First of two tower cranes begins at The Lincoln Common

Posted on August 24, 2017 by danieldschell

The south tower crane starts to rise at The Lincoln Common, seen from the Fullerton “L” platform.

On the red, purple, or brown line today? Take a look to the east from the Fullerton station, and you’ll see the first of two tower cranes being erected at The Lincoln Common. That’s where I spotted it from, because for some reason, I wasn’t staring at my phone as we pulled up. I jumped out and walked over to take a look.

And Twitter noticed. Users @kgburke3 andi @ChiBuildings (too early for a #FollowFriday? You should be following Chicago Cityscape for all things Chicago development) pointed out the street closure of North Lincoln Avenue between Belden and Fullerton Avenues through Friday for the big event.

https://twitter.com/ChiBuildings/status/900581897985810432

https://twitter.com/kgburke3/status/900526288670216192

There’s still a lot of foundation work going on for this dual-tower, 540-unit mixed use project. W.E. O’Neil is the general contractor, and they’ve got a busy site in the works. You’ll see that in the photos below. No word yet though on when to expect the north tower crane to arrive.

: The closed-off Lincoln Avenue.

: Tower crane in the distance, sheeting work up front.

Pictures from Solstice On The Park as the tower crane comes down

Posted on August 15, 2017 by danieldschell

Solstice On The Park tower crane removal

Local 63 Ironworker Nick Barwegen gets up close and personal with the tower crane at Solstice On The Park.

Local 63 Ironworker Nick Barwegen sent over some stellar photos from Solstice On The Park this morning, as Chicago’s south-most tower crane is being lowered to the ground. Sad as it is to see it come down, it sure does make for a cool photo-op.

Thanks, Nick!

Uplifting news: Two towers, two tower cranes at The Lincoln Common

Posted on August 5, 2017 by danieldschell

Caisson work at The Lincoln Common will include foundations for TWO tower cranes.

Friday was a busy day for important permits in Chicago.

You read in our August tower crane update that The Lincoln Common would soon be on the board with a tower crane for one of the two 20-story, 269-unit apartment towers going up on the site. Well, the City of Chicago just doubled down on that wager, permitting a second tower crane for the site.

We’ll need to work out some names for these. For now, the city’s permits dub them “East” and “West.” But since they’re in position to build the north and south (2335 and 2345 North Lincoln Ave) towers, we may need to use “North” and South” for them. Or, perhaps the cranes will share duties on each tower, as opposed to being dedicated to one single building. Minor details. East Crane and West Crane will suffice for now.

This means W.E. O’Neil will not only get on the board; they’ll storm it. And their two tower cranes will make up for the recent losses at Elevate Lincoln Park and the DePaul School of Music. And don’t forget, we could get a crane across the street when the Belmont Village senior-living facility gets rolling. Tower cranes galore for Lincoln Park.

East Crane

West Crane

Construction Progress: The Triple-Branded Hilton Hotel climbs on Motor Row

Posted on July 31, 2017 by danieldschell

Up to the ninth floor (of 21) at the Triple-Branded Hilton Hotel at McCormick Place.

Three Hilton Hotels, 21 stories, and 466 rooms. That’s what you see growing along East Cermak Road, between Michigan and Indiana Avenues. (A Hilton Garden Inn Chicago McCormick Center, Hampton Inn by Hilton Chicago McCormick Center, and Home2 Suites by Hilton Chicago McCormick Center, if you’re scoring at home.) Of course, they’ll all be in one building.

Antunovich Associates worked with McHugh Construction on this project, which joins the Marriott Marquis Hotel and Wintrust Arena across the street in completely changing the character of this two-block stretch of Cermak Road. McHugh is up to the ninth floor of the hotels now, a veritable beehive of activity. And it has to be; Hilton plans to have all three brands open late next year.

More photos than I know what to do with: Ancora at Riverline

Posted on July 28, 2017 by danieldschell

Ancora at Riverline rises next door to River City. You can see the outline of the townhomes facing west, toward the South Branch of the Chicago River.

There will be construction at Riverline for a long time. A very long time. Ten new buildings, 3,600 residential units, covering 14 acres in the South Loop along the Chicago River. Designed by Perkins+Will, Riverline will basically be its own new neighborhood once completed, sometime around 2024.

Ancora, the first building of Phase One, broke ground in September. Lendlease, the general contractor and part of the development team with CMK Companies, is kicking tail on the podium, as the core rises to about ten stories. Ancora will be a 29-story tower, with 420 apartments and 24 townhomes. The second tower, Current, doesn’t have a start date yet, but we do know it will be an 18-story condominium tower with 251 condos and 28 more townhomes.

