MediterraneanGrocery Wholesalers in Chicago, IL

Google and Jahn release images of Thompson Center redesign

Tech company Google and architecture studio Jahn have released visualisations of the planned revamp of the James R Thompson Center, an iconic postmodern-style building in Chicago's Downtown.

The plans for the redesign retain the original rounded form and the 17-storey atrium inside. Its glass curtain wall will change, moving from the slightly darkened patterned glass of the original to a more uniform, sleek look.

Located in the core of Downtown Chicago – known as the Loop – the Thompson Center was designed in the 1980s by local architect Helmut Jahn. It housed offices for the Illinois state government and connections for the Chicago Transit Authority.

Last year, tech company Google purchased the building from the city and plans to make it a centre for its offices and to rent extra space. Google will retain Jahn's practice, named Jahn, for the redesign.

"For the Thompson Center, we're working with the building's original architects at Jahn to help bring the design into the 21st century while maintaining its iconic form," said the company.

It said that the redesign was meant to "honor the postmodern legacy of the building".

However, certain details of the facade are set to change, such as the red and beige panelling of the ground-level collanade. Google's plans see a heightened entry program, with tall collonades that make more clear the ground-level recess in the facade.

The renderings show a second-storey amenities space placed above these columns on the interior of the building.

The developers on the project, The Prime Group and Capri Investment Group, confirmed that the train connections accessible through the atrium will remain under Google's plans, which means that some part of the atrium's ground and subterranean levels will remain open to the public.

Before, these areas held restaurants and services such as postal and licensure offices.

"When it opened, the Thompson Center was intended to be a new kind of gathering space for Chicagoans," said Google.

"[O]ur hope is that this reimagined building becomes something more: a thriving community destination for all Chicagoans in a revitalized Loop neighborhood."

Google has also set ambitious sustainability goals for the structure, aiming for "carbon-free" operation by 2030.

This will be achieved in part through the replacement of the facade with triple-pane glass and by completely replacing the mechanical systems.

The new facade will also allow for less artificial lighting during the day. Google said that the redevelopment will take "several years to complete".

The tech company recently worked to complete its campus in Silicon Valley with Danish studio BIG and UK-based Heatherwick Studio.

Jahn Studio also remains relevant in other ways in the Chicago infrastructural landscape, working towards the completion of a skyscraper in the south of the city, which will be one of the tallest in the area.

Images are courtesy of Google.

Cody Bellinger is a free agent. MLB.com is keeping track of the latest news and rumors surrounding the 2019 NL MVP.

Dec. 13: Is a Belli reunion with Cubs becoming more likely? A reunion between the Cubs and Bellinger may be becoming more likely than it appeared a few weeks ago.

Two potential suitors for Bellinger, the Yankees and Giants, have gone elsewhere to add outfield help, with New York acquiring Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo in a pair of trades and San Francisco picking up Jung Hoo Lee on the free-agent market (a source told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand).

Meanwhile, the Cubs saw one of their reported free-agent targets, Shohei Ohtani, sign with the Dodgers. Chicago has been quiet since signing manager Craig Counsell to a five-year, $40 million deal.

However, The Athletic's Sahadev Sharma thinks Bellinger's asking price will need to come down before the Cubs consider re-signing him.

"I think both sides would love a reunion, [but] this is free agency and this is [agent] Scott Boras," Sharma said Wednesday. "Very rarely does the player when working under Scott Boras really take charge and say, 'I want to play here, I don't care if it's millions of dollars less.' And right now, I just don't think [Cubs president of baseball operations] Jed Hoyer is going to pay that $200 million-plus for Cody Bellinger. It sounds like it may be a lot more than that early on with what Boras is asking for. That price has to come down. And if it's in the $160 [million to] $180 [million] range, maybe we see a reunion. But I just don't see it happening now."

The Blue Jays may be the Cubs' biggest competition for Bellinger. On Wednesday, MLB Network insider Jon Heyman called Toronto and Chicago "the two most likely teams" for the former National League MVP.

Dec. 12: How does Lee's deal with Giants affect Bellinger's market? It wasn't Bellinger, but a top free-agent center fielder came off the board Tuesday. Korean star Jung Hoo Lee agreed to a six-year, $113 million deal with the Giants with an opt-out after four years, a source told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. With Lee headed to San Francisco, what does that mean for Bellinger?

