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Fisher Building

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Fisher Building
Fisher Building, originally uploaded by swanksalot.

Dearborn

View On Black

taken last year.

From Wikipedia:

The Fisher Building is 20-story, 275 foot tall neo-Gothic landmark building in the Chicago Loop community area of Chicago. Commissioned by paper magnate Lucius Fisher, the original building was completed in 1896 by D.H. Burnham & Company with an addition latter added in 1907.

It was designated a Chicago Landmark on June 7, 1978. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 16, 1976.

Currently owned and managed by Village Green Management Company, the building houses apartments on floors 3-20 and commercial stores on the 1st and 2nd floors. At the time of its completion, the building was one of two buildings in Chicago that was 18 stories tall, the other being the Masonic Building. To this day, the Fisher Building is the oldest 18 story building in Chicago that has not been demolished. The Masonic Temple, while taller and older, was demolished in 1939

Though a project of D.H. Burnham & Company, the original structure was designed by Charles Atwood. In 1906, an addition on the northern side of the building raised it from 18 to 20 stories. A former employee of the Burnham firm, Peter J. Weber, designed and oversaw the building’s addition which was completed in 1907

The Three Arts Club Chicago – a Mausoleum

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Gold Coast

www.cityofchicago.org/Landmarks/T/ThreeArts.html

Crains reports: building considered being converted into a mausoleum www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/article.pl?article_id=325…
Seems sort of a ridiculous waste of an architecturally significant building.

Designed by Holabird & Roche and completed in 1914, the Three Arts Club was home to more than 12,000 female artists during its nearly 90-year existence but closed in 2003 because it didn’t have money for a major renovation. The building was designated a landmark in 1981.

A company controlled by Chicago developer Mark Hunt paid $13 million for the building in 2003 with the idea of converting it into a boutique hotel and social club. But that plan fizzled, and Mr. Hunt put the property back on the market.

THE CREMATION TREND COULD FUEL DEMAND FOR MORE PROJECTS. ABOUT A THIRD OF AMERICANS WHO DIED LAST YEAR WERE CREMATED, UP FROM 7% IN 1975.

Mr. Bickford confirms that he and his partners have a letter of intent to buy the building. Sources say Mr. Bickford’s group has agreed to pay $6 million to $7 million for the property, less than Mr. Hunt’s $9.8-million loan, which came due in February. Mr. Hunt did not respond to requests for comment.

Where Mr. Bickford’s idea goes from here will depend in part on how Gold Coast residents react to it. Alderman Brendan Reilly (42nd), whose ward includes the property, is reserving judgment but likes the proposed project’s limited impact on traffic.

sure, it would be quiet, but is that really what the building should be used for?

Reading Around on November 3rd

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Some additional reading November 3rd from 00:59 to 12:47:

  • BizarroBlog: Scary Health Care Reform –

    “I’m also self employed, so no one provides any kind of insurance for me, I have to buy it. Health insurance costs vary from state to state, but here in NYC, the cheapest I can find for my wife and I, with a large deductible, is over $1000 a month. That’s another mortgage payment each month, into the pockets of super wealthy insurance execs, in all likelihood for nothing. Statistics show that if I ever want to use that insurance there is an excellent chance they’ll find a way to deny me. That’s how they make their profits”

  • Create a font from your own handwriting – fontcapture.com – “Create a font from your own handwriting

    At fontcapture.com you can create a font from your very own handwriting. There’s no software to download and install, all you need is a printer and a scanner”

    wonder if my handwriting has changed much since the 1990s when I last did something similar

  • Randomizer – a set on Flickr – 23 Random Photos for your viewing pleasure

    Set automatically created by dopiaza’s set generator on 3rd November 2009 at 6:56am GMT

Disclaimer

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Disclaimer
Disclaimer, originally uploaded by swanksalot.

a disclaimer to end all disclaimers.

Text reads:
“The Public Building Commission of Chicago and all other government tenants hereby disclaim any endorsement of any displays, exhibits, or structures that may be erected on these premises.”

Well, alrighty then