Category Archives: 1-9 Stories

CA Washington Digs In Across From Old Harpo/New McDonald’s Site

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CA Washington

Foundation work at CA Washington.

The 3-bedroom, 3-bathroom condominiums from Belgravia Realty Group have begun taking up residence at 27 North Aberdeen Street in the West Loop. CA Washington will have 69 condos within its six stories, with 78 indoor parking spaces.

Consider CA Washington as having three significant addresses. The foundation permit, issued June 17th, lists 27-39 North Aberdeen and 28-40 North Carpenter Street both as official addresses, a sentiment echoed on Belgravia’s website. In addition to that, CA Washington sits directly across Washington Boulevard from the former Harpo Studios (Oprahland, unofficially), and the future McDonald’s HQ. 

CA Washington is a design from Lewis Wilson of Sullivan, Goulette & Wilson. They’ve teamed with Belgravia before, including the under-construction Sedgwick at Locust at 367 West Locust Street in the Near North (the former site of Saint Dominic’s Church). The general contractor at CA Washington is Maris Construction.

Pair of Demolition Permits Signals the Start of 710 Grand [Updated]

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710 West Grand

It will take longer than 18 seconds, but the garages will be demolished.

708 + 712 = 710.

Oh, I’m sorry. Were you told there would be no math? Allow me to explain.

Yesterday, the City of Chicago filed two demolition permits for properties at 708 West Grand Avenue and 712 West Grand Avenue. The owner of those structures is Wicker Park Apartments, and this is where they’ll erect 710 Grand, a 9-story building at 710 West Grand Avenue in River West with 105 apartments. Included will be 45 parking spaces and 5,000 square feet of retail space. 710 West Grand is a design from Brininstool + Lynch (1333 & 1345 Wabash, among many others.) Recyclean will handle the demolition.

***UPDATE: The City of Chicago issued a third demolition permit, on Thursday the 14th. This one is for the 4-story building between the two “garages.” All three buildings, 708, 710, and 712 West Grand Avenue are now ready to come down.***

710 West Grand

Rendering of 710 West Grand from Brininstool + Lynch.

710 West Grand

Rendering of 710 West Grand from Brininstool + Lynch.

710 West Grand

712 and 708 West Grand Avenue. That 4-story will come down too, but not the condo building on the far right (hidden by tree)

710 West Grand

The demo permit for 708 West Grand. The permit for 712 looks pretty much the same.

710 West Grand

It’s no one-story garage, but this is the current 710 West Grand. It will be demolished.

710 West Grand

So, pretty much everything you see here, except the cars, gets demolished. 708-712 West Grand Avenue.

710 West Grand

710 West Grand

The third piece to the puzzle; a demo permit for 710 West Grand Avenue.

Sterling Bay Finds An Ace The West Loop Can Keep

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Ace Hotel

That tower crane off in the distance is building the Ace Hotel, with the help of that cement rig.

An Ace Hotel is on the rise at 311 North Morgan Street in the West Loop. Developed by Sterling Bay, the Ace is dealing 159 keys to the primo location directly across the street from Google’s office building at 1000 Fulton Market.

The design, by Chicago’s GREC Architects, will feature a green roof, first-floor retail, and 30 underground parking spaces. Power Construction has been on the build since last fall, including painstaking efforts to preserve the historic facade that faces Morgan Street.

Because the word “boutique” is fun to use, I will mention that the Ace will be a boutique hotel.

Lincoln Park Lost Its Edge. Now It’s Getting Schooled.

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Altschool

A rendering of Altschool, 2720 North Clark Street, courtesy of Hirsch Associates Architects.

AltSchool’d, that is.

At 2720 North Clark Street in Lincoln Park, Centrum Partners and Hirsch Associates Architects have teamed up for a two-story mixed use project that will be the home of AltSchool, and a Banana Republic Factory Store. (If the Centrum Partners/Hirsch Associates combo sounds familiar, they’re the two responsible for bringing the just-permitted 412 North Wells and 221 West Hubbard project to life.)

AltSchool provides education for pre-kindergarten through 8th-grade students. Chicago will be its fourth location, joining San Francisco, Palo Alto (CA) and New York City.

