You can even see the nearby Chicago and Alton freight house on the east side of building the when driving into Chicago, which was built for the rail line underneath.
My family grew up at Roosevelt and Pulaski. When we were young, the Congress (later Eisenhower) Expressway was the only one in the city, going from the western suburbs, ending near downtown. Before the Dan Ryan was built, the only way to visit our relatives at 93rd and Michigan was to take the Congress to State Street, then go south on State. Going through the Post office was always a big thrill; my sisters and I called it "The Big Cookie". We would always imagine all kinds of mayhem waiting for us when we went through, but it was our great fun.There's no end to things that can entertain kids.
The original Old Post Office is the shorter 6 story part connected to the east side of the building. That section of the building was constructed in 1921 and the large addition was added in the 30s. The red brick building you pointed to as "original" was the annex built much later.
The building was constructed with a gap in it. There was always a plan to have some sort of road to the west. This dates back to the (Daniel) Burnham Plan of Chicago, which did envision some form of road to the west.
I visit this building for work once in a while. You def can't hear the cars. It's a really stunning place inside and out. Massive open floorplans. It's so large, most tenants have maps to give visitors so they can navigate the floorplan lol (with some digital "you are here" way-finders throughout)
I used to worked there from '20 through mid-24 and it really is a phenomenal space. And as cool as that outside highway feature is, the inside is really breathtaking...
The Helmsley Building nyc carries vehicular traffic through its base: traffic exits and enters the Park Avenue Viaduct through two portals passing under the building. Flanking the viaduct's ramps are passageways connecting 45th and 46th Streets, with entrances to Grand Central Terminal.
And come to think of it, doesn't the FDR Drive run under a series of buildings in the Upper East Side? I suppose under and through are different things, however.
I remember being in this building during the Transformers: Dark of the Moon movie shoot. I played a background character, and hung out in the building until I was called. I would like to visit it now, now that it's been renovated!
The Post Office was built over the railroad tracks in order to send and receive mail shipped across the country via trains at the time, especially for the mail-order giants Sears and Montgomery Wards, both headquartered in Chicago. There are many examples of building over rail lines in Chicago, including the giant Merchandise Mart (in order to ship merchandise). The skyscraper with the forty foot wide base show has that configuration because it’s over Amtrak and Metra commuter line tracks. I find it ironic the Boeing headquarters is not near an airport but in a building also built over these tracks. The Art Institute straddles half a dozen active commuter tracks which then run under Millennium Park just behind the ‘Bean’, all of which had originally been a giant rail freight hub.
All good points, though Montgomery Ward never had an 's' on it despite how often Chicagoans add an s onto names (Jewel Osco = the a Jewels, for example). I'll add another one: Huge jet planes travel over I-190 at O'Hare. I find it surreal every time I drive under one.
👍🏾WHAT A CRAZY COINCIDENCE. I was just looking at a live video on the news, and thought to myself how cool it is that the traffic flows through this enormous building like a gateway into the City…then this video( your post ) appears ‼️😄👍🏾
Speed limit only about 40 mph... BUILT knowing a road up until then blvd. Would run through. Lasalle St station bulding expanded over the highway...station was there already. Odd fact one train track follows the river on the lower level from Union station to Oglavie station. Both stations were also expanded with towers over rail road station tracks.
I was near there in 2016 or so and it didn’t look as bad as you saw it… I think for the remodeling they trashed a bunch of the windows and stuff. Demo companies seem to do that for some reason… I don’t know if it’s some sort of caveman instinct or what. lol. Maybe there is a real reason for it, like separate crews do the dismantling and the hauling.
Traffic, no, but we could totally hear and feel the trains rumbling in and out of Union Station. The vibrations run right up the steel frame and disperse at each floor. Observed at Walgreens offices (4-south) frequently.
