In today’s edition of They Grow Up So Fast, it’s Sterling Bay’s 160 North Morgan

Posted on February 1, 2023 by danieldschell

160 North Morgan in the Fulton Market District.

Turn your back on these kids for two seconds, and I’m telling you, they grow out of control.

160 North Morgan is a development from Sterling Bay
A creation by bKL Architecture.
A project for The Big Green W.

It will be 30 stories tall.
It will have 282 apartments.
It will contain parking for 89 cars.
It will have 2,657 square feet of retail space.
It will sit right in the middle of my favorite neighborhood.
It still has a tower crane.
It has a lot of curtain wall installed.
It looks like it’s reached the 23rd or 24th floor.

Progress photos, taken January 29, 2023:

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.

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Cloudy-day construction update: Cassidy on Canal

Posted on January 31, 2023 by danieldschell

It’s pretty easy to remember when I was last at Cassidy on Canal; just scroll back a couple pages. In mid-September, caisson work had just begun on The Habitat Company’s 33-story, 343-unit, SCB-designed apartment tower where Cassidy Tire once stood in the Fulton River District.

Now, McHugh & McHugh have reached the underside of the fifth floor. Have a look at their progress on a cold, cloudy January ’23 Sunday (I love having the Fulton House condo building as a backdrop):

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Cassidy on Canal has begun construction at 350 North Canal

Posted on September 17, 2022 by danieldschell

The first permit has been issued for Cassidy on Canal, the 33-story apartment tower from The Habitat Company, and crews are on site ready to drill into the earth. I’m told caissons aren’t quite ready to go into the ground just yet, but you can see rebar cages being prepped, so they’ll be ready when shafts start drilling. That process is expected to begin Monday.

I learned some fascinating things this week about those old freight tunnels running under the city, including this site. Caissons can be drilled through the tunnels, but not until the tunnels themselves are filled. Bulkheads are framed and filled at each end of the tunnel, and then the entire tunnel is filled with grout. (It’s a lot of grout.) Once the grout sets, then the caissons can be drilled & filled.

Anyway, that’s what Stalworth Underground is up to. I guess when you put the word “Underground” in your name, you’re prepared for anything and everything that pops up beneath the surface.

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Apartments at 350 North Canal permitted to begin where Cassidy Tire ended

Posted on September 9, 2022 by danieldschell

The City of Chicago issued a foundation permit Wednesday for 350 North Canal. That means The Habitat Company’s plan for apartments on the lot where Cassidy Tire once stood is ready to roll. An empty lot, a clean slate, at the beginning of the month, McHugh Construction and McHugh Concrete can begin laying the groundwork for the 33-story, SCB-designed tower. Stalworth Underground will assist with caisson work.

The permit indicates 343 apartments, 123 parking spaces for cars (no below-grade parking here. There will be a parking podium on levels 2-4) and 185 bicycle spaces. I’ll be staring at the permit site, waiting for the tower crane to arrive.

Roman Numerals at 160 North Morgan?

Posted on September 9, 2022 by danieldschell

bKL Architecture has designed a great-looking residential tower for the West Loop. And even though we’re still in the early stages of construction on 160 North Morgan, one of the coolest aspects of the design is already visible.

If this were Roman numerals, it’d be 3. Because two I’s in front of a V would be 2 less than 5. But we all know III is the Roman numeral for 3, so this is actually 7, or VII, but we’re looking at it from the back.

I’m rambling. Check it out for yourself.

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Hoist one for 160 North Morgan

Posted on August 30, 2022 by danieldschell

A month ago, 160 North Morgan got its hoist permit. Its skip permit. Its construction elevator permit. Its “red thing right there in front” permit. And it’s newly-installed since the last time I dropped by mid-month. I don’t often point out hoist permits, but maybe I should. Besides, now I know what a dual-car Tornborg FC8000 Per/Mat counter-weight hoist tower looks like, so I can point them out to folks on the street when I see them.

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1400 South Wabash hits the teens in Chicago’s South Loop

Posted on August 24, 2022 by danieldschell

I haven’t posted an update at 1400 South Wabash since May? That’s barely tolerable, if not entirely unacceptable. Let’s fix that now, as there’s been a lot of progress by Lendlease and Pepper Construction here. Looks like they’ve reached level 14-ish.

Some reminders:
Developer – CMK Companies
Design Architect – Pappageorge Haymes Partners
General Contractor – Lendlease
Concrete Contractor – Pepper Construction
30 stories
299 apartments
155 parking spaces
3,300 square feet of ground-level retail space
Scheduled opening – early 2023
Quirky-but-true fact – Green and Orange line trains practically run right through the parking deck

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Catching up to 160 North Morgan

Posted on August 23, 2022 by danieldschell

In today’s episode of I Know I Have More Pictures Of That Construction Site Somewhere, a far-too-regular series in which I take photos and then neglect to post them, we’re taking a look at progress on 160 North Morgan.

160 North Morgan is a bKL-Architecture-designed apartment tower being developed by Sterling Bay. Walsh Construction is the general contractor here, tasked with erecting 30 stories, 282 units, 89 parking spaces and 2,657 square feet of retail space.

We last brought you up to speed here on June 6. Since then, we’ve stopped by and stared at Walsh at work June 23, July 27, and August 17. Here, in most-recent-first order, are some shots from those visits:

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Another new tower crane = more verticality, as 160 North Morgan sprouts from the ground

Posted on June 6, 2022 by danieldschell

160 North Morgan is starting to show above the fence line.

160 North Morgan is starting to protrude from the West Loop soil, as GC Walsh Construction begins utilizing that new tower crane they erected at the end of May.

A gentle reminder that 160 North Morgan, a project from Sterling Bay designed by bKL Architecture, will bring 282 apartments and 89 parking spaces in a neat 30-story package. And all of it is happening about half a yard from the Morgan CTA platform. Not to mention the Do-Rite Donuts (apple fritters!) right across the street.

Walsh Construction is on the build. They have received permits for:
– the tower crane on March 30
– the caissons on March 31
– the full build for 30 stories on April 20

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Got a light? Onni Group does it again at 354 North Union

Posted on June 1, 2022 by danieldschell

The view of the Fulton River District’s 354 North Union from the Fulton Market District.

The coolest of Chicago’s current tower crane crop is at 354 North Union. No contest. The lighted crane always wins. Kudos to Onni Group for lighting up yet another.

I stopped by Saturday night to take a few shots in the dark. Wish my photography skills were better, but even bad photos of lit up tower cranes are cool. Also in the gallery are some progress shots taken throughout the month of May.