Niche 905 Uploads New Windows

Posted on June 16, 2016 by danieldschell

Sleek, shiny new glass adorns Niche 905 in the Near North neighborhood.

Along what has become in recent months a very busy stretch of roadway for construction, Niche 905 continues onward and upward at 905 North Orleans Street in Near North. And you may now add another achievement to the list of construction milestones: GLASS.

A rendering of Niche 905 from FitzGerald Associates.

Niche 905 is an 18-story, 202-unit apartment tower designed by West Loop architecture firm FitzGerald Associates. Since breaking ground in November, Power Construction has steadily stacked floors atop floors at the site, which used to be the surface parking lot serving St. Luke Church of God across the street.

Included in the final development will be three levels of parking for 152 cars, 110 spaces to park bicycles, and 1,750 square feet of retail space. And, a SKY DECK POOL! (Someone have me over. Please.)

Niche 905 is scheduled for Summer 2017 occupancy.

: A group photo at the Niche 905 groundbreaking ceremony, November 2015.

: Looking north up Orleans Street.

: Tower crane shot.

: Balcony work.

: Some of the new glass. (Of course, everything’s new.)

: Power Construction at work.

: I like the tower crane shots.

: Glass and train.

: The north face and its fresh cladding.

165 North Desplaines Gets a Foundation Permit

Posted on June 14, 2016 by danieldschell

152 North Jefferson. It remains, and is being renovated.

The long, three-story building at 152 North Jefferson stays, but the additions it spawned in the back lot have been leveled into a smooth, blank canvas. And now there’s a foundation permit on file with the City of Chicago, as of yesterday, to start construction on the new 14-story residential tower at 165 North Desplaines Street in the West Loop..

Our permit tells us to expect 199 apartments, with 99 parking spaces and some ground-floor retail. Power Construction is on the clock as your general contractor. Donald Copper from GREC Architects of Chicago did the design chores. Gerding Edlen is the developer.

This officially puts us on Tower Crane Alert!

: A rendering of 165 North Desplaines from GREC Architects.

: What the “back lot” used to look like…

: …before Heneghan Wrecking came in.

: The Haymarket memorial along Desplaines Street.

: It was packed up and moved to avoid damage during construction. It will be back.

: Another GREC render, showing the Haymarket memorial back in place.

: Even the rubble is gone now.

: Blank slate.

Foundation Equipment Standing By at 171 Aberdeen

Posted on June 10, 2016 by danieldschell

I don’t know how much it costs per day to have one of those pretty yellow Hayward Baker machines in your lot, in this case the lot being 171 North Aberdeen Street, but I’m guessing Novak Construction would like to put it to good use sooner rather than later.

The latest project from MCZ Development and designed by Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture, 171 Aberdeen promises 75 luxury apartments, 15,000 square feet of retail space, 40,000 square feet of office space, and up to 140 parking spots at the corner of Lake and Aberdeen Streets in the molten-lava-hot Fulton Market neighborhood.

Curiously, there’s a permit on file with the City of Chicago. But it’s a foundation permit for a tower crane. That seems a tad cart-before-horse-ish to me, but it’s happened before. Novak Construction, the general contractor on 171 Aberdeen, will get to work as soon as the city says “go.”

Here’s the tower crane permit, displayed at the 171 Aberdeen work site.

And here’s a rendering from MCZ Development of the finished 171 Aberdeen.

All that prime tagging canvas will be gone once 171 Aberdeen construction gets rolling.

Big Kenect and Little Kenect Progress Kentinues.

Posted on June 9, 2016 by danieldschell

The 14-story tower that makes up about 78% of Kenect’s floorage. If floorage was a word.

At 500 North Milwaukee Avenue in the West Town neighborhood, Akara Partners is developing Kenect, a two-building apartment complex designed by Pappageorge Haymes Partners.

When complete, Kenect will have a 14-story tower on the west side of North Green Street with 179 apartments, and a 4-story structure on the east side of Green Street with 48 units. The two will share 122 car parking spaces and 50 bike parking spaces, while the entire complex will include some 14,000 square feet of retail space.

: Kenect, with outstanding photobombs from River Point and the Sears Tower.

: 4 stories of Kenect, along Milwaukee Avenue.

: The unique framework along Milwaukee Avenue taking form in January .

: That framework looks like this now.

: Looking northwest from Grand Avenue.

: Early work on the 14-story tower, July

: And on the 4-story portion, also July

: Kenect had a wonderful tower crane…

: …so wonderful, that even the moon couldn’t help but visit.

: Kenect got its first glass back in November 2015.

: Yeah, I won’t go up there and do that, what they’re doing. Nope.

: The unfortunate rat traps that were demolished to make room for Kenect.

: The unfortunate rat traps that were demolished to make room for Kenect.

Raquets Down, Racket Up as Demolition Begins for Elevate Lincoln Park

Posted on June 8, 2016 by danieldschell

Sorry, no more service here, Ace.

Tennis, anyone? Well, you’re a little too late. Those elevated tennis courts you saw on your Brown Line ride between the Fullerton and Diversey stops are no more. Game, set, match.

Taylor on the tear down; McHugh on the new construction.

In its place will soon be ELEVATE Lincoln Park, a mixed use project from Baker Development Company.

Approved by the Chicago Plan Commission back in July 2015, permits were filed for five addresses spanning North Lincoln Avenue from 2518 to 2534 between May 3 and May 5. Your plan commission says to expect a 10-story, 200-unit complex designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz that will also include 16,300 square feet of retail space.

The original schedule for ELEVATE Lincoln Park had designs on beginning caisson work by the first of this month, so progress is a tad behind schedule. But not to worry. Demolition is a pretty good sign things are well underway.

The taggers got to Lincoln Centre before Taylor demo crews did.

A commuter’s view, from a CTA Brown Line train.

Somebody feed that excavator, stat!

Soil sampling rigs showed up on site back in September. A good sign it’s time to sell your condo.

Another angle of the carnage.

A rendering of Elevate Lincoln Park from Baker Development Company.

Building Up Chicago

An Eye on Chicago Construction.

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