The highway going into the post office is cool! They should narrow the highway down though, it is pretty unnecessary to have seven lanes, but it shouldn't be as narrow as the lane in Osaka. I also enjoy the Pink Line trains going through the RUSH medical buildings on the west side. Perhaps in the future they should consider ramming more cars and trains through and under more buildings lol.
Unlike the reports of not being able to hear the traffic from the old post office building, you can't miss the sound of the train rumbling through the Rush Professional Office Building.
@@seanjones21A real solution would be a physical barrier between those heading downtown and those getting on 90/94 E/W. The exit to the Kennedy & Dan Ryan is always backed up. Going into the Loop is almost always clear. *Then* you could reduce it to two lanes and make a car-free zone out of the remaining lanes on Ida B. Wells (formerly Congress). As it is now, people use it as a speedway all the way across to Michigan or the lake.
That's really just parking garage access, though. Exception 1: You know the trick to getting to Lark Street the back way. 2) You had no idea which exit to take off 787 and got stuck going all the way around that loop. Ask me how I know 😆
The interior of the building of the 900 million dollar renovation so utterly beautiful that only the most rich corporations can afford to be there but they do like it Walgreens loves it Uber loves it Etc and the lobby is just smashingly beautiful often big-time charity events of the most upper class societies benefits and Charities of the events there because the lighting and the Glamour and the Grandeur of all that marble are so lovely
The only way to solve the traffic problems, which were created by the automobile manufacturers (they bought up and destroyed all of the inner city trains and trolleys in America) is to rebuild a viable web of safe and reliable public transit everywhere in this country. Good luck with that.
You have to understand Chicago & the people that live in the city and suburbs. This isnt shocking at all. What you didn't realize the El runs under the post office. You need to understand also that the Ike connects to the Dan Ryan to 95th going south. It wasn't a waste of time in building the expressway.
We have too many cars-oriented spaces in our city. By American standards we have a lot of success on that front, but there are FAR too many examples of our shortcomings. We deserve better, we can do better, we SHOULD do better!!
@@BellaBellaElla what is not mentioned or by you is that the expressways are used by transportations for goods and services across the Midwest and international. This includes our airports that connect from our expressways into roads. That links to from the city and suburbs. Our roads, expressways this includes the Ike and railroads have been a lifeline for America for decades. The gateway to the west came through Chicago and its roads. Our Chicago roads should be repaired, fixed, and cleaned. What the UA-camr didn't mention was the expansion & new paved roads of the Ike in both directions 5-6 years ago.
@qpope2522 2 things I want you to consider: the vast majority of the vehicles taking up space on these lanes are cars which mostly have one or two people inside. A bunch of rail lines and just a few lanes for some cars and some trucks would accomplish all the goals you set forth, and do so with more efficient use of the space. It's just geometry. In this country we have been fed 'car culture' for so long we will defend it as if it's so obvious. I know, I did it for a LONG time, that is until I started looking at the geometry and health outcomes. Cars have a place, and not all the lanes should be removed, of course not!! BUT the footprint of the lanes of that interchange just beyond is just far too much :( it's awful, and I hope it changes in my lifetime.
@@BellaBellaElla cars isn't the issue here. The focus was about the Ike in Chicago. Not talking about anything else outside what you said about how many people in the car & length. In Chicago that's not the issue. There are cars everywhere on the expressway and roads. Where do you want the cars to go?? The video is about the Eisenhower Expressway here in Chicago we call it the Ike. We have 8 expressways that connect from suburbs to Chicago. Cars aren't going anywhere in the near future in Chicago. Regardless of what you think or your opinion. The only that matters is that roads are cleaned, repaired, and shoveled for all vehicles get to and from their destinations. Chicago is a transportation locally, nationally, & internationally. That's not going to change for anybody because we know how to do it the best.
