We Could See An Uptick In Chicago Construction This Year

Posted on March 6, 2026 by danieldschell

Hello, fiends. I thought I’d check in with you briefly with some optimism.

There are signs that we’ll see some improvement in large construction jobs in Chicago throughout 2026. If you’re following me over at Chicago YIMBY, you know there are still lots of small (two to four units) residential projects ongoing, but lots of us miss having 30 tower cranes in the sky at once like we had in the late 2010s.

Here’s a rundown of tower crane activity over the past several months, with active cranes first:

Cranes In The Sky

1010 South Wells, the first build for CMK Companies’ Riverline development, was erected this week.
400 Lake Shore – our tallest crane, building a 72-story residential tower at the former Chicago Spire site that will top out any day now
Bally’s Casino – a 500-room hotel tower expected to open by the end of the year, but perhaps pushed back to 2027
370 North Morgan – a 494-unit residential tower in the Fulton Market District. It’s within 3 or 4 stories of topping out
Shedd Aquarium – Shedd is doing renovations
UIC Grenshaw Parking – The university is putting up a parking garage. Because this is a state property, there is no City of Chicago permit for this construction
1221 West Washington – A 227-unit residential tower in the West Loop

Cranes On The Way

O’Hare Concourse D – This one might be up. I haven’t been able to confirm
410 North Elizabeth – This tower crane was permitted for the second time on February 19, 2026. It will build the first of two planned residential towers in Fulton Market
1630 South Wabash – This was permitted back in March 2025. Foundation piles have been driven for a 12-story, 149-unit residential building, but there has been no activity for over a year
566 West Van Buren – A permit has been pending in the Chicago Data Portal since 2/2/2026 for a 14-story, 198-unit residential building
214 North Morgan – Pending since 2/13/2026 for a 19-story, 268-unit residential building
6551 North Sheridan Road – Pending since 2/20/2026 for Loyola University’s new nursing and science facility
1200 West Carroll – Pending since 2/27/2026 for a 29-story, 398-unit residential building

Recent Crane Removals

The second of two cranes came down last week at the AbbVie Foundation Cancer Pavilion in Hyde Park
The Obama Presidential Center tower crane was up for more than two years before its removal in the fall

The Obama Presidential Center tower crane

626 South Wabash – A 19-story residential building in the South Loop
The Thompson Center – Under a complete gut renovation for Google. The crane came down in mid-February

Thompson Center tower crane erection, January 2025

Big Stuff, Zero Cranes

310 West Huron – Nine stories, 149 apartments in River North
227 West Chicago – 10 stories, 56 units in River North
629 West Lake – Eight stories, 49 apartments in the West Loop
135 North Desplaines – Nine stories, 50 apartments in the West Loop by the same team at 629 West Lake
The Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park – A sprawling quantum computing campus on the former US Steel South Works site
Chicago Fire Soccer Stadium – Held their groundbreaking ceremony this week. I suspect tis will be all crawler cranes. No tower crane permits pending for now

There are a lot of big developments in the pipeline, and I believe several of them will begin construction this year. We’ll see.

If I missed anything, you know how to find me.

Hey! Where’s Building Up Chicago?

Posted on August 8, 2025 by danieldschell

It’s a legitimate question. And the most definitive answer I can give you right now is, I don’t really know. If you still want to see the content I used to post semi-regularly here, I hope you follow me at Chicago YIMBY. I post seven days a week there, sometimes more than once a day, but Building Up Chicago has been idle since January.

I put BUC in mothballs because I get paid as a freelancer at YIMBY. Not enough to buy a yacht, but anything is more than what I collected from doing this blog. It’s a fun hobby when it’s fun; when it’s no longer fun, it’s work. And when work doesn’t earn income, it becomes a waste of time. I tried to solicit donations a few times, and I’m sorry I did that; I realize that isn’t why folks came to the website.

One reason I can’t actively post here is because I allowed the domain to expire; I’m now back to the basic WordPress plan, which means I’m over (WAY over) my allotted storage space for photos. So I can’t upload a single new photo to this blog; the banner photo of the tower crane at 400 Lake Shore you see is an old image from that crane’s infancy. It also became too difficult to decide what to posy on YIMBY and what to keep here. It’s simply less confusing to post only at YIMBY and not worry about stepping on my own toes.

I still hope to reactivate Building Up Chicago someday, but it won’t be until I have the disposable income (or an angel investor) to put into it. But my experience at Chicago YIMBY has given me some ideas as to how I’d go about it. Posting every day, often more than once, means I can’t just focus on tower cranes anymore. There is daily development news in Chicago, form two-story two-flats to long-stalled supertalls.

When I come back to BUC, I hope it will be full time. There’s enough happening in town (that’s right, naysayers; Chicago IS still building) to post from two to ten articles a day, and this is how I’d do it:

Permits are entered into the Chicago Data Portal Monday through Friday. They’re published Tuesday through Saturday, so I would spend those five days writing posts about every compelling permit I could find that was issued the previous day. And only I have final say on what “compelling” means. Slow days mean I can go out in the afternoon and check on the bearby construction sites.

