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 will deliver 242 new apartments to West Town

Posted on March 18, 2021 by danieldschell

1454 West Randolph is the second of Marquette Companies‘ apartment developments currently testing the boundaries of what I think of as the West Loop. Yes, West Town may be more suitable for this one, as it’s located west of Ogden Avenue. But I shamelessly admit the West Loop is my favorite of Chicago neighborhoods, even though it’s not one of our official community areas.

1454 West Randolph will be an 11-story, 242-unit apartment building. Brininstool + Lynch is the design architect. Power Construction is the general contractor. Marquette plans to welcome tenants early next year.

1400 West Randolph is on its way up in the far-off West Loop

Posted on March 17, 2021 by danieldschell

1400 West Randolph will deliver 278 apartments to the far reaches of the West Loop.

Marquette Companies has a pair of residential developments under construction at the outer reaches of the West Loop. This one, 1400 West Randolph, should make quite a statement when rises to its full 26-story height.

1400 West Randolph is situated on the corner of Randolph and Ogden. It 278 rental units (studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments) and 10,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space. Construction has been underway since last year, when foundation, tower crane and full-build permits were all issued.

Brininstool + Lynch is the design architect.

Below you’ll see progress photos from December 2020 and March 2021 visits. That’s Power Construction on the build. Marquette plans an early 2022 opening.

Stuff That’s Done: The Residences at the Eagle Building

Posted on March 17, 2021 by danieldschell

The Residences at the Eagle Building at 3833 North Broadway.

The Residences at the Eagle Building are open and lived in at 3833 North Broadway in Lake View. This Jonathan Splitt Architects-designed, 8-story, 134-unit apartment development from DLG Management is notable for its dismantling and reassembling of the terra cotta eagles adorning the façade. The building began welcoming tenants in 2019.

: 1

: 3833 North Braodway

First Visit (in the nick of time): Optima Lakeview lowers the boom

Posted on March 16, 2021 by danieldschell

Optima Lakeview is topped out and moving toward a 2022 opening.

My first visit to Optima Lakeview last week was just in time.

The tower crane is coming down from the topped-out T.O.D. from Glencoe’s Optima. Consisting of 198 apartments and 14,000 square feet of ground-level retail space, with parking for 94 cars and 208 bikes, the seven-story development is expected to open next year.

Optima Lakeview is another role model for do-it-yourself’ers. Optima is handling development, design, and general contractor duties.

Here now, you have your basic construction photos, and then a few shots of tower crane dismantling from March 16.

A March 2021 Update at Salesforce Tower

Posted on March 16, 2021 by danieldschell

Wolf Point, in all its glassy glory, is getting its third tower.

Call it Salesforce Tower, 333 Wolf Point Plaza, or Wolf Point South. Whichever you choose, Chicago will know exactly what you mean, as the third member of the Wolf Point power trio starts making its mark along the Chicago River.

Union Station Tower from near and far

Posted on March 16, 2021 by danieldschell

From the west, Union Station Tower is starting to obscure 311 South Wacker.

If you stand near the base of the under-construction Union Station Tower, it feels like it. and you, are surrounded on all sides by view-blocking height. But wander out of The Loop a few blocks, and you’ll begin to see just how dominant this tower is becoming in its own right.

By the way, you can have your choice of names for this tower aw well. Union Station Tower, BMO Tower, and 320 South Canal all work.

Clark Construction

Goettsch Partners

Riverside Investment & Development Company

First Visit: 609 West Randolph plants a crane, begins ascent

Posted on March 16, 2021 by danieldschell

601 West Randolph awaits its new neighbor and business partner

Bye bye tired surface parking lot, stick around 1890s four-story boutique loft building, and hello new 15-story office tower.

609 West Randolph is coming to, and staying in, the West Loop. Vista Property Group is putting up an new 15-story office building while preserving and integrating the small structure at 601 W Randolph. Skender is tasked with bringing the Antunovich Associates vision to life.

609 W Randolph got its tower crane permit just before Christmas 2020, and the foundation permit followed in January.

: Antunovich Render

First Visit: 1043 West Fulton begins going vertical in Fulton Market

Posted on March 16, 2021 by danieldschell

One of Chicago’s newest tower cranes is at 237 North Aberdeen in the Fulton Market District. But you can call it 1043 Fulton if you’d like.

1043 West Fulton is a joint effort from Intercontinental Real Estate and Fulton Street Companies. The 12-story office building will deliver 124,000 square feet of office space, 6,400 square feet of retail space, and about three dozen below-grade parking spots to the busiest neighborhood in the city.

Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture is the design architect; Power Construction is on the build. 1043 is expected to open in Spring 2022.

Photos are from two visits with five days. They’re kicking some butt on this one.

Stubless, progress-less 1000M takes another beating

Posted on March 15, 2021 by danieldschell

Its caissons are done, the tower crane stub was set, and things were rockin’ and rollin’ at 1000M, the new residential tower next to Grant Park in the South Loop. But it hasn’t seen new progress in almost a year now, and Crain’s Chicago Business reported Monday that no one within the potential shadow of the future tower seems at all pleased with the new direction developers would like to take the tower in. Apartments? Condos? A mix? Heck, even that website seems to be dead.

Bummer. Here are a couple shots of the sad, idle construction pit at 1000 South Michigan Ave.

First Visit: Gild gets underway in the Gold Coast neighborhood

Posted on March 15, 2021 by danieldschell

Gild, at State and Division in Gold Coast, is underway.

A bunch of short stuff was demolished to make room for a not-as-short apartment building at 1210 North State.

Gild is coming to Gold Coast. This 12-story, 89-unit apartment building from Newcastle Limited will also include nearly 18,000 square feet of retail space. It is a design by CallisonRTKL, and is being built by Power Construction.