Latest news with #GreekRevival-style
Chicago Tribune
02-05-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Former Chicago Blackhawks player Patrick Kane sells Trump Tower condo for $2.11M
Former Chicago Blackhawks right winger Patrick Kane, who won three Stanley Cup titles with the team, in late March sold one of two condominiums he has long owned in Chicago's Trump International Hotel & Tower — a three-bedroom, 3,102-square-foot unit on the building's 69th floor — for $2.11 million. Named in 2017 to the National Hockey League's list of its 100 greatest players of all time and indisputably one of the greatest Blackhawks of all time, Kane, 36, had a 17-year career with the Blackhawks before he was traded to the New York Rangers in 2023. He now skates for the Detroit Red Wings. Kane long has been an owner in the Trump building. He paid $2.06 million in 2008 to buy a 33th-floor unit from the building's developer, and he continues to own that condo to this day. Then, in 2016, through an opaque land trust that conceals his identity, Kane paid $3.1 million for the 69th-floor unit. Now, Kane has taken a nearly $1 million loss on the 69th-floor condo. He first listed it for $3 million in May 2024, and he cut his asking price to $2.7 million in November and then to $2.5 million in February. He struck a deal to sell the unit on March 12. Features in the condo, which faces south and east, include four full bathrooms, 10-foot ceilings, dual fireplaces, brand-new nine-inch-wide flooring and a kitchen with Snaidero cabinets, iceberg quartzite countertops with a waterfall edge and Wolf, Miele and Sub-Zero stainless steel appliances. The condo's primary bedroom suite has dual walk-in closets and a bathroom with dual vanities. In a brief interview with Elite Street, Kane's mother, Donna, confirmed that her son had sold the 69th-floor unit but declined to comment further. Though he no longer is a Blackhawk, Kane still owns multiple other Chicago-area properties. In addition to the 33th-floor condo in the Trump building, he owns a four-bedroom, 4,776-square-foot condominium on the 25th floor of the building at 9 W. Walton Street on the Near North Side, which he purchased for $6.46 million in 2019. Kane also reportedly paid $5 million in 2022 for a five-bedroom, 5,932-square-foot house Greek Revival-style house close to Lake Michigan in Lake Forest. The 69th-floor unit in the Trump building had a $20,764 property tax bill in the 2023 tax year. However, the condo comes with a $3,654-a-month assessment as well, bringing the combined annual cost of property taxes and assessments to $64,612.
Axios
17-04-2025
- Business
- Axios
All of Philly's former UArts buildings have sold: What's next
The fire sale for the University of the Arts' real estate portfolio in Center City has wrapped up. Why it matters: The new owners of the nine prized buildings are reimagining the city's central business and arts hub and ushering in new commercial and residential spaces. State of play: The final available UArts building, Gershman Hall, sold in Delaware's U.S. Bankruptcy Court this month. DSA 401 Lifetime LLC purchased the former theater and learning space at 401-11 S. Broad St. for more than $6.7 million, per court documents. The intrigue: It's unclear what the Delaware-based LLC is planning for the building, which is located between Suzanne Roberts Theatre and the Kimmel Center. The company is connected to Philly-based real estate investment firm Lubert-Adler. A lawyer for DSA 401 declined Axios' request for comment; Lubert-Adler did not return calls seeking comment. The big picture: The sales are an encouraging sign for Center City's expansion and renaissance, Drexel University economist Kevin Gillen tells Axios. "The repurposing, reuse and redeployment of historic properties to updated uses is not only the kind of socially conscious development that Philadelphia is well positioned for, it is also the kind that Philadelphia can serve as an example of," he added. Here's what's coming for the eight other buildings sold during the bankruptcy. 🖼️ Hamilton Hall: The Greek Revival-style building with large columns on Broad Street is expected to house an affordable arts studio, workshop and gallery spaces. A restaurant there is also possible. 🏠 Furness Hall: The former UArts dormitory behind Hamilton Hall is likely to become affordable artist apartments. Scout, the design firm that repurposed South Philly's Bok Building, owns both Furness and Hamilton Halls. 🥤Anderson Hall: The nine-story building at 329-335 S. Broad St. is expected to become apartments, with food retail on the ground floor, as well as artist spaces or offices, per the Inquirer. Dwight City Group, a New York-based commercial real estate company, paid $8.5 million for the property. 🎓 Terra Hall: The 17-story building at 211 S. Broad St. is expected to house Temple University Center City, which offers adult learning and enrichment. Temple University bought the building, the largest among the UArts buildings up for bid, for $18 million. 🛍️ Arts Bank: The four-story building at 601 S. Broad St. could have commercial space on the ground level with residential units above, per WHYY. Delaware-based Quadro Bay LLC purchased the building for $2.71 million. 🎷 Art Alliance: Curtis Institute of Music is expected to turn this Rittenhouse building into a space for music-related rehearsals and workshops, as well as administrative needs. The institute bought the building for $7.6 million.
