A crane grows at Illume Chicago

Posted on March 25, 2017 by danieldschell

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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.)

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Instruments of construction keeping good time at the DePaul School of Music

Posted on March 23, 2017 by danieldschell

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.

Sterling Bay’s C.H. Robinson HQ taking shape at 1515 West Webster

Posted on March 22, 2017 by danieldschell

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.

: Rendering of 1515 West Webster from Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.

: Rendering of 1515 West Webster from Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.

: The south — or “boring” — end of the site.

McDonald’s goes three-dimensional. And I’m lovin’ it

Posted on March 22, 2017 by danieldschell

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.

Illume Chicago plants a tower crane in the West Loop (Updated)

Posted on March 21, 2017 by danieldschell

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.

: Build it!

: Tower crane erection crew.

: Tower crane foundations are the best foundations.

Hanging glass at the new Apple Store

Posted on March 20, 2017 by danieldschell

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.

: The orange thing is not the starting light at a drag-race track.

: Hey.

: Suction cups galore.

Quick Look: Both tower cranes are up at McDonald’s

Posted on February 28, 2017 by danieldschell

West Crane and East Crane are both assembled at Sterling Bay’s new McDonald’s Headquarters in the West Loop. East Crane gave us quite a ride, as it started up Saturday, only to have the tower top and cab removed Sunday. But Monday it was erected in full.

Monday evening’s view.

Tuesday morning’s view, with brief sunshine.

The McDonald’s East Tower Crane goes up…wait…hold that thought…

Posted on February 27, 2017 by danieldschell

As of noon Sunday, a tower, but no crane.

Saturday saw a crew from Central Contractors erecting a free-standing Peiner SK415 tower crane (I know how to read a permit) on the new McDonald’s Headquarters site in the West Loop. East Crane seemed to coming along quite nicely, but Sunday morning saw the crew removing the tower top and cab from atop the tower. The good news here, obviously, is that we may get to watch the cab and turntable raised twice. Yep, that’d be an embarrassment of crane-assembly-watching riches.

Whereas late Saturday afternoon, the tower top and cab/turntable were in place.

Here are photos from Saturday’s partial assemblage. WARNING: Some of them are quite snowy:

Demolition at 1115 West Washington clears the way for Hayden West Loop

Posted on February 22, 2017 by danieldschell

Johler Demolition is tearing down 1115 West Washington Boulevard to make room for Hayden West Loop.

On January 19 of this year, the Chicago Plan Commission approved two nine-story condo buildings for construction in the West Loop. One would front the 1100-block of West Washington, the other the 100-block of North May. In an amazing coincidence, a demolition permit had been issued the previous day for the property at 1115 West Washington, and that demolition is going on now.

The new development, known as Hayden West Loop, is being built by Peerless Real Estate Investments, which also appears to be known as Sulo Development. Hayden West Loop is a design from Booth Hansen (The Parker Fulton Market, Chestnut Row Homes) and will bring 56 condominiums to the neighborhood.

In the meantime, Johler Demolition of Arlington Heights is on the scene, knocking down what used to be part of Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Studios. Demolition made the news back on February 6 when a small fire broke out (DNAinfo had the deets) but does that really do anything but speed up the demo process?

: Rendering of Hayden West Loop from Booth Hansen.

: Rendering of Hayden West Loop from Booth Hansen.

: Just before demolition started.

Surprise! West Crane is first to be erected at McDonald’s HQ

Posted on February 21, 2017 by danieldschell

A piece of West Crane is hoisted into place at the new McDonald’s HQ in the West Loop.

East Crane went into the ground first. So obviously it gets set up before West Crane even gets planted. Right?

Wrong. Crews from Central Crane are busy Tuesday erecting a tower crane on the west side of the McDonald’s Headquarters construction site, leaving pour ole East Crane to watch and wait its turn.