Author Archives: danieldschell

About danieldschell

I'm Daniel Schell, Chicagoan, Twitter fiend, and picture taker. I like sunsets, travel, and long walks through construction sites. If you build it, I will come.

The Bentham gets a permit to begin construction in River North

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The Bentham

A hearty welcome to Chicago to The Bentham. We were a little worried about you. (Rendering from Sedgwick Development.)

The Bentham is happening.

We were getting worried about the empty lot at LaSalle and Erie in River North. It had been quite some time since the old Erie and LaSalle Body Shop had been demolished to make room for a new residential tower, but The Bentham’s website never went offline, a good sign of hope that the project was still alive.

Sedgwick Development is building this condominium tower, not only as the developer, but as the general contractor and designer as well. They got a tower crane permit way back in September of last year, and yesterday, a foundation permit was issued. That permit calls for 15 stories and 31 condos, plus 53 parking spots and 3,132 square feet of ground-floor retail space.

Congrats go out to Sedgwick Development. I bet they’re champing at the bit to get going.

Tank and tower in the West Loop

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727 West Madison Morgan MFG

727 West Madison stands stoic behind the painted water tank at Morgan Mfg.

I like construction. I like Chicago Water Tanks. So it made me slightly giddy to see 727 West Madison lined up perfectly with the delightful water tank atop Morgan Mfg at 401 North Morgan Street in the West Loop. I thought I’d share it.

727 West Madison Morgan MFG

Hey! There’s no more tower crane at Hayden West Loop

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Sometimes we lose track of topped-out buildings. So we rely on your eyes to see what’s slipped our memories. Twitter user @West_Looper let us know on Saturday that the tower crane was coming down at Hayden West Loop, so we headed over there to watch some of the action.

Hayden marked the only crane in the sky for Macon Construction, but its removal means big progress on Sulo Development’s 28-condo project. Hayden’s website shows 80% of the units sold, so you better make your move soon if you’re hoping for new digs in the Booth Hansen-designed building. Sulo plans on having your condo ready for move-in before 2018 comes to a close.

And now, as we’re known to do around here, more photos of a tower-crane disassembly than you’ll ever need:

At long last, The Loop has a tower crane again, courtesy of 145 South Wells

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145 South Wells tower crane

Chicago’s newest tower crane is at 145 South Wells. And it’s a shiny yellow one!

The 20-story office tower Moceri + Roszak is building at 145 South Wells has erected The Loop’s first tower crane since we waved bye-bye to the sidewalk-hovering iron beast at 151 North Franklin more than a year ago. Now the real fun begins for Clark Construction, what with the crane being operational and caissons having been sunk into the earth. That means it’s time for some verticality at 145 South Wells.

Do what you do, shiny yellow crane.

Summer’s heat has wilted the Chicago Tower Crane count down to just 22 entering July

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Vista Tower one crane

Vista Tower will be completed with just one tower crane.

Chicago has taken quite a hit over the past few months. Sure, we’re still seeing new tower cranes go up on a regular basis, but we’ve also lost a bunch as well, including ten since we last surveyed the. Not to worry though; there are more on the horizon. Not literally, though. Those would have to be counted as suburban cranes.

New since the May survey:

  1. GR333N (333 North Green)
  2. 145 South Wells
  3. Milieu (205 South Peoria)
  4. 5252 South Cornell

Gone Since the May survey:

  1. Vista Tower East Crane (still there, but halfway down)
  2. One Bennett Park East Crane
  3. Hayden West Loop
  4. 210 North Carpenter
  5. Hoxton Chicago
  6. 727 West Madison
  7. Hilton Hotel combo (1101 South Wabash)
  8. Home2 Suites River North
  9. Renelle on the River
  10. Harrison Hall at UIC
  11. 450 West Belmont

Coming Attractions:

  1. 1201 E. 60th Street (Is this still happening, U of C?)
  2. 730 N Milwaukee
  3. The Bentham? The website is still live, so there’s (some?) hope.
  4. Union West
  5. 1415 South Wabash

No permit yet, but construction has started:

  1. 1550 North Clark
  2. Toyoko Inn Chicago
  3. 4555 North Sheridan
  4. Alta Grand Central
  5. 110 North Wacker

Where are the tower cranes?

  1. West Loop – 6
  2. South Loop – 3
  3. Lincoln Park – 3
  4. River North – 2
  5. Lakeshore East – 2
  6. 6 neighborhoods have one tower crane apiece: The Loop (THE LOOP HAS A TOWER CRANE AGAIN! -145 South Wells); Lake View (3833 North Broadway); Streeterville (One Bennett Park); Gold Coast (61 East Banks); Near North (Atrium Village Phase 2); Hyde Park (5252 South Cornell)

Who has them?

  1. Power – 5
  2. W.E. O’Neil – 4
  3. McHugh – 2
  4. Walsh – 2
  5. Nine general contractors have one tower crane apiece: Skender (Hyatt House West Loop); Linn-Mathes (5252 South Cornell); Centaur (Nobu Hotel); Clark (145 South Wells); Maris (Three Sixty West); Lendlease (One Bennett Park); DLG (3833 North Broadway); Leopardo (61  East Banks); Onni Group (Atrium Village Phase 2)

What are they building?

  1. Residence – 15 1/2 (Vista is half res, half hotel)
  2. Office – 3
  3. Hotel – 2 1/2 (Vista again)
  4. Education – 1 (GEMS World Academy Upper School

 

Wanna see ’em? Moving south to north:

Chicago’s multi-tower-crane jobs are disappearing fast

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A matter of mere days after I’d finally come to grips with no longer having two tower cranes at the new McDonald’s Headquarters in the West Loop, word came that the East Crane at Vista Tower was coming down. I made the pilgrimage over to Streeterville to take a few shots from across the Chicago River, turned to look behind me, and what else do I see? One tower crane at One Bennett Park! I appreciate everyone’s progress here, but noooooooo!

We’re counting on you to never finish, The Lincoln Common!

Vista Tower East Tower Crane

Vista Tower’s East Tower Crane is at half-mast.

One Bennett Park One Tower Crane

What’s funny is, I took this photo earlier Saturday morning for the single crane at Vista Tower, not noticing the half a crane atop One Bennett Park.

Now seems like as good a time as any to revisit and celebrate the TEN TOWER CRANES(!) of Battersea Power Station in London, and the 5-pack of cranes at Jewel Residences in Gold Coast, Australia.

Battersea Power Station London

Jewel Residences, Gold Coast, Australia

The Lincoln Common tower cranes

Please never leave us, Lincoln Common tower cranes! (Announcer voice: The Lincoln Common is almost topped out, so….)

Gone but not forgotten: Chicago Water Tanks no more

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Chicago’s water tanks are back in the news, thanks to a report from WGN’s Lourdes Duarte. I started scrambling to find what photos I didn’t lose in the Great Hard Drive Debacle of 2017. Here are a few tanks that have come down from the skyline in recent years.

***If you get really bored, you can do a fly-over tour of Chicago on Google Maps and find water tanks in older views that are still on the map, but have since been demolished. You’ll find a lot more than I have pictured here.