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Apple's Beautiful Chicago River Store Opens October 20 [Updated]

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Apple retail chief Angela Ahrendts this week announced that the iPhone maker's upcoming store along the Chicago River opens Friday, October 20.

apple-store-chicago-river-800x506.jpg
Apple's new Chicago River store via MacRumors reader David Sexton​

The two-floor store will be located on North Michigan Avenue, near the historic Michigan Avenue Bridge, along the river's north bank. The flagship location will feature glass walls and a carbon fiber roof, which at one point had a white Apple logo on it, making it look like a giant MacBook Air when viewed from above.

Apple has removed its logo from the roof as of late August, and it's unclear if it will be added back at some point.

The store was designed by Apple's longtime architectural partner Foster + Partners, and pays homage to architect Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie Style homes in Chicago. Based on plans from 2015, the building spans 20,000 square feet and replaces a vacant food court. Construction has been ongoing for over a year.


A lengthy staircase leads from street level to a walkway in front of the store. The building will also be accessible via elevator.

Ahrendts, speaking at Apple's first-ever event at the Steve Jobs Theater on Tuesday, also said Apple's iconic Fifth Avenue store in Manhattan will reopen late next year. She said the glass cube at street level will eventually be reinstalled, and the lower level will be greatly expanded with a new design.

Ahrendts said Apple's retail stores collectively welcome over 500 million visitors per year. Apple has 497 stores around the world.

Apple's nearby store at 679 North Michigan Avenue opened in July 2003. It will permanently close on October 20.

Update: Apple has announced that its retail store at The Summit in Reno, Nevada will be relocating to a new location within the shopping center on Saturday, September 16 at 10:00 a.m. local time. The new location will presumably be larger and updated with Apple's newer store design. (Thanks, Storeteller!)

Article Link: Apple's Beautiful Chicago River Store Opens October 20 [Updated]
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2017/09/14/apple-store-chicago-river-opens-oct-20/
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This store is going to create such a nightmare for driving / walking anywhere near it. The old location further up the street was in an area with a far more dense collection of other retailers, but this one on the river makes access more challenging. It will certainly be good for other retailers who have been opening up south of the more traditional North Michigan Ave shopping district.
 
Mike Oxard said:
Shouldn't you be calling them "Town Squares" instead of "Stores" now?
Click to expand...

I hate that name. It's such a consulting business / private equity owned business term, that follows with "town hall meetings". I get that Angela is trying to better describe the fact that Apple is more than just a retailer, but they're definitely not a town and their stores, which is what they are, are not town squares.
 
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It's great seeing how far architectural aesthetics has come. Apple Stores couldn't look more metallic and closed off when they first opened 16 years ago.

This environment is beautiful, and the Milan "store" looks even more impressive.
 
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Mike Oxard said:
Shouldn't you be calling them "Town Squares" instead of "Stores" now?
Click to expand...

It's quite possible you are being sarcastic, but if not, they are still stores fundamentally. "Town Squares" just sounds like lame marketing to me.

Mike MA said:
Can you already call something iconic when yet not even opened or not having some history at all? Well, seems so...looking great nevertheless.
Click to expand...

Fair point. I've changed Iconic to Beautiful in the headline.
 
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Joe Rossignol said:
It's quite possible you are being sarcastic, but if not, they are still stores fundamentally. "Town Squares" just sounds like lame marketing to me.
Click to expand...
I was kind of taking the mickey, but also I had wondered whether the usage of "Town Square" instead of store would gain any traction outside of Apple. (I hope not, like you I think it's just marketing bs)
 
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Mike Oxard said:
Shouldn't you be calling them "Town Squares" instead of "Stores" now?
Click to expand...

Yeah, "We actually don't call them stores anymore, we call them town squares, because they're gathering places."

So, better put in a water fountain or a bar or something. And I ain't sittin' long on those wood boxes! Seriously, there are more comfortable "gathering places" in Singapore International baggage claim area than in any Apple TS I've been in.
 
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I wonder how air is handled/supplied to this store. Does anyone have a guess, about this store's HVAC system? Maybe Apple "buddied up" with a neighbour skyscraper, to share their air supply?
 
MacRumors said:



Apple retail chief Angela Ahrendts this week announced that the iPhone maker's upcoming store along the Chicago River opens Friday, October 20.

apple-store-chicago-river-800x506.jpg

Apple's new Chicago River store via MacRumors reader David Sexton​

The two-floor store will be located on North Michigan Avenue, near the historic Michigan Bridge, along the river's north bank. The flagship location will feature glass walls and a carbon fiber roof, which at one point had a white Apple logo on it, making it look like a giant MacBook Air when viewed from above.

Apple has removed its logo from the roof as of late August, and it's unclear if it will be added back at some point.

The store was designed by Apple's longtime architectural partner Foster + Partners, and pays homage to architect Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie Style homes in Chicago. Based on plans from 2015, the building spans 20,000 square feet and replaces a vacant food court. Construction has been ongoing for over a year.


A lengthy staircase leads from street level to a walkway in front of the store. The building will also be accessible via elevator.

Ahrendts, speaking at Apple's first-ever event at the Steve Jobs Theater on Tuesday, also said Apple's iconic Fifth Avenue store in Manhattan will reopen late next year. She said the glass cube at street level will eventually be reinstalled, and the lower level will be greatly expanded with a new design.

Ahrendts said Apple's retail stores collectively welcome over 500 million visitors per year. Apple has 497 stores around the world.

Apple's nearby store at 679 North Michigan Avenue opened in July 2003.

Article Link: Apple's Beautiful Chicago River Store Opens October 20
Click to expand...
[doublepost=1505402799][/doublepost]Can you please change the name of the bridge to the Michigan Avenue Bridge?
 
The "we call them town squares" thing was perhaps the most cringeworthy moment I've seen in a keynote.

Keeping in mind that many of those keynotes included appearances from Eddy Cue, that's some achievement from Ahrendts...
 
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Wouldn't mind going there and seeing this "town square" thing in person. I usually go to an Apple Store closer to me, and it's always crowded. There's a Microsoft store near that one, and it's always been pretty empty every time I've walked by it.
 
I live in Chicago, and it could be a town square. It's on the river, there's a big open area in the rear where events can be held and behind that is an outdoor bar.

It's going to be killer.
 
I don’t like the MacBook inspired roofs. The glass design over the stairs is gorgeous but the roof is very meh.
 
I'm really looking forward to this store. It's closer to my work. It's on the up-and-coming riverwalk. You can see the Tribune Tower in the background, and it's across the street from the Wrigley Building. Chicago Water Taxi (other side of the bridge) and Shoreline Sightseeing (reopening their dock right in front of the store, and you can see one of their boats in the picture) provide water taxi service up and down the river, to the major train stations serving the suburbs. A ride on the river is a lot more pleasant than riding in any motor vehicle on the street.

It's the gateway to the Magnificent Mile, lots of access to buses up and down Michigan Avenue.

And it really stands out. It's not just another flagship store packed into the Mag Mile, it's out there with open spaces around it.

I think they did good. Especially now that we're told of the Town Square concept.
[doublepost=1505461351][/doublepost]
BaltimoreMediaBlog said:
How long before TimMAY makes them stop coloring the water green for St. Patrick's Day due to environmental reasons? :D
Click to expand...

Originally, it was a tracer dye used by plumbers. Since 1966 (!), it's been an environmentally friendly vegetable-based dye. [source]
 
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