@qpope2522 Cars aren't an inevitable part of nature. Car usage can and should decrease, which can be done b implementing design and policy changes. I agree that 'cars aren't going anywhere' , to a point. Chicago is in a wonder position where with a few changes we could drastically decrease the amount of car usage by private citizens VERY rapidly with comparatively few changes to start with. I don't think cars should ever go away entirely, and I do think the roads we decide to keep should be well maintained, BUT I think that we should keep FAR fewer lanes. (And by the way, far fewer lanes will mean that remaining lanes can be maintained better because more time and money can go to them! :) ) EDIT: we could SHOW that we 'know how to do it best' by putting in place changes that make our city better, and actually make our transportation systems the best in the world which -again- we could do with competitively few changes. My honorable neighbor, I want the lanes to be in better shape, AND I want them to be in fewer numbers. :) That interchange is too much, so much valuable land is under/inefficiently- utilized. :) ✶✶✶✶
You obviously you're not a true Chicago and I'm a Chicago and let me tell you this how I interchange is fantastic it whisks all of us all the time and so many different directions efficiently that is what was designed to do it does do it and I wouldn't even call it particularly ugly but if you are downtown or to the west of it or the South you can get to any other direction whizzing through this thing most efficiently as for the road under the post office it's fantastic everything you said was crappy is nonsense in fact one was full of crap is you😅
We have too many cars entering our downtown, and the interchange is an eyesore, not to mention a loud polluting division in the heart of our city!! :( it's all so awful for anyone not in a car
BONUS! It's not JUST a 7 lane highway running through a building. It's a 7 lane highway, running through a building, atop an active railway.
You can even see the nearby Chicago and Alton freight house on the east side of building the when driving into Chicago, which was built for the rail line underneath.
AND a Subway line also running under the building and under the river next to the building
A railway thats BELOW GRADE of the river next to it
My family grew up at Roosevelt and Pulaski. When we were young, the Congress (later Eisenhower) Expressway was the only one in the city, going from the western suburbs, ending near downtown. Before the Dan Ryan was built, the only way to visit our relatives at 93rd and Michigan was to take the Congress to State Street, then go south on State. Going through the Post office was always a big thrill; my sisters and I called it "The Big Cookie". We would always imagine all kinds of mayhem waiting for us when we went through, but it was our great fun.There's no end to things that can entertain kids.
The original Old Post Office is the shorter 6 story part connected to the east side of the building. That section of the building was constructed in 1921 and the large addition was added in the 30s. The red brick building you pointed to as "original" was the annex built much later.
You're totally right, thanks for the correction. The original building blends into the extension so well that I made an incorrect assumption. Thanks!
The building was constructed with a gap in it. There was always a plan to have some sort of road to the west.
This dates back to the (Daniel) Burnham Plan of Chicago, which did envision some form of road to the west.
I visit this building for work once in a while. You def can't hear the cars. It's a really stunning place inside and out. Massive open floorplans. It's so large, most tenants have maps to give visitors so they can navigate the floorplan lol (with some digital "you are here" way-finders throughout)
I used to worked there from '20 through mid-24 and it really is a phenomenal space. And as cool as that outside highway feature is, the inside is really breathtaking...
The Helmsley Building nyc carries vehicular traffic through its base: traffic exits and enters the Park Avenue Viaduct through two portals passing under the building. Flanking the viaduct's ramps are passageways connecting 45th and 46th Streets, with entrances to Grand Central Terminal.
And come to think of it, doesn't the FDR Drive run under a series of buildings in the Upper East Side? I suppose under and through are different things, however.
I remember being in this building during the Transformers: Dark of the Moon movie shoot. I played a background character, and hung out in the building until I was called. I would like to visit it now, now that it's been renovated!
The Post Office was built over the railroad tracks in order to send and receive mail shipped across the country via trains at the time, especially for the mail-order giants Sears and Montgomery Wards, both headquartered in Chicago. There are many examples of building over rail lines in Chicago, including the giant Merchandise Mart (in order to ship merchandise). The skyscraper with the forty foot wide base show has that configuration because it’s over Amtrak and Metra commuter line tracks. I find it ironic the Boeing headquarters is not near an airport but in a building also built over these tracks. The Art Institute straddles half a dozen active commuter tracks which then run under Millennium Park just behind the ‘Bean’, all of which had originally been a giant rail freight hub.
