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 Sinclair loses a tower crane, but gains some glass

Posted on September 12, 2016 by danieldschell

On Tuesday of last week, The Sinclair had two tower cranes. By the weekend, this one had been dismantled.

The Sinclair made news up in the Gold Coast for a couple reasons. First, it tore down that old Jewel store from the 1700s. Then, it erected two tower cranes on one construction lot.

Now, one of those tower cranes is gone. But in order to keep the excitement going, McHugh Construction has begun hanging glass on the first two levels. Not bad for a tower that appears to have only reached nine or ten floors.

Upon reaching its ultimate height, the Solomon Cordwell Buenz-designed Sinclair will have 35 stories and 390 apartments, with an anticipated opening of Summer 2017.

: My last-known picture of The Sinclair with two tower cranes, from 360 Chicago at the John Hancock Center

: The corner of LaSalle and Division. The Sinclair’s official address, for now, is 1201 North LaSalle Street.

: The tower crane building the actual residential tower will remain on site for the duration.

: Clark and Division.

: The parking podium along Clark Street. It was the tower crane that built this section that is now gone.

: Glass along Division Street.

: Glass at the corner of Clark and Division.

: Since its earliest days of construction, The Sinclair has had a top-notch scaffold game.

: Tell-tale signs of where a tower crane once stood.

Catching up on the tearing down of Malcolm X College

Posted on September 12, 2016 by danieldschell

Malcolm X College demolition has been ongoing since April.

Having opened up a new Malcolm X College in time for spring classes in January 2016, the old college is being demolished to make way for a new training facility for the Chicago Blackhawks. Heneghan Wrecking (Click that link, and marvel at Heneghan’s drone photo of the Rush Medical Center teardowns) has been ripping the building apart since April, and they’re in the home stretch. Only a small portion of the school remains towards the west end of the lot. At the west end, McHugh Construction has already started foundation work for the hockey facility.

Demolition Update: Children’s Memorial Hospital

Posted on September 10, 2016 by danieldschell

Children’s Memorial Hospital demolition, as seen from atop the John Hancock Center.

The coolest place to see Children’s Memorial Hospital demolition? At 360 Chicago atop the John Hancock Center. The best place to watch Children’s Memorial Hospital demolition? On the sidewalks along Lincoln Avenue and Orchard Street. And soon, Fullerton Street too.

Demo crews from Omega Demolition have wiped out the corner of Lincoln and Orchard, and are moving their way north toward the tower portion of the former hospital. It’s fun to watch buildings being torn down, especially, as I’ve mentioned before, when they’ve already been replaced by newer facilities.

: The corner of Lincoln and

: Demo starting at the tower portion.

Elevate Lincoln Park gets a building permit

Posted on September 9, 2016 by danieldschell

A rendering from Baker Development of Elevate Lincoln Park, which received a building permit Thursday.

You may not recognize the address (930 West Altgeld Street) but Baker Development‘s latest project, Elevate Lincoln Park, is a go. It will occupy the spaces previously known as 2518-2534 North Lincoln Avenue. On the way are 191 apartments, three levels of parking, and ground-floor commercial space, designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz.

The original schedule of events for Elevate Lincoln Park had foundation work beginning in June, so things are still a tad behind schedule. McHugh Construction may not be able to catch up to those lofty plans, but fear not. They’ll complete work all in good time.

: The Permit, issued September 8, 2016.

: Remember the tennis courts along the Red/Brown/Purple Line tracks? Yep, they’re gone.

: Demolition started in May.

: This is the blank canvas on which McHugh Construction will build Elevate Lincoln Park.

Apple makes headlines with new tower crane at Chicago flagship store

Posted on September 9, 2016 by danieldschell

That’s a crane-building crane (in yellow) building a building-building crane (in red)

Headphone jack or no headphone jack, it was hard to miss the tower crane being assembled at the new Chicago Apple flagship store on Michigan Avenue Thursday. Although, if you happened to be looking for it, but missed it, it could be because you were looking too high. Unlike most tower crane, which tend to, you know, “tower” over their respective job sites, the Apple Store crane stands barely three stories in the air. But that’s really all the height you need, when your two-story building has only half its height above street level.

We’ve been waiting for this tower crane for weeks. Luckily, Twitter user @RobertLoerzel, as he’s known to do from time time, was wandering around town Wednesday night tweeting photos, including these, showing tower crane parts awaiting assemblage.

https://twitter.com/robertloerzel/status/773717730319097857

Clearly, that meant I had to be on Michigan Avenue in the morning to catch the action. Which leads to this: more photos of the Chicago Apple Store than you would ever really appreciate. But I took them for you anyway. A few from the morning, and then a few later in the day, after the boom had been attached. Enjoy.

