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.

Cook County Central Campus Health Center plants a tower crane

Posted on April 10, 2017 by danieldschell

Cook County Central Campus Health Center tower crane

Spring is the season for sprouting tower cranes, like this one for the Cook County Central Campus Health Center.

Thanks to a little birdie’s tip, we heard the nine-story, 282,000-square-foot Cook County Central Campus Health Center at the corner of Damen Avenue and Polk Street planted a tower crane stub this past week. The project was designed by Gensler, in collaboration with Forum Studios. Also joining the design/build team is Clayco, Inc. which is serving as the general contractor as well. They got some help from Stalworth Underground, who drove the sheeting for the foundation two weeks ago that you’ll see in the photos below.

: Rendering of Cook County Central Campus Health Center from Gensler.

: Rendering of Cook County Central Campus Health Center from Gensler.

: Rendering of Cook County Central Campus Health Center from Gensler.

: The tower crane permit was issued March 28.

One Bennett Park, Two Tower Cranes

Posted on April 10, 2017 by danieldschell

There they are! The two tower cranes of One Bennett Park.

A little over a week ago, One Bennett Park finally added to the tower crane stub that’s been planted on the west side of the growing tower for months. And now, I can confirm that second tower crane, West Crane, if you will, is up and running on Grand Avenue in Streeterville. Running and lifting.

One Bennett Park joins the Simpson-Querrey Biomedical Research Center, also in Streeterville, Wanda Vista Tower on the New East Side, and the West Loop’s McDonald’s Headquarters in the Two-Crane Club.

: Sneak peek between buildings of West Crane.

: East and West, together at last.

: East Crane.

: West Crane.

One Grant Park puts up One Grand Crane

Posted on April 10, 2017 by danieldschell

That’s most of the One Grant Park tower crane in the distance, but don’t worry. I’ll get you closer.

Accumulating tower crane parts hinted at a full-fledged assembly. And sure enough, One Grant Park added a tower crane to its arsenal over the weekend. One week after planting the stub in concrete, Central Contractors Service (that’s the ALL Crane folks; they know tower cranes) was back on South Loop soil, installing the shiny red Potain MD 485B (yep, I can still read a permit.)

: The tower went up Saturday, as seen from the Illinois Medical District.

: Getting a little closer now.

: Inspection fly-by.

: Still some epic foundation work going on, even on Sunday.

Rubble marks the spot where Rush has demolished former student-housing buildings

Posted on April 10, 2017 by danieldschell

Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t go visit properties permitted for demolition, you could miss them.

https://twitter.com/BuildUpChicago/status/836567594782048258

February 27 saw a total of 13 demolition permits issued for buildings owned by Rush University Medical Center that had been previously used to house students. The buildings, all on the north side of the street in the 1400 and 1500 blocks of West Harrison Street, were soon torn into by Brandenburg Industrial Service. Sure, I may have looked out the window a time or two in that direction, but a real visit this past weekend yielded nothing but rubble.

According to a story in Crain’s Chicago Business back in 2015, Rush has plans for a 9-story, 620,000-square-foot outpatient center on the site. But of course those plans could have changed in the year-and-a-half interim.

Of note in the midst of the rubble is one building that remains at the east end of the demolition area, still standing, yet surrounded by construction fence. Air conditioners galore make it look lived-in, but with all those barriers, that doesn’t seem possible. But will that structure remain?

: March 16. Some gone, some remain.

: Rubble and Skyline.

: The structure at the east end still standing.

: This one still stands.

: It looks lived in, but can it be?

: Formerly neatly-stacked bricks.

: Trees have been spared.

Addison & Clark reaches street level by Opening Day

Posted on April 10, 2017 by danieldschell

The tower crane at Addison & Clark stands stoic beyond the lights at Wrigley Field.

There will be a lot going on at the corner of Clark and Addison this week. Most of it will center around 1060 West Addison, to be precise. But expect plenty of activity at Addison & Clark as well.

Rendering of Addison & Clark from SCB.

A combined effort from developers M&R Development and Bucksbaum Retail Properties, Addison & Clark will be a mixed-use project consisting of 148 apartments, a 405-space indoor parking garage, and a whopping 146,000 square feet of commercial space. SCB designed the development; Power Construction is the general contractor.

