Back in 2008, architect Santiago Calatrava placed an $11.34M lien on the Chicago Spire in the hope of being paid for his work on the project, which officially died in November, having never amounted to anything more than a hole in the ground. Now, Crain's Chicago reports that Calatrava may have missed the two-year window he had to file a lawsuit to enforce his claim.
Related Midwest, the debtholder for the spire that now owns the deed to the site, is refusing to pay Calatrava's bill. With the Chapter 11 case for the project wrapping up, a bankruptcy judge will decide which of developer Garrett Kelleher's many creditors will receive their due, and it looks like Calatrava missed his chance to be on that list.
Aside from being the 2014 winner of the The Biggest Loser: Bungled Chicago Developments, Calatrava is known for suing and being sued, going over budget, and being made fun of by hackish New York food critics. Oh, and the all-white otherworldliness of his designs.
· Another Chicago Spire victim: architect Santiago Calatrava