Since there are no new permits to see on Sunday and Monday, those would be my shooting days. Sundays are great for checking out the smaller job sites anyway; since I have to get up close to those, I can stick my camera (or phone) through or over the fence without it being in someone’s face while they work. The big jobs know we’re out there watching; cameras don’t bother those crews.

Preferably, those posts would be written from an actual office space that I would need to commute to, at least a couple days a week. That would help limit my distractions (Do I have enough quarters for a load of laundry? I should do the dishes? I should dry the dishes I just washed? Should I put them away? I need to go get a plastic bin for under the bed.)

Of course, if my office space was on a high floor in Salesforce tower, because that’s the office I deserve, then I’d be distracted by the views out over the river. But at least then I’d have distractions I could turn into photo ops.

All of this was just to clear up that there is no clarity on the future of Building Up Chicago, but I’m still here, still interested, and still not ready to let go of it. In the event that WordPress says “Give us money, or your website will disappear” that’s when the ultimate decision will have to be made. And we’ll just see.

Thanks for reading.

This crane’s Chicago business will be renovating the Thompson Center

Posted on January 25, 2025 by danieldschell

You can check one of those pending tower cranes off the waiting list. Clark Construction & team began erecting the tower crane at the Thompson Center this weekend. They got decent weather for late-January to do it, so hopefully there will be no setbacks through Sunday to getting setup complete.

This is the only tower crane operating in The Loop right now, and one of only six throughout the city. It joins Streeterville’s 400 Lake Shore in the downtown area, and four South Side cranes, including Project H.O.O.D. in Woodlawn, the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park, and two at the AbbVie Foundation Cancer Pavilion in Hyde Park. It was permitted on July 03, 2024, with word on the site to expect assembly around Labor Day. That, of course, was four months ago, so we’ve been waiting on this one.

The Thompson Center, as I’m sure you know by now, is being renovated for Google. It has been completely stripped of its exterior skin, to be replaced by a much more energy-efficient glazing. If the building looks like a shell of its former self, that’s because it is. Google hopes to have employees move into the 17-story building mid-2026.

Enjoying the photos? Metra and CTA rides (and Amtrak trains to Milwaukee), Zipcars, Divvy Bikes, camera lenses, domain fees, snacks & energy drinks, and comfortable walking shoes add up. You can help offset expenses by making a greatly-appreciated donation to Building Up Chicago.

January 2025 at 400 Lake Shore

Posted on January 20, 2025 by danieldschell

A few photos, as 400 Lake Shore continues to grow.

The Chicago Tribune Freedom Center is almost gone. And you can print that.

Posted on December 24, 2024 by danieldschell

My Christmas gift to you is one last look at demolition of the Chicago Tribune Freedom Center, barring another visit over the next two weeks or so. Because that might be all the time left to see anything besides rubble.

These photos were taken December 22, 2024:

The Spirit of Progress couldn’t bear to watch, and had to be removed from her perch.

Chicago enters December 2024 with seven tower cranes in the air

Posted on December 1, 2024 by danieldschell

Chicago’s tower crane count as we entered Fall 2024 was seven. It remains at seven as we enter meteorological winter. None have been erected, none taken down. The only change from September’s roll call is a permit for a luffing crane for the Thompson Center renovation. But that one, and the crane permitted at Grand Crossing (1100 West Grand) have yet to make their debuts.

There is one *pending* tower crane permit on the books, for the residential building at 410 North Elizabeth. Fingers crossed that the caisson permit is issued any day and construction can get started. There are four pending permits total for that one.

Let’s look at some statistics, since seven tower cranes aren’t all that difficult to break down. This is your unofficially Official December 2024 Chicago Tower Crane Survey:

What are they building?

Residential – 3 (400 Lake Shore, 1723 South Michigan, 220 North Ada — 1723 and 220 are both topped out. Those cranes will disappear soon)
Health Care – 2 (Both at the AbbVie Foundation Cancer Pavilion at 5644 South Drexel)
Cultural – The Obama Presidential Center Museum Tower
Community – Project H.O.O.D. (6623 South MLK Drive)

Who’s operating them?

220 North Ada – Clayco, Adjustable Concrete
400 Lake Shore – LR Contracting, BOWA Construction, Goebel Forming
1723 South Michigan – Brandts Build, Goebel Forming
Obama Center – The Concrete Collective
Project H.O.O.D – LR Contracting, Goebel Forming
Abbvie Foundation Cancer Pavilion – Turner Construction, Adjustable Concrete

Where are they?

Woodlawn – 2 (Obama Center Museum Tower, Project H.O.O.D — Woodlawn is the Community Area; Jackson Park is the neighborhood for the Obama Center)
Hyde Park – 2 (Both at the AbbVie Foundation Cancer Pavilion)
South Loop – 1 (1723 South Michigan – topped out)
West Loop – 1 (220 North Ada – topped out)
Streeterville – 1

Only five tower crane permits have been issued in 2024, including the two that haven’t been erected yet. There are a lot of projects in the works for next year; here’s hoping we can add a few more in 2025.