With the foundation dug out (heh — dugout) work has risen to about even with the sidewalk along Clark Street, while the most noticeable feature along the Addison Street side are the huge mounds of dirt.

625 West Adams holds its first day of glass

Posted on April 10, 2017 by danieldschell

A car parked along Adams Street is reflected in the shiny new curtain wall at 625 West Adams.

625 West Adams reached another construction milestone last week, installing the first few panes of the curtain wall facing Adams Street. As if all that steel above the podium wasn’t distracting enough, now I have all this glass to look forward to. Thanks, Power. Now I’ll get even less done around here.

: Night vision.

: A blue car passes by…

: Crews celebrated the new glass by installing a second hoist.

That really cool tower crane at 151 North Franklin is coming down

Posted on April 9, 2017 by danieldschell

Eye-to-eye as the tower crane comes down at 151 North Franklin.

An email from Alderman Reilly’s office confirmed what we already knew; the tower crane at 151 North Franklin is coming down this weekend. Randolph Street between Lake and Franklin is closed as crews from Central Contractor Services use the roadway to load up red tower crane parts and haul them off to their next assignment.

Initial confusion over what kind of crane would be utilized at 151 North Franklin soon turned into joy, as Lendlease engineered a spectacular steel frame over the Randolph Street sidewalk, in effect floating the tower crane above pedestrians’ heads. A luffer rather than a fighter, it made the Best Of 2016 list, served its purpose, and now moves on. Chances are good we see that same crane pop up downtown soon, on another site.

: Lendlease celebrated like they normally do; by hanging more cladding.

The Hotel Zachary not done, but ready, for Opening Day at Wrigley Field

Posted on April 7, 2017 by danieldschell

The Hotel Zachary won’t make the roster of the 2017 Chicago Cubs. But 2018 will be its year.

Which is to say, we’re all ready for Opening Day at Wrigley Field.

As the Chicago Cubs return home to play baseball for the first time since winning the 2016 World Series, the Hotel Zachary continues to climb on the other side of Clark Street. Though still not renamed The Russell On Addison, sadly, the Hotel Zachary is Hickory Street Capital’s effort to bring stylish hospitality to The Friendly Confines. Designed by VOA Associates, the 7-story hotel will have 175 guest rooms, retail spaces, and multiple dining options.

It’s being built by Walsh Construction, which is probably why you’ve been seeing “W” flags all over Wrigleyville for the past year or so.

One Grant Park Update: Readying for a tower crane, working below the street

Posted on April 7, 2017 by danieldschell

Sections of tower crane are readied for assembly at One Grant Park.

The crane-building crane is on the scene.

The highs and lows of One Grant Park include below-grade core work, and preparations for building a tower crane. The tower crane base was planted Friday of last week, so the foundation has had time to set up properly. If I had to guess, I’d say they’ll put it together over the weekend. There’s plenty of room to work within the site, so street closures don’t seem likely.

Meanwhile, grab a stepladder and go watch the work at the east side of One Grant Park. Workers are deep down working on the elevator core. And they’re using fire!

Working down low on the core. Do you see fire?

Permit in hand, Case Foundation takes over Essex On The Park

Posted on April 6, 2017 by danieldschell

Case Foundation assembles a caisson rig at Essex On The Park, 808 South Michigan Avenue.

The pool, garage, and everything else that was next door to the Essex Inn is gone now, and work is revving up to replace it with Essex On The Park, the latest Chicago project from Oxford Capital Group.

The City of Chicago issued a foundation permit on Monday, and Case Foundation is now on the scene (you thought I was gonna say “on the case, didn’t you?) setting up caisson equipment. Power Construction is the general contractor here, tasked with stacking 56 stories atop one another. Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture did the design work on the 476-unit apartment tower.

The South Loop is a very busy place. Essex On The Park joins One Grant Park, 1411 South Michigan, and 1101 South Wabash as already-in-progress joints, while 1326 South Michigan just received a foundation permit as well this week, and there’s lots of buzz about 1000 South Michigan (1000M) firing up soon. Get the lawn chairs and coolers ready, SLoopers. It’s going to be a fun summer!