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.

🏗 Chicago rocks into October with 33 tower cranes in the air 🏗

Posted on October 1, 2017 by danieldschell

On the right is #33, Power Construction’s tower crane at 900 West, erected on the last two days of September.

With one new kid added at the last possible second (900 West got started Friday) Chicago enters the month of October with 33 operating tower cranes in the air.

New since September’s count:

One Grant Park #2 (1200 South Indiana)
The Lincoln Common North crane (2345 North Lincoln)
Hoxton Chicago hotel (200 North Green)
900 West (904 West Washington, just in the nick of time)

Gone since September:

McDonald’s East Crane
1407 On Michigan

Coming soon:

808 West Van Buren (stub in the ground)
210 North Carpenter (permit issued 09/26; stub planted 09/28)
Hayden West Loop (1109 West Washington; permit issued 09/07)
3833 Broadway (permit issued 09/06)
110 West Huron (permit issued 08/11)
The Bentham (146 West Erie; permit issued 09/11)

Who has cranes:

Lendlease – 8
Power – 8
McHugh – 6
W.E. O’Neil – 2
Nine companies have one crane each: Walsh (1326 South Michigan); Clayco (Cook County Central Campus Health Center); Pepper (Moxy Hotel); Centaur (Nobu Hotel); Norcon (Illume Chicago); Tishman (Aloft Chicago Mag Mile); Onni (Old Town Park); Linn-Mathes (Wicker Park Connection); Macon (No. 508)

What are they building:

Residential – 22
Hotel – 7
Medical – 3
Office – 1 (McDonald’s is the only tower crane in Chicago working on an office building right now.)

Where are they:

South Loop – 8
Streeterville – 6
West Loop – 6
New East Side – 2
River North – 2
Lincoln Park – 2
Lake View – 2
Five neighborhoods have one tower crane apiece: Illinois Medical District (Cook County Central Campus Health Center); Near North (Old Town Park); Gold Coast (No. 9 Walton); Wicker Park (Wicker Park Connection); Uptown (Eight Eleven Uptown)

Ready for the photos? Here you go, from north (Uptown) to south (Prairie District):

: Eight Eleven Uptown (811 West Agatite) as seen from inside Wrigley Field.

: Addison & Clark (1025 West Addison) also from inside Wrigley Field.

: No. 508 (508 West Diversey)

: 2 at The Lincoln Common (2335 and 2345 North Lincoln)

: Wicker Park Connection (1640 West Division)

: Old Town Park (1140 North Wells)

: No. 9 Walton (9 West Walton)

: 2 at Simpson Querrey Biomedical Research Center (303 East Superior)

: Marlowe (675 North Wells)

: Aloft Chicago Mag Mile (243 East Ontario)

: Moxy Hotel (530 North LaSalle)

: 2 at One Bennett Park (154 East Grand)

: 465 North Park

: 2 at Vista Tower (363 and 401 East Wacker)

: Hoxton Chicago hotel (200 North Green)

: Nobu Hotel (854 West Randolph)

: McDonald’s Headquarters (110 North Carpenter)

: 900 West (904 West Washington)

: 727 West Madison

: Illume Chicago (111 South Peoria)

: Ancora at Riverline (720 South Wells)

: Cook County Central Campus Health Center (1950 West Polk)

: Essex On The Park (808 South Michigan)

: Hilton Homewood Suites (1101 South Wabash)

: Eleven40 (1136 South Wabash)

: 2 at One Grant Park (1200 South Indiana)

: 1326 South Michigan

: Triple-branded Hilton (123 East Cermak)

56 West Huron gets permission for 11 condos in River North (updated)

Posted on September 30, 2017 by danieldschell

Rendering of 56 West Huron from Kiferbaum Development Group.

56 West Huron is for real.

The 13-story, 11-unit condominium tower from Kiferbaum Development Group got the green light from the City of Chicago Friday, allowing construction to begin in River North.

The Studio Dwell-designed project boasts 10 full-floor condos and one duplex penthouse. Each unit will have one parking space apiece. According to the 56 West Huron website (link above) condos begin at $1.375M, with one unit already sold.