: This photo, as well as the next 3, taken at the LondonHouse Chicago.

Still no tower crane, but 171 Aberdeen making foundation progress

Posted on September 8, 2016 by danieldschell

It is, admittedly, a cool yellow crane. But it is no tower crane.

Patience is a virtue. But Saturday will mark the four-month mark since a tower crane permit was filed for 171 Aberdeen, the mixed-use project from MCZ Development now underway in the West Loop. Not that foundation work isn’t fun to watch too, but nothing beats a tower crane. Nothing.

The Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture-designed 171 Aberdeen will have 75 luxury apartments, 15,000 square feet of retail, and 40,000 square feet of office space, plus about 130 parking spots. Novak Construction is doing the dirty work.

The Tower Crane Permit.
MAY 10!

Planet Hollywood a distant memory as 167 West Erie rises

Posted on September 8, 2016 by danieldschell

167 West Erie rises in River North.

Planet Hollywood? What, I’m just glossing over the old Gino’s location that occupied 167 West Erie Street most recently? Doesn’t matter. They’re both gone. You know this because the giant slices of pizza no longer litter the east side of the street along the 600 block of North Wells. Besides, Gino’s still exists in Chicago.

Instead, 167 West Erie is being erected on that site. It will be a 39-story, 440-unit apartment tower from Magellan Development. Designed by Chicago’s Loewenberg Architects, the building will also include about 130 parking spots, and some ground-floor retail space. Linn-Mathes is the general contractor.

I’d be willing to bet small amount of currency that 167 West Erie will have a non-address name in the near future. Considering its full-build permit was issued to the address 637 North Wells Street, there seems to be enough confusion about its location to slap a fancy moniker on it.

: On the right, 167 West Erie. On the left, 640 North Wells.

: The Full-build Permit, with 637 North Wells as the address.

: Nothing to see here. Just two luffing-jib cranes jousting for position above North Wells Street.

: In the background, 167 West Erie. In the foreground, some sort of motion picture. Animated, I believe.

625 West Adams gets Labor Day permit, allowing more labor

Posted on September 7, 2016 by danieldschell

Watching the construction site at 625 West Adams on Wednesday morning.

625 West Adams has received its ultimate building permit from the City of Chicago, one that will allow for the full build of the 20-story office tower. Workers from Power Construction can be seen on-site this morning, celebrating the permit’s filing by arriving at the job site and going about their business like it’s just another day, That’s professionalism right there, folks. Never get too high, never get too low.

The full-build permit, filed by the City of Chicago September 6th.

City of Chicago files a permit, determining the hot dog is not a sandwich

Posted on September 7, 2016 by danieldschell

The Hot Dog Permit

The debate got heated, like a Vienna Beef frank in boiling water. And just when you thought a clear-cut winner would never emerge from the rubble, the City of Chicago steps in. And with the filing of one simple permit yesterday, the argument has come to an end, and a final determination has been reached. A hot dog, though nestled as it is between halves of a bread-like container, is not a sandwich.

As you can see from the photo above, the aforementioned permit, issued the 6th of September, in the year of our Lord 2016, allows for the renovation of a “former sandwich shop” at 4379 West 26th Street into a “hot dog restaurant.” Obviously, if hot dogs were sandwiches, said renovation would be entirely unnecessary. You just continue to make a new kind of sandwich in your old sandwich-making space. But that can’t be done in this case. Or casing.

With one simple word — “former” — this single permit proves hot dogs have no business occupying an establishment meant for the construction of sandwiches. And while many will be displeased by this determination, it allows Chicago as a whole to heal, and move on to the next dilemma; whether or not ketchup belongs on non-sandwiches.

——— ORRRRRRRR ————

Could it be this permit pertains merely to the renovation of a “shop” to a “restaurant” and has nothing to do with anything produced within said establishment? Shoot. It’s like we’re right back where we started.

8 East Huron is getting so real, it has a website

Posted on September 7, 2016 by danieldschell

Banners announce the arrival of EightEastHuron.com

Because that’s how you know a project really exists. Besides the tower crane, of course. And all that racket from caisson work. And the core. And all the rebar.

8 East Huron (I’ll let you guess the address) in River North has a brand-spanking new website now. Click on that link, have a gander at a bunch of renderings (check out that pool!), give them your email address so you can get updates on apartment availability, and when you get back, there will be a bunch of construction progress photos waiting for you. Enjoy.