Author Archives: danieldschell

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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.

1454 West Randolph is now Evo Union Park, and it’s in on the glass game

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Step aside, 1400. You’re not the only one on this street lending a touch of glass to the neighborhood.

1454 West Randolph is getting its glazing on over in West Town. But not only does it have new glass, it also has a new name.

Evo Union Park is the moniker attached to this one, per developer Marquette Companies’ website. Cool. 1454 West Randolph had an awful lot of syllables to get through.

So congrats on the two milestones at Evo Union Park to Marquette, design architect Brininstool + Lynch, and GC Power Construction. Next up: topping out!

Enjoying the photos? Metra and CTA rides, Zipcars, Divvy Bikes, camera lenses, and comfortable walking shoes are adding up. You can help offset expenses by making a greatly-appreciated donation to Building Up Chicago.

345 North Morgan lands its full-build permit

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Eckenhoff Saunders rendering

It’s been almost 15 months since foundation and tower crane permits were issued for Sterling Bay’s 345 North Morgan, an 11-story, 230,000-square-foot office building in the nearly-impossible-to-keep-up-with Fulton Market District. That’s a looong time to wait on a tower crane.

But Monday, the full building permit was issued for this one, so we’re keeping crossed fingers that Three Four Five will get started soon.

Located next door to Sterling Bay’s Ace Hotel, and across the street from their Google offices at 1KFulton, 345 North Morgan will include ground-floor retail space and parking spots for 34 cars, according to that aforementioned permit.

Eckenhoff Saunders Architects is the design architect on 345. Skender Construction is designated as the general contractor.

  • Tower crane permit 03/09/2020
  • Foundation permit 03/12/2020
  • Full permit 06/14/2021
  • Demolition December 2019

Stuff That’s Done (and in Milwaukee): The Milwaukee Bucks’ new home, Fiserv Forum

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Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee

Look, I’m not posting this now in the hopes of scoring free Playoff tickets. Honest, I’m not. That I hadn’t been in Milwaukee in four years is purely coincidental. But anyway, good job by the Bucks in Game 3 after looking like they might be future venison steaks on the roof rack of a station wagon after that Game 2 horror.

Fiserv Forum was called the Wisconsin Entertainment and Sports Center when I last stopped by, in July 2017.

Fiserv Forum is a design by Populous, the Kansas City-based architecture firm known in Chicago for its work on Guaranteed Rate Field and the United Center. They were assisted in the design work by Eppstein Uhen Architects and HNTB Corporation. The M.A. Mortenson Company was the general contractor.

The Forum opened in August 2018. It’s predecessor, the Bradley Center, was demolished soon after. That site remains empty now, but I doubt it’ll remain that way for long.

The empty Bradley Center lot.
The new parking garage next door.

Enjoying the photos? Metra and CTA rides, Zipcars, Divvy Bikes, camera lenses, and comfortable walking shoes are adding up. You can help offset expenses by making a greatly-appreciated donation to Building Up Chicago.

Caisson work has begun at the Plumbers Union 130 parking garage

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W.E. O’Neil Construction and Michels Corporation are sending caissons into the West Loop soil for the seven-story parking garage at the Plumbers Local 130 facility. The permit to begin was issued May 14.

Now I know some of you aren’t huge parking garage fans, but this one is requiring a tower crane, so there’s a nice trade-off here. (I’m told not to expect said tower crane until July.)

  • OKW rendering

Enjoying the photos? Metra and CTA rides, Zipcars, Divvy Bikes, camera lenses, and comfortable walking shoes are adding up. You can help offset expenses by making a greatly-appreciated donation to Building Up Chicago.

Site prep is underway for The Couture on Milwaukee’s lakefront

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Rendering of The Couture from Rinka Chung Architecture.

Four years ago when I last visited Milwaukee, it looked like The Couture was a good bet to be the next tower crane along Lake Michigan.

I was wrong. For the most part. Luckily I didn’t have any money on it.

There’s still no tower crane, but site prep for The Couture has begun, as crews rip out the remnants of the concrete slab that once supported the Milwaukee Transit Center, and get the site ready for foundation work.

The Couture will be a 44-story tower at Clybourn Street, Lincoln Memorial Drive, and Michigan Street. The prime site will offer sweeping views of the lake, the stellar Milwaukee Art Museum, and the annual home of Summerfest, Henry Maier Festival Park.

Early info on The Couture had it including up to 600 units (residents? residences? hmm). Recent features, including this one from Urban Milwaukee, show a much lower number, with 322 apartments and 40,000 square feet of commercial space.

Barrett Lo Visionary Development is The Couture’s developer; Rinka Chung Architecture is the design architect. (They’re hiring! See the website for more info, plus animated renderings.) J.H. Findorff & Son is the general contractor.

  • Rendering of The Couture from Rinka Chung Architecture

Enjoying the photos? Metra and CTA rides, Zipcars, Divvy Bikes, camera lenses, and comfortable walking shoes are adding up. You can help offset expenses by making a greatly-appreciated donation to Building Up Chicago.

I found one Milwaukee tower crane, and it’s building the mass timber-framed Ascent

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The world’s tallest mass timber frame building is under construction in Milwaukee. That’s far more unique than having the only tower crane (that I could find) in the city, and it’s a big deal.