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Roswell greenlights $14.5M parking deck in historic downtown
The Brief Roswell approved a $14.5 million contract with Winter Construction for a 395-space parking deck, funded by a $179.6 million bond package. The parking deck will feature a design that blends with Roswell's Historic District, including a brick façade and landscaping to integrate with the environment. The project is part of the Green Street Activation Plan, aiming to enhance pedestrian connectivity and support local businesses by alleviating congestion. ROSWELL, Ga. - The City of Roswell has approved a $14.5 million design-build contract with Winter Construction to develop a 395-space parking deck in the heart of its historic downtown district, with completion expected by summer 2026. The decision was made during a Special Called Mayor and Council meeting on March 26. What they're saying "The City of Roswell is thrilled to take this important step forward by awarding the design-build contract for our downtown parking deck—a project made possible by the incredible support of Roswell taxpayers," said Mayor Kurt Wilson. "This has been a true team effort, and I want to extend my deepest gratitude to our hardworking City staff for their expertise and professionalism, as well as to our elected officials for their vision and leadership." What we know The deck will be built at the corner of Green Street and Highway 9, directly across from the new Southern Post development. Funding comes from the $179.6 million bond package overwhelmingly approved by voters in November 2022, which included $20 million earmarked for the parking facility. Winter Construction, an Atlanta-based firm with more than 60 years of experience, was selected from nine firms that submitted proposals. The company was recognized for its top-scoring technical proposal, strong interview performance, and the lowest cost among finalists. Past municipal projects by Winter Construction include parking decks and civic buildings in Woodstock, Snellville, Forsyth County, and East Point. Local perspective The new parking structure will reflect the architectural character of Roswell's Historic District. The design features a brick façade, tower-like stairwells, metalwork, and varied exterior wall depths for visual interest. Full façades will be constructed on all four sides—a rare approach for parking structures—and large openings will allow natural light and ventilation throughout, even on subterranean levels. Planned landscaping and greenery will soften the structure's visual footprint and help it blend into the surrounding environment. Attention was also paid to the building's proximity to two key visual anchors: the classic Greek Revival-style Mason's Lodge and the modern Southern Post development. The design aims to strike a balance between Roswell's historic charm and its evolving identity. Dig deeper The parking deck is a cornerstone of the City's Green Street Activation Plan, which is intended to enhance the pedestrian experience and improve connectivity downtown. As part of the plan: Green Street will become a one-way, southbound road. A wide, brick-paved, multi-use trail will be added. New lighting and landscaping will be installed to improve safety and aesthetics. Plum Tree Street will be converted into a brick-paved trail providing direct access to Canton Street. Big picture view In 2021, a city-commissioned parking study found that a well-located parking garage could alleviate congestion in the historic center, encourage longer visits, and better support local businesses. The city hopes this new facility will do just that. "This parking deck is more than just infrastructure—it's an investment in our City's future, supporting economic growth and enhancing quality of life for years to come," Wilson said. City leaders are also considering new parking policies to better manage downtown demand. Community meetings on shared parking costs, economic development, and operational strategies are expected to begin in spring 2025. The City of Roswell says the project reflects not only a focus on practical improvements, but a broader effort to create a more welcoming, accessible, and vibrant downtown for residents and visitors alike. What we don't know The exact completion date has not been released yet. SEE ALSO: Parking vs. Preservation: Roswell's Old Methodist Church in jeopardy Parking and traffic concerns fuel opposition to Roswell's pedestrian-only Canton Street plan The Source The city of Roswell provided the details and images for this article.