Solstice On The Park tops out, puts on new glasses

Posted on July 26, 2017 by danieldschell

Solstice On The Park, the 27-story residential tower in Hyde Park, topped on on Monday, according to a tweet to us from Studio Gang. Also on Monday, Studio Gang also shared a photo on its LinkedIn page showing some pretty impressive glass panels being installed on the ground floor. What does one do when there’s new glass to be seen? One heads down the Metra Electric Line and has a look for oneself.

https://twitter.com/studiogang/status/890302868527435776

Glass installation at Solstice On The Park, from Studio Gang’s LinkedIn post.

Congratulations to Studio Gang, Linn-Mathes, Antheus Capital, Mac Properties, heck, to all of Hyde Park on the topping out! It looks like Chicago’s south-most tower crane is in danger of disappearing soon, but that’s the price of progress.

Caisson work is at full bore for The Lincoln Common

Posted on July 26, 2017 by danieldschell

Revcon is in, and in deep, as caisson work revs up at The Lincoln Common.

Here’s a ridiculous overhead view from Curtis Waltz at Aerialscapes.

The noisy red machines of Revcon are tearing into the soil at The Lincoln Common, the mixed-use development coming to the former Children’s Memorial Hospital site in Lincoln Park. Foundation permits were issued back in June, allowing general contractor W.E. O’Neil to get started on the project.

“Foundation permits, plural?” you might ask? Yep. The Lincoln Common seems to have a theme of pairs:

There will be two towers, addressed for now as 2335 and 2345 North Lincoln Avenue, each standing 20 stories tall and containing 269 apartments. (There will be some condos too, plus a senior-living facility across the street.)
There are two developers: Hines, and McCaffery Interests
There are two architecture firms involved in the design work: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, and Antunovich Associates.
There are two red Revcon caisson rigs and two caisson cranes working on the site
I went through two bottles of Gatorade while watching caisson work in the oppressive heat (how do crews stay out there all day in this weather?)

You get the idea.

There was *one* tower-crane permit issued on July 17; will there be a second tower crane for the second tower? We’ll have to wait and see about that prospective pair.

New Neighbor Eleven40 continues to rise in the South Loop

Posted on July 18, 2017 by danieldschell

A little project I’m working on in the back yard.

Of course, Eleven40 isn’t the new neighbor; I am. But so far, the new apartment tower from the CA Ventures – Keith Giles team doesn’t seem to mind its new spectators, as Lendlease keeps pushing the project skyward. The tower crane is still doing tower-crane things, and the cladding is starting to wrap around a fourth level.

A Spring 2018 arrival date for the 320-unit, SCB-designed South Loop tower fast approacheth, so don’t expect activity to slow down anytime soon.

: Night view.

: Construction at night is a beautiful sight.

: Anatomy of a Window Install, a play in six acts.

1136 South Wabash gets a name change. Meet Eleven40

Posted on July 3, 2017 by danieldschell

New signage introduces Eleven40 to the South Loop.

In the midst of ongoing progress at 1136 South Wabash comes new signage announcing a new name: 1136 is now Eleven40. Follow that link to a whole bunch of shiny new renderings of the SCB-designed tower, as it continues upward toward its ultimate 26 stories. The CA Ventures – Keith Giles production will have 320 apartments and is being built by Lendlease. Spring 2018 is the projected opening.

Eleven40 continues its rise in the South Loop.

1136 South Wabash has been renamed Eleven40.

Rooftop rendering of Eleven40.

Nighttime rendering of Eleven40.

Pool rendering of Eleven40.

A Hard-Hat Tour of 625 West Adams with Power Construction

Posted on June 29, 2017 by danieldschell

Luis Monroy, Project Engineer at 625 West Adams, discusses all things tower crane with Emily East and Rashad Young. All three work for Power Construction.

A huge thank you to Luis Monroy and Power Construction, who led me on a hard-hat tour of 625 West Adams on Wednesday. Power topped out the SCB-designed office tower back on May 22. Now, cladding is being installed and has reached the 11th-floor terrace.

Come take a walk with me.

The bracing you see in the photo above (also visible in the top photo) is part of the tie-off reinforcement for the tower crane. The steel braces run from the crane to the core.

Remember the oculus I’ve been showing you on the 19th-floor terrace? We’re now looking at it from eye-level, way off in the corner. This is taken on the 21st (penthouse) floor. Yes, it’s a 20-story tower with a penthouse for a mechanical floor.

This is Eddie. Eddie is a master at hanging glass panels. You can watch him work in the time-lapse video below.

Luis, Emily, and Rashad standing out on the soon-to-be terrace of the 19th floor. Behind them, the inverted tripod that supports the oculus. You may also notice the Sears Tower.