A Simpson-Querrey Tower Crane Blooms in Streeterville.

Posted on July 20, 2016 by danieldschell

Louis A. Simpson and Kimberly K. Querrey Institute for BioNanotechnology in Medicine

Tower Crane alert!

They’ve been digging a hole — a real big hole — since breaking ground in May of 2015 at 303 East Superior Street in Streeterviile for Northwestern University’s Louis A. Simpson and Kimberly K. Querrey Institute for BioNanotechnology in Medicine. This is Phase One, which calls for a 14-story tower designed by Bridget Lesniak of Perkins + Will that will fully integrate with the Robert H. Lurie Medical Research Center next door. Phase Two will add an additional 16 stories atop Phase One.

The Chicago Architecture Blog spotted a new tower crane stub against the north wall of the pit. How did I miss this one coming? It didn’t make my list of six to watch for because it’s been so long — January 26th — since the City of Chicago filed the tower crane permit. So I simply failed, again, to scroll far enough.

There’s another surprise ahead for me, though. There are two tower cranes permitted for the site. One for the north end, one for the south end. Will the south crane be coming any day now? Or will the north have a chance to get some work done before the second crane arrives?

Oh my goodness, do you realize what this is? North vs South! It’s a Tower Crane Civil War!

: Some native vegetation thriving along the north wall.

: When will we see a second tower crane here at the south end of the construction site?

: This has been a vert deep dig.

: North tower crane permit.

: South tower crane permit.

Demolition Update: Elevate Lincoln Park

Posted on July 18, 2016 by danieldschell

ELEVATE Lincoln Park isn’t technically being demolished. Lincoln Centre is being demolished, to make room for ELEVATE Lincoln Park. And there isn’t much of it left, as anyone who rides the Red, Brown, or Purple line can tell you.

The Calm Before the Storm at 165 North Desplaines

Posted on July 16, 2016 by danieldschell

Where did all that equipment go? 165 North Desplaines is (temporarily) very quiet.

Tear it down.

Smooth it over.

Dig the holes.

Smooth it over.

Such is the cycle of life for a construction site. We’re in that fourth phase now at 165 North Desplaines. It’s eerily quiet, now that caisson equipment has been shipped off (is some of it now at 3Eleven?).

Of course, the silence won’t last. Expect Power Construction to swamp the lot soon to build the foundation and set up a tower crane. (Perhaps in that first big hole in the southwest corner of the lot?)

Seems to me this could be a good place for a new tower crane.

Things got all smoothed over in June, too. After demolition was complete, but before caisson work started.

Shout-out to Power Construction for having a chair waiting for me on site.

Spotted at 3Eleven, another Power site. Did it travel direct from 165 North Desplaines?

River West lot on Chicago Avenue Gets a Permit

Posted on July 13, 2016 by danieldschell

A rendering of 738 North Morgan, from FitzGerald Associates Architects’ website.

Developer Bond Companies (developer of The Maxwell in the South Loop) has secured a permit from the City of Chicago to begin construction on a mixed-use project at 1001 West Chicago Avenue in River West.

The site, designated in the permit as 738 North Morgan Street, sits across Chicago Avenue from the Chicago Academy For the Arts. The lot is bounded to the west by North Carpenter Street, the south by North Milwaukee Avenue, and the east by North Morgan Street.

While the permit doesn’t offer many details, FitzGerald Associates Architects, the West Loop firm that designed 738 North Morgan, shows on its website a three-building complex, the tallest of which will be 16 stories, a dwelling unit count of 360, and 10,000 square feet of retail space. The permit calls for a 13-story building, which might be for just one of the buildings FitzGerald shows in the rendering. The two taller structures appear to be different heights. Power Construction will be the general contractor.

The foundation permit to begin work at 738 North Morgan.

Also filed Tuesday, a demolition permit for this building, F&G Electrical Supply at 727 North Milwaukee Avenue, which is part of the same large lot.

The rest of the lot is a blank slate, ready for developing.

2950 North Sheridan Gets Its Glass In Gear

Posted on July 13, 2016 by danieldschell

A thumb’s up from Power Construction as they get their glass on.

Way way up north, so far north, in fact, that it’s in Lake View, which is almost a suburb, Power Construction is busy erecting Wirtz Realty’s latest rental development, 2950 North Sheridan.

A render from Booth Hansen of the glassy, curvy 2950 North Sheridan.

Situated at 2950 North Sheridan Road (natch), Booth Hansen has designed a 19-story, 82-unit apartment tower with a whole bunch (113) of parking spaces. The most prominent feature of this building will be its curved facade facing south along Oakdale Avenue. Power has started installing glass on said curve, and it’s already impressive. When this tower opens to residents in 2017, it’ll be curvy and glassy and shiny like you read about.

: Looking at the west end of the tower, looking east on Oakdale Avenue.

: More glass. Much more glass.

: The curved facade along Oakdale.

: 2930 North Sheridan reflected in the new glass of 2950.

: The curved south wall.

: Looking northwest from the corner of Sheridan and Oakdale.

: Gratuitous tower crane shot.

: It’s like a tower crane, but for people.

: Ground-level work. A height that’s more my speed.

: The podium along Sheridan Road.

: Looking south down Sheridan Road at the podium and tower.

: Glass on the east-facing wall.

: More east facade.

171 North Aberdeen Begins Foundation Work Under Clueless Blogger’s Nose

Posted on July 12, 2016 by danieldschell

The foundation permit, issued June 6th, I didn’t know existed. My bad.

I tried to pay attention to this one. Honest I did.

