We’re proud to announce that lead retailer White House | Black Market will be opening for business tomorrow morning, July 31! WH|BM is located in the West Building, and will be open 10 AM – 9 PM Monday – Saturday, and 11 AM – 7 PM Sunday.
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| Bacon Wrapped Dates with Goat Cheese |
Kurah Mediterranean Tapas (1355 S. Michigan Ave., 312-624-8611) will serve Middle Eastern-inspired dinners and tapas and a full bar with a craft-beer focus. Though they already own South Loop Market, this is Moe Hammad and Jamil Kanan’s first foray into the restaurant world. Dan Sarkiss has left Bridgeport’s Zaytune to lead Kurah’s kitchen and plans to bring locally sourced, organic Mediterranean to Sloopers.
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| Renderings for Development (Image from DNAinfo.com) |
A plan to develop a three-tower mixed-use complex around the landmark former Chicago Main Post Office sailed through City Council Wednesday after a recommendation from the zoning committee, clearing a path for construction that could take more than two decades to complete.
Architect Joseph Antunovich, of Antunovich Associates, told DNAinfo.com Chicago that phase one of the construction, expected to take seven to 10 years, will build out 5 million square feet at a cost of $1.5 billion. The second half of phase one, building another 5 million square feet, likely would cost more.The story gives more details on the scope of the project as well as some complaints from South Loop Neighbors.
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| Rendering of the new Mariano's |
A Mariano's Fresh Market under construction in the South Loop is up for sale.
The developers of the 65,568-square-foot grocery at 1615 S. State St. hope to get about $45 million for the property, or $686 per square foot, according to a source.
At that price, the sale would generate a huge gain over the $22.7 million the city of Chicago estimated the project would cost.
Milwaukee-based Roundy's Supermarkets Inc. (owner of Mariano's) has a 20-year lease for the South Loop store that begins this fall, according to an offering memorandum from Chicago-based Jones Lang LaSalle, which the developers hired to sell the property.
The rent kicks up 4.2 percent in year 11, and Roundy's has four five-year renewal options.That last blurb makes us optimistic that opening is soon. Not sure, but our fingers our crossed.
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| 1235 S. Prairie Gets Some National Attention Thanks to Anthony Weiner |
Former congressman and current New York City Mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner may have offered to purchase a South Loop condo for a social media sexting partner last year, a new report claims.Strange, strange, unfortunate, and strange.
According to the gossip site, Weiner and the woman apparently had plans that extended beyond online chats. The site claims that Weiner planned to purchase a Chicago condo -- located at 1235 S. Prairie Avenue -- so the two could meet and have sex.Is this true? Who knows. Will he still become mayor of NYC? Wouldn't shock us.
At present, South Loop Brewing Company consists of three guys, a homebrewing operation and a dream to bring the community of craft beer to the South Loop. Since we're not 100% funded yet or licensed, we're free to collaborate with other licensed brewers, but not release beers on our own and in our own facility just yet. We intend to get there through a Kickstarter campaign slated to launch this September (more on that as soon as it launches), but it was important to us to get actual beer on tap so friends, family and strangers alike could try our handiwork before we asked them to help us fund a brick-and-mortar brewery.
The two-beer collaboration ("Sailor's Delight" & "Sailor's Warning") we brewed with Lake Effect Brewing Company is our first and the response and support so far has been exciting and extremely motivating. We're really looking forward to tapping those kegs and seeing what people think.
We aim to continue gaining momentum with more collaboration brews and may start by brewing our original recipes at other friend-breweries to get our beer into market sooner, but the end goal is a production brewery with a taproom and shop in South Loop proper. We've already scouted a handful of locations (a couple near Michigan & 14th and one near 13th & Wabash) that could eventually be our home, so we're excited and hoping for the best on our ability to reach our Kickstarter goal.
Many of our beers are inspired by and named after South Loop-related areas or roads: "India(na Ave.) Pale Ale," "Solidarity Stout" and "Hop Monster of the Midway," to name a few. We want to have fun with our beer names and styles, but we also intend to tell a story about the South Loop when and where possible.
What do you do for these celebrities who come in?
When Bono came in, one of the waitresses was a big fan. She paid for his ticket, but then he turned around and left her a $50 tip. I was kind of nervous, but I got his autograph. We tried not to bother him too much. I say hi, I'm a fan, and I'll shake their hand. I try not to bother them too much cause they're celebrities and they get that all the time wherever they go.