Prior to signing Lee, the Giants had been a rumored destination for Bellinger, who spent his first six seasons with the Dodgers before a bounce-back season with the Cubs in 2023. Chicago has interest in bringing back the 2019 NL MVP, MLB Network insider Jon Heyman wrote Dec. 4 in the New York Post. The Mariners are also interested in Bellinger, according to MLB Network insider Jon Paul Morosi. According to Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY Sports, Bellinger is "on the radar" of the Blue Jays, Padres and Cubs -- plus the Giants, who could still add Bellinger after signing Lee.

It still could be a while before Bellinger makes his decision. Feinsand reported Dec. 4 that the outfielder was seeking a deal bigger than the eight-year, $162 million guarantee Brandon Nimmo received from the Mets in December 2022, with a source telling Feinsand that Bellinger's free agency could last “a long time."

Dec. 9: Focus turns to Bellinger with Ohtani off the board The top of the free-agent market for hitters got a bit less crowded on Saturday, with Shohei Ohtani reaching a stunning deal to join the Dodgers. The market for Bellinger could begin to heat up now, with some of the Ohtani runners-up possibly turning their focus to the center fielder.

That includes the Cubs, who had success signing Bellinger to a one-year, $17.5 million deal last offseason. Heyman reported in an article for the New York Post that the Cubs have been “looking at” Bellinger in addition to Matt Chapman and Rhys Hoskins. Heyman noted that the Cubs were not expected to act on any other free agents until they found out what happened with Ohtani.

The Blue Jays were reportedly a finalist in the Ohtani sweepstakes, but with the game's greatest superstar heading to the Dodgers, Toronto may also intensify a pursuit of Bellinger.

The Mariners weren’t believed to be in on Ohtani, but MLB Network insider Jon Paul Morosi reported earlier this week that Seattle is considering Bellinger among its free-agent options. The Mariners need multiple outfielders after declining to make Teoscar Hernández a qualifying offer in November and trading Jarred Kelenic on Sunday.

Dec. 6: What does the Soto blockbuster mean for Bellinger? With Juan Soto headed to the Yankees in a blockbuster trade, what might the impact be on the market for Bellinger, in whom the Yankees had reportedly been showing significant interest? Given that the Bronx Bombers have added three outfielders (Soto, Trent Grisham and Alex Verdugo) in the past couple of days, it certainly seems they’re out on Bellinger.

The good news for Bellinger is that it appears his market remains robust. MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi recently reported that the Blue Jays, Giants and Mariners are interested in the 2023 NL Comeback Player of the Year. And according to MLB Network insider Jon Heyman, so are the Cubs, with whom Bellinger had a rebound season following three down years at the plate.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Chicago Bears team president/CEO Kevin Warren sat down in his office at Halas Hall last week to talk about shoes. Or cleats. It depends on the person wearing them.

The Bears were practicing right outside his window. He could sit at his desk, turn to his left and see almost everything. His team was two days away from beating the NFC North-leading Detroit Lions at Soldier Field — the first signature win of the Matt Eberflus/Ryan Poles era.

The NFL’s annual My Cause My Cleats initiative was nearing its conclusion. But this year was different for the Bears. Warren said they dialed it up a notch. But it looked and felt like several notches. More than 150 people — including Bears players, coaches, front-office members and employees from all departments — were involved in the team’s efforts this year.

Something is happening.

“I’m starting to feel it,” Warren told The Athletic.

What that is exactly is far from being written. Warren is just starting to put his pen to all the paper at Halas Hall that needs it, figuratively and literally speaking. He has a new stadium to build, a football team to guide and an organizational culture to ignite.

GO DEEPER

'Why not us?': President/CEO Kevin Warren is the new hope of the Chicago Bears

The participation of so many team employees from so many areas within the Bears organization became another opportunity for Warren to get to know who he’s working with at Halas Hall. In some ways, it became an extension of the one-on-one meetings he had with every employee after he officially started in April.

“What I picked up is that No. 1, we have special employees here, and what they really want, they want to be respected, they want to be supported, they want to be empowered, they want everyone to know that we’re grateful that they’re here,” Warren said. “We want to create an environment where they can come to bring the best version of themselves.