All good points, though Montgomery Ward never had an 's' on it despite how often Chicagoans add an s onto names (Jewel Osco = the a Jewels, for example).
I'll add another one: Huge jet planes travel over I-190 at O'Hare. I find it surreal every time I drive under one.
👍🏾WHAT A CRAZY COINCIDENCE. I was just looking at a live video on the news, and thought to myself how cool it is that the traffic flows through this enormous building like a gateway into the City…then this video( your post ) appears ‼️😄👍🏾
M10 in Detroit goes through Huntington Place convention center. Full freeway.
And the people mover tram goes into the convention center.
I toured the building when it was still an active post office sorting facility. Very busy with many people and sorting machines.
This is my old job!❤❤❤❤
Illinois Central/Amtrak goes under a tunnel at the McCormick Place as well.
Aside from the Batman connection, it also makes a very cool appearance in the opening credits of the original Candyman.
Speed limit only about 40 mph... BUILT knowing a road up until then blvd. Would run through. Lasalle St station bulding expanded over the highway...station was there already. Odd fact one train track follows the river on the lower level from Union station to Oglavie station. Both stations were also expanded with towers over rail road station tracks.
Frantically Googling more info on the Old Post Office Building now...🙂🙂🙂
I was near there in 2016 or so and it didn’t look as bad as you saw it… I think for the remodeling they trashed a bunch of the windows and stuff. Demo companies seem to do that for some reason… I don’t know if it’s some sort of caveman instinct or what. lol. Maybe there is a real reason for it, like separate crews do the dismantling and the hauling.
Your back my man 🤟🏻😝
Traffic, no, but we could totally hear and feel the trains rumbling in and out of Union Station. The vibrations run right up the steel frame and disperse at each floor. Observed at Walgreens offices (4-south) frequently.
I knew Beaver Geography was a Chicagoan
?
The highway going into the post office is cool! They should narrow the highway down though, it is pretty unnecessary to have seven lanes, but it shouldn't be as narrow as the lane in Osaka. I also enjoy the Pink Line trains going through the RUSH medical buildings on the west side. Perhaps in the future they should consider ramming more cars and trains through and under more buildings lol.
If they narrow that road, traffic will snarl for 15-20 miles to the west and take our commutes from insanely long to unacceptably frustrating lol
Narrow it down?! Have you ever BEEN to Chicago? Lmao
Unlike the reports of not being able to hear the traffic from the old post office building, you can't miss the sound of the train rumbling through the Rush Professional Office Building.
@@seanjones21A real solution would be a physical barrier between those heading downtown and those getting on 90/94 E/W. The exit to the Kennedy & Dan Ryan is always backed up. Going into the Loop is almost always clear. *Then* you could reduce it to two lanes and make a car-free zone out of the remaining lanes on Ida B. Wells (formerly Congress). As it is now, people use it as a speedway all the way across to Michigan or the lake.
And we're still paying the price!! 😭😭😭 Too many cars!!
Another example: Empire State Plaza, Albany.
That's really just parking garage access, though. Exception 1: You know the trick to getting to Lark Street the back way. 2) You had no idea which exit to take off 787 and got stuck going all the way around that loop. Ask me how I know 😆
The interior of the building of the 900 million dollar renovation so utterly beautiful that only the most rich corporations can afford to be there but they do like it Walgreens loves it Uber loves it Etc and the lobby is just smashingly beautiful often big-time charity events of the most upper class societies benefits and Charities of the events there because the lighting and the Glamour and the Grandeur of all that marble are so lovely
The only way to solve the traffic problems, which were created by the automobile manufacturers (they bought up and destroyed all of the inner city trains and trolleys in America) is to rebuild a viable web of safe and reliable public transit everywhere in this country. Good luck with that.
