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.

Centaur Construction has their groove back at the West Loop’s Nobu Hotel

Posted on June 18, 2018 by danieldschell

Taking a loooong look at the Nobu Hotel, from Peoria Street over the Eisenhower Expressway.

In May, Centaur Construction got back to work at Nobu Hotel, and it didn’t take them long to hit their stride again.

With Pepper Construction’s help on concrete, progress on the hotel has jumped up to the fourth floor since we last stopped by just a couple weeks ago, while the core continues to grow toward its 11-story goal.

In the meantime, the Chicago version of the Nobu Hotel has changed ownership, with new permits listing NHC, LLC of Coral Gables, Florida as the new entity. The address comes up as the AIC Hotel Group, which lists other Nobu Hotels, and Hard Rock Hotels, among its properties.

GEMS World Academy Upper School gets permission to complete its latest assignment

Posted on June 14, 2018 by danieldschell

With a permit issued Wednesday, the GEMS World Academy Upper School has official permission to complete its 13-story building in Lakeshore East. That allows Power Construction to continue their progress on the bKL Architecture-designed facility. Students are expected to start using the Upper School in Winter 2019.

You can watch progress for yourself by following this link to the youtube construction cam; the cam is also accessible from bKL Archtecture’s GEMS World Academy Upper School page linked above.

: bKL Architecture renderings.

: bKL Architecture rendering.

: The Full-Build Permit.

: GEMS World Academy, the original.

Views of Chicago, from the18th Street Bridge

Posted on June 13, 2018 by danieldschell

My town, Chicago, as seen from the 18th Street Bridge.

I walk across the South Loop’s 18th Street Bridge once or twice a year, whether I need to or not. And that’s a shame. It’s a great perspective of the city, including the skyline and the magnificent St. Charles Air Line Bridge. For six months, it was all in my back yard. Now that I’m gone from the neighborhood, I realize how unappreciative I was of my proximity to it.

I need to get here more. A lot more.

I may have gotten a tad carried away with cropping photos into panoramas here. Indulge me. As usual, I couldn’t decide which ones *not* to include.

St. Charles Air Line Bridge

: Okay, not from the bridge…

: …

Canal Street Railroad Bridge

: From a bridge, but not 18th Street…

Ping Tom Park

Construction on the horizon

: 727 West Madison.

: Essex.

: NEMA Chicago and The Paragon Chicago.

: (Obscured) Hilton Homewood Suites/Hilton Garden Inn.

: The Paragon Chicago tower crane.

: The Cooper at Southbank.

Progress Update: Columbia College Student Center

Posted on June 13, 2018 by danieldschell

It’s time to check in with Pepper Construction on their progress in the South Loop. That’s where they’re erecting the Gensler-designed Columbia College Student Center at 8th Street and Wabash Avenue. The 114,000-square-foot facility is slated for opening in 2019.

Prepare to be shocked: I went to Wolf Point East again

Posted on June 12, 2018 by danieldschell

June 6, 2018: The City of Chicago was kind enough to raise half of the Lake Street Bridge so I could get a good view of Wolf Point East.

It was there, so I stopped. Sue me.

The GR333N-ing of the Fulton Market District continues

Posted on June 12, 2018 by danieldschell

Looking across the tracks at 333 North Green.

Office buildings are a big deal in the West Loop these days. No longer confined to The Loop, Chicago’s professional palaces are sprawling out to other neighborhoods now, and the West Loop leads the way. Not surprising, as this part of town seems to be out in front of most every aspect of development.

We’re keeping a close eye on 333 North Green, or GR333N as it’s been dubbed, partly because it’s cool to look down on Power Construction at work from up on the Halsted Street Bridge. One of Sterling Bay’s recent additions to West Town’s office-building portfolio, 333 North Green will be 19 stories tall and contain 555,000 square feet of office space.

We took a stroll past the site last week, and can offer you these views of progress:

: Keepong the Halsted Street lookie-loos at bay.

Hyatt House has started to grow at May and Washington

Posted on June 12, 2018 by danieldschell

Skender is ramping up construction on the Hyatt House hotel in the West Loop.

The 16-story Hyatt House Hotel is starting to rise from the former parking lot at 105 North May Street in the West Loop.

Skender is the general contractor on Hyatt House; this represents their one and only tower crane on the current Chicago Survey, and they’re making it count. The future hotel has risen above street level already. Designed for Sterling Bay by Eckenhoff Saunders Architects, Hyatt House will have about 200 guest rooms.

It’s a Caisson Fest at 110 North Wacker

Posted on June 11, 2018 by danieldschell

Picture yourself, on a rebarge, by the river.

There’s something you should know about ongoing caisson work at 110 North Wacker.

Case Foundation is doing the dirty work at The Loop construction site. They have a crew on a barge making the rebar cages that will be sunk into the ground to reinforce the caissons. You know what that means?

They’re using a REBARGE! Sorry, not sorry.

Clark Construction is the GC on this one. They’re tasked with getting the Goettsch Partners-designed office tower to rise to its 54-story goal.

One more thing you should know is that caisson work along the river is very photogenic. Especially on a bridge-lift day. Have a look for yourself in the gallery below.

: Everyone’s watching the bridge lift.

A June look at The Paragon Chicago’s progress in the South Loop

Posted on June 11, 2018 by danieldschell

You can see where the next “split” in the curtain wall will be on The Paragon Chicago.

It looks like The Paragon Chicago is up to the 32nd floor or so. That’s not quite three-quarters of the way to the top, which is fine by me. The Paragon continues to be one of Chicago’s prettiest under-construction towers, so hurrying to that 47th floor isn’t something I need The Big Green W to do.

A friendly reminder that The Paragon is a joint effort by Murphy Development Group and CIM Group. The SCB design will deliver 500 new units to the South Loop upon its opening next spring.

: Water tank reflections.

A few more from The Cooper at Southbank

Posted on June 11, 2018 by danieldschell

Southbank Park is claiming some of the Chicago River.

The Cooper at Southbank is fast approaching its Fall 2018 opening. Last week we told you about the new name for the apartment tower in Lendlease’s also-newly-named Southbank development. We took another walk around the site Wednesday to see the tower, as well as continued work on the grounds that will become Southbank Park.