An Architectural & Business Masterpiece: Trump Tower in Chicago

Free Republic ^ | 6/19/2017 | Pocono Pundit

[poconopundit]

Keep the faith, Deplorables!  We've turned the corner on the "Russian Collusion" lie, Comey has been outed as a leaker, and Steve Scalise is on the road to recovery!  Trump and his team are winning -- big time. To be honest, the Dems, Never-Trumpers, Fake News, and Deep State Keystone Cops have never run up against a cunning fighter like Trump. Why am I so confident? Well, one good reason is I know Trump at a deeper level because I read his books.  At the library last week I found his 2008 book, Never Give Up: How I Turned My Biggest Challenges into Success and it's a great read.

The Art of the Deal (1987) is his first book and it's a classic.  But I prefer Never Give Up because you get a look at Trump as a more seasoned leader and entrepreneur, after having successfully come through his low point in the 1990s when he was billions of dollars in debt. The 164-page book rewinds some stories from Art of the Deal and fills more recent history, such as Trump's acquiring Mar-a-Lago, developing the golf course in Scotland, building Trump Tower in Chicago, and producing/acting in the Apprentice.  Then at the end of each of the 41 chapters, Trump distills the lesson into some valuable "career coaching" and motivational tips. OK, so what's this pictorial essay about? Well, I recently made a business trip to Chicago.  And the trade show I attended was right across the river from Trump Tower so I took the opportunity to walk around the Tower and see it from many angles.  Then when I got home I did the rest of my research on Wikipedia.  Here are my observations and the pics. Architectural Splendor New York and Chicago are rivals as "big, bad" cities.  But the beauty of Chicago's downtown is its buildings are more graciously spaced apart -- not tightly crammed together as they are in Manhattan.  Trump's Chicago Tower magnificently complements the iconic Wrigley and Tribune buildings nearby.  The Tower's asymmetrical shape, rounded corners, and yuge aluminum and glass facade both mirror Chicago's architectural past and take a bow to our modern taste for curves, and clean, elegant lines.

Massive Symbol of American Greatness

The Trump Tower is 98 stories tall, slightly shorter than Chicago's John Hancock Building at 100 stories.  But the location of Trump Tower at the intersections of Wacker Drive, Wabash Avenue, and Michigan Avenue puts it at the epicenter of the city.  In fact, the building is set sufficiently apart from other buildings that the grandeur of its architecture and massive size stands out all the more.

I flipped the aircraft carrier CVN-76 Ronald Reagan on its tail in the photo below and you can see that the Tower and the aircraft carrier are very close in length.  But I was astounded at the difference in weight.  Trump Tower, at 330,00 tons, is three times the weight of the aircraft carrier!  The greater weight comes, in part, by having each floor separated by a concrete slab.  That heavy concrete counteracts the effect of wind on the Tower and better protects the building from the danger of a massive fire.

The Best Location & Magnificent Views

Being positioned along the Chicago River at the perfect spot also makes for some spectacular views of the line of hotels on South Wacker Drive, and the landmark Wrigley and Tribune Tower buildings.  The Terrace restaurant must be a great place to watch the St.  Patrick's Day festivities when the Chicago River is dyed green.

Alongside the Trump Tower is Chicago's Memorial to Vietnam Veterans in addition to a large bronze statue of George Washington with two principle financers of the American Revolution, Robert Morris and Haym Salomon.  How appropriate: the ghosts of two Revolution financiers are protecting one of the most expensive American skyscrapers -- a $847 million Trump investment.

A Foundation at the Edge of Chicago River

Tourist boats travelling west on Chicago River from Lake Michigan see the Tower in full view.  The sheer size and elegance of the Tower truly commands the River.

But being on the Chicago River also raised construction issues.  For instance, as the foundation was being built, water from the river began seeping into the building site.  Divers went down to investigate and the decision was soon made to sealed off the water by driving a steel plate and concrete at the leakage point.

