What says “glass box” better than an actual glass box? That’s pretty much what Power Construction is building in Pioneer Court these days. And while some use the “glass box” description as criticism, the new Apple Store at 401 North Michigan Avenue along the Magnificent Mile sure is making it work.
351 West Huron is a condominium development in River North at — ready for this? — 351 West Huron Street.
351 West Huron is a new condominium building fast entering River North. A project from Regency Development Group of Northbrook, 351 West Huron won’t be your typical condo. The seven-story structure will contain just six full-floor units, every one of them with three/four bedrooms and 4,500 square feet, a two-car garage, private elevator entrances, and, from what the renderings illustrate, to-die-for balconies and terraces. Hartshorne Plunkard Architects did the design work on the building; Summit Design + Build is on the build.
There’s already lots of steel framing the building, and floor plates were being added during a recent visit.
CA Washington in the West Loop. Don’t look directly at it on a sunny day.
Normally, I advise you to take your construction photos on bright, sunny days. You may want to rethink that around CA Washington. It’s kinda bright.
The condominium development from Belgravia Realty Group has reached its ultimate height of six stories, some of which have been adorned in neon yellow. Personally, I’d like to see that color remain, but that doesn’t jibe with the renderings. A more impressive addition of late are the sweet balconies being hung from the sides of the 69 condos. Look nice? Well, if the “SOLD OUT” sign on the facade is accurate, you may have already missed your chance.
A design by Sullivan Goulette & Wilson, CA Washington is two buildings, with addresses at 27 North Aberdeen Street and 28 North Carpenter Street. It sits directly across Washington Boulevard from the new McDonald’s headquarters in the West Loop.
The Ronsley, 676 North Kingsbury Street in River North.
Back in January, we took a long look at construction progression of The Ronsley, the River North renovation project from LG Development. And since January was two months ago, I figure it’s time to check in again.
No disappointment here. The original facades along both Kingsbury and Huron Streets continue to dazzle, while there’s already glass added to the additional stories that are being built atop the existing five floors. What had been an empty lot behind the building has now sprouted six stories high.
If you were watching your Instagram feed Friday, you may have noticed the above photo from Norcon, showing the beginning of work on the tower portion of the new tower crane at Illume Chicago in the West Loop.
The tower at Illume Chicago went up Friday. The crane will follow.
You can (kind of) see the tower in the photo above, taken from the B.U.C. HQ. Judging by the forecast for Saturday, it’s very possible Norcon’s plan to assemble the crane over the weekend might be washed out. If that’s the case, expect them to try again next weekend. (Weekday assembly isn’t a possibility because of the need to close off Green Street.)
Rendering of the DePaul School of Music from Antunovich Associates.
Construction of the new DePaul School of Music continues in earnest on DePaul’s Lincoln Park campus. Bulley & Andrews and their ridiculously long tower crane have been going vertical on the site since Spring of 2016. Antunovich Associates has designed a three-story structure that includes two recital halls, a concert hall, student practice and classrooms, and more than 100 below-grade parking spaces. DePaul plans to have the facility open for student use in Spring 2018.
At left, 1515 West Webster. In the foreground, the Chicago River. In the background, that magnificent Chicago Skyline.
Construction progress has already reached the third dimension at Sterling Bay‘s development at 1515 West Webster Avenue on the western edge of Lincoln Park. The four-story, 207,000-square-foot facility will be the new headquarters of third-party logistics juggernaut C.H. Robinson. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Sterling Bay expects to have the new office digs open in mid-2018. For now, that’s up to Power Construction, who look to be making good headway toward that goal.
The second floor is showing at the new McDonald’s Headquarters in the West Loop.
Life happens quickly. What did you expect from two tower cranes?
To no one’s surprise, the new McDonald’s Corporation Headquarters in the West Loop has lifted off the ground. After weeks of attending to ground-level matters (they’re still at it) McHugh Construction has started going vertical. That mostly good news, because now we can see what’s going on above the perimeter fencing, but bad news because no one with an adjacent balcony or rooftop has offered their vantage point to me for looking downward onto progress. Stuff is harder to see as it gets higher, you know.
Wait…is that…IT IS! It’s a tower crane at Illume Chicago!
Floating somewhere within the universe that is the City of Chicago’s building permit database that hasn’t updated since Friday, there lies a tower crane permit for 111 South Peoria Street in the West Loop. How do I know this? Well, it isn’t because I’m smart. No, it’s because I wandered past the Illume Chicago construction site, and was greeted by a tower crane stub sticking up out of the ground.
According to Norcon, the general contractor at Illume, full tower assembly will occur this weekend, weather permitting. And if weather doesn’t permit, it will be rescheduled for next weekend. That way, Green Street (at the east end of the site) can be closed for two days without impacting weekday traffic.
Look what popped up Tuesday afternoon: The tower crane permit, issued yesterday. The site finally updated.
P.S. A quick shout-out to Norcon, for strategically installing their crane between the two towers of Emerald Lofts, so I get a clear view of of it from the B.U.C. HQ. This one brings the total to six tower cranes I cold easily zipline to from here.
A barge lends a hand as glass is installed at the new Apple Store.
Last week, I learned it takes a whole mess of suction cups to a glass curtain wall on an Apple Store. It was also a thrill to see a barge being utilized in construction once again, something I’d hoped — actually, kind of assumed — would happen, given the Apple Store’s proximity to the Chicago River. And there’s no mud to be excavated, so it probably won’t sink.
