- incubated in NY because of the unique zoning laws (http://ci.columbia.edu/0240s/0242_2/0242_2_s7_text.html).

So this is the final design for the 192' spire? Status unchanged?

http://www.chicagoarchitecture.info/Images/NearNorthSide/TrumpTower-011.jpg (http://www.chicagoarchitecture.info/Building/143/Trump_International_Hotel_and_Tower_(Chicago).php)

[BVictor1]

Has anyone noticed the darker blue banding of glass on every 4th or 5th floor?

07/13/08
https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2008/07/632265.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2008/07/632266.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2008/07/632268.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2008/07/632269.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2008/07/632270.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2008/07/632272.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2008/07/632274.jpg

[Alonzo-ny]

I think thats more whats going on behind the glass than anything else.

[Jasonik]

Some great skin shots by Carl Carl (http://www.flickr.com/photos/carlcarl/sets/72157601924704795/show/) on flickr.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2403/2540064874_99b0a243e3_b.jpg


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3047/2464751831_382bbd3443_o.jpg


http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1396/1347556723_df757288f9_o.jpg

[Zephyr]

Though the setback style -- with which this tower can be loosely associated -- incubated in NY because of the unique zoning laws (http://ci.columbia.edu/0240s/0242_2/0242_2_s7_text.html).

So this is the final design for the 192' spire? Status unchanged?


That is the final design of the spire, unless someone pulls a surprise on us, similar to that experienced in the now famous Chrysler building surprise. But it is worth noting that in the give-and-take between the Mayor of Chicago and Donald Trump, there was a clear push on Chicago's civic end, to make that spire just tall enough to make the entire building eligible to be called a 2000 footer. Was that what you were hinting at, o am I reading too much into that post?

After finally yielding to pressure and sbmitting a render that made Trump Chicago 2000 ft, Trump and the Architect jointly insisted that it did not work aesthetically, and in many other ways. The city and Trump moved on, and all attention turned toward Calatrava's proposal.


------

I suspect you were being a bit coy here in telling us about the setback originating in NY, and that this style of building is loosely a product of that history, because I would think that most know that here already. But I do think that insistence on subtle differences in skyscraper history, and especially between these cities, is a good one to keep in mind when we look at the Architecture. That is, as long as we don't take this perspective beyond the facts themselves.

One last aspect is a historical one. I will assume you know about a similar concept to setback in antiquity, referred to as the "stepback". Many scholars preferred to see the setback as a sub-category of stepback, only translated to modern times and needs.

I don't agree with this line of thinking, only noting that it is a continuing theme that keeps insinuating itself into skyscraper discussions, and we may get to see a third generation of this concept emerge out of recent projects. Something along the lines of stepback to setback to fill in the blank. Go no further than another Adrian Smith project, Burj Dubai, where one has heard talk of how this setback is not a setback at all, but rather a shape that has Arabian precedents that were discussed with Mr. Smith during his designing sessions. :)

[ablarc]

That would look nice here, but we have our own architecture and style here just like Chicago has theirs.
I think I detect a platitude. Can you elaborate with reference to this building?

[devels]

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6046&stc=1&d=1216442176

[devels]

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6047&stc=1&d=1216443431

[devels]

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6048&stc=1&d=1216443629

[SolarWind]

July 17, 2008

http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/3082/dsc0089copyyo5.jpg

[devels]

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6057&stc=1&d=1216611781

[devels]

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6058&stc=1&d=1216611942

[devels]

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6059&stc=1&d=1216612127

[devels]

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6060&stc=1&d=1216612351

[devels]

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6061&stc=1&d=1216612656

[devels]

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6062&stc=1&d=1216612778

[devels]

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6063&stc=1&d=1216612946

[BVictor1]

07/23/08
https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2008/07/634956.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2008/07/634960.jpg

[BVictor1]

07/28/08
https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2008/07/636186.jpg

[BVictor1]

A few weeks old

07/09/08
https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2008/07/636207.jpg

[peterbazeli]

So, I saw my name appear below as I was quoted in a Sun-Times article about the Palmolive Building. I thought I'd respond to clarify a couple of things. I was one of the developers of the building during its adaptive re-use from Class C office into luxury condominiums, and also studied the building's history in great depth. The building was called "919 North Michigan Avenue" when we bought it in 2000, but we chose to return its name to Palmolive Building out of respect for the property's history, and because we were restoring it with its branding for condominiums based upon the quality and significance the building had in the minds of Baby Boomers who grew up in the Chicago area and were our target market for the condominiums. Regarding the beacon, it was originally installed in 1930, first named the Lindbergh Beacon, but then simply the Palmolive Beacon after Charles Lindbergh renounced the dedication because he was too afraid of the media attention surrounding his presence in Chicago for the National Air Races. The original beacon, and its 1945 replacement, rotated a full 360 degrees. When the Hancock Building was constructed, they designed the mechanical floor to match the height of the beacon's beam, so that it would not shine into any residential or office windows in teh evening hours. If you look closely at Hancock, you'll notice the strategic placement of that floor of the building. This solution didn't work, however, and after many complaints a shield was installed on the beacon tower to deflect hte light as it rotated toward Hancock. THe beacon still rotated 360, but there was a shield that blocked the beam as it rotated to the south. Eventually, the beacon was shut off during the energy crisis of 1979, and was removed in 1981 eventually replaced by a series of fluorescent tubes to mimic the original. Draper and Kramer acquired an actual World War II era beacon, and retrofitted it for modern use in restoring the beacon to the tower on top of Palmolive. It includes absolutely state-of-the-art optics and light control mechanisms that allow it to rotate on a 120 degree arc, over lake michigan, without any discernable light spillage or disturbance to its neighbors. Despite its 7 billion candlepower light source, the beacon actually only outputs 2 billion or less given all the retrofits to control the light. It is now only turned on for special occasions. Please let me know if you have any more questions that I can answer.





