Checking In With The Giant Hole That's Been Off Lake Shore Drive Since 2008
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That giant hole just north of the Loop? I think the city should open it up to tourists -- it could become more popular than the bean.
Or, heck, Maybe we could just throw the bean in. What do you think?
For those who haven't followed the drama I'm talking about, a 76-foot-deep hole has existed off Lake Shore Drive since 2008. Originally the beginnings of the Chicago Spire, a skyscraper intended to one day be among the tallest in the world, we're now stuck with a giant hole courtesy of the 2008 financial crisis.
Part of the reason we've been left with a giant hole in the ground for so long was the developer's financial woes, which eventually led to lengthy bankruptcy proceedings. In March, the Spire developers' bankruptcy proceedings finally ended, and the land originally intended for the skyscraper reverted to a creditor, Related Midwest.
It's up to Related Midwest, a developer that's created multiple luxury high-rises and condominiums in Chicago, to figure out the destiny of the giant hole at 400 N. Lake Shore Drive.
So far, Related Midwest has had little to say in regards to the hole. In a press release in November of 2014, they wrote, "We recognize the importance of this site to the City of Chicago and look forward to creating an architecturally significant and thoughtful development befitting this premier location."
Since that statement, Related Midwest hasn't elaborated further on the future of the hole.
In January, Chicago Magazine asked Chicago architects what they thought should be done with the 76-foot-deep hole. Suggestions included an underground amphitheater and a giant trellis covered in plants for birds to do bird-stuff with.
My favorite suggestion was the "Swimming Hole," given by Martin Felsen and Sarah Dunn of UrbanLab: "Just as watering holes attract wildlife on the prairie, this two-acre swimming pool would draw the masses—a water park minus the corn dogs and disposable souvenirs."
BYOC(orn)D(ogs) I guess (I usually do).
Mason Johnson is a Web Content Producer for CBS Chicago. You can find him on Twitter.