Two sunny days in a row, coupled with a day-and-a-half of free time, let me get to the far reaches of Chicago construction to chase down the last of the unphotographed tower cranes. That includes one, at 1306 E 61st St, that I wasn’t at all sure was happening, had already happened, or had been scrapped. Well, it’s real. And up until a few days ago, it was Chicago’s southernmost and easternmost tower crane. But no more. The rig at The Obama Presidential Center takes that prize. Fortunately for 1306, I don’t give trophies out for these titles, so it didn’t lose out on much.

Our northernmost and westernmost cranes are also a single construction site: at 4445 W Irving Park, where Northwestern Medicine is building a healthcare facility.

Residential projects dominate our cranes, with 11 of them going towards building new housing. There’s one for education (that’s how I’m categorizing the Obama Center until I come up with a better category); one for parking (1306 E 61st is a parking garage for the University of Chicago); one for Life Sciences (ALLY): and one for healthcare (4445 Irving Park)

If I missed your tower crane, hit me up. If you’ve got a tower crane out in the ‘burbs, let me know that too. It’s about time for a jaunt out of the city.

Starting south and working our way north, here are Chicago’s 16 active tower cranes:

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.