Elevate Lincoln Park gets a building permit

Posted on September 9, 2016 by danieldschell

A rendering from Baker Development of Elevate Lincoln Park, which received a building permit Thursday.

You may not recognize the address (930 West Altgeld Street) but Baker Development‘s latest project, Elevate Lincoln Park, is a go. It will occupy the spaces previously known as 2518-2534 North Lincoln Avenue. On the way are 191 apartments, three levels of parking, and ground-floor commercial space, designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz.

The original schedule of events for Elevate Lincoln Park had foundation work beginning in June, so things are still a tad behind schedule. McHugh Construction may not be able to catch up to those lofty plans, but fear not. They’ll complete work all in good time.

: The Permit, issued September 8, 2016.

: Remember the tennis courts along the Red/Brown/Purple Line tracks? Yep, they’re gone.

: Demolition started in May.

: This is the blank canvas on which McHugh Construction will build Elevate Lincoln Park.

Apple makes headlines with new tower crane at Chicago flagship store

Posted on September 9, 2016 by danieldschell

That’s a crane-building crane (in yellow) building a building-building crane (in red)

Headphone jack or no headphone jack, it was hard to miss the tower crane being assembled at the new Chicago Apple flagship store on Michigan Avenue Thursday. Although, if you happened to be looking for it, but missed it, it could be because you were looking too high. Unlike most tower crane, which tend to, you know, “tower” over their respective job sites, the Apple Store crane stands barely three stories in the air. But that’s really all the height you need, when your two-story building has only half its height above street level.

We’ve been waiting for this tower crane for weeks. Luckily, Twitter user @RobertLoerzel, as he’s known to do from time time, was wandering around town Wednesday night tweeting photos, including these, showing tower crane parts awaiting assemblage.

https://twitter.com/robertloerzel/status/773717730319097857

Clearly, that meant I had to be on Michigan Avenue in the morning to catch the action. Which leads to this: more photos of the Chicago Apple Store than you would ever really appreciate. But I took them for you anyway. A few from the morning, and then a few later in the day, after the boom had been attached. Enjoy.

: This photo, as well as the next 3, taken at the LondonHouse Chicago.

Still no tower crane, but 171 Aberdeen making foundation progress

Posted on September 8, 2016 by danieldschell

It is, admittedly, a cool yellow crane. But it is no tower crane.

Patience is a virtue. But Saturday will mark the four-month mark since a tower crane permit was filed for 171 Aberdeen, the mixed-use project from MCZ Development now underway in the West Loop. Not that foundation work isn’t fun to watch too, but nothing beats a tower crane. Nothing.

The Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture-designed 171 Aberdeen will have 75 luxury apartments, 15,000 square feet of retail, and 40,000 square feet of office space, plus about 130 parking spots. Novak Construction is doing the dirty work.

The Tower Crane Permit.
MAY 10!

Planet Hollywood a distant memory as 167 West Erie rises

Posted on September 8, 2016 by danieldschell

167 West Erie rises in River North.

Planet Hollywood? What, I’m just glossing over the old Gino’s location that occupied 167 West Erie Street most recently? Doesn’t matter. They’re both gone. You know this because the giant slices of pizza no longer litter the east side of the street along the 600 block of North Wells. Besides, Gino’s still exists in Chicago.

Instead, 167 West Erie is being erected on that site. It will be a 39-story, 440-unit apartment tower from Magellan Development. Designed by Chicago’s Loewenberg Architects, the building will also include about 130 parking spots, and some ground-floor retail space. Linn-Mathes is the general contractor.

I’d be willing to bet small amount of currency that 167 West Erie will have a non-address name in the near future. Considering its full-build permit was issued to the address 637 North Wells Street, there seems to be enough confusion about its location to slap a fancy moniker on it.

: On the right, 167 West Erie. On the left, 640 North Wells.

: The Full-build Permit, with 637 North Wells as the address.

: Nothing to see here. Just two luffing-jib cranes jousting for position above North Wells Street.

: In the background, 167 West Erie. In the foreground, some sort of motion picture. Animated, I believe.

625 West Adams gets Labor Day permit, allowing more labor

Posted on September 7, 2016 by danieldschell

Watching the construction site at 625 West Adams on Wednesday morning.

625 West Adams has received its ultimate building permit from the City of Chicago, one that will allow for the full build of the 20-story office tower. Workers from Power Construction can be seen on-site this morning, celebrating the permit’s filing by arriving at the job site and going about their business like it’s just another day, That’s professionalism right there, folks. Never get too high, never get too low.

The full-build permit, filed by the City of Chicago September 6th.

