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Deals with a mixed-use project proposed by Arlington, Virginia-based Mills Corp. for Block 37 in dowtown Chicago, Illinois in September 2004. Architects who tried to develop the site; Role of former Chicago mayor Richard J. Daley in the failure to develop the area; Involvement of planner Ralph Johnson in the project.

The article presents information on the reconstruction works on two shopping districts in State Street in Chicago, Illinois. Carson Pirie Scott & Co. has left from State Street. Joseph Freed & Associates LLC, owner of Carson building in South State Street, now plans to renovate the area by building the same kind of specialty retail tenants that Chevy Chase, Maryland-based Mills Corp. plans to build for Block 37 in North State Street.

The article reports that construction delays at the office building Block 37, brought on by the real estate developer Mills Corp.'s financing woes, are jeopardizing Morningstar Inc.'s deal to co-anchor the first phase of the star-crossed project. Morningstar signed a lease with developer Mills Corp. in December for more than half of the flashy 16-story, 400,000-square-foot building on State Street in Chicago, Illinois. The lease requires that construction be completed in time for Morningstar to move in by March 2008. Mills has asked Morningstar to extend the completion deadline.

Even if entertainment-based company Viacom Inc. does sign a deal to anchor Block 37 project, the city of Chicago, Illinois and real estate company Mills Corp., the project's master developer, will have to dig deep to pay for an underground $200-million-plus Chicago Transit Authority express-train station that would whisk travelers to O' Hare International and Midway airports. Given Mills' estimated monthly out-of-pocket expenses in the hundreds of thousands of dollars and the city's past struggles to develop Block 37, a sense of urgency is building. Mills and city officials also have made it clear that Block 37 won't be developed overnight, given softness in the real estate market and the complexity of the 1-million-square-foot project, which would include retail, hotel, residential and office space. Dropping radio and making other space-saving changes means that Viacom now only needs only about 100,000 to 120,000 square feet at Block 37.

The article discusses issues regarding the development of 108 North State Street in Chicago, Illinois. Formerly known as Block 37, 108 North State Street sat undeveloped for decades and passed through the hands of multiple developers before landing with Mills Corp. in 2002. The site is a sensitive subject for Chicagoans but Joseph Freed & Associates, a local developer that acquired the retail development rights to the site from Mills in 2006, hopes to turn the tide.

The article discusses issues regarding the development of 108 North State Street, formerly known as Block 37, in Chicago, Illinois. In April 2007, Golub & Co., which owns the office and residential development on the site, filed a lawsuit against Mills Corp. over the development of the site. Golub alleged that Mills misrepresented the amount of space it was leasing to Morningstar Inc. prior to the sale of the Block 37 property to Golub.

The article discusses a lawsuit filed by Golub Corp. against Mills Corp. concerning Block 37 in the State Street area of Chicago. The site, which has been in development by Mills, is going to feature a an office tower. The tower was purchased by Golub, and was supposed to be leased by Morningstar Inc. However, Morningstar pulled out of the deal after finding that Mills had misrepresented the amount of space that the offices would contain. The lawsuit is currently pending.

The article reports that a conspicuously empty lot in Chicago, Illinois' central business district is about to sprout. Local rail owner Chicago Transit Authority last month put out for bid a $213.3-million subway link under Block 37, a long-vacant lot that for years failed to find an investor. Block 37 is conveniently sandwiched between the existing Dearborn Street subway, which leads to O'Hare and the State Street subway, which leads to Midway. Earlier this year, city council members approved the sale of Block 37 to Mills Corp., a developer based in Arlington, Virginia.

Reports on the mixed-use developments in Chicago, Illinois. Plans of Mills Corp. to construct retail, entertainment and dining options at the mixed-use site; Launch of an unidentified new entertainment concept; Increase in the number of residential units in the greater downtown area since 2000.

The article focuses on the developments in Chicago's business world. The Omni Ambassador East hotel is slated to be sold, the hotel's Texas-based owner, Omni Hotels, confirmed. Chicago developer Terrapin Properties has signed to buy the 283-unit west tower of the Grand Plaza apartment complex in River North, and plans to covert the units to condos. Wannado Entertainment, operator of role-playing parks for children, is talking to developer Mills Corp. about putting a park in Mills' Block 37 project downtown or in Gurnee Mills.

The article reports that the long-vacant Loop plot on State Street, Chicago, Illinois across from Marshall Field's has a developer, an ambitious plan and the backing of Mayor Richard M. Daley. Mills Corp., the Virginia-based developer paying $12.3 million for the site, needs to line up some soon if it wants to keep the mayor off its back. Mills has been creative in developing a plan, which includes an agreement with the Chicago Transit Authority to build a$ 213-million subway station where travelers could check their luggage, then hop an express train to Midway or O' Hare International airports. For now, it's still just Block 37, a star-crossed project that has yet to induce a single retailer into signing a lease.