I am only partially right? :) I guess with one exception - I'll get to this below - that is technically true, but I can also counter that you are only partially right as well. And you may also be guilty of not reading what I posted, before responding. That is the only way I could understand why you have reinforced the same points, but only in a different compositional style.

Here is how you began:



Please explain how what you posted, differs substantially from what I actually stated:



The Colgate part of it is an add, not a correction, and you could have also added Peet to this corporate configuration, which usually but not always placed Colgate first. The building then was called more simply "Palmolive," and there was even a term coined about the "Palmolive look," referring to buildings that resembled it in their detailing among other things.

Admittedly, at the time I was posting, what I said was strictly from memory. Because of your post, I have since investigated this matter with more relish. When I wrote five or six years ago, the actual date was 2002, or six years ago – so that was correct. And as to your "50’s or 60’s" when the Palmolive was renamed Playboy, I can now tell you that it was the late 1960s. What I found most often, because sources differ, is that the Playboy period was from 1967 through 1990. Now I stated in my post above, it was Playboy for “almost twenty-five years,” and this comes out to be about twenty-three years – so there is no apparent contradiction here, either.

Next there is this:



The only point that I have to concede is that they restored the beacon, and I didn’t know that. Here is what I actually wrote, however:



Clearly, we disagree on 360 versus 90, but I think it is because you are talking about the replacement beacon, and I was referring back to the original beacon - the only beacon that I knew about.

David Roeder wrote this a few years back: “With interruptions because of war or energy crises, the beacon rotated 360 degrees atop the building from 1930 to 1981. It was darkened when it finally became too much for people in later-arriving high-rises.” (David Roeder, “Palmolive beacon set to shine again” Chicago Sun-Times, 4 April 2002 now archived). This is corroborated by other historical accounts, which mention that the beacon turned completely around, and that there was also a second light installed that pointed to the main airfield for Chicago at that time.

Now why does this make sense? Because the beacon was developed before Radar was used for aircraft in America, and deliberately pushed onto the Palmolive, because it was to be the tallest building in Chicago for some time. The actual idea is credited to Early N. Hurley, who was also a key figure in the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair. That so-called "Lindbergh Beacon" (so titled for one year before becoming the "Palmolive Beacon"), was financed by native Chicagoan, Elmer A. Sperry, who later help found Sperry Rand, but who at this time, was the proud owner of a successful gyroscope business in Brooklyn - see Palmolive Building Landmark Residences (http://www.palmolivebuilding.com/displaystory.php?id=9).

And btw, that last link is to the developer, Draper and Kramer, who are responsible for renaming the building back to Palmolive from its temporary address rename after Playboy left - that is probable where you got confused about address, because that street was not called Palmolive. They specifically did it out of respect for the history of the building.

As to that replacement beacon's sweep, I get different numbers everywhere I look, but the one I will quote is from the same Draper and Kramer that converted this property to condominiums. Using David Roeder's article again, he states that the Assistant Vice President, Peter Bazeli, had indicated that the replacement beacon arcs 120 degrees.

All of this is off-topic, of course, but that happens all the time, this being prompted by a photograph. If any of what I have now stated in defence of my post is in error, however, please feel free to correct me. I warn you that this time I have multiple sources to back up this particular effort, if you are so disposed - so it might have to be carried on in another thread - either existing or created.

[SolarWind]

August 8, 2008

http://img167.imageshack.us/img167/1686/dsc0179my6.jpg

[spyguy999]

Pic from SolarWind on SSP

August 18, 2008

http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/9794/dscc0126uj6.jpg

http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/7639/ogdenslipqj5.jpg

[NYC4Life]

Great to see this tower topped out, at least the roof, now bring on the spire.

[BVictor1]

Here's some cool video:

http://www.myfoxchicago.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=7266651&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.1.1

[Tectonic]

Cool vid is this now the second tallest building in Chicago, to the roof?

[NYC4Life]

Tallest to the roof, but the official height of Trump Tower is counted to its Spire.

[devels]

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6270&stc=1&d=1219720279

[devels]

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6271&stc=1&d=1219720669

[devels]

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6272&stc=1&d=1219720883

[devels]

:Dhttp://wirednewyork.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6273&stc=1&d=1219721120

[devels]

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6274&stc=1&d=1219721536

[devels]

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6275&stc=1&d=1219721863

[SolarWind]

August 25, 2008

http://img295.imageshack.us/img295/2346/dsc0048dg3.jpg

http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/9351/dsc0083ci6.jpg

http://img53.imageshack.us/img53/1736/dsc0112et5.jpg

[devels]

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6277&stc=1&d=1219723000

[stache]

I am so glad they finally cleaned that hotel exterior. It certainly needed it.

[devels]

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6278&stc=1&d=1219723405

[stache]

The views are great, from such a low floor. :)

[devels]

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6279&stc=1&d=1219723736

[devels]

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6280&stc=1&d=1219724028

[devels]

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6281&stc=1&d=1219724775

[devels]

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6282&stc=1&d=1219725199

[devels]

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6283&stc=1&d=1219725517

[devels]

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6284&stc=1&d=1219727241

[Jasonik]

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6281&stc=1&d=1219724775

This terrace is like inhabiting an architects dream.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c6/Cole_Thomas_The_Architect-s_Dream_1840.jpg/800px-Cole_Thomas_The_Architect-s_Dream_1840.jpg

[stache]

Do I see our lofter reclining on that pedestal?

