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.

1326 South Michigan lands a foundation permit in the South Loop

Posted on April 6, 2017 by danieldschell

Rendering of 1326 South Michigan from CIM Group.

1326 South Michigan, the new 500-unit residential tower from Murphy Development Group along with CIM Group, scored a foundation permit Wednesday from the City of Chicago. The permit calls for a 47-story building, designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz. Walsh Construction is named as the general contractor.

The surface parking lot at 1326 has been closed for a couple weeks now, in anticipation of work on the tower beginning. Expect to see the approved foundation work get started very soon.

: Rendering of 1326 South Michigan from Murphy Development Group.

: The Foundation Permit

: The surface parking lot at 1326 South Michigan Avenue was closed in March, and the attendant hut torn down.

: Not any more.

The overhaul of 676 North LaSalle into The Ardus is underway

Posted on April 5, 2017 by danieldschell

The Ardus, 676 North LaSalle, starts with demolition work, under the watchful eye of Gallery on Wells.

Demolition is happening in earnest, inside and out, at 676 North LaSalle Street in River North, transforming a six-story building into The Ardus.

A project of Cedar Street Companies, The Ardus will have about 150 residential units, with below grade parking. Most of those units will be in a new tower on the corner of LaSalle and Huron Streets. But some will be in the existing building itself, hence the demo work before renovations occur, including additional stories on top.

Booth Hansen has done the design work for the transformation as well as the new property. Method Construction, one of the Cedar Street companies, is the general contractor. Alpine Demolition is doing the wrecking.

: The Ardus hides behind the old Erie LaSalle body shop, also soon to be demolished.

: The east facing.

: The view from the back. Lots of light in this building now.

: The north facing.

: Major interior demolition.

: Rendering of The Ardus from Cedar Street Companies.

: Rendering of The Ardus from Cedar Street Companies.

: The Foundation Permit for the new building.

: The renovation for the existing building.

Sans tower crane, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints keeps building

Posted on April 5, 2017 by danieldschell

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, under construction at 822 North Clark Street.

Rendering from Dixon + Associates.

At 822 North Clark Street in the Near North, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints seems to be getting along splendidly without the tower crane it shed back in February. Architect David Dixon of Dixon + Associates in Salt Lake City shared some of the features of his design. There will be a partial floor below grade for parking, then six stories above grade. A two-story chapel is included, with the possibility of adding a second, smaller chapel on the top floor in the future. There will also be an outdoor, landscaped courtyard on the fourth floor.

McHugh Construction is on the build.

: Rendering from Dixon + Associates.

It’s a 2-fer on North Broadway in Lake View

Posted on April 5, 2017 by danieldschell

There are two projects happening right now in the Lake View neighborhood on successive blocks of North Broadway.

At 3833 North Broadway, DLG Management is building an 8-story, 134-unit residential project at the intersection of North Broadway and West Sheridan Road. Designed by Jonathan Splitt Architects, 3833 North Broadway will include two basements, according to the foundation permit, and below-grade parking. Which explains all the deep excavating going on.

Seven addresses, encompassing 3819 through 3835 North Broadway as well as 731 West Sheridan, were demolished to make room for this one. The north-most, 3835, had its historic facade dismantled, to be reused for the facings on both Broadway and Sheridan. DLG is handling its own general contractor duties.

: Rendering of 3833 North Broadway from Jonathan Splitt Architects.

: Pile driver.

: The Foundation Permit.

734 West Sheridan

Rendering of 734 West Sheridan from Hirsch Associates.

Across Sheridan Road on the northeast corner of the intersection, Vermilion Development received a building permit on Monday to construct a 100-unit project where a gas station once stood. A design by Hirsch Associates Architects (Centrum Hubbard, 412 North Wells, Centrum Bucktown), and assigned to an address of 734 West Sheridan, this one will be 10 stories high. Arco/Murray, the GC on Hirsch’s Centrum Bucktown job, will be the general contractor here as well.

: Demolition of the gas station is complete, and site prep is underway.

: The building permit, issued Monday March 3.

: Gas station demolition permit.

