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.

1200 West Carroll is coming even sooner than we thought

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Heneghan Wrecking is making short work of 1212 West Carroll, et al.

Single-story structures stand no chance when they’re in the way of progress. Don’t believe me? Ask the old Midtown Transfer complex in the Fulton Market District. We just found out last week Sterling Bay plans to develop 1200 West Carroll on this site, and Heneghan Wrecking has already accomplished a majority of the demolition work, even as they batter away at the ADM Milling Company office building and silos a block west. Let’s get that rubble hauled outta here and get started on construction.

Side note: It’s tough to see any project in the Fulton Market District without spotting another one in the background. You can see ADM demolition and Fulton Labs in the backgrounds of these 1200 West Carroll demo photos.

It looked like this just last week.

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.

First Visit (since demolition started): 1400 Monroe

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1400 Monroe rising across from Skinner Park. The goal (heh . . . goal) is to fill it with 42 condos.

It’s been a long time since we dropped by 1400 West Monroe out in the West Loop. Demolition of the former Jefferson Park Hospital had just begun in February of 2020, clearing the way for a new condominium building from JK Equities.

1400 Monroe already has its seven stories; still to come are the 42 condos within. Designed by Booth Hansen, the building sits directly across the street from Skinner Park. The general contractor is Summit Design + Build.

  • Feb 2020 demo photos ——>
  • Demo has begun at 1400 West Monroe, clearing the way for 1400 Monroe.
  • Booth Hansen 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.

1043 West Fulton tops out in the West Loop

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The best angle for counting floors at 1043 West Fulton. Go ahead, check my math.

Using my fingers and feet, I counted 12 stories at 1043 West Fulton as I walked past Friday. Knowing this is to be a 12-story office building, I asked around, and sure enough, the fine Power Construction folks told me they topped out Thursday.

Shout-outs and high-fives to all, including design architect Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture and co-developers Intercontinental Real Estate and Fulton Street Companies, and Adjustable Concrete Construction. Power has them on pace to have 1043 West Fulton open for tenants in Spring 2022.

And now, a gallery form Topping Out Day +1, and a couple from earlier in May with great sunlight. I like the sunlight.

  • May 17
  • May 11
  • May 11
  • May 11
1043 West Fulton, May20, 2021

Enjoy 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.

Yeah, I posted about that jigsaw puzzle again

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When I post construction photos on this blog, I don’t use filters. I’ll brighten them up a bit if they need it, and edit out the spots when the mirror gets dirty without me realizing, but generally speaking, I want you to see construction sites the way they are. Not artistic interpretaions.

But yeah, that photo above has been heavily filtered. I wanted it to kinda sorta look like the jigsaw puzzle I showed you this week on Facebook.

You can still get one from my friend Adrianne here. (This isn’t an ad; I first noticed this mural just a couple weeks ago, then walked into her store to say hi, and she showed me these puzzles. I got one, and you might want one too.)

The mural’s artist is Juan de la Mora. (He works at Studio Gang!) You can follow him on Instagram. The photographer is Tom Harris. I need to talk to him about how he got rid of that utility pole for his shot. He must know people. You can follow Tom on Instagram as well.

The completed puzzle. Sorry I didn’t post Progress Updates.

Hines announces topping out of One Oak Brook Commons

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One Oak Brook Commons, April 2021

You remember One Oak Brook Commons, right? I rode my battery-powered rolling suitcase out there last month to take a look at construction progress on the 17-story apartment building, the first project built in the Oak Brook Commons development.

Yesterday, Hines announced One Oak Brook Commons has topped out. That means congratulations are in order for W.E. O’Neil and Antunovich Associates, as well as Hines. There may be no more *upward* for this one, but there’s more *onward* to come.

You can read the full Hines announcement here

RaveLaw demolition commenceth

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Several months ago, I went to Chase Bank’s ATM at Ravenswood & Wolcott and transferred all my money from the old bank to the newly-completed branch next door. And it’s a good thing I did, because that old building started coming down yesterday.

That’s Precision Excavation out there doing the dirty work. If you still have money in this branch, they’ve probably found it by now. Sorry.

Once the dust and rubble clear, construction can begin on Ravenswood and Lawrence. But the cool kids (me) are calling it RaveLaw.

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.

Low and slow is the way to go as early CA6 construction continues

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Maris Construction is busy erecting CA6, an eight-story, 72-unit condo building from Belgravia Group on the West Loop corner of Racine and Jackson. We went by last week so see what’s cookin’, on what is a deceptively-large lot. Foundation work is ongoing, even as excavation at the north end of the lot continues.

Just because: Pre-demolition photos at 3415-3425 North Ashland. A bunch of them.

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There’s a four-story, 48-unit residential building coming to the 3400-block of North Ashland Avenue in the Lake View neighborhood. That means it’s demolition time for the three low-slung brick buildings right smack-dab next to the L tracks just north of Roscoe Street, but south of Loyola Press.

You used to be able to sit down to read the information posted at 3415 N Ashland, but sadly, it’s now inside the demo fence.

Brophy Excavation is doing the demolition work.

Check out this link from the 44th Ward for more info on 3415 North Ashland. Then see the gallery with the ridiculous number of pictures I took before this all comes down.

  • Rendering from the 44th Ward info.
3415-3425 North Ashland. The murals were cool.

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.

Progress Update: Inspire West Town is a wonder of concrete stalagmites

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Took a quick peek at Inspire West Town (670 North May) Monday to see how progress was coming along, and wasn’t disappointed. New growth is shooting up all over. Of course, it *is* spring.

Bond Companies is the developer of this eight-story, 118-unit building, a project designed by FitzGerald, with Global Builders in charge of construction.

Inspire West Town progress, on a gray May day.

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 Plumbers Union parking garage is underway in the West Loop

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It didn’t take long after the permit was issued to get work started on the Plumbers Local 130 parking garage at 1371 West Randolph in the West Loop. Crews have begun tearing up the surface parking lot, and a protective tunnel now covers the Randolph sidewalk.

With the building permit coming through Friday, which followed the tower crane permit received May 6, we should start seeing caisson work (and a tower crane stub!) very soon.

Once again, W.E. O’Neil is handling the heavy lifting. OKW Architects is the design firm.

  • Tower crane permit.
  • Full build permit.

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