“And so that’s why I have very specific goals to build this organization where we can win multiple Super Bowl trophies, but that we have an organization that has longevity on the football field, where you have 12 to 15 years of sustainable success, to build the best stadium in the world for our fans — they deserve it so that they have an incredible game day experience.

“But also just as important is to build a culture here in this environment where people are not only excited but happy and fortunate and grateful and empowered to go to work because they feel that it is basically a very healthy playground to go to spend time with people that they really care about and that they can thrive in their careers.”

Warren is dreaming big — and he wants everyone at Halas Hall to dream big with him.

With the Bears in Minnesota for “Monday Night Football” in Week 12, Warren hosted a dinner at his house there. Seventy people were invited. It included partners from Chicago and partners from Minnesota. Staff members were there, too.

“Because we got to start,” Warren said. “We have to build this, and especially me coming in new, you know, people read things and go, ‘Is that really true? Is he really that way.’ I want to be like, ‘Yeah, these are my people.’”

Warren used the word “empower” often during a 25-minute conversation with The Athletic. His shoes for My Cause My Cleats supported his Warren Family Foundation, which benefits many community initiatives. Embrace, educate and empower are the foundation’s three principles. Those words were on his shoes.

The Bears have used plenty of buzzwords over the years amid their many changes. But nothing like this. Warren himself is a jolt. He’s putting his words into action.

His one-on-one meetings will transform into small group sessions of six to eight employees. Mai Davis, his longtime executive assistant, will pick those employees at random. They will meet in his office over lunch.

GO DEEPER

Keep Justin Fields and Matt Eberflus? That Bears scenario is starting to look better

Warren also started an innovation committee that will involve everything at Halas Hall. He said that’s how WISE Ventures started for Minnesota Vikings’ ownership. That stands for Wilf Innovative Sports and Entertainment, which launched in 2018.

It’s time to think bigger to get better. That happened in Minnesota when he helped the Vikings build U.S. Bank Stadium and later their new practice facility and headquarters.

“We make winning in professional sports, especially the National Football League, much more difficult than it should be,” Warren said. “Not only on the field, but off the field in the organization, because what it comes down to is that this is all about people, and getting the right people in the right place, doing the right things at the right time for the right reasons.

“And I don’t care what organization you are running, whether it’s a paper route to Starbucks to Apple to Amazon and Google to the Chicago Bears, you follow that recipe. And you create an environment where people love coming to work. Because the human mind is absolutely incredible and the human heart is incredible.”

Kevin Warren talks to Vikings owner Zygi Wilf, his former boss, before the November game at U.S. Bank Stadium. (Brad Rempel / USA Today)

Warren’s shoes were completed days before the team’s unboxing event last Wednesday in the X’s and O’s room of Halas Hall. But he kept them in the box. He wanted to be there when others saw their finished shoes for the first time.

“To feel that,” Warren said, “the energy was palpable.”

Keeping that energy going with everything the Bears do is essential. The growth with My Cause My Cleats this year started with the Bears’ Young Professional Employee Resource Group, which was established in May just after Warren’s arrival. It included a partnership with Chicago-based Sneakerhead University.

“Everyone sometimes thinks in business that you have to be stressed to be able to be the best or it has to be a tense environment,” Warren said. “No, I want it to be qualitative. I want it to be competitive. I want it to be fun.”

Remember those words: qualitative, competitive, fun. They’re part of Warren’s philosophy.

Danica Lopez, a partnership activation specialist for the Bears, designed and painted Warren’s shoes. He said Lopez told him that she has painted since high school.

“I’m always wondering about the hidden talents of people that we have here,” Warren said. “We have musicians, we have writers, we have artists, we have wonderful people. We have people here who have stories to share of joy, of pain. And again to create that qualitative, competitive and fun environment, that’s what we want to do.

“And hopefully, it carries over to the field and then the environment. I’ve said it all the time … you work for the Chicago Bears. I want you to be excited to tell your family that you work there. And that your children or your grandchildren or your parents or your siblings would say, ‘Yeah, my sister or my brother works at the Bears,’ and that it really means something.”