No. 9 Walton nears the top

Posted on April 5, 2017 by danieldschell

No. 9 Walton grows up behind Harvest Chicago Cathedral.

No. 9 Walton continues its climb toward completion in the Gold Coast. The 37-story uber-luxurious condominium tower from JDL Development will have just 66 units when all is said and done and built, with condos ranging from two to six (SIX!) bedrooms. Designed by Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture, No. 9 Walton is being constructed by Lendlease.

: Chicago’s funkiest tower crane.

The topped-out 151 North Franklin drops the tower crane

Posted on April 4, 2017 by danieldschell

Those skies on Saturday! You almost don’t notice the tower crane has sunk below the top of 151 North Franklin.

You knew 151 North Franklin had topped out; The John Buck Company told us when they tweeted from the ceremony a month ago. And now comes the next sign that the future CNA Center is getting closer to completion: the tower crane started coming down this past weekend.

Luckily, a tower crane permit was issued yesterday for Eight Eleven Uptown, so things will even out soon. We’ve also got cranes on the way for One Grant Park (planted), 1101 South Wabash, and One South Halsted.

: I hope that’s wind damage, and not someone who thinks they’re good with a brick.

: Ditto

Construction Progress: Elevate Lincoln Park

Posted on April 4, 2017 by danieldschell

The old tennis courts with junk strewn about them long since demolished, Elevate Lincoln Park continues to grow along North Lincoln Avenue in (of course) Lincoln Park. Where once stood condos and retail shops will soon be Baker Development Corporation‘s mixed-use project. Designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz, Elevate Lincoln Park will deliver 191 rental units, plus three levels of parking and a whole bunch of ground-floor commercial space. McHugh Construction is on the job as general contractor.

You’ll see signage in the following photos telling you to expect Elevate to be ready this summer. A delay getting started set that back, but Baker Development still hopes to have Elevate Lincoln Park open before 2017 closes.

: Gratuitous tower crane shot.

Two cores compete for attention at Wanda Vista Tower

Posted on April 4, 2017 by danieldschell

It’s East Crane vs. West Crane in the Battle of the Cores at Vista Tower.

It’s time for another installment of Vista Tower Photo Gallery. What’s new in the New East Side? There are two cores competing for sunshine, the way trees do in a crowded forest. It would make a good reality show, if it wasn’t McHugh Construction responsible for building both segments. There’s no reason they crews at each core should compete against each other. Unless a passing photographer started some trash talk about how much faster West seems than East. But no one would do that. Right?

: Sometimes I forget where I am…

: …so this signage helps.

: The view from Lakeshore East Park.

Atrium Village does indeed do windows

Posted on April 4, 2017 by danieldschell

Do you see it? Cladding installation has begun on the second level of Atrium Village.

Onni Group continues work on the 31-story apartment tower that kicks off the redevelopment of Atrium Village in the Near North neighborhood. The design by Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture encompasses a large footprint, but the entire site has risen to the seventh floor in relative unison. On the way are 405 apartments and 340+ parking spaces.

There’s also a little surprise for us wrapped around the southeast corner: glass. Not much, but enough to whet our appetite.

: Windows.

: Cladding.

: Glass. Call it what you will.

: That’s The Sinclair in the background, under Atrium Village’s tower crane.

: A peek into the (formidable) future commercial space.

Boards outnumber the bored at an underway Chestnut Row Homes

Posted on April 4, 2017 by danieldschell

Signs of life at 111 West Chestnut Street, the future Chestnut Row Homes.

There’s woodwork coming out of the woodwork at the long-delayed Chestnut Row Homes at 111 West Chestnut Street in Near North. Originally permitted for construction way back in October of 2015, the single-family rental homes from Tawani Enterprises has had trouble getting started. But there’s finally some action, and it looks like general contractor Berglund Construction has started filling in the excavated hole where the 7 (down from the initial 8) units by Booth Hansen will one day stand.

I mention this with each post about Chestnut Row Homes, but it’s worth repeating. The Chicago Plan Commission raved about this development when they approved it in February of 2015. So whatever has held up construction must have been a pretty big deal. Nice to see the ball rolling again here.