There’s only one word for plans for the old post office: insane.

Simply put, the idea of constructing the would-be tallest building in North America — and combining it with six other high rises — is ridiculous. There’s nowhere near that much demand for any kind of space in Chicago right now.

We could keep running down the reasons the plan is completely ludicrous. Thousands of free parking spaces, the obscurement of a building on the National Register of Historic Places with said free parking, the idea of creating essentially Chicago’s Mall of America — the list goes on.

However, one of the most compelling critiques of the park came in a piece from the Chicago News Cooperative columnist David Greising.

Greising pulled no punches, saying that on top of believing a $3.6 billion complex was achievable, British developer Bill Davies “also believes in unicorns, sends e-mails to Sasquatch, fishes for the Loch Ness monster and claps real loud to keep Tinkerbell alive.”

One of Greising’s most convincing arguments for why the project will fail as currently constituted, though, is the ridiculous number of regulatory hoops the project would have to go through. Building parts of the structure would require approval from the city, state, U.S. Department of Transportation and the Army Corps of engineers.

On top of that, one architect Greising quotes claims that Davies’ building is too tall and too close to the Willis Tower — causing a vacuum to suck out the windows of both buildings. On top of that, radiation from the Willis’ antenna array would sterilize everyone on the top floors of Davies’ building.

So, who wants to buy a condo?

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By Secret Name from Suburbs
Posted: 08/27/2011 2:14 AM

I'd turn the Old Post office into a building used the same way Merchandise Mart is. I'd make it 'Chicago World Trade Center' by only renovating some interior space, and stripping then leasing much of the rest. Being on top of a highway can't hurt prospective tenants' shipping.

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By GB from Albany Park
Posted: 08/07/2011 0:59 AM

Yeah, and if an air vacuum would be createdbetween this and Sears Tower, then why didnt that happen with the WTC twin towers? I really hope this project comes to fruition. Why would anyone in Chicago be against the idea of something big and amazing going up? Go Bill Davies, i'm rooting for you.

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By ion from lake view
Posted: 08/04/2011 8:42 AM

If the antennae were so powerful, why wouldn't they sterilize the people actually in the Willis tower? This self-serving quote CANNOT simply be restated ad nauseum without an investigation into its veracity. Repeating it does not make it true.