Chicagos doomed spire

CBS 2's Mike Puccinelli reports. There are no certain answers, but in , he talked with CBS 2's Walter Jacobson about issues with his own father -- and also displayed some chilling obsessions. This is part three of a five-part series, original airdate May 13, He instead said he was a misunderstood victim of circumstance, and said all the evidence against him had an innocent explanation.

This is the second installment of a five-part series, original airdate May 12, This is the first installment in a five-part series -- original airdate May 11, CBS 2's Mugo Odigwe reports. The Spire was designed for a 2. Ground-breaking took place in June , but the project was cancelled in due to lack of funds. Access to the tower was planned from Lower Lake Shore Drive to reduce the impact on traffic in the neighbourhood — the tower was expected to add one car a minute to the local traffic pattern.

Within three months of the building announcement, people had contacted the developer wanting to buy apartments in the building. The building was originally announced in July by Christopher T Carley of the Fordham Company and was well received by the city and people.

It was formerly called Fordham Spire. The project failed to acquire the necessary financing and was taken over by Garrett Kelleher, using his own finance with help from the Anglo Irish Bank.

There were three major revisions to the design since the change of developer. It would have been the tallest solely residential building in the world and the third-tallest building in the US. The Spire was to be constructed along the Chicago lakefront west of Navy Pier, in the Streeterville neighbourhood of the Near North Side community area.

Some say the design looked like a lighthouse and its positioning bears this out. The 3. It is, however, awaiting redevelopment due to soil contamination by radioactive thorium.

The Chicago Spire was designed as a 2,ft m tall structure and would have included 1, apartments with the structure also housing a communal viewing room at the top floor offering residents a view of the four surrounding States.

For structural support, each floor was to be surrounded by cantilevered corners and four concave sides. The five-storey lobby would have translucent glass walls and be framed by arching, steel-reinforced concrete vaults.

The structure of the Chicago Spire would have benefited greatly from its design, because curved designs tend to add strength to the structure, and in addition the curved face of the exterior would minimise wind forces important in the Windy City. However, that never happened, and trouble kept coming Shelbourne's way. Bank of America ended up suing the developer for defaulting on a loan in , and they eventually lost control of the site in The story doesn't stop there, either.

It's hard to say what that means for the site, but it's probably safe to assume that the Chicago Spire is a lost cause. Skip to content. That feat could have belonged to the Fordham Spire, Chicago's doomed architectural dream.