Guess what we’re getting, West Loop! A shiny yellow Liebherr 316-EC-H 12 tower crane (stub), courtesy of One South Halsted.
That’s a serious hunk of concrete.
There’s no mistaking the former surface parking lot at 1326 South Michigan for a current surface parking lot. That’s because Walsh Construction is on the scene with Zenere Companies, excavating the site for the 46-story, 500-unit tower from Murphy Development Group and CIM Group.
There’s enough topography on site now to make for a decent par-three golf course, what with the undulating mounds of soil, piles of rock and debris, and deep bunkers. There’s also a giant concrete block right smack dab in the middle of the lot that could present quite the hazard should you slice your tee shot.
Rendering of 1326 South Michigan from CIM Group.
1326 South Michigan, the new 500-unit residential tower from Murphy Development Group along with CIM Group, scored a foundation permit Wednesday from the City of Chicago. The permit calls for a 47-story building, designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz. Walsh Construction is named as the general contractor.
The surface parking lot at 1326 has been closed for a couple weeks now, in anticipation of work on the tower beginning. Expect to see the approved foundation work get started very soon.
465 North Park rises up in Streeterville.
465 North Park, the 48-story, 444-unit apartment tower from Jupiter Realty Company, continues to grow at East Illinois Street and North Park Drive in Streeterville. Power Construction has been working on the Pappageorge Haymes-designed tower since July of last year.
Work has climbed as high as seven stories now, but that’s not the best feature. That distinction belongs to a few windows lined up along the west facing. Unusual this early on in construction? Maybe. Am I complaining? Nope.
Unless there’s new technology allowing caisson to be dug without rigs, caissons look finished at One South Halsted.
A look after dark down on the One South Halsted site Monday night shows only one caisson rig remaining on site, and a horizontal one at that. The only logical conclusion one could make from this is that caissons are done.
As you may have guessed, I’m willing to skip straight to the tower crane portion of our program, but we’ll have to let Lendlease make that decision. For now, Case Foundation still has some equipment to remove from the lot, like augers and that big yellow rig lying on the ground. Then crews can get busy on the next phase of foundation work.
Working in the dark – and the rain – to take down a caisson rig at One South Halsted.
Yesterday’s post about caisson work at One South Halsted served to inform you that Case Foundation was still drilling big holes into the ground and filling them with concrete. Well, I can confidently update you that whatever work remains can be done by a solo rig.
Friday-night lights on-site illuminated crews disassembling one of the caisson rigs, so unless another project is in desperate need, caisson work must be nearing completion.
I didn’t dream it; Saturday morning shed some light on the rig removal.
Once you start pouring concrete into a caisson, you have to finish. Sometimes One South Halsted stays active into the evening hours.
Case Foundation is still on the case at One South Halsted, and it’s because caissons don’t dig themselves. As you may recall, One South Halsted went from permit to really busy in about two heartbeats, and work hasn’t let up since. The official caisson count from the B.U.C. HQ vantage point is “bunches and bunches,” with the assumption that they’ll be wrapped up very soon. Then, Lendlease can take over the vertical portion of the 46-story apartment tower by FitzGerald Associates Architects.
Co-developers Fifield Companies and F&F Realty are bringing 492 rental units to the Greektown section of the West Loop. Situated alongside the Kennedy Expressway, the curvy, highly visible tower will be fully loaded with amenities that it will share with the Crowne Plaza hotel next door. Which is only fair, considering One South Halsted commandeered Crowne’s parking lot for its own site.
The first (?) caisson has been started at One South Halsted.
Having spent the last few days flooding the lot at Halsted and Madison with foundation equipment, Case Foundation is officially on the case for One South Halsted, having begun its first caisson Wednesday.
Both excavators have been busy Tuesday at the Crowne Plaza parking lot/One South Halsted construction site.
If you didn’t think they were serious about moving your car out of the Crowne Plaza parking lot, it’s too late now.
Asphalt continues getting torn up at the future One South Halsted, even in Tuesday’s rain and fog. One interesting change, aside from the digging: the sidewalk protection on Halsted Street has been removed. It remains on the Madison Street (north) side.
Twitter user @henjealy spotted the temporary sidewalks on Monday.
Disregard any talk you may have heard about One South Halsted taking its sweet time getting started. A week after the foundation permit was filed by the City of Chicago, the apartment tower from Fifield Companies and F&F Realty has emptied and cordoned off the parking lot, set up temporary sidewalks on Halsted and Madison Streets, and knocked down trees on the site. There are excavators on site, plus dump trucks, equipment trailers, even a cement mixer. And, as of 9:20 this morning, one of those excavators is tearing up the asphalt.
The former Crowne Plaza parking lot has been a flurry of activity all week. Yep, One South Halsted is ready to roll into the West Loop.
Building Up Chicago 