When the former Lakeshore Athletic Club on North Wabash just behind Magnificent Mile's Wrigley and Realtors Buildings started coming down, speculation ran amuck about just what was planned for the site, fueled by long-whispered rumors about the adjacent Realtors Building being replaced with a skyline-altering megadevelopment. When it looked like the former sports club was being knocked down just to build a parking lot, we got understandably distressed.
Today Crain's is here to slightly alleviate our anxiety with the news that the lot in question is being bought by the owners of Mag Mile's sprawling high-end mall, The Shops at North Bridge with plans to add even more mall to the already mall-saturated neighborhood. Remember also that North Bridge has plans to expand into the office tower just north of the Realtors Building as well. This expansion sounds a little aggressive, but could be a good sign for the rebounding economy. Hopefully, architectural fashion for mall buildings has improved from the windowless bunker motif we've been subjected to in the past.
· Move over, Water Tower? [Crain's Chicago Business]
· More Lakeshore Athletic Club news [Curbed Chicago]