The building sits on limestone bedrock 110 feet underground.  Every 30 feet around its perimeter, steel-reinforced concrete was poured into holes bored out of the limestone for structural support.  The building has 241 caissons, and the majority of the caissons descend 75 feet into hard clay.  Another 57 caissons go an additional 35 feet into the ground, including 6 feet of bedrock.

Negotiating the Deal to Build on the Sun-Times Site

Trump Tower occupies the site vacated by the Chicago Sun-Times, one of the city's two major newspapers.  Trump negotiated the $77 million purchase of the property with Conrad Black, the former international newspaper mogul.  who owned key newspapers in the US, Britain, Canada, the UK, and elsewhere, and is still a friend of Trump today.

Of course, building a skyscraper in a major city entails humongous planning, negotiations, and approvals from city hall.  In July 2001, when Donald Trump announced his plans, expecting to reach a height of 1,500 feet, which would have made it the world's tallest building.  But after the September 11th attack in New York, the plans were changed.  The first design submitted (December 2001) called for a 1,073-foot building, but the design did not meet the approval of architects and the City.

All told, Trump had the architect create 50 different models of the building before one was selected.  The eventual height approved makes the Tower the third tallest in the United States after One World Trade Center and the Willis Tower.

In October 2004, Trump held a ceremony to begin the demolition of the former Sun-Times Building.  The whole construction project was financed by a $650 million dollar loan from Deutsche Bank and a trio of hedge funds.  Construction began -- finally -- in March 2005, and the building opened for business in January 2009.

Many of the Wikipedia references on the Chicago deal could not be found, but reading between the lines, I suspect the following factors helped push the Trump deal through:

• The Sun-Times site was perfect -- and Trump knew this would be a dream come true: the opportunity to build a skycraper in America's second largest city at an absolutely ideal location.
• Chicagoans were sick and tired of the low-rise Sun-Times building that was ugly, in disrepair, and built in the 1950s.
• Conrad Black was itching to sell the Sun-Times building because he knew the newspaper business was dying and he needed to divest.
• City Hall was probably eager to gain the tax revenue that a 98-floor luxury condo and hotel would bring to the City.  And Trump was the most famous developer out there with multiple skyscraper successes to his credit.
• Interestingly, the NBC hit show, The Apprentice, began in 2004 and the fame from that show may have the tipped the scales.

The Trump Sign -- Free Advertising on the "L" Train

Talk about a boost to name recognition: the big bold TRUMP sign on the Tower was an advertising coup.  When the sign was erected in 2014, many complained that the Trump sign defaced the building.  I disagree.  The sign is tastefully done and it was long before negotiated as a part of Trump's contract with the city.

When I lived in Boston, no one complained about the big CITGO sign in Kenmore Square.  It's been there so long as a landmark that it's become part of the city's lore.  The same goes for the Trump sign.  In fact, the Sun-Times building the Trump Tower replaced had a large sign on it already, so the complainers were probably just sore that Trump got what he paid for.

And think about the advertising value of that Trump sign being in full view of the Chicago Transit Authority's trains in the Loop.  If 10% of the 241 million annual riders see the Trump sign, that's 24 million advertising impressions.  That's worth a lot of hotel rooms and Deplorable votes.

Can't Escape the Magic "TRUMP" Sign

I wish I could have afforded to stay at the $450 per night Trump Tower.  Instead, I saved money sleeping at a low-rent youth hostel a mile south of the Tower, near Roosevelt University.  And yet, I could not escape the Tower's spell!  As I walked to the Subway restaurant on South Wabash, I looked north and what did I behold? There was the big TRUMP sign on the Tower -- small but clearly visible -- 1.1 miles away and perfectly centered on Wabash Avenue!  Now that takes planning...

How would Trump Tower Blend-In back in 1900?

Finally, I dropped the Trump Tower behind a 1900 picture of Wabash Street to fantasize what the 98-floor tower would look like above hundreds of low rise buildings below.  Actually the first tall building to appear north of Chicago River was the Wrigley Building, completed in 1924.  By comparison, the Chrysler Building and Empire State Building opened for business in 1930 and 1931 respectively.