I take it you're a fellow CityNerd fan?
@@charlienyc1 - Just checked out his channel...will give it a go - thanks!
You have to understand Chicago & the people that live in the city and suburbs. This isnt shocking at all. What you didn't realize the El runs under the post office. You need to understand also that the Ike connects to the Dan Ryan to 95th going south. It wasn't a waste of time in building the expressway.
We have too many cars-oriented spaces in our city. By American standards we have a lot of success on that front, but there are FAR too many examples of our shortcomings. We deserve better, we can do better, we SHOULD do better!!
@@BellaBellaElla what is not mentioned or by you is that the expressways are used by transportations for goods and services across the Midwest and international. This includes our airports that connect from our expressways into roads. That links to from the city and suburbs. Our roads, expressways this includes the Ike and railroads have been a lifeline for America for decades. The gateway to the west came through Chicago and its roads. Our Chicago roads should be repaired, fixed, and cleaned. What the UA-camr didn't mention was the expansion & new paved roads of the Ike in both directions 5-6 years ago.
@qpope2522 2 things I want you to consider: the vast majority of the vehicles taking up space on these lanes are cars which mostly have one or two people inside. A bunch of rail lines and just a few lanes for some cars and some trucks would accomplish all the goals you set forth, and do so with more efficient use of the space. It's just geometry. In this country we have been fed 'car culture' for so long we will defend it as if it's so obvious. I know, I did it for a LONG time, that is until I started looking at the geometry and health outcomes. Cars have a place, and not all the lanes should be removed, of course not!! BUT the footprint of the lanes of that interchange just beyond is just far too much :( it's awful, and I hope it changes in my lifetime.
@@BellaBellaElla cars isn't the issue here. The focus was about the Ike in Chicago. Not talking about anything else outside what you said about how many people in the car & length. In Chicago that's not the issue. There are cars everywhere on the expressway and roads. Where do you want the cars to go?? The video is about the Eisenhower Expressway here in Chicago we call it the Ike. We have 8 expressways that connect from suburbs to Chicago. Cars aren't going anywhere in the near future in Chicago. Regardless of what you think or your opinion. The only that matters is that roads are cleaned, repaired, and shoveled for all vehicles get to and from their destinations. Chicago is a transportation locally, nationally, & internationally. That's not going to change for anybody because we know how to do it the best.
@qpope2522 Cars aren't an inevitable part of nature. Car usage can and should decrease, which can be done b implementing design and policy changes. I agree that 'cars aren't going anywhere' , to a point. Chicago is in a wonder position where with a few changes we could drastically decrease the amount of car usage by private citizens VERY rapidly with comparatively few changes to start with. I don't think cars should ever go away entirely, and I do think the roads we decide to keep should be well maintained, BUT I think that we should keep FAR fewer lanes. (And by the way, far fewer lanes will mean that remaining lanes can be maintained better because more time and money can go to them! :) )
EDIT: we could SHOW that we 'know how to do it best' by putting in place changes that make our city better, and actually make our transportation systems the best in the world which -again- we could do with competitively few changes. My honorable neighbor, I want the lanes to be in better shape, AND I want them to be in fewer numbers. :) That interchange is too much, so much valuable land is under/inefficiently- utilized. :) ✶✶✶✶
You obviously you're not a true Chicago and I'm a Chicago and let me tell you this how I interchange is fantastic it whisks all of us all the time and so many different directions efficiently that is what was designed to do it does do it and I wouldn't even call it particularly ugly but if you are downtown or to the west of it or the South you can get to any other direction whizzing through this thing most efficiently as for the road under the post office it's fantastic everything you said was crappy is nonsense in fact one was full of crap is you😅
We have too many cars entering our downtown, and the interchange is an eyesore, not to mention a loud polluting division in the heart of our city!! :( it's all so awful for anyone not in a car
@@BellaBellaEllaAh but you write in sentences. OP might not be able to read sentences, opting for long poorly-phrased run ons.