When news broke last week that a Hyatt Place hotel was planned for Harper Court, we naturally went sniffing around for a rendering of the six-story building. Legat Architects, however, said they weren't ready to release a drawing. As reports from this week's TIF meeting trickle in, we're starting to understand why. Hyde Parkers generally seem upbeat about the hotel, but response to the design has been tepid at best. From a story in the Hyde Park Herald:
"That building says medical office," said one man in the audience. "When I look at that building, it doesn't say revitalize Hyde Park, it says come get a checkup." Bombick attributed the comment to the low quality of the renderings, not the overall design, and said he would be back with drawings that better highlighted the subtle color variations in the panels." Gary Ossewaarde, another attendee of the March 7 meeting, offered this assessment: "Graphics disappointed, but that was partly due to florescent lights, when these were off it looked better, and so did samples of the paneling. Some thought it looked more like an office building or 19th century factory."We still haven't seen the renderings in question, but that "19th century factory" description doesn't sound particularly encouraging. According to the Herald, the building will have "large zinc and brown panels of alternating hues."
· Hyatt Snared for Harper Court [Hyde Park Herald]
· Hyatt Place Hotel Announced for Harper Court Development [Curbed Chicago]
Loading comments...