Does a new permit mean there will finally be action at Chestnut Row Homes?

Posted on February 9, 2017 by danieldschell

Foundation work on Chestnut Row Homes began in earnest back in 2016. Then abruptly stopped.

Wednesday, the City of Chicago filed a revised foundation permit for the property at 111 West Chestnut Street in the Near North neighborhood. That’s the (future) home of Chestnut Row Homes, a development of luxury single-family rentals (Yes, rentals. To the tune of about $15,000/month, as of the last report) from Tawani Enterprises, designed by Booth Hansen. This new permit amends the original permit of 8 townhomes, filed way back in October of 2015, to 7 units.

The Chicago Plan Commission raved about this project as they approved its construction. But foundation work didn’t get very far, and the lot has been idle for a long while. In May of last year, the general contractor was changed to Berglund Construction, which remains in place as the GC. Hopefully, this signals a fresh start for a definite upgrade to this empty hole in the ground.

: The new Foundation Permit

: Rendering of Chestnut Row Homes from Booth Hansen.

: Rendering of Chestnut Row Homes from Booth Hansen.

: Rendering of Chestnut Row Homes from Booth Hansen.

: Rendering of Chestnut Row Homes from Booth Hansen.

: The Berglund Construction banner on site.

: This is from July 2016. Not much has changed since.

More from the two-floor Apple Store

Posted on February 8, 2017 by danieldschell

The new Apple Store in Pioneer Court features Chicago’s lowest tower crane.

You can handle more pictures of the Apple Store construction, right? It’s still cool, and it still has that tower crane where you can just about reach your hand up and high-five the crane operator. The only negative I can find right now with this project is that the lower-level sidewalk of the Michigan Avenue Bridge is closed for work, so that’s one less vantage point for viewing.

The Moxy Hotel rests in the calm before the storm

Posted on February 6, 2017 by danieldschell

Sure, have a drink. Then let’s get back to work on the Moxy Hotel.

Following the somewhat secretive whirlwind of caisson work, all’s quiet at the future grounds of what is believed to be the Moxy Hotel at 530 North LaSalle Drive in River North. Save for one lone excavator, the lot is empty of equipment, and more resembles freshly-plowed farmland than an 8-story boutique hotel site.

710 Grand gets into the caisson business

Posted on February 2, 2017 by danieldschell

Caisson work has begun at 710 Grand on River West.

Rendering of 710 Grand from Brininstool + Lynch.

It’s gettin’ real at 710 Grand, where Revcon equipment is on hand, drilling caissons for the new 9-story apartment building from Wicker Park Apartments and Outlook Development Group. Designed by Brininstool + Lynch, this Transit Oriented Development will bring 104 new apartments to the River West neighborhood, plus ground-floor retail space, and parking for 46 cars and 80 bikes. Arco/Murray is the general contractor.

: Rendering of 710 Grand from Brininstool + Lynch.

Construction Update: Soul City Church builds in the West Loop

Posted on February 2, 2017 by danieldschell

Soul City Church in the West Loop is building a three-story addition.

Soul City Church, at 1150 West Adams Street in the West Loop, filed a building permit with the City of Chicago back in October to complete a three-story addition next to the existing church. Now, Focus has erected the steel work for the 45,000-square-foot addition. When finished this summer, it will include a new auditorium, office space for church staff, and covered parking.

: Rendering from iamforthelove.com, Soul City Church’s website.

: Rendering from iamforthelove.com, Soul City Church’s website.

: Rendering from iamforthelove.com, Soul City Church’s website.

Addison & Clark gets a tower crane

Posted on February 1, 2017 by danieldschell

Addison & Clark gets the makings of a new tower crane. Some assembly (still) required.

Food for thought: If The Chicago Cubs were to hire former Diamondbacks General Manager Kevin Towers, they could have a front office that includes (Kevin) Towers and Crane (Kenney)

Where was I? Oh yeah. Just outside Wrigley Field, which is the home of the WORLD SERIES CHAMPION CHICAGO CUBS, the Addison & Clark development is getting a shiny new trophy of its own, in the form a tall, skinny tower crane. Crews were assembling it Tuesday, and will most assuredly have it ready to lift heavy stuff by Friday. As you know, February has traditionally been the month when pitchers and catchers and tower cranes report to kick off the baseball season.

Enclave Bucktown progressing on former Phoenix Fastener site

Posted on February 1, 2017 by danieldschell

Rendering of Enclave Bucktown from Guardian Properties.

When last we visited the site of the future Enclave Bucktown, demolition was still in the process at what used to be Phoenix Fastener at 2501 West Homer Avenue. Now, many of the 50 3- and 4-bedroom row homes from developers Guardian Properties and Harlem Irving Companies are taking shape. John James Construction, hired as the general contractor for the properties, has a row of the Pappageorge Haymes Partners-designed homes off the ground, and another row of foundations in the ground.

: The Building Permit that’s actually 8 building permits.

: Enclave Bucktown, from the corner of Cortland Street and Campbell Avenue.

Mode Logan Square, then and now

Posted on January 31, 2017 by danieldschell

Mode Logan Square, 1950 North Campbell Avenue, is now open.

Mode 2501? Mode 1950? It’s a little confusing. What isn’t confusing is that Mode Logan Square is now open.

At 1950 North Campbell Avenue, Mode Logan Square is a development from Spearhead Properties bringing 78 apartments and 6,600 square feet of retail space to the corner of Armitage and Campbell Avenues. Designed by Antunovich Associates, Mode Logan Square also includes parking for 55 cars and 78 bicycles. Spearhead also served as the general contractor on this project.

Below are two photo galleries; one showing construction in progress in August, and one of the now-open development.

With caissons complete, Illume Chicago digs in its heels

Posted on January 30, 2017 by danieldschell

Foundation work at Illume Chicago, as seen from the desk of B.U.C. HQ.

Whether the neighbors like it or not, Illume Chicago has powered through caisson work, and is now digging out the foundation. The 79 condominiums from LG Development and Pappageorge Haymes Partners broke ground in early December, and now the site has been dug a few feet below street level at 111 South Peoria in the West Loop.

There’s a large pile of pilings sitting in the dirt these days. I wonder if it will be noisy at all when those are pounded into the ground.

: Hello, pile driver.

: Hello, Digger.

As it approaches completion, a big day for Fulton West

Posted on January 27, 2017 by danieldschell

Way out at the west end of the Fulton Market District (I know, it’s practically the suburbs, right?) Sterling Bay’s Fulton West, a 290,000-square-foot office building designed by Gensler, is moving steadily toward its scheduled April 2017 opening. The nine-story building, a combination of new construction and renovation to an existing structure, will also include more than 600 parking spaces and 20,000 square feet of green space.

And though the photos that follow may look gloomy, that was only the weather. Thursday was a bright, cheery day for Fulton West, as Crain’s Chicago reported that Dyson, the company famous for the swiveling vacuum you’ve seen on television, has signed on to lease almost 41,000 square feet of Fulton West space. Dyson currently resides at 600 West Chicago Avenue, and, as mentioned by Ryan Ori at Crain’s, would make the move by the end of the year.

So if there appears to be a little extra sparkle in the cladding around Fulton West, now you understand why. See for yourself, in the photos below showing how far Leopardo Construction has progressed on the project.