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.

CA Washington making its presence felt in a very busy West Loop

Posted on January 26, 2017 by danieldschell

All that iron work that keeps showing up in the background of McDonald’s construction photos? Yep, that’s CA Washington.

It can be difficult to get noticed in the West Loop these days, as developers buy up property and turn it over into new construction on seemingly every block. So one of the best ways to make waves to to erect a whole bunch of steel on a lot.

Rendering of CA Washington from Belgravia Realty Group.

Enter CA Washington. CA Washington is one of the latest projects from Belgravia Realty Group. Belgravia is building 69 condominiums in a six-story structure designed by Sullivan Goullette & Wilson Architects. All condos will have three bedrooms and three baths, and each will have its own private balcony, terrace, or roof deck, per Belgravia’s website. Maris Construction is the general contractor.

Chicago Cubs office workers get a giant screen, but they can’t watch it

Posted on January 25, 2017 by danieldschell

Installation of the video screen at the new Chicago Cubs office building.

In a cruel twist, personnel for the Chicago Cubs, winners of the 2016 World Series, who’ll be working in the new office building next to Wrigley Field, have been watching the installation of a mega-giant big screen on the exterior of the 6-story structure. And, as you can see in the photos, the screen faces away from their future offices. So they won’t be able to watch it. What’s worse, many offices will have their views blocked by the screen. Double whammy. Still, I wouldn’t mind having my office there. Mr. Ricketts?

: Never forget.

: Supervising.

: There’s work on the field too. And not just in the baseball sense.

There’s no sun anyway; might as well do McDonald’s HQ caisson work at night

Posted on January 25, 2017 by danieldschell

Night work on caissons, McDonald’s Headquarters in the West Loop.

Caissons continue to sink into the West Loop soil at the new McDonald’s HQ. And not just by the light of day. (Like we’ve had any light during the day around here lately anyway…) Crews were burning the early-evening oil Tuesday night, in addition to their usual shift under the harsh light of another cloudy Chicago day.

Addison & Clark digs in at the plate

Posted on January 23, 2017 by danieldschell

Digging in the sand at Addison & Clark.

Just outside Wrigley Field, which is the home of the WORLD SERIES CHAMPION CHICAGO CUBS, foundation work continues on the Addison & Clark development, located, as fate would have it, at Addison and Clark Streets.

Caissons are done, and now the foundation is being dug. Digging in is not something you could do back in the day, anywhere near Wrigley Field, if Bob Gibson was on the mound. But that’s another matter. What’s important here are the 148 apartments, 400+ parking spots, and in the ballpark (heh) of 150,000 square feet of retail space. The SCB design is being developed by a joint venture of M&R Development and Bucksbaum Retail Properties. That’s Power Construction out there doing the dirty work.