City of Chicago files a permit, determining the hot dog is not a sandwich

Posted on September 7, 2016 by danieldschell

The Hot Dog Permit

The debate got heated, like a Vienna Beef frank in boiling water. And just when you thought a clear-cut winner would never emerge from the rubble, the City of Chicago steps in. And with the filing of one simple permit yesterday, the argument has come to an end, and a final determination has been reached. A hot dog, though nestled as it is between halves of a bread-like container, is not a sandwich.

As you can see from the photo above, the aforementioned permit, issued the 6th of September, in the year of our Lord 2016, allows for the renovation of a “former sandwich shop” at 4379 West 26th Street into a “hot dog restaurant.” Obviously, if hot dogs were sandwiches, said renovation would be entirely unnecessary. You just continue to make a new kind of sandwich in your old sandwich-making space. But that can’t be done in this case. Or casing.

With one simple word — “former” — this single permit proves hot dogs have no business occupying an establishment meant for the construction of sandwiches. And while many will be displeased by this determination, it allows Chicago as a whole to heal, and move on to the next dilemma; whether or not ketchup belongs on non-sandwiches.

——— ORRRRRRRR ————

Could it be this permit pertains merely to the renovation of a “shop” to a “restaurant” and has nothing to do with anything produced within said establishment? Shoot. It’s like we’re right back where we started.

8 East Huron is getting so real, it has a website

Posted on September 7, 2016 by danieldschell

Banners announce the arrival of EightEastHuron.com

Because that’s how you know a project really exists. Besides the tower crane, of course. And all that racket from caisson work. And the core. And all the rebar.

8 East Huron (I’ll let you guess the address) in River North has a brand-spanking new website now. Click on that link, have a gander at a bunch of renderings (check out that pool!), give them your email address so you can get updates on apartment availability, and when you get back, there will be a bunch of construction progress photos waiting for you. Enjoy.

: First, two photos from last week, pre-banner.

351 West Huron (finally) moving earth to make way for condos

Posted on September 7, 2016 by danieldschell

Demolition happened in 2012. This is what the lot at 351 West Huron had looked like since then. Until now.

It took some time, but the new 7-story condo building slated for 351 West Huron Street in River North is starting to make some headway. 351 West Huron, from Regency Development Group of Northbrook, IL., will boast just six condominiums, each with four bedrooms, and its own parking. According to @Properties, each unit will have 4,528 square feet of space, with 1,530 of that being outdoors.

Designed by Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture, 351 West Huron received a building permit back on May 10. But the vacant lot sat idle until this month, after a new permit was filed, back on August 16, that, among other changes, transferred the general contractor duties to Summit Design + Build.

: A rendering of 351 West Huron from Regency Development Group.

: 351 West Huron has a banner and a website.

: The Permit, Part 1

: The Permit, Part 2

: The demolition permit that turned 351 West Huron into an empty lot.

: The empty lot.

The last, final, ultimate Harpo Studios demolition post

Posted on September 7, 2016 by danieldschell

One very small section is all that remains of Harpo Studios.

This has to be the last hurrah for Harpo Studios in this space. Because these photos, all taken Tuesday evening, show very little left standing of Oprah Winfrey’s former television studio. By Thursday, my next chance to get over to Washington and Carpenter, there will likely be nothing left but the massive pile of rubble along the west fence.

The demolition of Harpo Studios has turned out to be quite a spectacle in Chicago. Children’s Memorial Hospital has gotten some attention. You don’t hear much about the massive demo project still ongoing at the old Malcolm X College. And the four 100-year-old-plus buildings Rush University Medical Center tore down went with barely a peep. But Oprah’s empire caused a scene. People stopped by to collect a brick memento, take photos, and dream of being in the crowd when everyone got a car one last time.

Who knows. Maybe, when the new McDonald’s corporate headquarters takes over the space, they’ll give everyone a French fry.

: In the midst of demolition, another round of soil sampling.

: Looking north from Washington at Carpenter.

: All that’s left of the corner of Washington and Carpenter is horizontal.

: Security on duty around the clock to ensure no one steals any…used bricks?

: Tuesday morning’s view from the Building Up Chicago office.

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.

Alta Roosevelt begins the slow climb skyward

Posted on September 6, 2016 by danieldschell

https://twitter.com/801Financial/status/768916034526904320

If you ever need up-to-the-minutes status reports on the progress of Alta Roosevelt (801 South Financial Place) in the South Loop, look no further than Alta’s own Twitter account. They’re on top of all things constructive as Walsh Construction continues to work on the future 33-story apartment tower. Designed by Pappageorge Haymes Architects for developer Wood Partners, Alta Roosevelt will sport 496 rental units, 348 parking spaces, and zero square feet of retail.

There’s a lot of work happening at ground level. Here are a few pictures of the first floor taking shape, though I can’t get as close (nor as high in the tower crane) as the Alta Twitter account.