September 17, 1969 – The City Council, by a vote of
30 to 6, approves two ordinances that clear the way for the office and
residential development that Chicago now calls Illinois Center. One ordinance establishes guidelines for the
development of the area, and the other codifies the relationship between the
city, the owner of the property, Illinois Central Industries, and three
developers. The plan calls for buildings
of up to 90 stories with 45,000 workers, 17,500 apartments with 35,000
residents. In an editorial the Chicago Tribune writes glowingly about
the project, asserting, “Chicagoans must feel some exhilaration to see, at long
last, this strategic area built on in a manner suitable to its location in the
center of the city. And Chicagoans
should take an eager, continuing, and responsible interest as Illinois Center
plaza gradually develops . . . A brilliantly successful development here will
be a civic asset the importance of which it would be almost impossible to
exaggerate.” [Chicago Tribune, September
19, 1969] The above photo shows the approximate area where the Hyatt Regency Hotel stands today.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment