Hirsch MPG announces imminent start of 3605 North Ravenswood construction

Posted on June 12, 2024 by danieldschell

Rendering of 3605 North Ravenswood from Hirsch MGP

A LinkedIn post from Chicago architecture firm Hirsch MPG announced the imminent beginning of construction at 3605 North Ravenswood in Lake View. On hold for the better part of a year, the development fills in what is now an empty dirt lot, after demolitions of three properties (1744 and 1746 West Addison, and 3609 North Ravenswood) on the northwest corner of Addison and Ravenswood in 2022.

According to Hirsch MPG, there has been a bout a year-long delay in getting construction started at 3605 North Ravenswood, but now they expert work to commence this month. With Macon Construction as the general contractor, Hirsch has designed a six-story, 54-unit apartment building with 12 parking spaces and a rooftop terrace. The ground floor will include 2 retail spaces.

Macon Construction pulls double duty on this one, joining forces with Stocking Urban as co-developers while also serving as general contractor. The New Construction permit is still pending with the City of Chicago; we’ll be on the lookout for that to be issued any day now.

Pending permit for 3605 North Ravenswood via Chicago Data Portal

Lake View Lutheran Church demolition begins, signaling the start of Lakeview Landing

Posted on June 12, 2024 by danieldschell

Demolition begins at Lake View Lutheran Church to make way for 37 affordable apartments.

A demolition permit was issued by the City of Chicago on May 31 for Lake View Lutheran Church at 835 West Addison Street in Lake View. And now demo work has begun. Demolition contractor Quality Excavation is on site as we speak, tearing the church down from the south end forward. Once the rubble has cleared, destruction will turn to creation as Lakeview Landing construction begins.

Rendering of Lakeview Landing from Weese Langley Weese Architects

New building permit, via Chicago Data Portal

Lakeview Landing will be a six-story, 37-unit affordable apartment building designed by Weese Langley Weese Architects. The ground floor will include a meeting room for the church, as well as 12 indoor sparking spaces. All 37 apartments will be one-bedroom, 575-square-foot rental units.

Powers and Sons Construction of Gary, Indiana, is already on site overseeing the demo work, itching to get started on the new build. A New Construction permit was issued back on December 12 of last year, so they’ve been waiting a bit.

Enjoying the photos? Metra and CTA rides (and Amtrak trains to Milwaukee), Zipcars, Divvy Bikes, camera lenses, domain fees, snacks & energy drinks, and comfortable walking shoes add up. You can help offset expenses by making a greatly-appreciated donation to Building Up Chicago.

Quick Look: Waiting for Windows at Clark and Ardmore in Edgewater

Posted on May 22, 2024 by danieldschell

Rendering from Space Architects + Planning

Construction progress has topped out, the exterior is bricked up, and it looks like windows could be added any day, at a four-story, 18-unit building at 5845 North Clark Street in the Edgewater neighborhood. Located at the corner of Clark and Ardmore, the two-tone brick building is being built by Shutler Development, who’s also acting as the general contractor.

Google Streetview look at 5845 North Clark, now demolished.

SPACE Architects + Planners is the designer of this project. A demolition permit was issued May 12 of 2022 to clear the site of the single-story former home of Metro Remittance Center and Bacolod’s Best Kitchen at 5845 North Clark Street. Mulroy Demolition & Excavation was listed as the demo contractor for the tear-down. A New Construction permit followed on November 28, 2022. Using the address of 1548 West Ardmore Avenue, that permit called for parking on the first floor, but unlike so many new construction projects, no ground-level retail space.

New construction permit allows 5-story, 6-unit condo building at 453 West Briar Place in Lake View

Posted on May 22, 2024 by danieldschell

Rendering of 453 West Briar Place via SGW Architecture & Design

A permit was issued Tuesday, May 21 by the City of Chicago to begin construction on a condominium development at 453 West Briar Place in Lake View. Being built by Chicago’s GVP Development, the new building replaces two now-demolished structures on a tree-lined block featuring mostly mid-rise, multi-unit residences.

A five-story, six-unit condo project, 453 West Briar is a design by SGW Architecture & Design. Formerly known as Sullivan Goulette & Wilson, SGW has offices in Chicago and New York City. We’ve seen their work here on the blog at CA6, CA Washington, and Peoria Green, among others.

Via Google Streetview, 453 (left) and 455 (right) West Briar Place, both now demolished.

To make room for the condo building, 453 West Briar was issued a demolition permit on December 8 of 2021. About 16 months later, and New Construction permit for a four-story, three-unit building was permitted. That project doesn’t appear to have started; instead, another demolition permit, this time for 455 West Briar, was issued August 14, 2023, opening up a second lot for new construction. Precision Excavation was the demolition contractor for both properties, according to the demolition permits.

Demolitions near completion at 1960, 1962 North Fremont in Lincoln Park

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Demolition of 1962 North Fremont Street in Lincoln Park

The demolitions of two residential buildings in Lincoln Park, at 1960 and 1962 North Fremont Street, are all but complete. Both buildings were permitted for destruction by the City of Chicago on April 24, 2024.

1960 and 1962 North Fremont, fenced off for demolition.

A visit here the day after the permits were issued saw demo fencing already surrounding the two properties. I returned Wednesday the 15th to find 1960 completely gone, and 1962 torn open from the rear, with little remaining to be demolished toward the front of the house.

Demolition work moving toward the front of 1962 North Fremont.

Quality Excavation is doing the dirty work, while Power Construction’s Luxury Residence Group is the overall general contractor for the new building (mansion?) to come. Dennis Rodkin at Crain’s Chicago addressed these properties last year; whether the plan is the same, I can’t say. No new permit has been issued for these lots yet.

**Profile view of demolition, 1962 North Fremont**

1960 North Fremont before demolition began, April 25, 2024.

Demolition at 3625 North Halsted in Lake View vanishes another Chicago Water Tank

Posted on May 15, 2024 by danieldschell

Chicago water tank at 3625 North Halsted in Lake View, now gone. — The Chicago Water Tank that stood atop 3625 North Halsted Street is now gone.

A demolition permit was issued by the City of Chicago on April 18 of this year to remove the single-story commercial building at 3625 North Halsted Street in Lake View. The building is the former home of Phoenix Electric Manufacturing Company, and to be honest, it isn’t the type of building anyone is likely to miss. Except for one thing, it’s most outstanding feature.

Demolition permit for 3625 North Halsted Street — The Doom-O-Lition Permit

Atop the rear portion of the L-shaped building stood one of Chicago’s few remaining water tanks. A cool, long-legged blue one. So long are those legs that it might make you think it was a free-standing tank in the parking lot. But no, it’s a rooftop tank. Or was.

The entire front portion of the L of the building has been reduced to rubble. The rear portion will be gone soon as well, but the tank atop it is already history, the steel support structure a cruel reminder that I got here too late. Maybe someone disassembled it and put it back together piece-by-piece in their office. Maybe someone from National Wrecking Company. They’re the demolition contractor on this one. I’ve always wanted to do that, put a rooftop tank *in* my office. I’ve also always wanted a big office. But I digress.

All of this to say, we’ve lost one more Chicago Water Tank. Pour one out. Que sera sera. We’ll miss you, Blue Halsted Tank.

It’s no whopper, so this 256-unit development on Motor Row would fit in nicely

Posted on May 3, 2024 by danieldschell

I made a Burger King joke. Sue me. Besides, 256 units is no small-fry development.

That’s the plan at 2328 South Michigan Avenue in the Near South Community Area. 256 apartments across two buildings in the Motor Row neighborhood. As per the development’s introduction on design architect Eckenhoff Saunders’ website, the would be 98 units in a seven-story building, and 158 units in an 18-story tower. 64 of those units would be affordable. The shorter building would front Michigan Avenue, with the tower standing tall behind it.

A three-headed development team is included in the proposed project: Fern Hill, Decennial Group, and Rebel Hospitality. The usual City hurdles still need to be cleared, so until approval is given, there’s no timeline for when work would start and when residents could begin moving in.

Crain’s Chicago and Urbanize are already all over this one.

Eckenhoff Saunders rendering of the seven-story portion of 2328 South Michigan.

A pair of tower cranes goes to work on the UChicago Cancer Care Center

Posted on May 3, 2024 by danieldschell

Two Potain MR 608 free-standing tower cranes at work at the UChicago Cancer Care Center in Hyde Park

Both tower cranes are up and running and construction progress has gone 3-D at 5644 South Drexel Avenue in Hyde Park. That’s where the University of Chicago Medicine is building its new Cancer Care Center. The eight-story, 875,000-square-foot facility, designed by CannonDesign, broke ground in September of last year and is scheduled to open in 2027. It’s up to Turner Construction and Adjustable Concrete Construction, the General Contractor and Concrete Contractor, respectively, to make that happen.

To date, UChicago Medicine has received permits for:
South tower crane — issued 12/28/23 (addressed as 5644 S. Drexel Ave)
North tower crane — issued 12/12/23
Foundation — issued 12/12/23
Groundbreaking ceremony tent — issued 09/08/23
We’re waiting on the full-build permit. Judging by the looks of the core, that could be arriving any day now.

Photos taken May 1, 2024:

A day in May from the Obama Presidential Center

Posted on May 3, 2024 by danieldschell

The Obama Presidential Center peeks out over the Museum of Science and Industry

The most noticeable change in construction progress at The Obama Presidential Center is the addition of granite panels on the exterior of the Museum Tower. It’s also gotten a little taller (more vertical photo opps) since I was here last, so the view from farther away is changing. A lot of what you’ll see in this gallery are new angles from distance, plus familiar vantage points from near and far.

Photos taken May 1, 2024:

First Visit: Project H.O.O.D. is building a community center in Woodlawn

Posted on May 2, 2024 by danieldschell

The Robert R. McCormick Leadership and Economic Opportunity Center under construction.

Project H.O.O.D., established in 2012 by Pastor Corey Brooks, is going all out to provide the Woodlawn Community Area with a new state-of-the-art community center.

The Robert R. McCormick Leadership and Economic Opportunity Center will be a three-story, 85,000-square-foot mixed-use facility at the southwest corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and 66th Street in the Woodlawn neighborhood. The center, which broke ground in Fall 2023, will include an auditorium, a gym with an indoor swimming pool, plus multiple restaurants and a bank in its retail spaces.

New Beginnings Community Development Corporation is listed on the permits as the developer of the center. LR Contracting is the general contractor; Goebel Forming is the concrete contractor. BNMO Design is the design architect. Construction is expected to take 24 to 36 months. That means the center could be open by the end of 2025.

So far, permits received, with the address of 6623 South Martin Luther King Drive, have been issued for:
The full build on 09/08/2023
the tower crane on 09/13/2023
another full build changing the electrical contractor on 02/02/2024
the fire alarm system on 03/28/2024

Photos taken 05/01/2024: