Why There's a Huge Pit in the Middle of Downtown Chicago... 

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I lived in Chicago for many years and worked for the architect of record for ‘The Spire’. Santiago Calatrava designed it but computer wind load testing showed it could be pushed over at even mild to medium gusts. They added a more aggressive twist rate and tapered the top slightly to reduce flat surfaces in any direction to help deflect wind loads and structural engineers increased the number and depth of the piles needed in the foundation of such an ambitious design in a very hostile location. I remember having scale models in plexiglass cases and the beautiful floor plan drawings displayed around our Chicago office and we could see the project site from the East windows, (at least until the, then under construction Trump Tower, eclipsed our floor and blocked most of our view of the Chicago river and Navy Pier). What you would see today, if were not flooded, is the underground parking structure and the tops of the 65 or so huge piles that were to hold the building above. The site was deep below Lake Michigan and required constant pumping to keep from flooding, as it is now and the construction managers complained about how hard the site was to work in due to its tiny footprint and lack of access for equipment. It was a huge project that spanned over a year at my firm and my team assisted with some of the interactive floor plan maps for the different levels that were displayed in the leasing office on touch screens. They had even constructed mock up units in the Trump Tower once it had opened a few months later and the ‘views’ were images taken from a helicopter (way before drones!) that were printed full size to showcase your view of the city or the lake from your unit. It was all really over the top and once they stopped paying their bills around town and the lawsuits started flying (including ours), the project ‘who’s name shall never be spoken’ became a huge dirty word around the office. I witnessed mass layoffs and many good people lost their jobs because this project and, though never completed, it will always be etched into my memory as an example of how much work went into a big, ugly hole in the ground.

I'm baffled by the footprint of this thing. It was going to be nearly the tallest building in the world, but yet the lot is smaller than the hotel I stayed in last night.

How deep is the pit and how many bodies have been dumped in it?

I looked it up... 76 feet deep. You're welcome.

To put into perspective just how much money they owed to everything you mentioned at 5:03: Architect Santiago Calatrava placed an $11.34 million lien on the construction site, then the Anglo Irish Bank made them pay back the 69.5 million dollars (nice) they borrowed (which ended up becoming a 77 million foreclosure lawsuit), the owner of the NBC Tower sued to evict them from their sales office within the tower because they were behind 316K in their payments (and they ended up getting ejected), and then Bank of America filed a lawsuit for 4.92 million to get back the sum of two unpaid loans for the initial construction! Oh yeah, and they faced eviction from ANOTHER building called 111 South Walker Drive which they moved to after the NBC Tower! They tried working with AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations) in late 2009 for a potential land loan of 170 million dollars that would've retired the developer's loan from Anglo Irish Bank, pay off the outstanding liens, and restart work in exchange for making the construction a complete union job as the union workers were desperate for work and the construction would've provided 900 full-time jobs, however, when the developer was looking for union bailouts, four major labor union investment funds said no.

The words "Anglo-Irish Bank" and "NAMA" (National Assests Management Agency) send shivers down the spine of any Irish person, and it is no surprise there is a large hole in the ground in Chicago with their names on it...

It is pretty much impossible to construct a super tall skyscraper that tall without government subsidies. The economics of building that tall just don't pencil out. Every tower taller than the Sears Tower has been built with government funding as part of a national prestige project. The Burj Khalifa is the perfect example of that. Burj Khalifa was not built by any private company but was the personal project of Sheikh Khalifa who was the King of Dubai. He basically had unlimited funding to do with what he wanted so the project would still get built no matter how impractical and unprofitable it was. The goal of the project wasn't to make money but to satisfy the ego of the Sheikh.

My dad worked for the architect at the time all this was happening, it was absolute chaos

I'm kinda surprised the original project was approved, as I can envision its height interferring with the ILS approach to runway 22L at MDW, just as the Sears/Willis Tower did.

It’s sad that it’s nothing, but isn’t it good that a giant engorged twizzler isn’t threatening to take out 30 blocks? That concept photo of the skyline was a nightmare.

Aside from the notion that visiting farmers would get a chuckle because it resembled the rudest part of a hog, it's an impressive formal design. But that foundation has got to be very, very deep, given that the Streeterville neighborhood is all sandbar and it's right up against water. Also, for the height of this thing, the footprint is surprisingly small. As a Chicagoan, I'm glad this oversized sore thumb didn't happen. But it makes for a hell of a wishing well.