GO DEEPER

Greenberg: With 2 wins in a row, Bears playing like they care about present, not future

Winning on the field certainly enhances that perception. And winning football games is still the business. But it’s too early to talk all football. There are games remaining. Warren, though, did mention how excited he was to see the Bears play the Lions.

“They have an opportunity to play hard and win a football game,” he said.

And two days later, the Bears did. Quite handily and impressively.

Warren saw a connection form between Bears football operations with the business side over the last few weeks. Chairman George McCaskey had shoes made. Defensive end Montez Sweat was a late trade addition but asked to get involved with his own cleats.

Better yet, the three most important people for a football team — the GM, head coach and quarterback — actively participated. Warren described Poles, Eberflus and Justin Fields as special and passionate.

“It’s just a matter of when you drop massive boulders in water, it’s the ripples and the impact and the visibility,” Warren said.

He was particularly excited to see Fields wear his cleats for the foundation he created in his name. Supporting people’s passions comes off as a passion for Warren. It’s important to success. It’s part of dreaming big.

“You got to dream a lot,” Warren said. “I dream about the day we see this team coming together and handed that Super Bowl trophy — handing that Super Bowl trophy over to the McCaskey family and where our victory parade will be. Now, that didn’t just happen by dreaming. You got to put in a lot of work. But that ribbon cutting at the stadium, I mean, I dream about those days. Hosting the Super Bowl here — winning the Super Bowl here. And this fan base and our city and our fans, they deserve the best.”

(Top photo: Quinn Harris / Getty Images)

“The Football 100,” the definitive ranking of the NFL’s best 100 players of all time, is on sale now. Order it here.

Reactions

Like

32

DETROIT -- The Detroit Lions started the season with a statement victory over the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, then raced out to a 6-2 record before their Week 9 bye.

But despite going 3-2 over their next five games, cracks began to show, culminating in a dismal 28-13 loss at the four-win Chicago Bears on Sunday.

As of Tuesday morning, the Lions (9-4) still have a 97% chance to make the playoffs and an 81% chance to win the NFC North, according to ESPN Analytics. However, a sudden propensity for turnovers on offense and a defense struggling to get off the field are trends that have become difficult to ignore for a team whose playoff ceiling appears to have lowered over the past five weeks.

"I think so, I really do," said Lions former All-Pro offensive lineman Lomas Brown, when asked if the defense was holding Detroit back. "If the offense doesn't help our defense out and we put our defense in a tough situation going up against some of these teams that we have to face, and I'm thinking [about the] playoffs, those are the teams I'm thinking about. If our offense can't complement our defense and help them out, it could be a long, long day for us going up against some of these good teams."

The Lions have four games left to start clicking like they were in the first half of the season. Here are the issues they must overcome.

Turnovers

The Lions rank fifth in the NFL in offensive efficiency (63.56) since week 10 and have scored the sixth most points per game (28.0).

However, the offense has struggled with turnovers over that span. Their 10 turnovers are tied for the second most in the NFL and match the total of their first 8 games of the season.

Over the last four games, Lions quarterback Jared Goff has committed eight turnovers himself -- five interceptions and three fumbles. Coach Dan Campbell made the team work through additional ball security drills during the practices that followed their loss to the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving. Goff went turnover free in the victory at the New Orleans Saints the next week, but threw two interceptions against Chicago on Sunday. The Lions must clean up this issue.

"It's a little reality check," Goff said after Sunday's Bears loss. "Okay, look in the mirror, fix it. We got some time in the next four games, it starts with Denver, to get it fixed, get geared up for our ultimate goals. It's a good gut punch that typically does our guys well."

Defensive struggles

Campbell pinned the Bears loss to a lack of discipline, but quite frankly, the Lions haven't looked their best since the bye. They have lost two of their last three games and all but one of their last five games have been decided by one score.

Rookie defensive back Brian Branch is confident the team can correct the mistakes with better communication, effort and regaining their "grit mentality."

"The fact that we're in a position to win it all. That's motivation right there, and we feel like this is our year," Branch told ESPN. "The defense, we haven't been playing to the standard that we want to play, but we're just going to keep on chopping wood and hopefully we can get back to that standard these last few games."

