As you know, I missed most of October in Chicago. And with only one day to catch up, the easiest way to gather up tower crane pictures was to head up 103 floors to Skydeck Chicago. It is from there that you’ll see 28 of Chicago’s 32 active tower cranes. Three of them: the two at Vista Tower, and the 2nd crane at One Grant Park, are hidden from view. The other, at 210 North Carpenter, I just plain whiffed on and missed.
New since October’s count:
- 210 North Carpenter
- The Van Buren (808 West van Buren)
Gone from October’s count:
- Cook County Central Campus Health Center (1950 West Polk)
- Eleven40 (1136 South Wabash)
- Marlowe (675 North Wells)
Coming soon:
- Home2 Suites (110 West Huron; stub is planted)
- Hayden West Loop (1109 West Washington; permit issued 09/07, stub expected this week)
- 3833 Broadway (permit issued 09/06)
- The Bentham (146 West Erie; permit issued 09/11)
- Renelle on the River (403 North Wabash; permit issued 10/10)
- **Simpson Querrey (35-ton Derrick for removal of South Tower Crane; it needed a permit [09/06], so it needs to be on the list!)**
Who has tower cranes:
- Lendlease – 8
- Power – 7
- McHugh – 6
- W.E. O’Neil – 2
- Nine general contractors have one tower crane apiece: Leopardo (210 North Carpenter); Macon (No. 508); Linn-Mathes (Wicker Park Connection); Onni Group (Old Town Park); Tishman (Alofty Chicago Mag Mile); Pepper (Moxy Hotel); Centaur (Nobu Hotel); Norcon (Illume Chicago); Walsh (1326 South Michigan; Wolf Point East soon?)
What are they building:
- Residential – 21
- Hotel – 7
- Office – 2
- Medical – 2
Where are they:
- West Loop – 8
- South Loop – 7
- Streeterville – 6
- New East Side – 2
- Lincoln Park – 2
- Lake View – 2
- Five neighborhoods have one crane apiece: River North (Moxy Hotel); Uptown (Eight Eleven Uptown); Wicker Park (Wicker Park Connection); Near North (Old Town Park); Gold Coast (No. 9 Walton)
The newest tower crane in Chicago is The Van Buren.
The oldest tower crane in Chicago is…complicated. I’ve got evidence of the Old Town Park crane being assembled on August 2, 2016. And I’ve got evidence of a completed crane at Simpson Querrey on August 4, 2016. Since I don’t know for sure which was operational first, let’s call it a tie.
Here are Chicago’s 32 tower cranes at the start of November 2017:
- Triple-branded Hilton (123 East Cermak)
- 1326 South Michigan
- One Grant Park #1 (1200 South Indiana)
- One Grant Park #2 (can’t be seen from the Sears Tower)
- Home2 Suites (1101 South Wabash
- Essex on the Park (808 South Michigan)
- Ancora at Riverline (720 South Wells)
- The Van Buren (808 West Van Buren)
- Illume Chicago (111 South Peoria)
- 727 West Madison
- 900 West (900 West Washington)
- McDonald’s HQ (110 North Carpenter)
- Nobu Hotel (854 West Randolph)
- Hoxton Chicago (200 North Green)
- 210 North Carpenter (Sorry I missed you)
- Vista Tower (2) (363 and 401 East Wacker; can’t be seen from the Sears Tower)
- 465 North Park
- One Bennett Park (2) (451 East Grand)
- Moxy Hotel (530 North LaSalle)
- Aloft Chicago Mag Mile (243 East Ontario)
- Simpson Querrey Biomedical Research Center (2) (303 East Superior)
- No. 9 Walton (9 West Walton)
- Old Town Park (1140 North Wells)
- The Wicker Park Connection (1640 West Division)
- The Lincoln Common (2) (2335 and 2345 North Lincoln)
- No. 508 (508 West Diversey)
- Addison and Clark (1025 West Addison)
- Eight Eleven Uptown (811 West Agatite)