[devels]

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6287&stc=1&d=1219808306

[BVictor1]

08/27/08
https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2008/08/643252.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2008/08/643253.jpg

[lbjefferies]

Well, it is certainly tall.

http://www.aolcdn.com/aolnews_photos/06/03/20080109161309990001
http://www.aolcdn.com/aolnews_photos/06/03/20080109161309990001

[Zephyr]

THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2008

Construction topped off on Trump Tower

by Illinois Real Estate Journal Reports
Chicago

Concrete crews from James McHugh Construction Co. hauled up the final bucket of concrete to the top of Trump International Hotel and Tower Chicago last week, officially completing the 92nd floor of the tallest reinforced concrete building in the Western Hemisphere.

An American flag flapped in a light breeze atop the concrete bucket, which took 12 full minutes to haul via crane from ground level to the 1,170-foot top of the tower, which will be the second-tallest building in Chicago when complete. McHugh, the concrete contractor for the project, has been working with construction manager Bovis Lend Lease to erect the structure for The Trump Organization. Chicago's Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLC is the project architect and engineer.

"This is quite a feat," said Dave Alexander, McHugh's senior vice president. "We've learned a lot about building tall in the process." Trump is the tallest building erected in the United States since Sears Tower, completed in 1974.

Next month, workers will begin attaching the architectural spire that will enable the building to reach its official height of 1,362 feet.

Since work on Trump began three years ago, McHugh has poured 180,000 cubic yards of concrete-20,000 truckloads-and laid 25,000 tons of steel reinforcing bars to erect the tower. That equals enough concrete to build 10 medium-sized high-rises of 30 to 40 stories, according to Brett Szabo, McHugh's senior project manager.

Despite the building's size, McHugh worked on a rapid schedule, pouring a floor a week for the building's massive lower levels, and a floor every three days for the upper levels. To handle the volume of concrete and the extreme height, McHugh acquired a 680-horsepower Putzmeister concrete pump, one of the first of its kind in the United States, to drive the river of liquid concrete up through more than 1,700 feet of tubing known as slick lines and keep 35,000 pounds of material flowing through it. The pump could push more than 6,000 pounds of concrete to the top per minute, as opposed to 10-plus minutes per bucket via crane.

With the final floor poured, McHugh will begin removing one of the two Liebherr tower cranes on the site. The second crane will be removed after the spire is placed.

The wind and weather encountered building a supertall structure in Chicago posed its share of challenges to McHugh. Crews battled extreme cold, with temperatures more than 30 degrees colder than street level, and winds that blew up to 30 mph harder than on the ground, while pouring the upper floors. A three-story-tall windscreen, which McHugh introduced for use in the United States, provided protection, and the team learned to demobilize quickly when wind gusts exceeded safe levels.


SOURCE (http://www.rejournals.com/news/211245-construction-topped-off-on-trump-tower)

[Jasonik]

Trump Tower represents concrete feat

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3029/2773278535_597c06156f_o.jpg
Ilona Meagher (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ilonameagher/2773278535/)

3 years in the making, Chicago's second-tallest skyscraper is topped off over the weekend

Tribune staff report
August 18, 2008 (http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-trump-tower-18-aug18,0,4964740.story)

Standing on the freshly hardened concrete of the 91st floor of the Trump International Hotel & Tower, Joe Payne watched planes in the Chicago Air & Water Show fly beneath him and couldn't help but boast.

"Other people will pay good money for this view and I get it for free every day," said Payne, an assistant superintendent with McHugh Construction.

Behind Payne on Friday, several tradesmen completed construction of an elevator shaft, nicknamed "the penthouse," that will be the official top floor—the 92nd—of Chicago's second-tallest skyscraper. On Saturday, the roof of that structure was filled with the last of the nearly 180,000 cubic yards and 720 million pounds of concrete that support the largest concrete-reinforced building in North America.

Following tradition, the last portion of concrete was lifted 1,125 feet the old-fashioned way—carried in a bucket with an American flag pinned to the bottom. The "topping off" ceremony, much quieter than the star-studded gala planned with the Trump family at the end of September [for the spire top out], will be repeated Tuesday for the supervisors and engineers who oversaw the three-year construction project.

Stepping around tools, steel beams and places where workers carved their names in the concrete, Payne said the project was far more complex and enormous than any of his men had ever worked on.

"We're all sad to see it end, but the guys are still happy. . . . What a feat," Payne said.

Constructing Trump Tower out of concrete rather than steel allowed building designers to maximize window space, reduce material costs and keep the upper floors from swaying in the powerful Chicago wind, said David Alexander, senior vice president for McHugh.

But moving and pouring 180,000 cubic yards of concrete—20,000 truckloads, enough to make 570 miles of sidewalk—was a technical challenge that might have been impossible only 10 years ago, Alexander said. Rather than lifting the material bucket by bucket, the construction team purchased a 680-horsepower Putzmeister 1400 pump to push a river of concrete up hundreds of feet to upper floors.

Dale Hendrix, a general superintendent on the project for McHugh who has been constructing concrete buildings since Marina City in 1960, said the pump was a vast improvement over older methods.

"There's no comparison," Hendrix said. "For instance, the roof of that building has 700 yards of concrete. You'd be forever pouring it in buckets, but we poured it all in one day with the pump."

Workers at the top of the tower tried to ignore the Blue Angels (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeeefer/2767088626/) zooming past (http://www.flickr.com/photos/therese/2764231578/) in formation Friday (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeeefer/2767085268/in/photostream/) as they erected the reinforcing steel skeleton that will make up the small final floor.