Interesting thanks. The pit looks kind of small to me to be the foundation for the continents tallest building but Im not a skyscraper architect

This one is a bit of a heartbreaker along with the unbuilt MB Skyneedle and 7 South Dearborn... With these 3 towers, the skyline would totally look like Chicago in I, Robot...

Hustler should take over the project. Can you imagine a building shaped like that called "Hustler Tower"?

Very interesting, I never knew about this one. Sad it never got built. Some are saying the recession marked the end of the skyscraper era.

Man I'm so excited for when u get a good mic and outdoor cam, it's always at that point where a mil comes out of nowhere...

Nice presentation! Thanks for keeping it interesting!

A stagnant pit of water right by a major body of water, there must be a horrible mosquito epidemic there

We had something similar happen in Nashville at 16th and Broadway back during the recession. Only the hole in the ground was WAY WAY WAY bigger, think like the size of four NYC sized blocks, about 75 feet deep. And it all had to be drilled/blasted out cause Nashville=limestone rocks. Developer was way over-leveraged, banks wanted their money back, bam had a hole full of water for the next 12 years or so. It finally was built/completed about 1-2 years ago, two 21 story towers. One is a hotel and condos, the other is office space. I'm sure the developer is still losing their ass on this project because of the pandemic/work from home movement. Nobody wants office space anymore, half the space in this development is office space.

Chicago looks like the lazily built backdrop to a monster movie that eventually gets flattened and no one misses it

That pretty cool. Were always looking for interesting places to explore

Pool...city pool. Wonder what Freud's thoughts would have been about the proposed building, or resulting hole?

That space doesn't look like it's even big enough for a 500 ft tall tower.

I worked for their digital marketing agency in 2006 launching & running their initial Google search ads & their SEO. Never expected this to happen.

Imagine being a stoned metalhead and clicking this video only to think “oh they mean that kind of pit nvm” It’s me. You’re imagining you’re me rn.

Great vid Carter, well done.

Your voice over work is very good, and natural.

F-Log is meant to be graded.

Someone wanted to turn the Earth into a unicorn...

I remember reading about this place 20 years ago and always thought it looked cool. Kept wondering when I'd hear about it opening. This answers my question but now I'm depressed 😞

cool vid I remember walking past this excavation when it was fresh on a trip to Chicago as a kid.

When you shoot in log format, you need to remember to color grade the video afterwards. That's why your video color is so flat in so many shots

There's something else going on with that site. Valuable property in Chicago, rarely stays vacant. The city usually will make sure it happens, one way or another. The fact everything keeps falling through, is a big red flag. Even the fact they said buildings will be built by 2024, yet, they didn't even pump the pit out, bring any equipment to the site, or even cut down any of the trees, that is all mighty odd.

Chicagoans should be thankful that phallic spiral rocket ship was not built.

So chicago missed out on having a giant dilo of a building sticking uphigh into the sky for all to see.

The spire was going to be a masterpiece, way better than the current proposal.

Wow, and here I thought the new buildings were half up already! Good vid, thanks!

Holy shit you're not a disembodied voice!

I had high hopes for the Spire. I had come to the realization the United States didn't do big, bold skyscrapers anymore, while other countries were surpassing anything we ever did (e.g., the Burj Khalifa, with many more on the way). Ouch, my pride was hurting and the Spire would assuage it. Seems a shame two stepped glass towers were proposed ... yawn ... but I guess they're not happening either.

The Burj was never completed either. The top 1/3 has no water. Not for drinking or flushing. None. No water and therefore no tenants.

Personally I think they should turn the hole into a giant jacuzzi.

Its still the sears tower to me. Just saying from Chicago.

It sounds like the people who ended up in control of the project planned to build just another set of nondescript skyscrapers. I hope their worthless pit collapses at cost high enough to derail their cookie cutter project. The view of the riverfront deserves better than some prefab looking design.

As an Illinoisan, the failure of this project is disappointing.

I remember hearing about this, so long ago. Also it’s nice to see a face!

Chicago downtown real estate is cheap!.... but the taxes and HOA fees make it a very poor investment indeed.