Chief among the Lions' issues is the defense. The unit has allowed 29.8 points per game since Week 10, the third most in the NFL behind only the Washington Commanders (37.5) and Philadelphia Eagles (31.5). From Weeks 1-8 they allowed 20.6 points, tied for 16th most in the NFL.

The Lions had the sixth best defensive efficiency in the NFL (67.84) through the first eight weeks. They are sixth worst since Week 10 (33.88), while allowing more than twice as many rushing touchdowns (13 to 6).

Injuries have not helped. Defensive tackle Alim McNeill (knee sprain) recently was added to the injured reserve list, while safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson and pass rusher James Houston suffered serious injuries (torn pectoral muscle and a broken fibula, respectively) in the Week 2 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

Campbell is hoping Gardner-Johnson and Houston can return in late December or January. But in the meantime, the defense has work to do.

No panic

Campbell said he's not in "panic mode" nor losing any confidence in what the team can accomplish this season -- a sentiment that has trickled down to the players.

Rookie linebacker Jack Campbell says he's pushing himself and his teammates to improve and be more detail-oriented in their preparation.

"We're going out there and playing hard, but at the same time we need to be focused on the details," Campbell told ESPN. "I feel like that's probably the pinpoint and myself included, I'll raise my hand first, I can be better at the details, but at the same time, just never not giving the play 100% and just respecting the game.

"I feel like we do a good job at that, but like everyone is saying we just need to put a full game together," he said. "We just need to continue to work. We can't get too high and too low and that's kind of the focus right now."

Second-year edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson is also looking to find consistency.

"We either have a really hot start or we have a really good second half. So, if there's one thing we're doing well, it's either the first half or the second half," Hutchinson said. "But we've just got to put it all together.

The Lions are not only trying to make the playoffs, but also win there for the first time since the 1991 season.

If they don't, those inconsistencies could mean a first-round exit.

"That is the million-dollar question," Hutchinson said. "That's something that we're trying to figure out right now."

After months of anticipation, the opening date of the beloved Voodoo Doughnut's first Chicago location is just days away.

An official grand opening for the Fulton Market doughnut shop will take place on Saturday at 8 a.m., with a "special treat" offered for the first 50 people in line, according to a Facebook post from Voodoo.

The Chicago store will be located at 945 W. Randolph Street, and will be the chain's 22nd location in the U.S.

In addition, a portion of the grand opening sales will be donated to Make-A-Wish Illinois.

“We are thrilled to open our first store in Chicago just in time for all to enjoy some of that Voodoo Magic during the holiday season," Chris Schultz, Voodoo Doughnut’s CEO, said in a statement.

For the uninitiated, Voodoo Doughnut offers more than 50 kinds of gourmet doughnut, including 25 vegan options, sold in pink boxes. Some of the best-known flavors include the Bacon Maple Bar, a raised doughnut bar with maple frosting and bacon; the Memphis Mafia, "fried dough with banana chunks and cinnamon, topped with glaze, chocolate chips, peanuts, and chocolate and peanut butter drizzle;" and The Cannolo, a rolled doughnut filled with sweet Bavarian Cream or diced apples and rolled in sugar or dusted in cinnamon and sugar.

The CEO of Voodoo Doughnut doesn't take the popular chain's entrance into Chicago lightly, and he insists the future Windy City destination for Voodoo's 50 decadent doughnut varieties is "worth the wait" — in more ways than one.

"We've been looking in Chicago for a number of years, just looking for the right location," Schultz told NBC Chicago in an October interview. "Chicago ... it's so big and so diverse with so many different, amazing neighborhoods — truly amazing neighborhoods — and we've been looking, waiting for the right place to land."

But if you're wondering whether Voodoo Doughnut's recent acceleration of openings, including five new spots this year, they're not eyeing any other Midwest locations besides Chicago. "When you get to Chicago, that's as far as you can go to get a Voodoo Doughnut," Schultz said.

Of course, fans of Portland-based Voodoo Doughnut know the brand's shops tend to draw lines of people.

Guests to the future Chicago location can expect hand-picked chandeliers, black velvet painting, good mojo and lots and lots of doughnuts.

"We're going to build this store to feel like it's a Chicago store, and not like we just picked up and moved from Portland to Chicago. It's super important for us to be a part of the neighborhood."