Though the concrete structure of the building was completed over the weekend, the tower's distinctive spire, which will raise it to its final height of 1,362 feet, will likely not be completed until later this year.

The spire's construction, as well as the considerable cleanup, kept workers like Brett Szabo, a senior project manager for McHugh, from fully unwinding despite the topping-off.

"There are a lot of things that people don't see," Szabo said. "We've still got a long ways to go. It's not time to relax just yet."

But Payne, admiring an almost eye-to-eye view of the top floors of the Sears Tower, said standing atop the millions of tons of concrete he helped shape into Chicago's newest landmark is a humbling experience.

"It's just hitting me today," Payne said. "I was almost overwhelmed this morning. It was a race to the top, but we got it finished. Everyone here can hold their head up high."

rmitchum@tribune.com

*****

Any 'distinctive' spire previews anyone?

[stache]

but it's another case of 'let's put a big toothpick on top and call it taller'. ;)

[BVictor1]

but it's another case of 'let's put a big toothpick on top and call it taller'. ;)

yup:rolleyes:

Just like NYT Tower and 1 Bryant Park.

Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't

[BVictor1]

Posted by i_am_hydrogen on Skyscraperpage.com

From today:

http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/9361/sunsettrumptg2.jpg

http://img244.imageshack.us/img244/4466/trumpnightfs2.jpg

[Alonzo-ny]

I think in this case the spire is a natural progression of the tower, it wouldnt look quite right without it in my minds eye.

[BVictor1]

08/30/08
https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2008/08/644050.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2008/08/644026.jpg

[NYC4Life]

By: harryc - skyscraperpage.com (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/member.php?u=26047)

9/3/08

http://lh5.ggpht.com/harry.r.carmichael/SMB3g8EpJ7I/AAAAAAAAxLQ/GQsw1iuRFdM/s800/P1040114.JPG

[BrooklynRider]

A truly beautiful building.

[stache]

It reminds me of Lake Point Tower from certain angles.

[BVictor1]

It reminds me of Lake Point Tower from certain angles.

Really? In what way and from which angles?


09/07/08
https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2008/09/646171.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2008/09/646172.jpg

[stache]

#554, in a way.

[Jasonik]

I can see it. They're even both perched upon pilotis.

http://img244.imageshack.us/img244/4466/trumpnightfs2.jpg


http://photos.igougo.com/images/p247288-Chicago_IL-Lake_Point_Tower.jpg

[stache]

That's my favorite postwar tower. :cool:

[ItstheBeat]

This building is really Chicago's second tallest tower? I would have thought that John Hancock was taller. Making this the 3rd tallest for Chicago.

[stache]

They're going to include the giant toothpick on top as part of the overall height. ;)

[BVictor1]

This building is really Chicago's second tallest tower? I would have thought that John Hancock was taller. Making this the 3rd tallest for Chicago.

Here's the rundown of heights:

Sears Tower: 1,451' (roof)
Trump Tower: 1,362' (when completed) (height includes spire)
Aon Center: 1,136
John Hancock is 1,127' (roof)

[devels]

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6359&stc=1&d=1222048791

[devels]

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6360&stc=1&d=1222049058

[devels]

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6361&stc=1&d=1222049234

[devels]

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6362&stc=1&d=1222057007

[Tectonic]

The facade is almost there.

[BVictor1]

Nice pano shot from the roof...

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/arts/chi-080924-trumptower-panos-htmlpage,0,3399119.htmlpage

[NYC4Life]

Trump has some of the best views of the City's Loop, and one of the few towers with a good view of both the Sears Tower and John Hancock Center.

[BVictor1]

09/30/08
https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2008/10/651267.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2008/10/651268.jpg


And here's a video posted over at SSP

http://www.myfoxchicago.com/myfox/MyFox/pages/sidebar_video.jsp?contentId=7513808&version=1&locale=EN-US

[stache]

Great vid! Thank you Victor. :cool:

[Derek2k3]

There's nothing intriguing enough about this tower that makes me want to look at it for more that 5 seconds.
It's vapid like 7 WTC. I only like it for its height and shiny blue glass.

[Stroika]

That's Trump for you. Has he ever done anything more interesting than this basic straight-and-glass model?

[BVictor1]

10/02/08

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2008/10/651854.jpg

[Zephyr]

Mid-October Photographs:
SkyscraperCity or SkyscraperPage
CHICAGO / Trump Tower


http://lh3.ggpht.com/harry.r.carmichael/SPc4mMtfxwI/AAAAAAAA0zY/-L5KEGf0znI/s800/P1100248.JPG
Courtesy harryc


http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj269/andydie/Chicago%20Trip/100_1814.jpg
Courtesy andydie


http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj269/andydie/Chicago%20Trip/100_1824.jpg
Courtesy andydie


http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj269/andydie/Chicago%20Trip/100_1827.jpg
Courtesy andydie


http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj269/andydie/Chicago%20Trip/100_1834.jpg
Courtesy andydie


http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj269/andydie/Chicago%20Trip/100_1838.jpg
Courtesy andydie


http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj269/andydie/Chicago%20Trip/100_1826.jpg
Courtesy andydie


http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj269/andydie/Chicago%20Trip/100_1829.jpg
Courtesy andydie


http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj269/andydie/Chicago%20Trip/100_1833.jpg
Courtesy andydie

[brianac]

NOVEMBER 8, 2008

Trump Files Suit Against Lenders

Developer Seeks to Extend $640 Million Loan on a Chicago Skyscraper

Donald Trump filed suit against the lenders on his unfinished Chicago skyscraper, plunging the project into legal turmoil and highlighting the credit crunch's pervasive effects on real estate.

http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/MI-AT371_TRUMP_DV_20081107130751.jpg Bloomberg News/Landov
Tall Trouble: Donald Trump's Chicago skyscraper project, the Trump International Hotel & Tower, during construction in July.

