Posted by chicagomedia.org on September 19, 2008 at 09:30:13:
New CBS Digs Is World's Away From Old McClurg
CHICAGO - It's the end of an era on McClurg Court. CBS 2 is settling into a brand new, state-of-the-art building next week where we'll be able to bring you the news faster and better.
Our snazzy new digs at 22 W. Washington are on the east side of Daley Plaza. Just look for the giant outdoor display where we'll be broadcasting our newscasts. It's high-tech and high style, and world's away from our old home.
CBS 2's Vince Gerasole reports that as we pack up and move out, we have a confession to make. Our home for the past 52 years is kind of odd.
"It's always been very strange because it was never designed for a TV studio," said Bob Gadbois, CBS 2 News Editor.
For example, the second floor is a maze of hallways that zig just when you think they'll zag.
"It took a while to figure out how to get upstairs," said Carolyn Broquet, CBS 2 News Editor.
Before 630 N. McClurg Ct. ever housed television and radio operations - it was the Chicago ice arena - where a budding investigative reporter named Pam Zekman learned how to ice skate.
"It was a place where many of us trained for competitions and for figure skating, and then suddenly it was taken away from us as a venue because of CBS," Zekman said.
With groundbreaking television broadcast from the first floor studios, someone decided the place needed a clubby board room, so they imported a library from an English country manor according to legend and dubbed it the Oak room.
Built over landfill in Streeterville, for years the floors have been sinking. In fact, the control room once caved in during a broadcast.
"I was on the monitor and hearing the director scream," Gadbois said.
And in certain areas, there are other problems.
"The sewer gas is pretty potent," said Jessie Watson.
"There's big flies, big cockroaches, big water bugs," Broquet said.
"How they ever survived in that facility for this many years, that's the other thing you can question people, 'how did they ever do it?'" Mayor Daley said.
If you take a look around the newsroom, you'll notice there are no windows anywhere. No wonder we're excited to see the light shine through our stylish new digs in Daley Plaza - the heart of Chicago.
With wide expanses of open workspaces, our new building features walls of windows. They look out onto the city we cover from our newsroom, and even the company cafeteria that we've dubbed the Picasso Cafe.
"We really wanted to make sure the environment was one so that throughout the course of the day you could be in a space and see the outdoors and experience the passage of time," said Jim Prendergast, Architect, Goettsch Partners.
And from patterns on fabrics to the shape of the furniture in our high-tech lobby there are subtle allusions to the CBS eye - helping us keep an eye on the city we cover.
"I'm convinced there's no better venue for a television station in America than what we have right now – it is simply spectacular," said Carol Fowler, CBS 2 News Director.
In the days ahead, we'll be showcasing the high-tech tools we now have to bring you crisper pictures and more information faster, but for now thanks for allowing us a little time to get excited about our new offices.
(CBS2)