New York Times
01-04-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Princeton Senior, Accused of Assault During Protest, Braces for Verdict
Tension had been building at Princeton University as pro-Palestinian demonstrators occupied a white-columned, Greek Revival-style building at the center of campus and the police moved in. An angry crowd had surrounded a bus where two demonstrators were being held after officers led them out of the building. 'It was a tense time as there were hundreds of protesters that were attempting to interfere with lawful arrests,' reads a police report from that day, April 29, 2024. David Piegaro, then a Princeton junior, was there filming with his phone. Mr. Piegaro says he was not one of the protesters, and he opposes much of their language and tactics. He described himself as a pro-Israel 'citizen journalist' who was concerned by what he saw as the university's insufficient response and wanted to bear witness by recording. By nightfall, he was one of more than a dozen students charged with wrongdoing at the elite New Jersey school. He joined the roughly 3,100 people arrested or detained last spring on campuses across the county amid a wave of student activism over the war in Gaza. Trespassing charges are pending against the pro-Palestinian demonstrators arrested at Princeton that day. But Mr. Piegaro, who was charged with assault, is so far the only person to have stood trial. A municipal court judge who presided over the two-day proceeding in February is expected to announce a verdict on Tuesday. The Trump administration has made a dramatic show of punishing or trying to punish college-age protesters who have spoken out against Israel's military response in Gaza, where the death toll has surpassed 50,000 people. The administration has either detained or threatened to deport at least nine international students or faculty members, including a Tufts University graduate student who had co-written an opinion piece in the student newspaper criticizing the university's response to pro-Palestinian demands. She was taken into custody last week. But the arrest and trial of Mr. Piegaro, who was born and raised in New Jersey, underscore the complexity of the issues facing university administrators and the police as they strive to balance respect for free expression with questions about what constitutes hate speech. Mr. Piegaro, 27, is older than most undergraduate students. He began studying at Princeton after serving for several years in the U.S. Army, where he worked as an intelligence analyst with a top-secret security clearance. He is Jewish and said he was troubled by the deadly attack on Israel by the terror group Hamas, which killed about 1,200 people, and the tactics of the growing pro-Palestinian movement on campus. He said he was not, however, involved in the protests or counterprotests. And one of the charges brought against him — aggravated assault — was far more serious than the trespassing citations filed against 13 other Princeton students charged that day. As Mr. Piegaro's case has moved through the criminal justice system, three of the charges he initially faced, including aggravated assault, were dropped or reduced. He and his lawyer, Gerald Krovatin, said he twice refused offers to plead guilty to a lesser charge, convinced of his innocence and unwilling to voluntarily mar his record with a conviction of any kind. He went to trial on a lower-level assault charge, equivalent to a misdemeanor, that carries a potential penalty of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. 'I really believe I'm the victim,' Mr. Piegaro said in an interview. 'I really don't think I did anything.' The run-in that led to his arrest involved the head of the school's campus security department, Kenneth Strother Jr.. Mr. Piegaro, upset that more than a dozen of the protesters had been released with citations, had begun recording two of their faculty advisers, who were speaking with Mr. Strother and walking toward Whig Hall, a building adjacent to Clio Hall, the one that had been occupied. Mr. Strother barred Mr. Piegaro from trying to follow them in, and Mr. Piegaro can be heard on the video he recorded asking Mr. Strother, who was not in uniform or wearing a badge, his name and position. 'Don't touch me,' Mr. Piegaro says before the video abruptly ends. Seconds later, he says, he was tumbling down the front steps of the building. What happened in between is the crux of the dispute. According to Mr. Strother, whose account appeared in the police report, Mr. Piegaro 'pushed himself' into Mr. Strother, who 'grabbed Mr. Piegaro by his arm and told him he was under arrest.' Mr. Strother said that he lost hold of Mr. Piegaro, who was resisting arrest, causing Mr. Piegaro to fall down the stairs. Mr. Piegaro says he was the one who was assaulted. Sarah Kwartler, a graduate student who had gone on two dates with Mr. Piegaro several years ago and recognized him, testified that she stopped to watch part of what unfolded. She said she saw Mr. Strother holding Mr. Piegaro 'like an open pair of scissors,' losing his grip and dropping him, according to a summary of the testimony submitted to the judge. Mr. Piegaro then rolled to the bottom of the stairs, Ms. Kwartler said, where he was handcuffed and arrested. Complaining of soreness, Mr. Piegaro was taken to a hospital and evaluated for broken ribs and a concussion. Mr. Strother, who did not reply to requests for comment, was uninjured, according to the police report. Mr. Krovatin, Mr. Piegaro's lawyer, has argued that the decision to initially charge his client with aggravated assault, in addition to several other crimes, smacks of disparate treatment when compared with the lower-level trespassing charges leveled against the protesters. 