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Humongous caissons still rule the day at Vista Tower
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Monthly Archives: November 2016
Condo construction, Fajardo, Puerto Rico (no, I’m not really here looking for construction)
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Gut rehab of the condo across the street from our balcony. Though it’s hard to tell from a still photo. Take that red work truck as proof.
They’re doing some work on the condominium across the street from our room here in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. It’s not as loud or dusty as skyscraper construction, but it’s construction, so now I can write this trip off as a blog expense.
We haven’t seen all of Puerto Rico, but what we have seen makes us want to come back and see the rest. You should get down here.
The Super Moon rises above the Atlantic over Fajardo, Puerto Rico.
Yep, that’s a crane waaaaaaay over there across the water.
The Cubs get a tower crane with 11 Ws
The moon and the tower crane shine bright next to Wrigley Field, where the Chicago Cubs play baseball. They just won the World Series. Have you heard about that?
That’s right, it’s a towwwwwwwwwwwer crane. Because when you win the last three series of your season – 3 wins, then 4, then 4 more games – and finish 2016 as The World Series Champions, you use 11 Ws wherever you want to use them.
It’s not the Cubs Hotel, but the Hotel Zachary being built at 3630 North Clark Street in Lake View. It’s right across the street from Wrigley Field (perhaps you’ve seen something about that ballpark in the news recently) and its developer is Hickory Street Capital, an entity of the Ricketts family, who own the Chicago Cubs. So you see, it’s all connected. I think The Hotel Russell on Addison would be a better name, but I haven’t been asked for my input.
Anyway, the tower crane went up at some point during the Playoffs. I was too stressed by the Cubs not sweeping their 11 wins to notice much construction-wise around Wrigley. If you’ll recall, the Hotel Zachary will be a 7-story, mixed-use facility with 175 guest rooms (known as “keys” in some spaces), retail space, and several restaurants.
Remarkably, crews were still digging sand from the site on Monday. A quick survey of Walsh Construction workers (two of them) confirmed there is a surprising quantity of the stuff. Did Lake Michigan really extend as far west as Clark Street back in the day?
IMPORTANT REMINDER: EVERY TEAM IN EVERY MAJOR SPORT HAS WAITED LONGER FOR A CHAMPIONSHIP THAN THE CHICAGO CUBS!
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- Just a quick reminder.
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- He’s on to something up there; that would be a great season ticket.
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- Tower crane on the left, Flying The W on the right.
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- Wrigley Field, home of who? The 2016 World Series Champion Chicago Cubs, that’s who!
Old 7-story brick building in Lincoln Park to be demolished for 7-story brick building
Scaffolding has been erected on the east facade of the Nellie A. Black Pavilion.
On the final day of October, the City of Chicago issued a demolition permit for the Nellie A. Black Memorial Pavilion, at 700 West Fullerton Parkway in Lincoln Park. Built in the 1932, it made Preservation Chicago’s “Chicago 7” list in 2016, along with its neighbor across the street, the Martha Wilson Memorial Pavilion. That building is already rubble, along with most of the old Children’s Memorial Hospital.
The rendering from Crain’s Chicago’s story of the new Belmont Village Senior Living building. Look familiar?
Crain’s Chicago posted back in June that Chicago-based Harrison Street Capital and Houston-based Belmont Village Senior Living bought the building, with the intent of constructing a senior-living facility on the site. The rendering Crain’s included in the story, seen to the right, looks remarkably similar to the Nellie Black Pavilion. I could be oversimplifying things, but maybe that 80-year-old edifice could have been re-purposed for the senior living project? Eh, what do I know.
Monday, workers were constructing scaffolding on the facade. Expect dust and pallets of used bricks to follow shortly. American Demolition will do the dirty work.
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- Children’s Memorial Hospital demolition. That’s the Nellie Black Pavilion on the right.
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- 710 West Fullerton is the same building as 700.
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- The Martha Wilson Memorial Pavilion has already been demolished.
Elevate Lincoln Park raises a tower crane
Having ceremoniously broken ground on the first of the month, Elevate Lincoln Park has begun celebrating yet another milestone; a tower crane is being assembled on the site of the future rental development. It’s a shiny yellow one too, the best kind. And you’ll be able to see it next to the elevated tracks when riding the Red, Brown, and Purple Line trains. It more than makes up for not getting to watch people play tennis atop the old Lincoln Centre condos, right? Wait. Did anyone ever play tennis up there?
Moot point. What’s important here is this: Elevate Lincoln Park, a Baker Development project, will feature 191 apartments, three levels of parking, and ground-floor commercial space, designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz.
Glass is in session at 640 North Wells
The curtain goes up at 640 North Wells in River North.
In The War On Wells, 640 North Wells lost the first-glass prize to The Gallery On Wells across the street. But not to worry. 640 rallied, and came back with a curtain wall of its own, one that gleams on sunny days. For now, two rows of glass have moved into the tower. Soon, all 23 stories and 251 units will glisten in the sunlight, as JDL Development moves toward a Summer 2017 opening.
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- You don’t notice the glass from a distance.
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- The The Gallery On Wells reflected in the curtain wall.
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- #FlyTheW!
Was soil sampling at 180 West Randolph hotel preparation?
Is it time to make more beds in The Loop?
Back in August, a soil sampling rig burrowed into the asphalt parking lot at 180 West Randolph. Not one to speculate, I still rampantly speculated that something could well be in the near future for the site.
This morning, Crain’s Chicago is reporting that the lot has been sold to Quadram Global, already known in Chicago for the Godfrey Hotel and Essex Inn. This guarantees the possibility that maybe a new hotel might be tentatively planned for The Loop (was that undefinitive enough?) directly across the street from the Kimpton Hotel Allegro. Time will surely tell.
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- Soil sampling in August.
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- The lot, with its FOR SALE sign, has sat idle for a long time.
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- 180 West Randolph, with the Kimpton Hotel Allegro in the background.
Zaha Hadid condos rise along New York City’s High Line
520 West 28th, designed by Zaha Hadid, under construction along the High Line in West Chelsea.
I knew I’d see a lot of construction along New York City’s High Line elevated park; I also know I’d wish for more time. (All these photos are from atop the High Line itself; there wasn’t time to walk 360 degrees around construction sites.)
A standout of that construction? 520 West 28th Street in West Chelsea, from Related Companies. Designed by the late great Zaha Hadid along with Ismael Leyva Architects, 520 West 28th brings 39 uber-luxurious condos over 11 floors, right next to the High Line, in a modern, curvy building. Stay away from the $50,000,000 penthouse on the top three floors though; I’ve already committed to buying that one.
P.S. The High Line is a glorious place. I can’t wait to get back.
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- A rendering from the 520 West 28th website.
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- Related Companies rendering.
River Point Plaza is starting to look like a park of dreams
Some day soon, we’ll be able to hang out in River Point Plaza, gazing up at the glorious new tower.
The one-and-a-half-acre park at the foot of River Point looks more and more inviting every day. That means soon, on days like Tuesday when it was in the high 70s in Chicago, the public will be able to take a book out onto the elevated plaza and enjoy the views of the Chicago River below, and the new office tower directly overhead. Developer Hines (remember our visit to 53W53 last week?) plans to have River Point and its plaza open in early 2017.
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- River Point Plaza from a swift-moving Green Line train.
Building Up Chicago 