My really big, very good day: A view of Chicago from inside 150 North Riverside

Posted on September 13, 2017 by danieldschell

150 North Riverside is open and spectacular along the Chicago River.

If being obsessed with a building is a problem, then those of you who know me well (or know me at all, let’s be honest here) know I have a problem.

150 North Riverside is my obsession. And problem. If I ever manage to salvage the thousands of photos on the hard drive I dropped of construction of Goettsch Partners’ Chicago office tower, I’ll post them one at a time and you’ll understand what I mean. But you can see into a few of those portals via blog posts here, here, here, and most recently, here.

It started with the sinking of the Chicago River Barge, quite possibly the most famous demise of a water-going vessel in the history of mankind. And just like that, I became mesmerized by construction. I’d go downtown just to stand on the Randolph Street bridge and see how much progress had been made. When we moved to the West Loop, I’d go out of my way to get to and from the L so I could watch.

Before I was ready to let go, 150 North Riverside was done. And I’ll admit to a tinge of sadness in its construction coming to an end. Not just because there would be no more progress to mark, but because I feared the tower would now become a mystery to me. Sure, the plaza outside is a fantastic space, and open to the public 24/7 for wandering through, or enjoying an al fresco lunch. The lobby even has open hours too. But what reason would I ever have to go inside and see Chicago from this vantage point? Maybe I could find a lawyer with an office there, and threaten to sue someone so I could meet for a consultation.

But then along came my angel. Thanks to Shelby Edwards and the William Blair Company, which started moving its Chicago offices into the tower back in June, I got to go inside this magical building last week. William Blair occupies about a dozen floors in the upper half of the tower. I hung out for awhile on the 46th floor, the main reception area. An amazing space, it offers 360-degree views from a host of meeting rooms, classrooms, and small breakout offices.

And then there’s the art. I respectfully avoided photographing any of the artwork; that usually feels like something you shouldn’t do. But imagine two busts, made of layers hunks of drywall cut from the walls behind the busts. Yeah, it’s as cool as it is hard to describe.

I didn’t spend my entire hour with Shelby taking photos of tower cranes; I captured lots of Chicago views. But those memories are for me. To keep with the theme of this blog, here now are the shots I took to share with you; as many cranes as I could find from the 35th and 46th floors of 150 North Riverside:

: Flashback: This cranebarge did the heavy lifting of those glorious iron trusses.

: Flashback: The tower crane that built 150 North Riverside Plaza.

: 727 West Madison

: 900 West, which got got a stub (not pictured)

: Cook County Central Campus Health Center

: Hoxton Chicago, which just got a stub (not pictured)

: Illume Chicago and 727 West Madison

: Ilume Chicago

: McDonald’s (One up, one gone)

: No. 9 Walton

: No. 508

: A terrible shot of Addison & Clark. My apologies to both.

: 1515 West Webster. No crane, but you can see it from here.

: Old Town Park

: Wolf Point East, which will have a tower crane soon.

: Elevate Lincoln Park. No more crane, but you can see it from here.

: The Lincoln Common

: That looks like a crane-building crane, and it looks like it could be at 3833 North Broadway.

Essex On The Park is Off Of The Ground

Posted on July 25, 2017 by danieldschell

Essex On The Park is beginning its climb into the Michigan Avenue skyline.

Essex On The Park raised a tower crane earlier this month, and now work has begun going vertical along Michigan Avenue in the South Loop. Power Construction has 56 stories to stack atop each other, so there’s a whole lot of work to do. But that’s what tower cranes are for, right? Wait and see; this thing will be topped out in no time.

A few reminders for you as Essex On The Park begins to rise: It’s a development from Oxford Capital Group. It’s designed by Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture. As previously mentioned, Power Construction is the general contractor. 808 South Michigan Avenue is the address. There will be 476 apartments, 84 parking spots, and some ground-floor retail space. Oxford plans to have the apartment tower open to residents in 2019.

Essex On The Park celebrates the Poureth of July

Posted on July 3, 2017 by danieldschell

A swarm of activity at Essex On The Park as the concrete flows freely.

Monday is Concrete Day for Essex On The Park, as Power Construction crews spend the day between the holiday weekend and the actual holiday pouring concrete into the foundation for the new 56-story apartment tower from Oxford Capital Group. And of course, we’re not talking about little bits of concrete. We’re talking trucks lined up down the street, waiting to get their pour on.

One segment of the concrete being poured today is the foundation for the tower crane. The stub was planted almost two weeks ago, sitting there looking all lonely. But now it will have a home, and the crane can be fully assembled, and soon (we hope.) If it goes up before any other cranes come down, it will be #34 on the Chicago Tower Crane Survey.

Essex On The Park plants a tower crane

Posted on June 23, 2017 by danieldschell

Essex On The Park has a Stub In The Ground.

Chicago’s tower-crane count is back down to 32, and Essex On The Park won’t stand for it. Thursday, Power Construction planted a stub in the South Loop ground. Surrounded for now by rebar, the foundation will soon (today?) be filled with concrete, which will cure before the full tower crane can be assembled. Let’s watch the middle part of next week for that.