[poconopundit]

There you go, Bob. So Free Republic brought you there and there’s no urgent need to go...

I wonder how many out-of-the-way places people have decided never to visit because all they need is a Blueray disc and they see the Taj Mahal without taking a long ride on an old train.

And yet, a Disneyland or DVD replication is not quite the same thing.

Have you been to Japan? If not, that’s one place you might want to visit. Fortunately I married into the country.

[Bob Ireland]

***Have you been to Japan?***

I reckon I am past that... I think twice before visiting the neighboring town. It is a bit odd to me how easily folks travel all over the world. In my youth only rich folk or govt folk did much traveling - except by car. I doubt one could drive to Japan from here...

[SparkyBass]

I took this in July, 2014. Locals were whining "how did HE get his name SO BIG on HIS building? There are laws against it, you know..." grow a pair.

[Freedom56v2]

The locals will usually say “Chi-caw-go”.

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Really? I thought it was just the opposite...Would be an interesting survey question LOL!

I say Chi-cah-go as do many locals...But then I was not born in Cook~~I was born and raised in DuPage where I live today btw ;)

[Freedom56v2]

Thanks for posting this.

I would recommend the Chicago architecture boat tour off of Navy Pier for anyone visiting Chicago from May-September...fascinating tour of City on lakefront and through the Chicago River :)

[Jim W N]

Thanks for sharing. Loved it. Copy me if you send out some more.

[poconopundit]

Thanks for the tip, Freedom. I will take that next year on my May visit...

[poconopundit]

Thanks Sparky. I love this photo because it shows the texture of the steel and glass. It looks great this close up, like a high-tech razor...

[Freedom56v2]

You are welcome. You can probably get a good deal with Groupon if you put Chicago as a location.

[entropy12]

Chi-cah-go and Chi-caw-go sound pretty much the same to me.
But I am not an expert on phonetics. The first language I learned as my mother tongue is 100% phonetic. There is no ambiguity on how to pronounce what is written.

[EDINVA]

Thoroughly enjoyed your story!! Made me realize I haven’t been to Chicago in so long! Too long. When I lived there in the mid 70s, I worked a block up Michigan from the Hancock bldg which was originally built by some DC friends (who thereupon lost their shirts!) Guess I need to get back to see this magnificent Trump Tower. As I recall, some co-workers and friends and I marched in the St. Patrick’s Day parade there that goes right past where the Trump Tower is now located. (well, we “marched” as stragglers)

[Freedom56v2]

Chi-cah-go and Chi-caw-go sound pretty much the same to me.
But I am not an expert on phonetics. The first language I learned as my mother tongue is 100% phonetic. There is no ambiguity on how to pronounce what is written.

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LOL I learned phonics too (Thank goodness!!)—made my kids learn to read with phonics as well.

To be more clear, I believe that for the most part, we Chicagoans say Chic-ah-go (as in “Ah, I understand.” or “Open your mount and say ‘ah.’”) versus Chic-aw-go (as in “Aw what a cute puppy.”)

Regardless the Windy City architecture is second to none in the US IMHO.

[V K Lee]

And like it, we do, PP!

The sun is certainly shining brightly this day in Texas. Happy days just around the corner and half-a-block away?

DJT = MAGA~

Simply must take a nap today, and soon. SO wired up last night sleep was impossible.

[Albion Wilde]

Great thread, poconopundit! Bookmarking...

[poconopundit]

Thanks, Albion. It’s one of my personal favorites. The deeper one studies Trump’s methods, the more confident you become that we are in good hands!

Don’t have the bandwidth (inspiration) to create other long pieces like that in the near term.

Too busy with my business. But isn’t that the point? Trump is setting America right, so I’m less worried than I used to be and can refocus on my own life’s work of analyzing corners of the tech industry.