Tower 3 rises at Old Town Park. Immediately to the left is Tower 2. Remember, 3 will be taller.
Yesterday we watched Onni Group and Adjustable Concrete jump the tower crane at Old Town Park. Today, a look at progress on the 41-story Hartshorne Plunkard-designed tower from a pair of sunny afternoons.
It’s just cool. So freakin’ cool.
March 2 marked the third time in nine days I’ve walked around One Chicago Square, snapping photos and marveling at the progress. Not sure what you do one your days off, but now you know where to find me when I have some spare time. I’ll do you a favor and not post every one of them, but there are a lot of pictures. Good news is, you don’t have to click through them until you really feel you’re ready.
Another section of the tower crane slides into place at Old Town Park.
General contractor/developer Onni Group and concrete contractor Adjustable Concrete are sending the tower crane a little higher this week at Old Town Park Tower 3, which will, of course, allow the tower itself to go a little higher. At 41 stories, Tower 3 is the tallest and final of the Old Town Park phases.
Twilight shot over Lake Shore Drive, courtesy of Derek Svehla up in the tower crane.
That means you, Daniel.
The last time Cirrus Condominiums and Cascade Apartments appeared on this blog, I pointed out the need to get as many photos as possible before construction rose above “theater level” from N. Harbor Drive. Well, here’s the thing about that. With construction looming so close to that elevated walkway, you can’t have construction nerds standing within an arm’s length of carpenters and iron workers, offering our advice on how work should be done. And so, the sidewalks have been (understandably) walled off to provide a safety buffer between pedestrians and professionals, limiting us tower crane enthusiasts to get shots where we can. Which is still pretty cool, tbh.
Chicago’s coolest chasm, the Tower C cofferdam at One Chicago Square. Photo courtesy of Mike Conlon at Power Construction.
The calendar has flipped to February. That means it’s time to walk around the One Chicago Square site again and check on progress by Power Construction.
Let it be known that I walked around the site on the 10th, but it wasn’t sunny. So I went back Sunday. SUNday. Everything looks better on a sunny day.
First Glass Post for 369 West Grand.
Last time I walked by 369 West Grand, I caught a milestone; Onni Group was jumping the tower crane. And here it is another week, and another milestone achievement for the Canadian developer/builder: the first few pains of glass have been installed for the tower’s curtain wall.
As is almost always the case, I have photos to prove it:
The Third Edition of Old Town Park rises in Near North.
This is Tower #3 at Old Town Park, the new development from Onni Group that used to be Atrium Village. Just one building from Atrium Village remains, as this third apartment tower rises at 228 West Hill Street. When completed, it will deliver 456 rental units across its 41 stories.
As they’ve done with the first two tower of Old Town Park, the residential building The Hudson, and at the under-construction 369 West Grand, Onni Group is both the developer and general contractor. Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture is the design architect. Adjustable Concrete is the concrete contractor. I’m including them because they’ve got a couple sweet overhead shots from early construction on their website.
Sometimes I forget where I’ve been and what I’ve done. And with that I admit the following photos are more than two weeks old, having been snapped on February 2. If I hadn’t told you, you’d have never known. But still, I’m sorry for the delay. I try to keep content fresh around here.
What’s that old saying I just made up a couple weeks ago? Oh yeah, I remember:
Tower cranes should be cherished. Two tower cranes should be cherished and celebrated. Three tower cranes should be cherished, celebrated, and should get their own post.
It’s true at One Chicago Square just as it’s true at Cirrus & Cascade in Lakeshore East. What’s more, these are three shiny yellow Liebherr cranes. My favorite cranes (that aren’t lit up.)
This is their own post.
727 West Madison takes me back. There was a time, at this blog’s busiest, that I spent many many hours staring out over the West Loop. Not only was I checking up on the explosion of development, but I wasted an awful lot of time watching traffic zoom (or crawl) by on the Kennedy, Ryan, and Eisenhower Expressways. Not to mention the ongoing revamp (no pun intended) of the Jane Byrne Interchange.
I watched from above as the Crowne Plaza parking lot was fenced off and torn up, and construction commenced on 727. I would move from the neighborhood before it leveled up too high, but it was amazing to watch the start from that vantage point.
727 West Madison is the first tower I think about if a return to the West Loop makes sense. Skyline views? Check. Traffic views? Yup. Sweeping views of the booming West Loop and Fulton Market development? Serious check.
FitzGerald is the design architect of 727 West Madison. Fifield Companies and F&F Realty are the developers. Lendlease did the dirty work. Have a look. It’s shiny, curvy, and perfectly located.
P.S. I still think One South Halsted was a better name, but I wasn’t consulted. I’m over it.
Photos follow of 727 West Madison in its completed stage, and in its infancy, as One South Halsted, taken from the original B.U.C. HQ high above the West Loop. (Oh how I miss it)
Those of us without a helicopter, drone, or a really, really long selfie stick are running out of time before construction on Cirrus Condominiums and Cascade Apartments reaches above the elevated street levels of Harbor and Waterside Drives in Lakeshore East.
For that reason, I give you a whole slew of (somewhat) overhead shots, taken January 19, looking down on Lendlease’s continuing progress on the two bKl Architecture-designed residential towers.