'The fact remains that the only student charged with three indictable offenses on that day was a Jewish U.S. Army veteran,' Mr. Krovatin said, adding, 'I don't get why Princeton hasn't pulled back on this.' A spokeswoman for Princeton, Jennifer Morrill, said that the university deferred to the judgment of the municipal prosecutor and the municipal judge. She drew a distinction between Mr. Piegaro's assault case and the trespassing charges filed against the protesters. With regard to the trespassing charges, she said, 'The university is not a party to — and has not intervened in — those court proceedings, though the university has consistently said that it supports an outcome that would minimize the impact of the arrest on these individuals.' She added, 'The university has no comment on the separate charges filed against an individual in connection with his interaction with a police officer.' Two of the pro-Palestinian demonstrators arrested at Princeton last April declined to comment. Princeton's municipal prosecutor, Christopher Koutsouris, did not return calls or emails. Mr. Piegaro said that after he was arrested, he was barred from student housing and from campus for about two weeks. He spent a few days living with Rabbi Eitan Webb, a Jewish chaplain and director of Princeton University's Chabad House. Rabbi Webb, in an interview, recalled a 'pressure-cooker effect' on campus last spring. 'In that environment, speaking specifically to the events of that day, when you have a whole host of public safety officers, administrators — I think doing their best — it's not surprising that mistakes would get made,' Rabbi Webb, who attended Mr. Piegaro's trial, said. He said he believed that the testimony showed that Mr. Piegaro was 'not guilty.' Breh Franky, who works in Princeton's public safety department, testified that Mr. Piegaro had made contact with Mr. Strother as the student 'charged the door,' according to the summary of the testimony. But Zia Mian, one of the two faculty advisers who was speaking with Mr. Strother during the confrontation, testified, 'This was not an attempt to attack the chief.' Unlike many universities, Princeton quickly quashed efforts last April by pro-Palestinian demonstrators to erect tents on campus. At least two people were charged after they refused to take down tents. The takeover of Clio Hall on the night Mr. Piegaro was arrested lasted only about two hours after students were given a deadline to exit and told that they would face arrest. The school has also managed to avoid much of the turmoil that has engulfed the presidents of several other prominent universities, including some who were summoned to testify before Congress about their schools' responses to antisemitism on campus. Ms. Morrill said that Princeton's 'expansive commitment to free speech — which includes peaceful dissent, protest and demonstrations — remains unwavering,' while noting the school's rules governing the time, place and manner of such demonstrations. And the campus continues to bustle with signs of vigorous academic debate. On Tuesday afternoon, the school is holding a forum on academic freedom and 'whether, when, and how universities should take institutional stances on social and political issues.' Later this week, a conference is set to take place on the history, theory and politics of the 'anti-Zionist idea.' Keith A. Whittington, a longtime Princeton professor who is teaching this year at Yale Law School, is one of three academics participating in Tuesday's forum. Professor Whittington, a free speech scholar, was on Princeton's campus the day the pro-Palestinian demonstrators occupied Clio Hall but did not witness Mr. Piegaro's arrest. 'It just sort of indicates how fraught things are on campuses, and how volatile these situations are,' Professor Whittington said. In the moment, he said, facts can be difficult to parse. 'That's why you have trials,' he said.
Axios
04-03-2025
- Business
- Axios
You could help repurpose UArts' former Hamilton and Furness Halls
The new owner of the historic Hamilton and Furness Halls along South Broad Street is seeking the public's help in redeveloping the ex- University of the Arts buildings. Why it matters: Scout, the design firm that repurposed South Philly's Bok building, wants to reinvent the spaces to serve Philadelphians, with a focus on the arts and affordability. Driving the news: Scout is inviting Philadelphians to invest in and support the new project in the heart of Center City. Via a survey on its website, the company is trying to connect with people who want to offer their expertise or share information about how to donate to the space. Scout is also using it to reach artists and small businesses interested in the project. 📐 State of play: Scout already has a general plan for the two buildings, Everett Abitbol, the company's director of development, tells Axios. Hamilton Hall: The Greek Revival-style building with large columns on South Broad Street is expected to house an affordable studio, workshop and gallery spaces. A restaurant there is also possible. Furness Hall: The former UArts dormitory behind Hamilton Hall is likely to become affordable artist apartments. By the numbers: Project costs are projected to be $13 million–$18 million. 👀 Interest has been high; the company has received more than 590 completed surveys as of Monday. Catch up quick: Scout paid nearly $12.5 million for the two buildings in the UArts bankruptcy proceedings last week, with help from an anonymous donor at the 11th hour. The emergency loan allowed the company to offer the highest bids for the two halls, but it must be repaid within 60 days. The company is exploring how to raise funds for the redevelopment, which could include a crowdfunding campaign. Closing on the properties is set for March 17. Context: Scout has a history of creatively reviving historic buildings. The Bok Building was a former school that the company helped turn into a haven for artists, businesses and workspaces. Its eighth floor houses Sicilian restaurant Irwin's and the seasonal outdoor Bok Bar. What they're saying:"To deliver this at this location and give folks access to a space like this, to continue the creative and cultural production work that we think is really vital to the city, has been the most important thing for us," Abitbol says. What's next: Company leaders are expected to reveal more details about the development of the sites in April, Abitbol said.