Mr. Trump is suing to extend a $640 million senior construction loan on the 92-story Trump International Hotel & Tower from a group of lenders led by Deutsche Bank (http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=db) AG and including a unit of Merrill Lynch (http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=mer) & Co., Union Labor Life Insurance Co., iStar Financial (http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=sfi) Inc., a publicly traded real-estate investment trust, and Highland Funds, a unit of Highland Capital Management LP.

The tower, which contains 339 hotel rooms and 486 condominiums, will be the second-tallest building in the U.S. behind Chicago's Sears Tower and is expected to be completed in mid-2009. The hotel, on the lower floors, opened earlier this year. But sales of both the hotel rooms and the condominiums have come in below original estimates and the project's current projected revenue remains short by nearly $100 million needed to pay off the senior lenders.

The lawsuit, filed in New York State supreme court in Queens, is a further indication of the dysfunction in the real-estate lending markets as borrowers and lenders struggle to resolve troubled projects. People familiar with the matter say the lender group, which is made up of more than a dozen institutions, was unable to agree on the extension.

The suit demands -- among other things -- that an extension provision in the original loan agreement be triggered because of the "unprecedented financial crisis in the credit markets now prevailing, in part due to acts Deutsche Bank itself participated in." This so-called force majeure provision is common in contracts and can be applied to acts of war and natural disasters. Mr. Trump already extended the loan once in May.

Mr. Trump asked for $3 billion in damages. The suit won't affect construction of the project, according to people familiar who say there is enough money to complete the $90

Complete article HERE (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122610459432510207.html)

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122610459432510207.html

Copyright ©2008 Dow Jones & Company

[Tectonic]

Hmm I wonder if I can sue my credit card company?

[devels]

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6545&stc=1&d=1226372960

[devels]

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6546&stc=1&d=1226373239

[devels]

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6547&stc=1&d=1226373819

[devels]

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6548&stc=1&d=1226374213

[stache]

^ Great shot of working Chicago.

[devels]

thank you

[BVictor1]

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6547&stc=1&d=1226373819


The barge has nothing to do with the spire. They are creating under brideg connections for the rivberwalk on the south side of the river and they are keeping the cranes and steel sheeting on the barges.


11/18/08
https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2008/11/662884.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2008/11/662886.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2008/11/662887.jpg

[devels]

thanks for the info- thought the steel on the barge had
something to do with the antenna-my mistake

[BVictor1]

Photo by Ken Derry

http://jimojimo.smugmug.com/photos/369828583_T8sGW-L.jpg

http://jimojimo.smugmug.com/photos/369827999_DynyJ-L.jpg

http://jimojimo.smugmug.com/gallery/5936452_DVKmB#369828583_T8sGW

[BVictor1]

http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/theskyline/
The Trump Tower spire: An in-depth look at design, fabrication and structural support
The Chicago Tribune's graphics department has put together a highly informative piece, published in today's print edition, explaining how the Trump Tower spire was designed, how its fiberglass exterior was made, and how the spire will be supported from within. Click on the graphic to enlarge it.
http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/12/12/trump_spire_graphic_3.jpg

[stache]

Wouldn't the fibergalss catch fire from lightning?

[scumonkey]

"...Crews will use a helicopter to hoist the upper parts of the spire into place" :eek:
wish I could see that when it try's to happen!

[meesalikeu]

tall but dull. and thats a good thing for a trump.

i wish it was the spire instead....ah well, maybe when the clouds part that one will get built so i can get excited about new chicago architecture again.

[Ed007Toronto]

"...Crews will use a helicopter to hoist the upper parts of the spire into place" :eek:
wish I could see that when it try's to happen!

When I was a kid I saw them use a helicopter to put the final pieces of the CN Tower in place.

[BVictor1]

Due to high winds, the spire atop Trump Tower couldn't be installed.


12/13/08
https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2008/12/667898.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2008/12/667901.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2008/12/667904.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2008/12/667906.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2008/12/667908.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2008/12/667910.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2008/12/667912.jpg

[theWatusi]

I hope someone catches the spire installation on video.

[Tectonic]

Given that it's the 'Windy City' I wonder how long they'd have to wait.

[Zephyr]

Taking another peek and
Trump-Chicago's spire
still on hold


http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd359/mccreery_pics/Chicago/IMG_2342.jpg
Courtesy christos-greece


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3086/3130126191_b6aab197fa_b.jpg
Courtesy Denetsu SSC via flickr / Atelier FLIR o thwartedefforts

View from Aqua. ^


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3197/3139451054_a100479d6f_b.jpg
Courtesy flickr / Hornplayer


http://lh6.ggpht.com/_8TC_VUmf9Fw/SUxC82tqZ3I/AAAAAAABAv0/uIGqXXcFqlw/s720/P1180710.JPG
Courtesy harryc SSP


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3108/3116911548_25e0eb3bc4_b.jpg
Courtesy Chi649 SSC

At least the Entrance at the base is open and finished. ^

[dtolman]

First and fourth shots are amazing! Depending on the angle, this building can look really sleek, or well - like crap.

Thanks for posting the pics Zephyr.