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| Sloopy the Falcon Spotted on the Balcony at The Grant |
I was at My Fit Foods in Lakeview on Halsted (https://www.myfitfoods.com/locations/chicago) and asked if they're going to open anything in South Loop. They said they were going to open two locations in South Loop in the next 6 months. Didn't say where when I asked, but thought I'd pass along this Sloop Tip.We've never been to My Fit Foods, but looks pretty good. Hopefully this is true.
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| Jazz Showcase (PHOTO: REID COMPTON/CHICAGO TRIBUNE) |
Quieter than the Green Mill and less touristy than Andy’s, this intimate South Loop venue is a haven for die-hards. The steep cover ($20) gets you up close with performers such as the Grammy-winning bassist Esperanza Spalding and the progressive New Orleans trumpeter Nicholas Payton.Speaking of live music that we love, Lollapalooza is apparently a very tough (and now expensive) ticket to get. Can anyone hook your favorite blog up with a ticket or two (FYI - this is our shameless attempt to not pay out the wazoo for tickets)?
Hey Sloopy,
Why no news about the local power outage? We live on Indiana between 16th and 18th. Our entire block (plus several others) had brownouts throughout the day and lost all power at 3pm Thursday. We had power briefly (20mins) around 7pm, but then it went out again. ComEd got everything back on after midnight. But it doesn't seem like the problem is actually fixed. There is a giant semi truck generator parked on 18th street between Indiana and Michigan right now. Did anyone else report this to you? We're keeping our fingers crossed that the generator keeps our A/C on until the heat breaks this weekend.
Andre Button, 33, of Dolton was shot around 11:25 p.m. Thursday as he sat in a parked car near 15th Place and Indiana Avenue in the South Loop, police said. He tried to drive away and crashed into two parked cars on Prairie Avenue.
Button was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital and pronounced dead there at 12:01 a.m., authorities said. He lived in the 14300 block of Lincoln Avenue in Dolton.Ironically, we were getting ready to post a story about "The Data Behind Chicago's Gun Crime" that WBEZ posted this week. There is an interesting animated map showing the progression of shootings and this stat about our neighborhood:
The Near South Side, which includes the South Loop neighborhood has experienced a drop in shootings from a 2003 high of 15, and now has about 1 annually.(Hat tip: AR, NM, CL MC!)
I live down the street from Kai sushi and have been dying for it to open ( who doesn't live byob rolls, especially in this summer heat) and so I was thrilled to finally see the paper off the windows. I immediately called their sister location on grand ave to ask about the south loop's opening date and they told me this Friday!!We peaked inside and it looks nice, but pretty standard in regard to Sushi restaurant decor. It's a small, intimate space which should lend itself to a nice experience.
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| Congress Hotel (via Curbed Chicago) |
A plan to convert the Congress Plaza Hotel across from Grant Park into condominiums has fallen apart. A joint venture of two New York-based firms, Aimcap and Halcyon Development, that planned the project agreed to pay $275 million for the 871-room hotel at 520 S. Michigan Ave. but failed to secure the financing for the deal, according to a person familiar with the transaction.The blurb goes onto say that the current owner has plans to update, but as the saying goes...don't hold your breath.
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| New Jones College Prep at Polk & State (image via Kevin Dickert - Curbed Chicago) |
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| Shinny new East West University building at 825 S. Wabash (image via Kevin Dickert - Curbed Chicago) |
I was just out for a walk and noticed that the LA Boxing at 9th & State has changed its name to UFC Gym. It's a temporary sign right now, but I think it's interesting that they're using the official UFC logo. So it's either owned by the UFC, some sort of officially licensed franchise, or trying to get away with one.We noticed this as well.
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| Plantgreenideas.com and their giant heads on Michigan Avenue |
Plant Green Ideas Chicago 2013 is a never-before-seen interactive art installation intended to inspire new ways of thinking about sustainability and to encourage new behaviors that will positively impact the environment while also raising awareness of Chicago’s leadership in the “green” economy.
The Illinois Appellate Court ruled that 21 buyers in a failed South Loop condominium tower are entitled to back out of their contracts and recoup their earnest money deposits, a blow for the project's lender.
The court last month affirmed a 2011 Cook County Circuit Court decision that the developer of the 298-unit tower at 1201 S. Prairie Ave., part of the Central Station development, failed to meet construction deadlines, voiding the purchase contracts. The buyers, who collectively were under contract to pay more than $17 million for their condos at the tower, sued to get back their deposits, which total nearly $2 million.