William A. Randolph Inc. of Gurnee is the general contractor. Construction is expected to be completed in time for the 2017-2018 school year.

 

Prairie Court Renderings From the *Real* Builder

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Just Monday, I told you about walking past ground work for the new townhomes of Prairie Court. According to the nine permits issued by the City of Chicago for Prairie Court, the general contractor was to be Richard Builders.

Well, that came as quite a surprise to Summit Design + Build in the West Loop. They were kind enough to send over a few renderings of the new townhomes, as well as to clear up the confusion over the GC duties. Summit Design + Build is, in fact, the general contractor for Prairie Court. Which explains the excitement of the tweet they sent.

Here’s the press release Summit Design + Build sent along with their photos, followed by fresh interior and exterior renderings.

 

SUMMIT DESIGN + BUILD, LLC STARTS WORK ON PRAIRIE COURT TOWNHOMES IN SOUTH LOOP

Luxury townhomes to be completed by 2018, bring best of both worlds to Chicago’s next residential boom

 

CHICAGO – Chicago general contractor Summit Design + Build, LLC recently started construction on Prairie Court Townhomes, a luxury development in the South Loop’s historic Prairie Avenue District.

 

A joint venture between Sandz Development Co. and Golub & Co., who bring over 90 years of luxury development experience, will see the addition of 55, four-story luxury townhomes within nine buildings at 18th and Prairie Avenue. Buyers can choose from three and four bedroom units that will range from 2,800 to 4,500 square feet.

 

“Our team is excited that construction is getting underway at Prairie Court Townhomes, and we are thrilled to work with Sandz [Development] and Golub, two great developers, to bring not only new luxury townhomes, but a new community to the South Loop,” said Adam Miller, President of Summit Design + Build, LLC. “We also look forward to expanding our portfolio in Chicago’s next ‘hot’ neighborhood.”

 

The site was poised to be the home of the X/O high-rise nearly ten years ago, but the plan, which included 479 condos, was abandoned in 2009 after the developers defaulted on their loan. The Prairie Court Townhomes, which will feature individual attached two-car garages, contemporary upscale finishes, brick veneer and accent limestone facades, private wrought-iron ornamental fenced yards, landscaped building courtyards and private rooftop decks, have already garnered serious interest and enjoyed early sales success by having a scheme that better fits the historic neighborhood. The land was rezoned for residential use of six stories or fewer after its sale in 2011.

 

The Prairie Avenue District was established over 100 years ago as an escape for the city’s wealthiest and was designated a Chicago landmark in December of 1979. “This project brings the best of both worlds – a piece of secluded Chicago history yet easy access to the city’s nightlife and cultural happenings,” said Miller.

 

The project will be completed in stages over the course of 30 months based on sales of the townhomes. Chicago real estate brokerage firm @Properties is overseeing the sales at Prairie Court, led by Cyndy Salgado. An onsite sales center, which opened late March, offers potential buyers a glimpse of the Prairie Court lifestyle by taking a three-dimensional virtual tour on a tablet or laptop. Additional information can be found by visiting the Prairie Court website.

 

Sullivan Goulette & Wilson are providing architectural services for Prairie Court Townhomes.

 

ABOUT SUMMIT DESIGN + BUILD, LLC

Summit Design + Build, LLC is a provider of full-service general contracting, construction management and design/build construction services to the commercial, industrial and residential markets. Located in Chicago’s West Loop, Summit Design + Build has been involved in the design and construction of over 150 buildings totaling more than 2.5 million square feet over the firm’s 10 year history.

Prairie Court

Prairie Court

Prairie Court

Prairie Court

Summit Design + Build even sent a shot from the site. They know me well 🙂

On The Blue Plate Catering Menu: New Digs

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Blue Plate Catering

Construction is ongoing at the new Blue Plate Catering facility, seen here from the corner of Fulton and Ada Streets.

Blue Plate Catering, recognized nationally for being a top-notch caterer, is in the process of serving up a new facility in West Town. Currently located at 1061 West Van Buren Street, a location rumored to be in line for redevelopment, Blue Plate’s new building is at 305 North Ogden Avenue. The quadrilateral-shaped lot (yes, I had to Google that) is bounded by Ogden and Carroll Avenues, and Market and Ada Streets.