I told you over a month ago caisson equipment was standing at the ready at 171 North Aberdeen Street in the West Loop, eager to tear into the soil of the empty lot. But Novak Construction, the general contractor for the project, couldn’t. Not yet. That was June 10th, and the City of Chicago had yet to file a foundation permit.

WRONG.

In fact, that permit had been filed on June 6th. But, as sometimes happens in the data entry process, a key line had been left blank on the city’s permit site: no permit date. So when I was looking at the most recent permits for Aberdeen Street, I should have been scrolling all the way to the end, where permits without dates fall.

So as I wandered by the site Tuesday, I was merely checking to see if equipment was still there. And not only was it there, it was drilling holes into the earth. Knowing nobody in Chicago work start work without the proper permits being in place, I walked the perimeter until I found what I needed to see. Namely, the site bulletin board. And on it, the permit approving foundation work. And all is right with the world.

That permit means the Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture-designed 171 North Aberdeen is about to be a real thing. The new mixed-use project from MCZ Development (click that link. MCZ has a wonderful video introducing their building) will have 75 luxury apartments, 15,000 square feet of retail, and 40,000 square feet of office space. Plus 130 or so parking spaces to accommodate residents, shoppers, diners, and commuters.

: MCZ rendering of 171 North Aberdeen.

: 171 North Aberdeen. You can find it by looking for the water tank and chimney.

: Revcon Construction going to town on the caissons. Good thing they weren’t waiting for my okay, eh?

: You don’t need bloggers. You can learn all you need to know about 171 North Aberdeen by reading the fence.

: Foundation work at 171 North Aberdeen. Hopefully I won’t miss the tower crane going in.

Demolition Permit Signals End and Beginning for 1411 South Michigan

Posted on July 8, 2016 by danieldschell

1411 South Michigan will soon be no more, replaced by a new, improved, taller 1411 South Michigan.

A demolition permit filed by the City of Chicago on Thursday will bring down the former home of the Chicago Department of Children and Family Services at 1411 South Michigan Avenue in the South Loop, making way for new rental tower. (1411 South Michigan also previously housed the National Association of Letter Carriers.)

1411 South Michigan will be a 15-story apartment tower from Chicago developer Russland Capital Group. Designed by the architecture firm of Boarman Kroos Vogel Group, 1411 South Michigan will have 199 rental units ranging from studios to 3-bedroom apartments. 40,000 square feet of commercial space is included in the plans as well. Lendlease will serve as the general contractor.

Alliance Demolition is ready to get to the demolishing part.

A rendering of 1411 South Michigan from Russland Capital Group.

Unless used at the new 1411 South Michigan, this would make for a great souvenir piece.

The Demo Permit.

165 North Desplaines Digs In [Updated]

Posted on June 28, 2016 by danieldschell

There is a large, mean-looking red beast on the other side of the fence at 165 North Desplaines.

While I’ve had my face pressed against the window looking south at 625 West Adams, just three blocks north of the office, Power Construction is getting caissons buried on another of their West Loop projects.

At 165 North Desplaines, Revcon Construction has equipment on site, and it’s being used to dig the foundations for the new 14-story GREC Architects design. Developer Gerding Edlen (Xavier Apartments, The Jones Chicago) is putting 199 apartments here, while also renovating the existing building at 152 North Jefferson.

*** THIS JUST IN: Yesterday, 165 North Desplaines received its Tower Crane Permit from the City of Chicago. This will pair quite nicely with the 625 West Adams Tower Crane, also permitted yesterday, June 28. ***

Here, as always, is photographic proof of the presence of construction goings-on:

: A rendering of 165 North Desplaines from GREC Architects.

: The red beast, purring.

: The Sears Tower takes a peek into the 165 North Desplaines lot.

: A caisson is drilled just inside the fence.

: A busy site is a happy sight.

: Corrugated tubes.

: Rebar tubes. I love rebar tubes.

: This will have to do until there’s a tower crane to take a gratuitous shot of.

: The Haymarket Monument being hauled away for safe keeping during construction.

400 West Huron Continues Growth in River North

Posted on June 22, 2016 by danieldschell

400 West Huron is a 15-story condo building coming to the River North neighborhood at 400 West Huron Street. The Berkelhamer Architects design will have just 26 units, all condominiums. Smithfield Properties is playing the roles of both developer and general contractor on this one.

: Looking east along Huron Street.

: A big red machine.

: Gratuitous tower crane shot.

: That’s always the hardest spot to get.

: Out on the edge.

: Looking west from Franklin Street.

: Looking west from Huron Street.

: Both 400 and 410 West Huron were demolished for the new 400 West Huron. Here, Heneghan Wrecking takes down 400, as 410 awaits its fate next door.

: The demo permit for 400 West Huron.

: And the demo permit for 410 West Huron.

: The full building permit for 400 West Huron.

30 East Continues Ground Work in the South Loop

Posted on June 21, 2016 by danieldschell

A bird’s eye view (if the bird parks its car) of construction work at 30 East.

Smack dab in the middle of all the murals in the Wabash Arts Corridor, Power Construction crews are hard at work on 30 East, a 16-story residential tower coming to the South Loop at 30 East Balbo Avenue.

Gilbane Development Company has its eye on the growing student population in this neighborhood. In that respect, 30 East will have 134 apartments ranging from studios to 4-bedroom units. Every unit will be furnished, ideal for student rentals. Designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz, 30 East will also have 8,000 square feet of retail space at the ground level. Gilbane expects to have the tower ready for Fall 2017 classes.