I remember in the early 90’s racing to 18th and the river to get a glimpse of Skid Row filming their video on the vacant land between 18th and Roosevelt.
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| Old picture via Yelp |
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| A family from Canada on our tour with Medow (our tour guide) taking their picture |
Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration, at the risk of reviving memories of old political scandals, wants the authority to acquire a huge tract south of downtown once owned by convicted influence peddler Tony Rezko.
The 62-acre property is vacant. It’s where Rezko and cohorts a decade ago wanted to put up 4,600 homes and an Ikea.
City planners want permission to buy the site, which runs from Roosevelt to 16th and from the Chicago River east to Clark. The matter is on the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting of the Community Development Commission, which reviews city land deals.
Approval would give the city the right, but not the obligation, to negotiate a sale or buy it forcibly through eminent domain. Municipalities sometimes use the threat of eminent domain to push property owners into selling or improving a parcel.
I wanted to inform your readers to be on their guard when walking through grant park at night. Last night, Fri., July 5th, at 10:45p, I was walking right in front of the steps leading to the bridge that goes to the Metra station at 11th and Michigan. The next thing I knew, from behind I was punched in the right jaw. I spun around and saw three people in their early 20's yelling "Give me your s***, M'fer". I ran immediately to Michigan, and they did not pursue as there was enough crowd on the street. I ended up with a sore jaw, bleeding ear and a chipped tooth.
I walk this park every day to/from work to my home in the sloop. I have filed a police report, but just want fellow residents/visitors to be on the lookout.
| Jimmy Sherlock (via Chicago Tribune) |
Chicago police Officer Jimmy Sherlock is recovering at his home after being beaten unconscious while off duty during a robbery in the South Loop that he barely remembers, a frustrating circumstance that has him and his police brethren looking for the public's help.
"They came from behind; I don't really remember much at all," Sherlock said Monday. "I was knocked out cold."As a reminder be vigilant out there.These issues aren't isolated to the South Loop (and obviously a lot worse in some places), but that doesn't mean you should take this news lightly. Stay safe.
I was just running with my 2 year old and came upon a mugging at 14th and State. A girl, who looked in her early 20s, was mugged at the bus stop by a black male and female.
A bystander caught the male and pinned him to the ground. The police have him, but the girl got away and the police were looking for her behind the fence there at 14th and state/where some shrubbery is that backs up to the tracks.
| Derrick King (Police photo / July 9, 2013) |
A man who knocked out a woman’s teeth when she refused to give him a cigarette outside a South Loop Jewel has been arrested again -- at the same store, this time for attacking customers with umbrellas, according to police.
Derrick King pushed a woman inside the store at 1224 S. Wabash Ave. Monday night and began swinging around two umbrellas he’d stolen, police said. King, 51, who listed his address as the Pacific Garden Mission blocks away, was charged with felony retail theft and misdemeanor reckless conduct.
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| Birds-eye view of proposed skate park and public area (via DNAinfo Chicago) |
Early renderings for the new skate park proposed on a 3-acre plot in Grant Park depict a Seussical combination of public plaza space and classic skate park features.
DNAinfo.com Chicago has obtained images of what Grant Park Conservancy President Bob O'Neill calls "very preliminary designs" of the skate park set to be built between Michigan Avenue, Roosevelt Road and Columbus Drive next year.
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| Performance space (via DNAinfo Chicago) |
The Chicago Department of Transportation is considering building a two-way bike lane on Roosevelt Road that would be protected not by plastic poles or parking spaces, but a line of trees.
Construction of a skate park in Grant Park could coincide with construction to build a bike lane that would connect the Roosevelt Road CTA station to Soldier Field, Museum Campus and Northerly Island, said Bob O'Neill, head of the nonprofit Grant Park Conservancy.While this sounds interesting, it also sounds like a nightmare for an already busy street that cuts through the Sloop. As always, the devil is in the details. It sounds like this is in the early conceptual stages, so before anyone gets bent out of shape, let's see what the concept looks like (if it even happens).
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| McPier plans for two hotels and event center (image via Chicago Architecture Blog) |
The latest plans for a new hotel and arena for the McCormick Place Convention Center are so far-reaching and so entangled with other nearby developments that many otherwise sensible neighborhood residents aren’t sure what to think.
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| Bassel and the Supernaturals christened the new Dentologie at 1259 S. Wabash |
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| Isabella's Neon Sign Appears in Window at 1316 South Michigan |
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| South portion of the building at 1316 S. Michigan |
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| Chairs at 1316 S. Michigan |