The future site is a combination renovation/new construction, with permits from the City of Chicago categorized only as renovations. While fixing up an older single-story structure, Blue Plate is erecting a three-story facility that will house its corporate offices, the catering kitchen, and a commercial commissary. There will be 25 on-site parking spaces included, as well as, I assume, plenty of space for Blue Plate’s catering fleet. The foundation permit was issued in October of 2015; the full-build permit followed in February of this year. The design is by Jonathan Splitt Architects. 41 North Contractors of Lisle, IL is the general contractor.

Townhomes of Prairie Court Pushing Dirt

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Prairie Court

Prairie Court is underway.

If progress is a thing you’re into, construction in Chicago is a nice hobby to have. When obsolete buildings and parking lots become empty lots, and those lots turn into something brand new, few things in life are more enjoyable than pulling up a lawn char and note pad and watching contractors go to work.

But that process takes time. Case in point: Prairie Court.

Prairie Court is a joint project in the South Loop from Golub and Company and Sandz Development bringing 55 townhomes to the Prairie Avenue, between 16th Street and 18th Street. The seven-story building previously occupying this long lot was permitted for demolition back in march of 2015. A year later, on March 31, 2016, nine new construction permits were filed by the City of Chicago to begin building the townhomes. And now, large amounts of dirt are moving around as foundation work gets underway.

The nine different addresses, from 1626 South Prairie Avenue north through 1736 SOuth Prairie, with 220 east 18th Street thrown in for good measure, will have between five and nine units per structure, all with their own private parking garages.

Sullivan Goulette & Wilson provided the designs for Prairie Court. Richard Builders in Lincoln Park were hired to be the general contractor.

New Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Begins in Near North

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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

A render from Dixon + Associates of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 822 North Clark Street.

At 822 North Clark Street in the Near North neighborhood, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is building a new 7-story church. Designed by architect David Dixon of Dixon + Associates in Salt Lake City, the new project started stirring up dust back in May, when the City of Chicago filed a foundation permit. (A tower crane permit was also filed in May, more than two weeks before the foundation permit.)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Rendering courtesy of Dixon + Associates.

Mr. Dixon sent the following about the new church development:

The new building in Chicago is unique for the Church.

While they typically complete a new standard single-story meetinghouse every day somewhere in the world, this project is specifically designed for Chicago.  Following the Neoclassical Romanesque Revival style of architecture, the building will incorporate the traditional red brick and limestone appearance that is prevalent in this area of Chicago.  It will be six stories above grade (three meetinghouse and three parking levels) with a partial story of parking below grade.  The building will open in about a year with a two-story chapel and associated classrooms. The top floor can accommodate another smaller chapel and classrooms in the future.  Three or four congregations from the downtown area will utilize the building with staggered meeting schedules.  A unique feature of this building is a landscaped courtyard on the fourth story.  The courtyard provides semi-private outdoor space that could be used for receptions, mingling between meetings, or children’s activities.  Plans were presented to the local neighborhood and were very well received.

McHugh Construction will handle the general contractor duties. As you’ll see in the photos below, piles have been driven, and a tower crane has been planted.

412 North Wells Joins 221 West Hubbard on the Permit List

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412 North Wells

In this rendering from Hirsch Associates, 412 North Wells stands front and center; 221 West Hubbard is to the right.

Last week, the residential tower from Centrum Partners at 221 West Hubbard Street in River North got a permit from the City of Chicago to begin foundation work. And now, officially, that lot at Hubbard and Wells is twice as busy.

Yesterday, a permit was filed for caisson work to get started for the other half of this couple, the 9-story office building at 412 North Wells Street. The two towers, both designs from Howard Hirsch of Hirsch Associates Architecture, were delayed slightly by negative results from soil sampling on the site. But the delay is no more. With permits in hand, general contractor Linn-Mathes can flood that lot with caisson equipment, and get to drilling.

412 North Wells

412 North Wells will curve with the L tracks that pass by.

412 North Wells

The (Caisson) Permit.