WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2009
by Mark ThomtonChicago |
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(R-L): Christopher Groesbeck, principal with VOA; Jame Mitchell III, Roosevelt University Board of Trustees chairman; Chuck Middleton, Roosevelt University president
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As most As most construction cranes have vacated the Chicago skyline in 2009,
Roosevelt University will be reversing the trend as it breaks ground on a 32-story, $110 million facility at
425 South Wabash.
"We will have the only building crane in the Loop next year," said Chuck Middleton, president of Roosevelt University. "We still have a building to build, but it is very exciting times for the university."
At a town hall meeting on Tuesday, Roosevelt officials and key project members addressed faculty, staff, students and the media about the plans for the new facility and the university's transition to its new location.
Middleton sited the need for high-tech classrooms and science labs, new office facilities for faculty, a centrally located student services department, and a booming student population as reasons for the skyscraper venture. To address its growing enrollment, the new tower will also contain 600 residential beds.
The 413,724-square-foot, 469-foot tall building will be located on the site of the current Herman Crown Center, which is in the very early stages of demolition.
Upon completion, it will be the second tallest educational facility in the country, behind the University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning, and the sixth tallest of its kind in the world.
VOA is the architectural firm of record. The LEED certified building will connect to the historic Auditorium Building on Michigan, the current home for the university. The Auditorium Building was constructed in 1889 by famed Chicago architects Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan.
Christopher Groesbeck, principal with VOA, spoke of wanting to honor the city's historic architectural treasures, but also saw this as a key opportunity to reshape Chicago's skyline.
"We tried to compliment the Auditorium Building," said Groesbeck. "We want to use the spirit of Sullivan's design without replicating it. This building will be iconic. There will be no other tall building obstructing its view. During every NFL game at Soldier Field this building will be prominent in a skyline shot."
Renderings of the finish project show the glass tower rising in the skyline between the Willis Tower and the CNA building, when viewed from the neighboring Grant Park to the east.
The building will be set in a three-tiered layout, with student services and administration taking the lower floors, classroom and laboratories occupying the middle section, and the 600-bed residence hall will take up the entire top half--16 stories--of the tower.
"All students will be able to simply put on their slippers and walk to class," said Middleton.
With commercial real estate in a distressed state and construction levels considerably down, it seems to be an opportune time for a well capitalized end-user to embark on a skyscraper venture. School officials went through a five-year planning process and then completed the sale of $180 million in bonds on November 18 to make the vision a reality. Barclays Capital was the principle financing entity.
As development moves forward, Roosevelt will be passing the baton to multiple firms in the Chicago market.
"A 32-story building is not our territory," said Miroslava Mejia Krug, senior vice president for finance and administration and chief financial officer at Roosevelt. "That is why we hired well-known construction firms to work with."
Jones Lang LaSalle will serve as owner representative, the
John Buck Co. is the developer and
Power Construction is the lead contractor.
Construction timetable:
2/1/2010--Demolition complete
2/1/2010--Construction begins
11/15/2011--Completion date
1/18/2012--OccupationMore Articles