[spyguy999]

Live webcam of the spire installation
http://www.myfoxchicagolive.com/

[BVictor1]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/alternatethumbnails/storylink/2009-01/44332507-03112232.JPG

http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/theskyline/2009/01/trump-tower-spi.html

Trump Tower spire topped out; installation brings tower's peak 90 feet short of Sears Tower

http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/theskyline/images/2009/01/03/tower.jpeg

In a sky-high drama that few would have anticipated after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks chilled America's appetite for building tall, construction workers on Saturday installed the underpinnings for the spire atop Donald Trump's Chicago skyscraper, which ranks as America's second-tallest building after Sears Tower.
Even as biting winds snapped the flags on the Michigan Avenue Bridge, a blue and white Sikorsky S-61 helicopter dangled three-legged steel sections of the spire over the tower's roof. Ironworkers aligned the sections, then bolted them into place, despite the blasts of cold air from the winds and the helicopter's clattering blades.
"That's the amazing thing--that [the ironworkers] have the dexterity to put the bolts in at this temperature," said structural engineer Dane Rankin, who worked on the skyscraper for its architects and engineers, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill of Chicago. "It's going to be a long time before we see another one like this in Chicago."
As the spectacle unfolded more than 1,300 feet above the sidewalk, with the chopper levitating near such landmarks as the Wrigley Building, pedestrians on Michigan Avenue stopped in their tracks and recorded the sight with a variety of devices--cell phone cameras, camcorders and conventional cameras.
Among the astonished onlookers were Eddie Campbell and his wife, Margaret, from Dublin. Standing in the plaza of 401 N. Michigan (the former Equitable Building) and leaning back to take in the sight, Eddie Campbell said, "We're from Ireland. We don't have construction on this scale over there."
The operation took four hours and fifteen minutes, ending just after 1:45 p.m. as a cable from the helicopter was unhooked and the chopper roared eastward over the Chicago River toward Midway Airport. The construction workers had installed eight steel sections atop the five sections that already formed the spire's base.
Four sections were intentionally left bare to prevent the wind from blowing on them like a sail. That would have made it difficult for the ironworkers to align the sections. The fiberglass will have to be installed around the steel trusswork in the coming weeks.
The spire stretches the height of the financially troubled hotel and condominium high-rise to 1,361 feet, 90 feet shorter than Sears Tower and one foot shorter than one of the World Trade Center towers destroyed on 9/11.
Trump, the New York developer and reality TV star, had considered erecting the world's tallest building on the site, but lowered the skyscraper's height after the terrorist attacks. Later, when he expressed disinterest in putting a spire on the tower, Mayor Richard M. Daley ordered him to do so, leading to the Chicago Tribune headline: "Daley to Trump: 'You're spired!'"
On Saturday, however, there were no celebrities or leading politicians in evidence. The stars of the drama were anonymous construction workers.
After the helicopter lowered the fifth section of the spire into place, an iron worker clad in a red jacket climbed to the top of the section and disengaged the cable to which the steel piece had been attached. Seen through binoculars, he resembled a fly. "That's the lead dog pulling the sled," said one onlooker on the construction team.
Beginning in late October, several previous attempts to install the spire were postponed. One, last month, was aborted because of high winds.
Here is a time-lapse of the tower's construction. Here is an in-depth look at the spire's construction technique. The tower is expected to be completed in late spring or early summer.
For a gallery of photos from Saturday, click here.

[Jasonik]

Kinda stubby...

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/191/3163012403_33ace6a35d_b.jpg
by matt.sellars (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattsellars/)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3260/3163866948_8b7b093fa3_b.jpg
by matt.sellars (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattsellars/)


The Trib has a great video compilation of the construction - 92 stories in just over 2 minutes. (http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-081212-trumptimelapse-html,0,4188771.htmlpage)

[scumonkey]

Thanks for that Trib link....AWESOME time lapse!:D

[Alonzo-ny]

There is surely more spire to be put on top.

[spyguy999]

There is surely more spire to be put on top.

They still have to install the fiberglass.

From SSP


http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/199/img2486fn5.jpg (http://img511.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img2486fn5.jpg)

And the unfurling of Old Glory

http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/6827/img2492fw9.jpg (http://img511.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img2492fw9.jpg)



http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f21/cbotnyse/trump/DSC_0034-3.jpg

[BVictor1]

There is surely more spire to be put on top.

Structurally, it's as high as it's gonna get. All of the spire members have been installed.

The framing that you see will be wrapped with a fibreglass covering. Several pieces are already wrapped.

When viewed from a distance, the spire truly adds more vertical thrust to the tower.

[drdave88]

wonderful view today gents. another great day for chicago.

[BVictor1]

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2005/04/357099.jpg

01/05/08
https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672481.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672483.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672484.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672485.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672488.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672489.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672492.jpg

[Zephyr]

Best way to compare at this stage - render vs actual.

Thanks ...

[Alonzo-ny]

The form reminds me of cityspire from some angles.

[NYatKNIGHT]

Hooray! Nice to finally see the spire. I noticed the impact this tower makes on the skyline while watching the hockey game the other day. All in all, excellent addition and am looking forward to visiting soon.

[devels]

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6755&stc=1&d=1231394953

[devels]

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6756&stc=1&d=1231395362

[devels]

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6757&stc=1&d=1231395872

[BVictor1]

My photos from Saturday, January 3, 2009
https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672912.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672913.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672911.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672916.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672917.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672918.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672920.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672921.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672922.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672926.jpg

[BVictor1]

My photos from Saturday, January 3, 2009
https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672927.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672928.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672930.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672932.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672931.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672936.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672939.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672937.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672942.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672943.jpg

[BVictor1]

My photos from Saturday, January 3, 2009
https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672944.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672948.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672950.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672951.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672958.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672960.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672961.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672967.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672969.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672968.jpg

[BVictor1]

My photos from Saturday, January 3, 2009
https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672978.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672977.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672979.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672983.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672984.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672985.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672987.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672986.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672988.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672991.jpg

[BVictor1]

My photos from Saturday, January 3, 2009
https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672989.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672990.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672993.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672992.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672994.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672995.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672997.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672996.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672999.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/672998.jpg

[BVictor1]

My photos from Saturday, January 3, 2009
https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/673001.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/673000.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/673004.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/673006.jpg

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/01/673005.jpg

[dtolman]

Wow! Great shots! Is the spire fully finished now?