Gilbane Building Company will be the general contractor. Kiferbaum’s plan has 56 West Huron opening in Summer 2018.

: All the signs are there; soon, the building will be, too.

: I *think* the former Van Cleef salon is to be demolished.

: Bye bye empty lot.

: The Permit.

: And there it is. A demo permit for the Van Cleef building issued Monday Oct 3.

*** This story has been updated to show the demolition permit for the former Van Cleef salon building.

As the regular season winds down, Hotel Zachary prepares for Opening Day in 2018

Posted on September 29, 2017 by danieldschell

https://twitter.com/WrigleyAerials/status/912428749366480896

That’s Curtis Waltz from Aerialscapes up there in that tweet, and he’s absolutely right. There may not be mints on pillows yet, but the Hotel Zachary looks like a hotel that wants to be open sooner rather than later. Granted, another Cubs playoff run will still draw the bulk of the attention around Wrigley Field this fall, but maybe HZ likes it that way. Fly under the radar. As Aerialscapes flies over.

The Hotel Zachary is Hickory Street Capital’s development, and designed by VOA Associates/Stantec. The 7-story hotel will have 175 guest rooms, retail spaces, and multiple dining options. Walsh Construction has been on the job since breaking ground last summer. You won’t have to wait for the Cubs Opening Day 2018 to stay at the Hotel Zachary; it will open early next year.

Chicago has, and has taken down, a lot of tower cranes in 2017

Posted on September 28, 2017 by danieldschell

https://twitter.com/ChicagosMayor/status/912748206949326848

That tweet from The Mayor got me to thinking about the tower cranes we’ve lost so far that were in operation this year.

To the best of my knowledge, they are:

McDonald’s East crane (110 North Carpenter)
1407 On Michigan (1411 South Michigan)
Hotel Zachary (3630 North Clark)
Elevate Lincoln Park (930 West Altgeld)
Spoke (1001 West Chicago)
Optima Signature (220 East Illinois)
Apple Store (401 North Michigan)
8 East Huron (8 East Huron)
Hubbard 221 (412 North Wells)
3Eleven (311 West Illinois)
171 Aberdeen (171 North Aberdeen)
625 West Adams (625 West Adams)
Landmark West Loop (1035 West Van Buren)
Alta Roosevelt (801 South Financial)
Solstice on the Park (1616 East 56th)
Marriott Marquis (2121 South Prairie)
Latter-day Saints Meetinghouse (822 North Clark)
Gallery On Wells (167 West Erie)
EMME (165 North Desplaines)
151 North Franklin (151 North Franklin)
The Sinclair (1201 North LaSalle)
DePaul School of Music (2330 North Halsted)
640 North Wells (640 North Wells)

Since the Mayor’s announcement, which came at a ceremony for The Lincoln Common’s second tower crane, we’ve added a 55th crane, at the Hoxton Chicago hotel (200 North Green.)

What’s that? You want to see photos of all 23 removed tower cranes? Sure, we can do that.

: McDonald’s West crane

: 1407 On Michigan

: The Hotel Zachary

: Elevate Lincoln Park

: Spoke at 1001 West Chicago

: Optima Signature

: Apple Store

: 8 East Huron

: Hubbard 221 and 412 North Wells

: 3Eleven

: 171 North Aberdeen, being taken down

: 625 West Adams

: Landmark West Loop

: Alta Roosevelt

: Solstice on the Park

: Marriott Marquis

: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 822 North Clark

: The Gallery On Wells

: EMME at 165 North Desplaines

: 151 North Franklin

: 640 North Wells, being taken down in January

: The Sinclair

: DePaul School of Music

With caissons complete, 210 North Carpenter pulls a tower crane permit (updated)

Posted on September 28, 2017 by danieldschell

*** This story has been updated with the photo below. Leopardo Companies was having the tower crane stub planted on the 210 North Carpenter site as the story was being written Thursday morning. The stub was spotted from the Skydeck at the Sears Tower.

210 North Carpenter tower crane stub

Under the watchful eye of Chicago’s skyline, foundations are being dug for 210 North Carpenter. Coming soon: a tower crane.