Essex On The Park wraps up caisson work; sheet driving up next

Posted on June 8, 2017 by danieldschell

Time to dismantle the caisson rig and let the sheet driver get at it.

Case Foundation is done, and now it’s Stalworth Underground’s turn, as foundation work at Essex On The Park continues in the South Loop. With all the big holes drilled into the earth, up next comes the piles of sheeting stacked in the southwest corner of the site, and then Essex can get a tower crane moved in. I hope.

: There’s your sheeting, waiting to be driven into the ground. Some life, huh?

Caissons roll along at Essex On The Park

Posted on April 20, 2017 by danieldschell

Like a 4th-line forward in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Case Foundation goes to work in the corners at Essex On The Park.

Two weeks ago, Case Foundation started moving equipment onto the lot at 808 South Michigan Avenue, next to the Essex Inn. And now, they’re deep into full-blown caisson work for the new Essex On The Park apartment tower from Oxford Capital Group. Soon, the 56-story, 476-unit project by Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture will have footing to stand on, allowing Power Construction to get about the task of sending it vertical.

: When space is limited, you store your rebar cages wherever you can.

Permit in hand, Case Foundation takes over Essex On The Park

Posted on April 6, 2017 by danieldschell

Case Foundation assembles a caisson rig at Essex On The Park, 808 South Michigan Avenue.

The pool, garage, and everything else that was next door to the Essex Inn is gone now, and work is revving up to replace it with Essex On The Park, the latest Chicago project from Oxford Capital Group.

The City of Chicago issued a foundation permit on Monday, and Case Foundation is now on the scene (you thought I was gonna say “on the case, didn’t you?) setting up caisson equipment. Power Construction is the general contractor here, tasked with stacking 56 stories atop one another. Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture did the design work on the 476-unit apartment tower.

The South Loop is a very busy place. Essex On The Park joins One Grant Park, 1411 South Michigan, and 1101 South Wabash as already-in-progress joints, while 1326 South Michigan just received a foundation permit as well this week, and there’s lots of buzz about 1000 South Michigan (1000M) firing up soon. Get the lawn chairs and coolers ready, SLoopers. It’s going to be a fun summer!

: All renderings of Essex On The Park are courtesy of the construction fence, but probably belong to Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture.

Old parking garage is more Ex than Ess, clearing space for Essex On The Park

Posted on February 17, 2017 by danieldschell

The parking deck, including a pool, next to the Essex Inn is coming down to make room for Essex On The Park. So please, NO DIVING.

While the Essex Inn at 800 North Michigan Avenue gets a complete upgrade, its parking deck, pool, and ground-floor restaurant next door are being obliterated by Heneghan Wrecking, making space for Essex On The Park, the giant 56-story apartment tower from Oxford Capital Group. The shiny, 476-unit project by Hartshorne Plunkard Architects will be some kind of addition to the Michigan Avenue streetwall, what with its short, stocky hotels. Power Construction is the general contractor, tasked with having the apartments ready for habitation next year.

A night at 150 North Riverside

Posted on February 16, 2017 by danieldschell

There’s work yet to be done on the outside, and desk space to fill up on the inside, but 150 North Riverside is open, and its night game is solid. Have a look at what’s happening along the Chicago River, and a peek at what’s still in the making.

: The vertical lighting. I love it.

: The Lake Street Bridge got some new lights along the sidewalk.

: New lighting under the Lake Street Bridge as well, for the pedestrian crossing. Includes a stop light.

: The lower plaza.

: Outside looking in.

: The upper plaza is still under construction, and won’t be open for awhile.

: But it’s going to be worth waiting for.

As 150 North Riverside opens, a look back

Posted on February 13, 2017 by danieldschell

150 North Riverside, casting gorgeous reflections onto Randolph Place, though I’m sure condo owners aren’t pleased with their new views.

150 North Riverside is the first construction project that caught, and kept, my attention. I wandered past it daily when it was still a figment of someone’s imagination, curious about the oil-drilling-rig-looking thing sitting in an empty lot along the Chicago River. Of course, I’d learn later that I was looking at a soil-sampling rig, but that had no significance to me at the time.

Shortly after construction started, some genius in Public Relations came up with a fool-proof way to garner publicity; crews excavating soil form the site sank a barge. Sure, it *looked* like an accident, but suddenly 150 North Riverside was thrust into the spotlight. And there it remained, though it didn’t hurt bringing in a giant red floating crane to erect steel trusses that stopped pedestrian traffic on the Randolph Street Bridge.

That was 28 months ago. And now, on Monday, February 13, 2017, 150 North Riverside opens its doors to office workers. Had I not dropped a hard drive on the ground and lost them, I could show you at least 1,000 photos I’ve taken of this beauty in the last 2+ years. Instead, have a look at a select few along the way. Then, make sure you stop by the tower and check out the media stream.