The second tower crane is coming down at McDonald’s HQ

Posted on November 17, 2017 by danieldschell

Piece by piece, the West Crane at McDonald’s new HQ is coming down.

West Crane at the new McDonald’s Headquarters in the West Loop was the first one to work, and now it’s the last one to go home. Of the two tower cranes, that is.

The two cranes were erected about a week apart back in February, did what McHugh Construction needed them to do, and East Crane came down back in September. West Crane stuck around to get the last of the heavy lifting accomplished, but this week sees it leaving the site as well. Trucks and personnel from Central Contractors Service were out there Thursday disassembling the second Peiner SK415 and lowering it to the ground.

With a stub in the ground at Hayden West Loop but no crane assembled there yet, the West Loop tower crane count drops to 7, tying it with the South Loop for the neighborhood lead. It’ll get it back soon though.

The Lincoln Common scores a third tower crane permit at Belmont Village

Posted on November 16, 2017 by danieldschell

As foundation work continues, Belmont Village has secured a tower crane permit.

Belmont Village, the 7-story senior living center coming to 700 West Fullerton Parkway as part of the Lincoln Common development, received a tower crane permit from the City of Chicago Wednesday. That makes it three for W. E. O’Neil, who are also utilizing two others for the towers being constructed on the Lincoln Avenue properties.

7-story buildings lie right on the precipice of tower-crane necessity. This one was a tad unexpected, but it’s also not surprising that a tower crane is needed. In the meantime, foundation work for Belmont Village, as you’ll see in the photos that follow, continues in earnest as we wait for the crane stub.

Belmont Village will be a brick building with 149 residential units, built on the site of the former Nellie A. Black Memorial Pavilion. The 120,000-square-foot facility will be able to accommodate approximately 170 residents. It will be connected to The Lincoln Common via a tunnel beneath Fullerton Ave. Completion is expected in Summer 2019.

: The tower crane permit.

Hayden West Loop plants the neighborhood’s ninth tower crane

Posted on November 9, 2017 by danieldschell

The elder statesman of West Loop tower cranes, at McDonald’s HQ, watches work on the new kid at Hayden West Loop.

With eight tower cranes in the air to begin November, the West Loop already leads Chicago neighborhoods in that category. And now, #9 is within sight.

Crews from Macon Construction were busy pouring the concrete foundation for the Liebherr 550 HC 20 on Tuesday, after planting the stub late last week at 1109 West Washington. That project, named Hayden West Loop, is a two-parter from Sulo Development. Designed by Booth Hansen, it will bring 28 condominiums and 83 parking spaces. The second building is slated for a site around the corner on May Street.

This is Macon Construction’s second tower crane on our count. They also have one in the air at No. 508 in Lake View.

Unboxing Chicago’s brand-new Apple Store

Gallery

Posted on November 1, 2017 by danieldschell

This gallery contains 16 photos.

Tower-Crane Watch continues at Hayden West Loop as foundation work goes deep

Posted on October 9, 2017 by danieldschell

No stub yet, as foundation work continues at Hayden West Loop.

We’re still waiting for a tower crane stub at Hayden West Loop. Caissons are done, and digging continues as Macon Construction works on Sulo Development’s latest condominium project.

Hayden has a sales office open just around the corner, on May Street, and it looks like about half of its 28 units are sold. Those homes consist of four duplex penthouses and 24 three-bedroom residences, ranging in size from 3,200 to 5,000 square feet.

: Booth Hansen render.

: Hayden West Loop is a model building.

Clearing the sand at 3833 North Broadway for a tower crane (and 134 apartments)

Posted on October 4, 2017 by danieldschell

Sand, as far as the eye can see, as foundation excavation continues at 3833 North Broadway.

Someday, maybe it won’t surprise me to see the amount of sand that has to be excavated on construction sites around the Lake View neighborhood. Today ain’t the day.

At 3833 North Broadway, DLG Management is building an 8-story, 134-unit residential project at the intersection of North Broadway and West Sheridan Road. Designed by Jonathan Splitt Architects, 3833 North Broadway will include two basements, according to the foundation permit issued back in November, and below-grade parking. That calls for a lot of digging, and you know how sand can be; dig a scoop, and watch it all fall back in on itself.

Seven addresses, encompassing 3819 through 3835 North Broadway as well as 731 West Sheridan, were demolished to make room for this one. The north-most, 3835, had its historic facade dismantled, to be reused for the facings on both Broadway and Sheridan.

DLG is handling its own general contractor duties. A full-build permit was issued by the City of Chicago on June 22, and a tower crane permit was issued September 6th. This will be DLG’s only crane on the official count. For now.

: 3833 North Broadway render from Jonathan Splitt Architects.

: The Foundation Permit.

: The Full Build Permit.

: The Tower Crane Permit.

: 11

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.

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.

The Ronsley plants a rooftop garden

Posted on September 26, 2017 by danieldschell

A yellow crane in front of a yellow building draws attention.

A shiny yellow street crane in River North caught my eye last week. Usually, that signifies a tower crane being planted. But this time, the planting was strictly by a crane, not for a crane.

Trees were being dispatched to the rooftop garden atop The Ronsley, a good indication LG Construction + Development is nearing the home stretch in their ambitious, Antunovich Associates-designed renovation of, and addition to, the existing building at 676 North Kingsbury, which brings 41 condos over nine stories to the neighborhood.

On October 20, we will all be teachers, as Chicago gets a shiny new Apple Store on our desks

Posted on September 13, 2017 by danieldschell

Consumers arrive by boat to get in line for the October 20 opening of the new Chicago Apple Store. Probably.

Multiple outlets have reported (honestly, everyone has mentioned it. Call your Aunt Susie, and I bet it’s the first thing she wants to talk about) that Chicago’s new Apple Store will open October 20 on the Magnificent Mile. When it does, it will be the place to go for fancy smart phones, computers, watches, and more. But what it used to be was *the* place to see a really low tower crane. You tower crane you could just about reach up and touch.

Power Construction continues to add finishing touches to the two-story glass box at Michigan Avenue and the Chicago River. Once complete, they’ll turn their attention to building the Apple Store 2S. (Not true at all.)