It’s Wednesday, my dudes. From Omaha streetcar news to a landmark update on the Thompson Center to a major San Antonio airport announcement, here’s what you need to know today:
The Flatiron Building is up for auction
The famous New York City building, so named for its distinctive triangular shape, will be auctioned on March 22, three years after its sole office tenant decamped for lower Manhattan. The impending sale is a result of a disagreement between the five owners over leasing terms for new tenants, among other issues.
The building has been vacant since 2020 when its office tenant MacMillan Publishers moved offices.
Omaha unveils streetcar plans and possible routes
At a public meeting on March 7, Omaha, Nebraska residents got a peek at and gave feedback on the city’s streetcar plan.
Per the Omaha Streetcar Authority, proposed stops will bring riders to a medical center, park, mall, a theater, and UNMC, among other destinations.
The public also got to comment on four proposed streetcar designs, two red colorways and two featuring blue patterns.
The National Register of Historic Places declines to landmark the Thompson Center
On March 3 historic preservation advocacy group Preservation Futures announced on Twitter that the Thompson Center, designed in 1985 by Chicago firm Murphy/Jahn and widely considered to be an outstanding example of postmodern architecture, was denied a spot on the National Register of Historic Places:
We regret to share that while the Thompson Center was recently deemed eligible for listing to the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service, our nomination was rejected due to objection by its new owner, Prime Group
Nomination:https://t.co/9pBiwOw5fI pic.twitter.com/Mh8bYVf1sG
— Preservation Futures (@presfutures) March 3, 2023
“Listing on the National Register would have provided context for the importance of the design of the Thompson Center within history and culture,” said architect Jonathan Solomon, partner at Preservation Futures, in a press release. “While we support the building’s reuse, we would regret losing its clearly unique and valuable features.”
The nomination to the National Register was declined because the current owner, Prime Group, does not support landmarking. Prime Group isn’t planning to hold onto the building for long, however. In July 2022, Google said it would buy the building and work with JAHN, as Murphy/Jahn is now known, to transform the building into its second Chicago headquarters.
Hulu cancels The Devil in the White City
A would-be show about a serial killer at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago told from the viewpoint of expo designers Daniel Burnham and Frederick Law Olmsted has been canceled by its streaming service four years into development.
Variety reported that Hulu nixed The Devil in the White City five months after star Keanu Reeves, who was slated to play Burnham, left the production. Director Todd Field followed suit soon after.
On March 6 Hulu announced it would not continue with the series, which was based on a book of the same name by Erik Larson.
H/t to Variety
Corgan and Lake|Flato Architects are designing San Antonio’s new airport
Last month San Antonio officials got a peek at designs for a new San Antonio International Airport (SAT) by New York’s Corgan and local firm Lake|Flato Architects.
The renovation and expansion will add up to 17 gates and 850,000 square feet of new terminal space, as well as 41,000 square feet for shops and restaurants and 29,000 square feet of available club lounges. Outside, the designers are adding courtyards and a riparian paseo between the terminal building and the curb that nods towards the city’s famous River Walk.
“This expanded facility will accommodate current and future air service expansion to meet our community’s constantly growing demand through 2040 and beyond,” San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said in a press release. “The airport is the doorstep to our beautiful city. The paseo, as you enter, will say you’ve arrived in San Antonio. We’re putting San Antonio on the map with every step of this much-needed project. We’re building a world-class airport to give people more options domestically and internationally.”
Airport and transportation planners at Kimley-Horn are collaborating with the architects on the project, pictured at top. Now at 15 percent designed, the airport is expected to be complete in mid-2028.