[BVictor1]

Wow! Great shots! Is the spire fully finished now?

No.

They won't be adding any pieces in terms of height, but the framing still needs to be clad with the fibreglass material. Weather hasn't allowed it lately. We've had about 18" of snow over the past week and the tempratures are to dip below -0 for the nest few days.

[Jasonik]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3500/3274504896_61a1d19ea5.jpg?v=0 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/artefaqscorporation/3274504896/sizes/l/)
by Artefaqs (http://www.flickr.com/photos/artefaqscorporation/) (click image to enlarge)


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3333/3241188017_65d86feccb.jpg?v=0 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ettoresoldi/3241188017/sizes/l/)
by Ettore Soldi (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ettoresoldi/) January 16, 2009 (click image to enlarge)


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3128/3245890509_ce6e9b7bc3.jpg?v=0 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericinchicago312/3245890509/sizes/l/in/photostream/)
by Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W80 gone wild... (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericinchicago312/) February 1, 2009 (click image to enlarge)


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3448/3268822490_2140d5d303.jpg?v=0 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/sirjustin1/3268822490/sizes/l/)
by justin.formella (http://www.flickr.com/photos/sirjustin1/) February 7, 2009 (click image to enlarge)


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3517/3282397873_60fb0ef5cc.jpg?v=0 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonf/3282397873/sizes/l/)
by j-fi (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonf/) February 16, 2009 (click image to enlarge)


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3189/3283835966_50a07763d2.jpg?v=0 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/lamboz1/3283835966/sizes/l/)
by lamboz1 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/lamboz1/) February 14, 2009 (click image to enlarge)


My favorite so far is here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/shicksba272214/3211352866/) by shrosa814 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/shicksba272214/)

Also, check out this shot (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ragstamp/3222046908/) of the spire installation by ragstamp (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ragstamp/)

[Shadly]

Framing Trump's tower with the McDonald's arches: a subtle dig, or Freud meets Ansel Adams?

[BVictor1]

04/07/09

View to the west from the Lake Shore Drive Bridge

https://community.emporis.com/images/6/2009/04/694405.jpg

They still have to finish cladding the spire.

[stache]

Poor little Marina Towers. I remember when they were the only thing over there.

[BVictor1]

Poor little Marina Towers. I remember when they were the only thing over there.

Why poor Marina City? They're still there and look better than ever.

[stache]

They look tiny.

[BVictor1]

They look tiny.

They are tiny. Only about 600' tall.

[stache]

they were not considered tiny when they were new. :rolleyes:

[BVictor1]

they were not considered tiny when they were new. :rolleyes:

True, but you also must remember that they were new 40 years ago.

This is true of most major cities.

[stache]

Yes. I'm being nostalgic.

[BVictor1]

05/16/09
http://community.emporis.com/nwimages/6/2009/05/703994.jpg

05/18/09
http://community.emporis.com/nwimages/6/2009/05/704424.jpg

http://community.emporis.com/nwimages/6/2009/05/704425.jpg

http://community.emporis.com/nwimages/6/2009/05/704426.jpg

http://community.emporis.com/nwimages/6/2009/05/704428.jpg

05/24/09
http://community.emporis.com/nwimages/6/2009/05/705848.jpg

[Alonzo-ny]

Just like the renders.

[klofton11]

How about, no.

I think of Chicago (http://chicago.nyctourist.com) I think of Sears and Hancock, I dont think of postmodernism or Smith.

That's exactly what I was going to say. You can't think of Chicago without thinking of Sears.

[lbjefferies]

On a recent Chicago trip--I admit--the first time I saw it, I thought it was pretty wonderful. It is soooo tall and it sits right on the water, and the glass is nice. But over the next couple days I hardly noticed it. It is dull. Really dull. For its great location, it is just adequate enough to not be a travesty; but only just.

In that respect it is very much like the Bank of America Building on Bryant Park. Both spaces make me ache to think about how wonderful it would have been to get a brilliant piece of architecture in the place of what we got.

I'm a little less pained by the Trump Tower though. Not just because it's in chicago, and not because i think it's better (it isn't); but because the bryant park space was soooo choice.

[Derek2k3]

You should have seen the early renders of 1 Bryant Park; 800' and blah.

But we were excited back then because we weren't spoiled with all the wonderful proposals and renders that have been released over the past few years.

[sfenn1117]

Very sharp. Trump delivered a gem to Chicago. It doesn't stand out for a 1,100 foot tower, but that's ok.

[spyguy999]

http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/804/378877449754fe0345c8o.jpg
seamusw/ flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/16886015@N02/3788774497/)

[lofter1]

She looks good.

[stache]

And Chicago is starting to look like a Big Town! :)

[BVictor1]

There hasn't been an update for this tower in awhile.

10-07-07
http://community.emporis.com/nwimages/6/2009/10/734705.jpg

http://community.emporis.com/nwimages/6/2009/10/734706.jpg

http://community.emporis.com/nwimages/6/2009/10/734707.jpg

http://community.emporis.com/nwimages/6/2009/10/734708.jpg

http://community.emporis.com/nwimages/6/2009/10/734710.jpg

10-17-07
http://community.emporis.com/nwimages/6/2009/10/734711.jpg

http://community.emporis.com/nwimages/6/2009/10/734713.jpg

[BVictor1]

A few more

10/24/09
http://community.emporis.com/nwimages/6/2009/10/736252.jpg

I must say that the landscaping around several of the recently or nearly completed buildings is beautiful.