Project H.O.O.D., 6623 South Martin Luther King Drive

AbbVie Foundation Cancer Pavilion, 5644 South Drexel

The Obama Presidential Center Museum Tower, 6001 South Stony Island

Little remains of the W. C. Reebie & Brother storage building in Uptown

Posted on November 25, 2024 by danieldschell

Demolition of the W. C. Reebie & Brother storage building in Uptown, Chicago Nov 20, 2024.

Demolition of the former W. C. Reebie & Brother storage building has left little remaining of the Uptown structure, save for the rearmost shell of the five stories that stood on the site for 100+ years. The George Kingsley-designed building at 5035 North Broadway was purchased in 2018 by TimeLine Theatre; they’ll soon begin turning the property into their new home, once demo contractor Milburn Demolition has wrapped up work.

The first iteration of the new theatre would have saved the building’s façade, but TimeLine deemed that plan unfeasible due to a number of factors, including further evaluation of the structural integrity of the existing edifice. Architecture firm HGA then drew up new designs to completely redo the front portions of the building for performance spaces, while integrating the rear levels for office use.

TimeLine Theatre’s new venue is set to include a range of features aimed at enhancing both visitor and artist experiences. Plans highlight a lobby café and bar alongside a 250-seat black box theatre designed for flexibility and transformation. The space will also house exhibit galleries to complement TimeLine’s immersive and interactive lobby experiences. Behind the scenes, the facility will offer dedicated areas for collaboration, including a rehearsal room, production and design studios, and staff offices. Additionally, their Living History program will have its own dedicated space, which will also serve as a resource for community meetings and events.

TimeLine has raised nearly $40 million toward toward the new facility. They expect to begin putting on shows here early in 2026.

W. C. Reebie & Brother storage building demolition — The W. C. Reebie & Brother storage building, pre-demolition.

Lakeview Landing is showing out on Addison Street

Posted on November 24, 2024 by danieldschell

Construction progress at Lakeview Landing, 835 West Addison Street

Lakeview Landing, the six-story affordable housing development at 835 West Addison Street in Wrigleyville, is really starting to come into view. Powers and Sons Construction has made big progress on the first four stories, and that blue sheathing contrasts well with the stark concrete cores. Probably wouldn’t look great as a finish, but it dresses up the work site nonetheless.

Fun Fact (at least some of us think it’s fun): Lakeview Landing is located at the intersection of Addison Street and Reva Avenue. This is the only block that exists of Reva Avenue. It starts at Cornelia Avenue at its south end (3500 North) and ends at Addison (3600 North) and now you know that, assuming you didn’t before. Because I didn’t.

OTR Housing is building 37 units here, all of them 575-square-foot one-bedroom apartments. The former Lake View Lutheran Church was demolished back in June to make room for the new housing. The church donated the land to OTR in exchange for ground-floor space in the new building to hold their services. Lakeview Landing is a design by Weese Langley Weese Architects. It will include 12 indoor parking spaces on the first floor.

Lakeview Landing — Weese Langley Weese rendering

Alderman Lawson posts plans for Boutique hotel at Halsted and Aldine in Lake View

Posted on November 24, 2024 by danieldschell

Rendering by Jonathan Splitt Architects of the rooftop pool for a proposed hotel at 3257 North Halsted

On Friday, 44th Ward Alderman Bennett Lawson included in his weekly email update the plans for a boutique hotel at 3257 North Halsted Street in Lake View. Located on the southeast corner of Halsted and Aldine, the development would require the demolition of the current structure on the site, most recently the home of Yoshi’s Café on the ground floor. The second floor of the building is residential, and appears to be still inhabited.

Rising six stories, the hotel would contain 51 rooms. Its entrance and lobby would be located on Aldine Avenue, facing north. Renderings from Jonathan Splitt Architects included in an attached pdf show a pretty amazing rooftop space, featuring a pool deck with a retractable roof. At ground level, in addition to the hotel lobby, would be a restaurant space, loading area, and two parking spaces accessed from the north/south alley off Aldine.

Alderman Lawson indicates that Heart of Lake View Neighbors is on board with the development. A zoning change will need to be approved, from the current C1-3 to C1-5 to get this started, but is there any reason to think this isn’t a good improvement to the neighborhood?

Rendering by Jonathan Splitt Architects, looking southeast

Aerial rendering by Jonathan Splitt Architects looking southeast

Looking northeast from across Halsted Street

Looking northwest from the alley off Aldine Avenue.

“Uprising of the Sun” art installation highlights progress at The Obama Presidential Center Museum Tower

Posted on November 11, 2024 by danieldschell

“Uprising of the Sun” by Ethiopian-American artist Julie Mehretu.

Back in September, construction crews at The Obama Presidential Center installed a glass art installation by artist Julie Mehretu, titled “Uprising of the Sun,” on the north façade of the Museum Tower. In the meantime, the granite panels that will surround the exterior of the tower continue to be applied, one at a time.

At the south end of the Presidential Center construction site, work is underway for Home Court, an athletic and community facility featuring President Obama’s favorite sport: basketball. Home Court is expected to be the first feature of the Presidential Center open to the public.

Lots of photos taken November 2, 2024: