Earlier this month, the Chicago Tribune set out to find the “seven blunders of Chicago.” Since no similar list exists for our fair city (at least according to the folks at Google), one might presume that Heavenston has never had any big screw-ups.
That is, until you glance at the skyline. I’m talking about the hulking monstrosity in the middle of downtown, Sherman Plaza. They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, and it’s probably unfair to criticize a building while it’s still under construction. But unless Sherman Plaza plans to become shorter or narrower before it opens later this year, I think it’s fair game.
Of course, it’s already too late to do anything about the massive shopping and residential complex rising around Benson Avenue and Davis Street. The condos have been sold, the retailers have been announced and the 25-story tower is topped out. It won’t be long before the empty-nesters are enjoying the lake views while downstairs and Northwestern students are munching on Rice Krispies at Cereality.
Still, why did they have to make it bend in the middle like that? I mean, it looks like a Las Vegas casino, a garish addition to what was once the temperance capital of the Midwest. And what’s with those rounded balconies on the south side? It’s hard to pin down one main thing I hate about this building. It’s just plain ugly, that’s all.
It’s not that I don’t like high-rises. In fact, there’s no clearer sign of progress and responsible growth than construction cranes in the sky. Buildings such as Sherman Plaza or Donald Trump’s tower in Chicago remind us that despite the fears raised by 9/11, Americans still want to work and live in skyscrapers.
There’s no doubt that Sherman Plaza is an improvement over what was previously on that block: an empty lot, a crumbling garage and a dimly lit Osco most famous for dispensing cheap liquor. The tower will add people to downtown while having a relatively small impact on traffic and schools, due to its location near a transit hub and the fact that families are usually not attracted to such developments.
The tax benefit to the city will be significant, and the building will add to Evanston’s recent population growth – a 0.8 percent increase between 2000 and 2004, according to Census estimates, for a total of 74,811. This sounds trivial and it’s not a record-high (80,000 people lived here in 1970), but it is significant, considering the overall population of Cook County fell by 1.4 percent during the first five years of this century.
The growth in Evanston has not come easily. Residents here scrutinize nearly every proposed residential development, no matter how small in scale, with what essentially amounts to a “Not in my backyard” policy. But when it came to Sherman Plaza, why didn’t they shout, “Not in our front yard?” We can’t stand the McMansions, but isn’t there a vertical McMansion rising downtown?
Like a hangover induced by Osco-brand tequila, Sherman Plaza is the sad aftereffect of low standards, not in alcohol but in architecture. Oh well. At least we’ll get a Pier 1 Imports.
City Editor Greg Hafkin is a Medill junior. He can be reached at [email protected].