10/25/09
https://community.emporis.com/nwimages/6/2009/10/736376.jpg
https://community.emporis.com/nwimages/6/2009/10/736375.jpg

[dtolman]

Am I the only one who finds this tower bland? I mean, the massing is nice and all - but no detailing - the walls are kind of featureless - and the glass is nothing special.

I miss masonry towers - even the bland ones had a little something to look at it.

[spyguy999]

http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/3571/6a00d834518cc969e20133e.jpg
Nancy Stone/ Chicago Tribune (http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/theskyline/2010/05/a-tale-of-two-urban-plazas-trumps-get-a-thumbs-up-the-wrigley-buildings-is-in-desperate-need-of-help.html)
http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/3571/6a00d834518cc969e20133e.jpg
Nancy Stone/ Chicago Tribune (http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/theskyline/2010/05/a-tale-of-two-urban-plazas-trumps-get-a-thumbs-up-the-wrigley-buildings-is-in-desperate-need-of-help.html)
http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/3571/6a00d834518cc969e20133e.jpg
Nancy Stone/ Chicago Tribune (http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/theskyline/2010/05/a-tale-of-two-urban-plazas-trumps-get-a-thumbs-up-the-wrigley-buildings-is-in-desperate-need-of-help.html)
http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/4826/6a00d834518cc969e201348.jpg
Chicago Tribune (http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/theskyline/2010/06/new-tables-at-the-trump-tower-plaza-nice-but-this-public-space-still-doesnt-rate-four-stars-.html#more)
http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/6476/463641042650fd9939e5b.jpg
Gino Williams/ flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eamadowms/4636410426/)
http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/2203/trump1.jpg
george/ ssp (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showpost.php?p=4846992&postcount=50)
http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/1252/trump2.jpg
george/ ssp (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showpost.php?p=4846992&postcount=50)
http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/9863/trump4.jpg
george/ ssp (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showpost.php?p=4846992&postcount=50)
http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/5633/45761705036d14d9cb88b.jpg
TopHatKat86/ flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/41858466@N02/4576170503/)

[spyguy999]

http://img704.imageshack.us/img704/3277/420064999112e3d18017b.jpg
Brandon Bartoszek/ flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eridony/4200649991/)
http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/1489/p164055867.jpg
Harry C/ Picasa (http://picasaweb.google.com/harry.r.carmichael/401WabashTrump2010#5426789766745237106)
http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/4734/275270327255c58737b9b.jpg
Angela Manginelli/ flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/angimangi/2752703272/)
http://img532.imageshack.us/img532/8060/4608241887d0b329553db.jpg
Chicago Architecture Today/ flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/chicagoarchitecturetoday/4608241887/)
Lobby
http://img651.imageshack.us/img651/922/photogallery1.jpg
Trump website (http://www.trumpchicagohotel.com/Photo_gallery/photo_gallery.asp)
Rebar
http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/3848/60491250959965805844537.jpg
Facebook (http://ja-jp.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2878050&op=1&view=all&subj=116371935899&aid=-1&auser=0&oid=116371935899&id=58445371580)
Sixteen
http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/5517/2203062349f.jpg
World Architecture News (http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=2203)
http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/2908/22034062349b.jpg
World Architecture News (http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=2203)
http://img571.imageshack.us/img571/7542/22031062349h.jpg
World Architecture News (http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=2203)
Terrace
http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/2729/group20shot20at20bar.jpg
ChicagoNow (http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/metromix-blog/2009/06/first-take-on-the-terrace.html)

[spyguy999]

http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/830/28479101502046079301531.jpg
Trump/ Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=13228047&id=137448460152)
http://img63.imageshack.us/img63/9922/427685847117fcefa305b.jpg
wifly72/ flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/wifly72-/4276858471/in/faves-99917680@N00/)
The spire was finally lit this past Wednesday
http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/391/37404101502100208101531.jpg
http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/391/37404101502100208101531.jpg
Trump/ Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=13389572&id=137448460152)
http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/3817/472909148572b440fa21b.jpg
Ian Freimuth/ flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ifmuth/4729091485/)

[lofter1]

Cool shots of lighting striking Trump Chicago (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1289162/Lightning-strikes-Willis-Tower-Trump-Tower-Chicago.html):

The moment lightning struck twice in the same place at the same time: Stunning images as storm breaks over Chicago

[antinimby]

What a nice looking tower. Too bad Trump Soho here in NY pales in comparison.

[londonlawyer]

The difference though is the residents' approach to tall towers. If Trump tried to build anything that tall in NY, people would fight him. In Chicago, they want tall towers.

[Tectonic]

I noticed Chicago has tons of good sites too.

[lesterp4]

Land is cheap and plentiful and mayor Daley is definitely a fan of bigger is better

[londonlawyer]

Ultimately though Chicago builds a lot of crap too. Most of its new office towers from the past 10 years are lame boxes. New York's new office towers are nicer.

[Tectonic]

^ I disagree, I like their boxes more than NYC's

[RebeccaM]

I actually like the Trump Tower Chicago hotel (http://www.choosechicago.com/) and think it gives a fresh look to Chicago. I'm curious to see the Spire be built and finished. I think it's a bold design but I'm on the fence with it right now. The Trump Tower does well to stand out but not be too bold. I like the curves of the Trump Tower but feel there is too much curves or spirals for the Spire.