They recently started construction back up on this project. Not the tall spire but the two skyscrapers. Project should be complete in 2027

Riverside bandshell with weekly shows, swimming in the summer and skating in the winter.

Plans for the building fell through, when it was realized that after it was built, it would be located in Chicago.

"Let's build an iconic skyscraper. One that everybody will see and instantly think Chicago. And lets get an architect from Baltimore to design it."

Yknow, I'm all for less dystopian skyscrapers. Make it into a free park / community center instead

GG Carter, I know it's not easy to show your face on yt looking young. I love the format being on location!

That was interesting. Thanks.

There is a shit ton of empty buildings in Chicago. I can’t tell you how many I had a hand in building including trump towers. Over 25 yrs hvac… but haven’t worked in downtown Chicago since 2018. My company wants nothing to do with downtown I guess. I personally want nothing to do with Chicago. I’ve worked right next to this hole. I heard there was issues with the ground along with money issues.

Wow, your sound levels vary considerably. This is something that can be corrected / adjusted during editing.

I’m not an architect but that foundation looks pretty damn small for a huge tower.

Great video.

Is this one of the many cases of borrowers who were current on their loans when the GFC hit but had lenders come after them anyway because of fear around what might happen in the future or did the people behind this project actually miss payments on those loans? (plenty of banks that were in trouble called in otherwise OK loans because it was the only way to prevent total collapse)

I prefer the Gateway tower rather than the Chicago Spire

Chicago is already a pit!😂😂

So basically it was a money pit.

400 Lake Shore is a different parcel. A simple google map search shows that. The aerial view also shows an active construction site at 400.

I actually met one of the initial developers for this project before everything went to shit.

Randall Carlson's "Fire in the Sky" is a good look at the Chicago fire

good shit dude

It's not in the MIDDLE of downtown Chicago.

Given the political and social upheaval in Chicago, no sane business (or bank) would invest in any huge projects in the city. Hundreds of teens are allowed to go on crime sprees throughout the business district and the mayor excuses their behavior. The DA fails to hold even murderers accountable, much less thieves. But even Detroit built the Ren Cen as that city was in rapid decline, so anything is possible.

New sub. Looking forward to your content.

It didn't fail. It laundered the money just fine.

The only magatall skyscraper ever approved for the U.S.

Liked & Subbed! awesome channel!

imagine the bodies that have been dumped in that hole

Maybe the project was cancelled due to the fact the spire was designed with a left-handed thread! ;)

Leave it as is. It's cool because it isn't just another tall building in Chicago and there's a nice littl space with greenery and shit.

Someone call Leslie Knope

There's usually penalties for leaving buildings unfinished?

‘Chicago’ and ‘failed’ can be used interchangeably.

Makes sure you slap that lut on your footage

I meet my boss once 2 months before I got laid off he had a fruit box full of coffee cups for major nuclear and oil/ gas companies projects that got canceled. Another project about 300 million was on just got shut down for 30 million in unpaid bills .

Yep, that's the way bubbles pop.

What ever happened to the Deep Tunnel? No flooding streets nor basements ever again.....

What! You show your face 😮

Remember to add a LUT to convert your Log footage to Rec709. Otherwise great video.

I drove by this site this morning.

I'm surprised this isn't in Jim Butchers "Dresden Files".

There's no way I would EVER invest a dime in Chicago!

Maybe you could trick passersby’s into thinking that it’s the gates of hell

Honestly I'm glad the stupid drill bit building wasn't happening.

I'm kind of glad we aren't known for the worlds largest Vibrator.

That would have been the ugliest building good thing they didn’t waste there time and money building that eye sore.

The pit is 110 feet across and 76 feet deep. Good dumping spot

Chicago is a pit period, the whole city.

Peak Content 💯💯💯

That circle doesn't look very big.

It would have been...in-spire-ing. 😎

As a part-time Chicagoan (half my life in the city, half in the suburbs), I'm so glad this didn't happen. The building was ugly and the last thing Chicago needs is another skyscraper that costs wayyy too much per square foot of usable space.

That poor little three story apartment building next door...

Not failed yet... apparently we're still getting it. At least that's what they day lol

Good video Thank you Your audio is really really low Keep up the good job