2000-foot-tall Pigeon Roost for Chicago's Lakefront?

Will cable and satellite TV make the massive Cesar Pelli-designed HDTV tower proposed for Chicago's Gold Coast a white elephant? Lynn Becker critiques the Beitler Tower proposal.

1 minute read

October 25, 2005, 12:00 PM PDT

By Abhijeet Chavan @http://twitter.com/legalaidtech

"...other than a 400-car parking garage at the bottom and restaurants at the top, [the Beitler project] would be an empty tripod, three huge concrete legs, joined by beams every 10 to 15 stories, that would support three tall antennas at the top... The designer is Cesar Pelli, the usually reliable architect [but] most of his better instincts seemed to have abandoned him...

Simply put, this project is an atrocity [and] it could also quickly become the world's biggest white elephant... The Beitler tower is less a building than a gargatuan piece of infrastructure. Placed amidst the railyards in a city or a suburb, it would be a marvel of engineering. Placed in the heart of Chicago's downtown, it's merely an eyesore."

Thanks to Lynn Becker

FULL STORY: 2000-foot-tall Pigeon Roost proposed for Chicago's lakefront

Tuesday, October 25, 2005 in Repeat

Architecture Infrastructure Illinois

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Start Learning

Advertise with us

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.