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.

920 North Wells scores North Union’s first tower crane permit as caissons wrap up

Posted on May 22, 2022 by danieldschell

It took <check’s sun dial> less than two weeks for Power Construction and Stalworth Underground to get caissons drilled at 920 North Wells. I’ve left dirty dishes in the sink for longer than that. Regularly. But there’s no time to be wasted on JDL Development’s latest endeavor, the North Union mega project, so it’s out with caisson equipment, and in with the earth movers. They’ve got a foundation to dig out, not just for the building, but also for the tower crane, and Manitowoc MD485 to be precise, which received a foundation permit of its own on Tuesday, May 17.

Since I once again fell asleep on the job, the following gallery includes photos of caisson work taken May 12, and post-caisson work taken May 19.

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.

633 South La Salle has the permits to get started. Has it started?

Posted on May 22, 2022 by danieldschell

Construction can be confusing when you don’t pay close attention. There’s a world of activity on a site one day, then the next day all the equipment is gone, the dirt’s been smoothed over, and it looks like the lot has been abandoned.

And that’s my segue for the first visit to 633 South LaSalle in the South Loop. 633 got its first permit back in May of 2019, allowing for construction of an 18-story, 117-unit residential tower. Then, crickets. That permit was reinstated in April of 2020, but, pandemic.
Now, two new permits have been issued this spring: the first, for caissons, on March 31. The second, for the full building, on May 10. These two latest permits have a new general contractor: Clark Construction. Berkelhamer and FitzGerald are the architecture firms. The Collective in NYC is the developer.

So that’s the permit sitch. What I can’t speak to is the progress. Like I said, construction can be confusing if you’re not paying attention. The current state of the 633 South LaSalle site looks like the caisson aftermath, when the slate looks clean and ready for foundations to be dug. But I can’t find anyone with caisson photos on the web. (I’m not the only one taking photos of such things, you know.) As a result, I can’t even tell you whether work has begun here.

What I can tell you is where to find more info about this co-living development:
Chicago YIMBY
REJournals
Urbanize Chicago
Real Deal Chicago

Bonus gallery: The buildings on either side of 633 are magnificent.

Demolitions are underway for 210 North Aberdeen

Posted on May 22, 2022 by danieldschell

Slo-mo Green Line Fly-by over 210 North Aberdeen

It’s tough to see the demolition work Taylor Excavating has started at 210 North Aberdeen (fences and angles and whatnot), so the video above, taken from an outbound CTA train, was the best chance to watch. Soon, Taylor Excavating will bust through the backs of the buildings along May Street for better spectating.

LG Group has approval for 210 Aberdeen, a NORR-designed 19-story, 363-unit apartment project in the West Loop. To make way for it, demolition permits were issued May 11 for 213, 215, and 221 North May Street (the aforementioned “backs of buildings) as well as partial demolitions for 210 and 214 North Aberdeen. The original Arthur Harris & Company building, which encompasses both those Aberdeen addresses, is being preserved. Only the small addition on the south end of the building is being removed.

The handsome Arthur Harris & Company building stays put.

More demolition at Cassidy Tire

Posted on May 22, 2022 by danieldschell

Atlas Industries continues their work bringing down the former Cassidy Tire at 344 North Canal. These were taken Thursday, so there’s even more demolition/less building now

Checking back on The 808 Cleveland

Posted on May 17, 2022 by danieldschell

First and foremost, a special thanks to the team of Focus and Pepper Construction for using their tower crane to pluck The Spirit of Progress from atop One River Place Condominiums and setting on top of The 808 Cleveland construction site so I could get the above photo op. The statue was returned to its proper place without anyone knowing she was missing.

And here are a bunch more photos I took of progress at Pappageorge Haymes Partners-designed, 22-story apartment building for DAC Developments that didn’t require me stealing a Chicago icon.

There are piles of piles to drive at Embry

Posted on May 17, 2022 by danieldschell

Caissons are done, but foundation work continues for Embry at 21 North May in the West Loop. A 270-degree tour around the site last week shows piles have been driven into the ground, and a bunch more sat at the ready for their turn in the soil. That’s the firm of McHugh & McHugh (Construction & Concrete) on the job out there, getting this 16-story, 58-unit condo building from Sulo Development ready to go vertical. And remember, they’ll be getting a shiny yellow Liebherr tower crane soon, too.

732 West Randolph plants yet another tower crane along Randolph Street

Posted on May 16, 2022 by danieldschell

The base section of a tower crane was set in pace Thursday at 732 West Randolph.

What an embarrassment of tower-crane riches we’ve along Randolph Street in the West Loop. Even though recent rigs at 609, 1371, 1400 and 1454 are gone, we have cranes operating at the corners of Randolph and Peoria (900 Randolph), Randolph and Aberdeen (166 North Aberdeen), and Randolph and Elizabeth (160 North Elizabeth.)

And now, 732 West Randolph has entered the chat. Thursday, general contractor Maris Construction and concrete contractor Pepper Construction planted the base for a tower crane that will build an eight-story (plus basement) office building. Designed by Hirsch MPG, 732 will connect on its first six floors with 730 West Randolph next door, and will include a rooftop deck and basement fitness center.

732 West Randolph got its first construction permit way back on March 03, 2020, as a renovation/alteration permit to add the eight-story building to the aforementioned six-story building at 730 West. A revised New Construction permit was issued September 23 of 2022. Both of those permits were reinstated in August of last year, and the tower crane was permitted February 1 of this year.

As you can see, work is in progress. All that rebar around the base of the crane will be smothered in concrete for the crane foundation on Monday.

Progress Update: 166 North Aberdeen

Posted on May 16, 2022 by danieldschell

166 North Aberdeen is:
A 21-story, 224-unit apartment tower
A development from MCZ Development
A design by SCB
A build by Lendlease
A concrete project of Pepper Construction

It looks like progress is close to, if not at, level 10. Yep, right around the halfway mark. Math.

160 North Elizabeth hits the 15th floor

Posted on May 16, 2022 by danieldschell

A Linkedin post late last week from Thomas Roszak tells us concrete at 160 North Elizabeth has reached the 15th floor. This is a 27-story tower, so that’s more than halfway up. Because math. And I’m good at it. Clark and Adjustable are good at things too, because this building is flying upwards.

If you happened to make it outside Thursday, you noticed it was a sunny, gorgeous day. And sunny days are ideal for construction progress photos. So I took a few:

513 South Damen is topped out and very glassy

Posted on May 15, 2022 by danieldschell

513 South Damen and its sister building, Atrio.

When last (and first) I visited 513 South Damen in the Illinois Medical District, I was surprised at how quickly it had grown. Last week’s 360-degree tour shows it to be topped at 22 stories, and glass has reached the eighth level above the parking podium.

513 South Damen is:
A 279-unit apartment building
A development from Marquette Companies
A design by Brininstool + Lynch
A project of Power Construction