W.E. O’Neil begins construction on Plumbers Local 130 Training Center

Posted on July 28, 2016 by danieldschell

Demolition of the old Plumbing Industry Center in May.

First, it was what looked like a fairly nice building. Then, it was a hole in the ground. Now, there’s stuff going on in that hole. And it’s construction.

After breaking ground at 1400 West Washington Boulevard on June 28th, W.E. O’Neil is rolling on the new Plumbers Local 130 Training Center. The 3-story, 50,000-square-foot building in the West Loop will facilitate the education of journeymen and apprentice plumbers from all around Chicago.

Designed by Gensler, the project got underway with an April demolition permit for the old Plumbing Industry Center, followed by the new construction permit issued June 21st. It’s expected by this time next year, the training center will be complete.

: Revcon is right in the middle of things, doing caisson work.

: A rendering from the W.E. O’Neil website.

: Another W.E. O’Neil render.

: The old building. Didn’t look half bad.

: A very glarey building permit.

: Trucking in caisson equipment.

: Rebar tubes.

Tower Crane Update: DePaul School of Music

Posted on July 18, 2016 by danieldschell

In the first week of July, three tower cranes were planted around Chicago. My job was to go find them. Then, it was my duty to follow up on them. Because no one wants part of the story. Or part of the tower crane, for that matter.

Our first update is at the DePaul School of Music. Warning: Don’t get too close to this one, or it won’t fit in your photo. This won’t be a tall undertaking, but it’s a big lot. And a tower crane needs to reach every corner of that lot. So this one is as long as any I’ve seen.

: I thought the best way to get the whole thing into one shot was an iPhone panorama. I was mistaken. If your tower crane looks like this, start over.

: July 14th was the big day, when tower crane assembly began.

: None of these people are in any danger of losing their jobs to me.

: Evening of July 14th. Taken from a moving train. Cut me some slack.

: Monday morning shot from the Fullerton L platform.

Lincoln Park Lost Its Edge. Now It’s Getting Schooled.

Posted on July 13, 2016 by danieldschell

A rendering of Altschool, 2720 North Clark Street, courtesy of Hirsch Associates Architects.

AltSchool’d, that is.

At 2720 North Clark Street in Lincoln Park, Centrum Partners and Hirsch Associates Architects have teamed up for a two-story mixed use project that will be the home of AltSchool, and a Banana Republic Factory Store. (If the Centrum Partners/Hirsch Associates combo sounds familiar, they’re the two responsible for bringing the just-permitted 412 North Wells and 221 West Hubbard project to life.)

AltSchool provides education for pre-kindergarten through 8th-grade students. Chicago will be its fourth location, joining San Francisco, Palo Alto (CA) and New York City.

William A. Randolph Inc. of Gurnee is the general contractor. Construction is expected to be completed in time for the 2017-2018 school year.

: AltSchool render from Hirsch Associates Architects.

: The Edge bar and grill formerly stood on this site.

DePaul Tuning Up for New School of Music

Posted on June 21, 2016 by danieldschell

There’s no tower crane yet, but THEY’RE MAKING SQUARE REBAR TUBES!!

Chicago construction company Bulley & Andrews is erecting a new DePaul School of Music out in Lincoln Park. Designed by Antunovich Associates, the new facility will be on the site previously occupied by McGaw Hall, which was demolished early this year.

You can learn all you need to know about the new School of Music by going to DePaul’s site. As for me, I’ll skip the words and share a few photos instead.

: Excavation work is ongoing.

: And ongoing.

: Digging out the corners and shoring them up.

: A pretend tower crane is getting things done. For now.

: It’s got pretty good reach.

: Want to learn more about the DePaul School of Music? Read the fence.

: Those square rebar caisson cages though.

: They are epic.

: The “church” stays.

: Seriously, the tower crane was permitted in March. Where’s my tower crane?!

Demolition, Man! Old Malcolm X College Meets The Wrecking Ball

Posted on June 10, 2016 by danieldschell

Demolition continues at the old Malcolm X College. How many students passed through these doors over the years?

The saddest demolitions occur when a building needs to come down without a replacement. A church burns, and a congregation has no meeting place. A hospital is torn down, and patients have no where to turn for care. A school is leveled, and students have to be bused for miles to finish their education.

Two current, high-profile demos in Chicago are fortunate in that sense. I stopped by the old Children’s Memorial Hospital this week, for its first day of destruction. The old facility has been closed for four years now, after the new Lurie Children’s Hospital was constructed in Streeterville and all patients were transferred without interruption of care.

Such is the case with the old Malcolm X College demolition as well. A brand new facility opened at 1900 West Jackson Boulevard for the 2016 school year, leaving the old school across the street empty. So Heneghan Wrecking started tearing it down this spring. Will something take it’s place? Of course, and I’m gonna let the Chicago Blackhawks tell you all about it. That way, I have more room for photos.

1400 West Washington Getting a New Plumbers Training Center?

Posted on June 7, 2016 by danieldschell

A rendering of the new Plumbers Local 130 Training Center, from the W.E. O’Neil website.

Thanks to a heads-up from Twitter user @ponjeters, it appears the recently-demolished Plumbing Industry Center posted last night will be replaced by a new, state-of-the-art Plumbers Local 130 Training Center.

Another render from the W.E. O’Neil website.

According to the website of contractor W.E. O’Neil, they are tasked with building a 120,000-square-foot facility that will replace the one Heneghan Wrecking just finished tearing down. Per the website:

“The project is being designed as (a) teaching tool for apprentices and will incorporate state-of-the-art technology and plumbing training workshops.”

The O’Neil website lists Gensler as the architect, and Chicago Journeymen Plumbers as the client.

The website has no location information other than “Chicago,” which still has a few more spaces to fill in besides this one at 1400 West Washington Boulevard. I sent an email to O’Neil last night in hopes of verifying the project’s address.

The now-destroyed Plumbing Industry Center at 1400 West Washington Boulevard in the West Loop.

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