FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Southworks Development Names Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and Sasaki
Associates as Master Planners for Former U.S. Steel Site
Planners of Chicago’s Millennium Park and Beijing Olympics to
bring world-class design to Chicago’s Southeast side
CHICAGO September 23, 2004 – The architectural
and planning firm that brought Millennium Park to Chicago along with
the firm that created the master plan for the 2008 Beijing Olympics in
China, are teaming up to develop the master plan for one of the most
significant urban redevelopment projects in the United States: turning
284 acres of the former U.S. Steel South Works site into a thriving
community of homes, businesses, offices and recreational space.
After a nationwide search, Southworks Development LLC
announced today that the world-renowned design firms of Skidmore,
Owings & Merrill (SOM) and Sasaki Associates (Sasaki) will partner to
create the master plan for the redevelopment along Lake Michigan on
Chicago’s Southeast side.
“These two firms are absolutely at the forefront of
innovative community planning, urban development and architecture,”
said Dan McCaffery, one of the principals of Southworks Development.
“Combining the talents of these two teams will bring world-class urban
planning all the way to the neighborhood level. This site, long a
vacant eyesore in the community, will soon be transformed for the
benefit of the community and the city, and will live up to Chicago’s
reputation as the greatest architectural city in the world.”
The master plan is projected to include a marina,
retail shopping environment, restaurants, community centers and
residential properties all in a new and integrated community along the
lakefront. The plan will, for the first time in more than a hundred
years, open the lakefront to the communities of Southeast Chicago.
"This is a very exciting development for Chicago. It
will create a vibrant community out of an old industrial site and
expand the city's open space on the lakefront," said Denise Casalino,
Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Planning and Development.
"We will work closely with Southworks to help develop a master plan
that reflects the needs and desires of the greater Southeast side."
Southworks Development, a joint venture formed to
redevelop the property ten miles south of downtown Chicago, is
comprised of Lubert-Adler Real Estate Fund IV, McCaffery Interests,
Inc., and Westrum Development Company.
A key element of the redevelopment is the extension
of Lake Shore Drive and US Highway 41, through the South Works site
from 79th street to 87th street. With the completion of the new
Highway 41, the site will be immediately accessible and only ten miles
from the Loop. The extension of this critical road will increase
access to the site and the community and is vital to the overall
development of Chicago’s Southeast side.
Founded in 1936, SOM is one of the world's leading
urban planning, architecture, engineering and interior design firms.
SOM is responsible for many of Chicago's largest and most important
urban plans, including the Central Area Plan and the master plans for
Lake Shore East and Stateway Gardens. SOM also created noted master
plans for London's Canary Warf and the Washington Mall in the nation's
capitol. The firm also designed world-renowned buildings including the
U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., and Chicago's Sears
Tower and John Hancock Center.
“As a Chicago-based firm we are very excited to be
working on the South Works project,” said Richard F. Tomlinson II, a
managing partner at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. “This project will
help shape the future of Chicago’s Southeast side, and we are honored
to play a role in reintegrating this lakefront land back into the
fabric of the city.”
Sasaki, founded in 1953 with offices in Boston and
San Francisco, has designed projects around the globe. Sasaki was
awarded first prize in the international design competition to build
the Olympic Green – the primary site of the 2008 Beijing Olympic
Games. Sasaki is acclaimed as a firm for its design of award winning,
vibrant urban waterfront districts across America and around the
world.
“This project represents a great urban design
opportunity. The planning and design challenge for South Works is to
create a unique and vibrant urban district, integrated with Southeast
Chicago, to become a southern icon for the magnificent lakefront park
system and all of Chicagoland,” said Dennis Pieprz, urban design
principal for Sasaki.
The two firms already share some history. Fred
Merrill, the Sasaki principal who leads the planning and urban design
group at the firm, and is overseeing the Southworks project at Sasaki,
is the grandson of John Merrill, a founder of SOM. “Combining the
experience and resources of Sasaki and SOM will result in an
extraordinary forward-looking development,” said Merrill.
The South Works site also has a special relationship
with SOM. Two of the firm’s landmark skyscrapers—the Sears Tower and
John Hancock Center—were built with steel manufactured at the South
Works plant.
“I think the shared history between these firms and
the South Works site bodes well for this partnership,” said John
Westrum, principal of Southworks, LLC. “We could not be more excited
to be moving forward quickly to revive this property, and bring an
active thriving community to Chicago’s Southeast side.”
For more information on the Southworks Development
team, visit: www.mccafferyinterests.com,
www.westrum.com,
www.lubertadler.com.
For more information on the master planning team,
visit www.som.com,
www.sasaki.com.
About McCaffery Interests, Inc.
Established in 1991, McCaffery Interests, Inc. is a privately held
real estate development company specializing in the development,
leasing, and construction and management of urban mixed-use properties
nationwide. McCaffery Interests, Inc. is located at 737 Michigan
Avenue, Suite 2050, Chicago, IL 60611, (312) 944-3777.
- END -
Media Contact:
Pamela Austin
McCaffery Interests, Inc
Ph: (312) 944-3777 x-31
email me
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