When the Trib's Blair Kamin wrote about the park at the ParkView Condominiums last October, he talked about it needing time to fill out. A summer later, and it's already on it's way.The 1.75 acre private park, serving both the residents of the Solomon Cordwell Buenz designed condo tower and the public, is a hugely handsome addition to Streeterville. Designed by San Francisco's Hargreave Associates, it provides a variety of levels that mediate between the streets and the condo tower and a variety of conditions that combine to form a richness only rarely found in Chicago Park District design.
The center point could said to be a grove of pine trees that will keep the park green even in winter.
The project has come out pretty much as described on the website of the developer, MCL Companies, in 2006, combining canopy trees set to produce rich fall color, perennial flowers, decorative grasses and a fountain.
Across the street, the former North Pier, revitalized by MCL as the River East Art Center provides a warm, colorful backdrop.
The longer-term issue, of course, is how long the current quality of the park will be maintained by private interests and whether, should the need arise, the Chicago Park District will step up to the plate and secure the park for permanent public access or, as at the park next to the AMA building, the only green space in River North, they will simply look the other way as its destroyed. When you look at the how beautiful the ParkView Condominiums park is today, you can only hope that day of reckoning is a long way off.
7 comments:
I believe the garage for the condo tower is underneath, so that might prevent the park from being destroyed like AMA.
This space screams "temporary-until-we-can-sell-more-units"...
That park will be built upon as soon as the economy improves and there is a need for more condos!
To the second anonymous, if that is true, the site should be available for quite a long time.
The east side is still empty where the second tower was supposed to rise. That's it though.
"…the park next to the AMA building, the only green space in River North."
Don't forget Erie Park!
Erie Park is lovely, but is so far on the periphery that it could be said to be on the cusp of River North as much as in it. The point I was trying to make was the lack of greenspace in the dense heart of the district where it's needed most.
What a beautiful place to live. My dream condo has a park infront of it. The details are perfectly done making this park more blooming. :)
eastwood city parkview condo
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