Ascent is one of the latest projects from Milwaukee developer New Land Enterprises. They’re putting up this 25-story, 284-foot-tall apartment tower at North Van Buren Street and East Kilbourn Avenue in the city’s New Town neighborhood. (That’s right. If you’re looking for Chicago-style pizza in Milwaukee, Edwardo’s is no longer here.) When completed next year, Ascent will deliver 259 one-, two-, and three-bedroom units.

The Milwaukee firm of Korb + Associates is the design architect. Check out their website for a bunch of great renderings.

Catalyst Construction and C.D. Smith Construction are on the build.

And now, photos from June 2021:

  • Korb + Associates rendering
  • Korb + Associates rendering

Enjoying the photos? Metra and CTA rides, Zipcars, Divvy Bikes, camera lenses, and comfortable walking shoes are adding up. You can help offset expenses by making a greatly-appreciated donation to Building Up Chicago.

More glass, more bridge lifts, more Salesforce Tower

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Why not. It’s been a couple weeks.

Enjoying the photos? Metra and CTA rides, Zipcars, Divvy Bikes, camera lenses, and comfortable walking shoes are adding up. You can help offset expenses by making a greatly-appreciated donation to Building Up Chicago.

The Reed at Southbank scores its foundation permit

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The foundation permit, issued June 7.

FOUNDATIONS ONLY PERMIT FOR THE NEW CONSTRUCTION OF A HIGH RISE RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

And with those words, issued by the City of Chicago Monday, The Reed at Southbank may begin construction. Lendlease is the general contractor, with McHugh Concrete doing the concrete work. (Note: in “official” contractor-speak, the tower crane “belongs” to the concrete contractor. But around here, we aren’t diligent enough to find and name all the sub-contractors on construction projects, so the general contractor is credited for the tower crane. We don’t mean to slight anyone; it’s just how we do it.)

The Reed at Southbank will be the second tower at Lendlease’s Southbank development. Its first, The Cooper, opened in 2018. The Reed, also designed by Perkins + Will, will be a 41-story mix of apartments and condominiums

They’ve been out there tearing up the ground for while now, prepping the site and doing that vertical shaft thing we mentioned before. But now it’s time for the real fun to start.

Rendering from The Reed at Southbank website.

Stay tuned, Milwaukee fans

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My single tower crane sighting, at Ascent.

Sorry, folks. I’ve gotten into a bit of a rut the past few weeks. It was bound to happen with the development slow-down we’ve seen. When this blog was *really rolling, back in 2017, we had a total of 62 tower cranes around Chicago. Now, with just 12 at the moment, it’s difficult to provide some variety. There just isn’t as much to watch these days.

Granted, I could still walk back and forth all day between Carroll Avenue demolitions and Salesforce Tower construction, but I doubt you want to see photo galleries of those every other day.

So to mix things up a little, I’m on a 30-hour visit up north in Milwaukee. Like Chicago, there isn’t nearly as much happening here as the last time I visited back in 2017 (I’ve only spotted one single tower crane) but at least it’s something different.

I forgot to bring the cable that zips photos from my camera to my laptop, so I can’t post much until I get back to Chicago. But I’ll have a few Milwaukee updates for you this week.

The Ascent crane from my hotel room.

Chicago’s June 2021 Tower Crane Count goes all the way past 11. To 12.

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Don’t know why the Spinal Tap joke didn’t occur to me last month, when we had 11 tower cranes. My bad. I’ve let you all down.

We lost none of our cranes since last month, and added one, at The Gateway Apartments (2050 West Ogden) in the Illinois Medical District. We also picked up two new permits: 354 North Union and 1371 West Randolph. And we’re holding out hope that 1000M gets going again soon. As for the other outstanding permits (345 North Morgan, 178 West Randolph, and 320 South Clinton)? Your guess is as good as mine.

Where are the tower cranes?

  • West Loop – 4
  • Illinois Medical District – 2
  • River North – 2
  • One each – The Loop (300 North Michigan); West Town (1454 West Randolph); Portage Park (Clarendale Six Corners); Gold Coast (Gild Chicago)

What are they building?

  • Residential – 6.5 (300 North Michigan is half res/half hotel)
  • Hotel – .5 (300 North Michigan)
  • Office – 4
  • Medical – 1 (UI Health)

Who has them?

  • Power Construction – 5
  • One each – Linn-Mathes (300 North Michigan); Clark Construction (320 South Canal); Skender (609 West Randolph); Ryan Companies (Clarendale Six Corners); Walsh Construction (Salesforce Tower); Global Builders (2050 West Ogden); Pepper Construction (UI Health)

Here’s a 12-pack for ya:

  • 300 North Michigan
  • 320 South Canal
  • 609 West Randolph
  • 1043 West Fulton
  • 1400 West Randolph
  • 1454 West Randolph
  • 2050 West Ogden
  • Clarendale Six Corners
  • Gild Chicago
  • One Chicago
  • Salesforce Tower
  • UI Health

Enjoying the photos? Metra and CTA rides, Zipcars, Divvy Bikes, camera lenses, and comfortable walking shoes are adding up. You can help offset expenses by making a greatly-appreciated donation to Building Up Chicago.