210 North Carpenter has been cleared of caisson equipment, dirt has been smoothed over, and foundations are being dug for Sterling Bay’s 12-story, 200,000-square-foot office building in the West Loop. And on Tuesday September 26, the City of Chicago issued a tower crane permit for the project, allowing CG Leopardo Companies to go vertical on their own future offices.

: 210 North Carpenter rendering from Sterling Bay.

: 210 North Carpenter rendering from Sterling Bay.

: The Tower Crane Permit.

: A blank canvas, now that caisson work is done.

It’s Go Time for Renelle on the River

Posted on September 28, 2017 by danieldschell

It’s official: Construction may begin on Renelle on the RIver.

A building permit issued yesterday by the City of Chicago signals the official start of Renelle on the River at 403 North Wabash Avenue in River North. The bKL Architecture design is being developed by Belgravia Group, and it will deliver 50 new condominiums to the former plaza next to Trump Hotel and Tower. McHugh Construction will be the general contractor.

We’ve been waiting on this one for awhile. Construction fencing went up around the plaza early this year, but demo didn’t begin until summer. But with permit in hand (and at least 40% of those 50 condos already sold) it’s finally time to get busy and get Renelle on the River on the plaza.

: bKL rendering of Renelle on the River.

: Plaza demolition as of August.

The 8-story Moxy Hotel is 8 stories high

Posted on September 27, 2017 by danieldschell

River North’s Moxy Hotel shouldn’t grow much taller than this.

Look, I’m not saying the Moxy Hotel in River North has topped out. I’m also not saying it hasn’t. But it has for sure reached the eighth floor of what we’re told is to be an eight-story boutique hotel. There are also a couple rows of glass installed now, to nicely compliment the yellow siding.

That’s Pepper Construction out there doing the dirty work. You know them for being a prominent concrete contractor, and they also recently completed the Hotel EMC2 in Streeterville.

We (Read: I) still don’t know much about the Moxy Chicago. It’ll be eight stories, because that’s what the permit says. But there hasn’t been any indication of room count, rooftop bars, types of mints on the pillows, nothing like that. The website shows the hotel in Chicago plans a mid-2018 opening. So that’s all we can say for now.

: The little tower crane that could, has.

: There it is again, down the block.

Quick Look: The glass is half full at 1407 On Michigan

Posted on September 26, 2017 by danieldschell

Showing no ill effects of losing its tower crane a couple weeks ago, 1407 On Michigan continues to progress towards completion. The following photos were taken late (it’s gets dark at 6:30 now 😟) Tuesday afternoon. Late-day sunlight serves this project well.

The Viridian on Sheridan tops out in Lake View

Posted on September 26, 2017 by danieldschell

A Facebook post yesterday from Hirsch Associates Architects announced the topping out of The Viridian on Sheridan, a new 10-story apartment building from Vermilion Development.

The 100-unit building sits on the corner of Sheridan and Broadway, at 734 West Sheridan Road. The Hirsch design includes one-bed, two-bed, and three-bedroom units, with a top-floor amenity level, all sitting under a green roof that will include a vegetable garden. (Of course, renters won’t want to tell their moms that, or they’ll be told they have to eat more vegetables.) Ground-level retail space will also be included, as will 59 parking spots.

Work on The Viridian on Sheridan got started this past winter, when a demolition permit was issued in late February to wreck and remove the gas station formerly on the site. The the City of Chicago issued the building permit for the new property in April of this year, and general contractor Arco/Murray got to work on construction.

Vermilion plans to have residents in their new digs in Spring 2018. Congratulations to the entire team on reaching the top!

Marlowe nears full height in River North

Posted on September 26, 2017 by danieldschell

Power Construction has Marlowe near the top in River North.

Over on the busiest block in River North, Marlowe (675 North Wells Street, 169 West Huron Street, whichever you prefer) is getting dangerously close to topping out. Power Construction might be setting some land-speed records with the future 15-story apartment building, which was only at the fifth floor when last we checked in on it in early August. Now, we can see the underside of 13, maybe even 14 floors already. That’s gettin’ it done in a hurry.

Lennar Multifamily Companies is developing the 176-unit Marlowe, designed by Antunovich Associates. They want to have it ready for move-ins next year, but at this pace, it might be open tomorrow. (No it won’t.)