LTH Home

Rock 'n Roll McDonald's - woulda, coulda, shoulda

Rock 'n Roll McDonald's - woulda, coulda, shoulda
  • Forum HomePost Reply BackTop
  • Rock 'n Roll McDonald's - woulda, coulda, shoulda

    Post #1 - August 9th, 2004, 11:52 am
    Post #1 - August 9th, 2004, 11:52 am Post #1 - August 9th, 2004, 11:52 am
    The Tribune (registration required) has an article on what the new RnR Mc'D's could have been. I saw the big unveiling of the grand plans for the new building set to open next Spring and thought, hmm, pretty cool. I didn't know then that McD's had commisioned 3 architects (including Helmut Jahn) to provide designs on the new building . . . and then ignored them all. I was measuring the new design against the old one; now that I see these designs I'm quite disappointed. Jahn's vision would have been way cool in that space. Oh well.

    Blair Kamin's architecture column in the Trib:
    http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ ... genews-utl
    Objects in mirror appear to be losing.
  • Post #2 - August 9th, 2004, 1:39 pm
    Post #2 - August 9th, 2004, 1:39 pm Post #2 - August 9th, 2004, 1:39 pm
    I kind of like their implementation. Somehow, I doubt Jahn's giant arches would have passed zoning, and the rest of the building is totally uninspired (at least it beats the vomit-inducing qualities of his State of Illinois glass color choices). The glass-enclosed version looks like it could be an air-conditioning nightmare, and the slot-car-set proposal is just silly. OK, silly can be nice... but this wasn't.

    The design they picked looks like a 50's/60's McD's on Vig-O-Ro. I like that it evokes the classic lines. It may not work on human scale, it's often hard to tell with these things until they're built, and they reside in their neighborhoods.
  • Post #3 - August 9th, 2004, 2:19 pm
    Post #3 - August 9th, 2004, 2:19 pm Post #3 - August 9th, 2004, 2:19 pm
    After Rainforest Cafe and Michael Jordan's giant basketball passed zoning, I find it hard to believe that any architectural review is conducted for River North buildings. I'm still waiting for Space Mountain to pop up somewhere. You are right about the Jahn building though - I confused it with the Martin Wolf offering, which is the one I like.

    Yes, the new McD's is "retro" but is that what we really need? I think the alternative submitted by Wolf could have potentially been a cornerstone that might have influenced subsequent buildings in the area . . . and perhaps provided a way out from the horrible "gimmick gulch" motif that is just dreadful.
    Last edited by Kman on August 9th, 2004, 5:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
    Objects in mirror appear to be losing.
  • Post #4 - August 9th, 2004, 2:33 pm
    Post #4 - August 9th, 2004, 2:33 pm Post #4 - August 9th, 2004, 2:33 pm
    Some interesting,I think,signs and architecture

    http://www.roadsidepeek.com
  • Post #5 - December 14th, 2017, 4:08 pm
    Post #5 - December 14th, 2017, 4:08 pm Post #5 - December 14th, 2017, 4:08 pm
    Chicago's Rock 'n' Roll McDonald's to close for remodeling, ditch rock theme

    http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ ... story.html
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #6 - December 23rd, 2017, 7:12 pm
    Post #6 - December 23rd, 2017, 7:12 pm Post #6 - December 23rd, 2017, 7:12 pm
    Dave148 wrote: Chicago's Rock 'n' Roll McDonald's to close for remodeling, ditch rock theme
    I guess the objets d'art will wind up at a Hard Rock Café somewhere.
    Then again, when I was a World Cup volunteer back in 1994 (in the transportation division - I chaffeured people to | from matches and hotels), the Rock 'n' Roll McDonald®'s {McDonald's was a World Cup USA sponsor.} was one of the locations to which we got vouchers for free food. So, this would mean that that McDonald's had had the same motif for at least 23 years, which would be incredible for any food purveyor. :o
    Valuable links for survival, without the monetization attempt: https://pqrs-ltd.xyz/bookmark4.html
  • Post #7 - December 24th, 2017, 12:47 pm
    Post #7 - December 24th, 2017, 12:47 pm Post #7 - December 24th, 2017, 12:47 pm
    pudgym29 wrote:
    Dave148 wrote: Chicago's Rock 'n' Roll McDonald's to close for remodeling, ditch rock theme
    [color=#b22222] I guess the objets d'art will wind up at a Hard Rock Café somewhere.

    According to the Trib, the memorabilia belong to the franchisee.
    What is patriotism, but the love of good things we ate in our childhood?
    -- Lin Yutang
  • Post #8 - December 24th, 2017, 1:32 pm
    Post #8 - December 24th, 2017, 1:32 pm Post #8 - December 24th, 2017, 1:32 pm
    JoelF wrote:
    pudgym29 wrote:
    Dave148 wrote: Chicago's Rock 'n' Roll McDonald's to close for remodeling, ditch rock theme
    [color=#b22222] I guess the objets d'art will wind up at a Hard Rock Café somewhere.

    According to the Trib, the memorabilia belong to the franchisee.


    Am I the only one who remembers the last time the Rock N Roll McDonald's closed for good (horror of horrors, I guess), only to reopen as a bigger Rock N Roll McDonald's? Unfortunately, when it reopened, they still served the same McDonald's "food".
    Steve Z.

    “Only the pure in heart can make a good soup.”
    ― Ludwig van Beethoven
  • Post #9 - December 26th, 2017, 9:03 am
    Post #9 - December 26th, 2017, 9:03 am Post #9 - December 26th, 2017, 9:03 am
    According to the Eater article the original first opened in 1983
    https://chicago.eater.com/2017/12/14/16 ... ng-remodel
    Leek

    SAVING ONE DOG may not change the world,
    but it CHANGES THE WORLD for that one dog.
    American Brittany Rescue always needs foster homes. Please think about helping that one dog. http://www.americanbrittanyrescue.org
  • Post #10 - August 2nd, 2018, 1:39 pm
    Post #10 - August 2nd, 2018, 1:39 pm Post #10 - August 2nd, 2018, 1:39 pm
    Famed Rock ‘N’ Roll McDonald’s Futuristic Replacement Opens its Drive-Thru Downtown

    https://chicago.eater.com/2018/8/2/1764 ... north-open
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #11 - August 9th, 2018, 7:29 am
    Post #11 - August 9th, 2018, 7:29 am Post #11 - August 9th, 2018, 7:29 am
    Futuristic Chicago McDonald’s Flagship Opens on Thursday in River North

    https://chicago.eater.com/2018/8/8/1766 ... h-flagship
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard

Contact

About

Team

Advertize

Close

Chat

Articles

Guide

Events

more