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(Above) Hotel Monaco in San Francisco – near Union Square and Moscone Center – one of three hotels purchased by LaSalle Hotel Properties, owner of Marina City’s Hotel Sax. 2-Sep-10 – LaSalle Hotel Properties, the real estate investment trust that owns Hotel Sax and other commercial property at Marina City, has acquired three more properties, bringing its empire of upscale hotels to 34. The publicly traded company bought Hotel Monaco San Francisco for $68.5 million, Westin Philadelphia for $145 million, and Embassy Suites Philadelphia for $79 million. A resort near Atlantic City that LaSalle owned, Seaview Resort, was sold for $20 million. That sale, along with unsecured loans, selling $75 million in stock, and available cash, helped pay for the acquisitions, according to a press release on Wednesday. Hotel Monaco, managed by Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, has 201 guestrooms, including 35 suites, a French restaurant that seats 190 people, and 9,000 square feet of meeting space. It is located two blocks from Union Square in San Francisco.
Westin Philadelphia has 294 rooms, including 19 suites, three food and beverage outlets, and 17,000 square feet of meeting space. It is close to Rittenhouse Square and attractions such as Philadelphia Museum of Art, Independence Hall, and the Liberty Bell. Embassy Suites has 288 rooms, all suites, a 280-seat restaurant, and 3,000 square feet of meeting space. Like Hotel Monaco, Westin Philadelphia is also a AAA “Four Diamond” hotel, the association’s second highest rating. Embassy Suites is a Three Diamond hotel. Westin and Embassy are managed by HEI Hotels & Resorts. Based in Bethesda, Maryland, LaSalle now has more that 9,200 guest rooms in 15 markets.
(Above) In an alley next to the Pittsfeld Building, a movie crew has installed a large sign. Filming for Transformers 3 is winding down in Chicago.
And at Navy Pier, thousands flocked to see the Tall Ships. The six-day event concluded with fireworks Sunday evening.
(Above) 400 North State Street, home of State Street Pizza Company (at right) and soon a new “Public House” bar and restaurant, taking over space vacated by Redfish in July 2008. (Click on image to view larger version.) 18-Aug-10 – “Public House” will be the name of the restaurant/lounge opening this fall at 400 North State Street, in space vacated by Redfish two years ago. Twilight Traffic Control made the announcement in a press release on Wednesday. The company owns Bull & Bear, an upscale sports bar at 431 North Wells, and Stone Lotus, a restaurant and bar at 873 North Orleans. Twilight’s founders are three men in their late 20s, David Rekhson, Luke Stoioff, and Brandon Zisman. Annual revenue for the company was approaching $11 million in September 2009, according to Nation’s Restaurant News. “Beer aficionadas will pledge their allegiance to Public House,” reads the press release, “a 10,000 square foot beer-lovers paradise featuring beloved American fare with an upscale twist, unprecedented multimedia capabilities, and mouth watering libations.” Public House will offer 100 selections of beer. 12 tables will have their own taps, dispensing two types of beer and liquor. Additional self-serve “wall taps” will help out, with entertainment provided by a high-definition video wall, 27 plasma televisions, and a “concert quality” sound system. While an exact opening date is not known, in January a company spokesperson said the restaurant would open sometime in September.
The bridges were raised simultaneously shortly after 9 a.m. From a camera mounted in front, crewmembers in the back seat of the helicopter are filming the riverfront for the Transformers 3 movie being made in Chicago.
(Above) A scene is filmed Friday night on the LaSalle Street Bridge. (Click on images to view larger versions.)
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31-Aug-10 – (Above) For the first time since April, the base of the west tower is free of its scaffold canopy. This is how the east entrance to the new Subway restaurant looked like Tuesday morning after scaffolding was removed on Monday. Concrete restoration continues on the east tower, where it is about halfway done, and should be completed by the end of the year. With good weather, work could be done by the end of October, according to a memo to residents from the property management office. (Click on image to view larger version.)
Leonard died at about 7:45 a.m. at a hospice in the Chicago area. He had bladder cancer, a condition that was not discovered until he returned to Chicago in April after suffering a stroke in January while on vacation in Las Vegas. According to a family friend, surgery for the cancer was not possible due to the stroke. Meanwhile, Leonard was undergoing rehabilitation at a facility in Chicago. Born on February 2, 1950, John J. Leonard Jr. and his wife, Donna, had a 26-year-old daughter, Maureen. Donna Leonard is currently president of Marina Towers Condominium Association and Maureen is on the board of directors. He also had four brothers and three sisters. Leonard was a lawyer, admitted to practice in 1981, and a Certified Public Accountant. He was very active in 42nd Ward politics, a precinct captain for many years and seen as a poll watcher as recently as last November at the 27th precinct polling place located at Marina City. He lived 34 years at Marina City and was on the MTCA board himself for about 12 years, serving as president from 1989 to 1991 and vice president from 1992 to 1999. “John fought a strong battle,” read a memo to residents from the condo association. “He will always be remembered for his wit as well as his kind and gentle manner.” A memorial service will be held on August 28 at 10:00 a.m. at Old St. Mary’s Catholic Church at 1500 South Michigan Avenue. Visitation will be at 9:30 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the Leonard family is requesting a donation to: John J. Leonard Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o Saint Rita of Cascia High School, 7740 South Western Avenue, Chicago, IL 60620.
From 1984 to 1990, he was a regular contributor to ABC Radio Networks. Dahlman has written extensively about Marina City since 2005 and is currently working on a book about its history. He is married to Dr. Carol Pandak, manager of the division at Rotary International that is eradicating polio. |
