Finally.
When Vista Tower got its foundation permit back in the first week if August, I assumed equipment would flood into the lot in New East Side the following morning to begin tearing up the land. In reality, it took a few weeks for anything to happen at all. But it’s happening now, and what they’re digging in for, is the long haul.
Want to know more about the 93-story Vista Tower? Let me see what I can find for you:
Yep. A lot of people are talking about it.
Rendering of Vista Tower from Studio Gang.
Please, stop by once in a while and make sure we’re hydrated and fed. And that our socks are dry. Because we’ll be out there for the next 4-5 years.
Yesterday, the City of Chicago issued a foundation permit for Vista Tower, the iconic 93-story condominium tower and Wanda Vista Hotel combination designed by Studio Gang and bKL Architecture. James McHugh Construction Co. has been named the general contractor for the Magellan Development Group project.
Everyone in Chicago has been on edge the last couple of weeks, waiting for work to get started at Vista. Now that we have a permit on file, don’t be surprised if they’re over there this morning getting ready for caisson work.
There was a soil sampling rig on site this week. Hopefully, no negative results.
Another render from Studio Gang, showing the Vista Tower from the Field Museum campus.
Vista Tower, straight up. Rendering from Studio Gang.
The Caisson Permit.
The Viceroy Chicago rises in the Gold Coast.
Up in the Gold Coast, construction continues on Convexity Properties’ new (though slightly used) Viceroy Chicago hotel. New, as in a new 18-story, 180-room hotel. And used, as in the facade that was painstakingly dismantled from the old Cedar Hotel at 1118 North State Street. That facade is off at a facade spa getting treated like a princess, while Power Construction attends to the new tower. Then the facade will be brought back to the site and reconstructed piece by piece as part of the new building. That, along with the rooftop bar and pool, should be highlights when the Viceroy opens in Summer 2017.
You can download the Viceroy Chicago press release from March 2015 here, or see the full text below the photos:
THE RUMORS ARE TRUE – VICEROY TO DEBUT IN CHICAGO IN 2017 LOS ANGELES, California (March 05, 2015) – Viceroy Hotel Group confirmed today plans for the brand’s hotly anticipated expansion to Chicago’s renowned Gold Coast neighborhood with a scheduled opening set for 2017.
Working in tandem with Convexity Properties, the powerhouse luxury hospitality brand will unveil the Goettsch Partners and TAL Studio-designed property, located conveniently for guests on State Street in the Gold Coast. The area occupies the central part of a flourishing neighborhood, quickly gaining momentum as one of the most sought-after modern luxury destinations in the city.
Known for creating authentic and inspired experiences, Viceroy Hotel Group will be using design, art, style and culture to infuse the new property with all the amenities and services of a top-luxury hotel, while simultaneously working to maintain a distinct sense of place for guests eager to explore and experience the Chicago landscape.
“Viceroy recognizes Chicago is a vibrant market and a great destination for our expansion,” said Bill Walshe, CEO of Viceroy Hotel Group. “We are extremely privileged to collaborate with Convexity Properties team to create exceptional and inspiring experiences for our guests in such a highly sought-after location.”
Convexity Properties is collaborating closely with the City, neighbors and community groups to finalize approvals for what will be an extraordinary project for the city.
About Viceroy Hotel Group
Viceroy Hotel Group delivers one-of-a-kind lifestyle experiences that bring together provocative design and intuitive service in sought-after locations. Signature brand amenities and services created for the diverse business and leisure guests include dynamic dining venues featuring world-class culinary talents and destination spas specializing in health, fitness and beauty. Current properties include hotels and resorts in Abu Dhabi, Anguilla, Beverly Hills, Maldives, Miami, New York, Riviera Maya, Palm Springs, San Francisco, Santa Monica, Snowmass, St. Lucia and Zihuatanejo with forthcoming openings in Algarve, Cartagena, Bodrum, and Dubai. For more information, visit www.ViceroyHotelGroup.com.
A tower crane shines like a beacon in the night above the Westin Milwaukee site, 550 North Van Buren Street.
While in Milwaukee last month to scope out the Northwestern Mutual developments in downtown Milwaukee, I followed this tower crane to 550 North Van Buren Street, where Starwood Hotels is building the Westin Milwaukee. The nine-story, 220-room hotel was designed by Kahler Slater, and is being built by general contractor J.H. Findorff & Son.
Wedged smack dab in the middle of the US Bank complex, the Westin Milwaukee is slated to open in Summer 2017.
The former Atlantic Bank Building, at 168 North Michigan Avenue.
It was gonna be fixed up. Then it stopped. Now it’s on again. And then some.
168 North Michigan Avenue hasn’t been one of the more glamorous buildings along the Magnificent Mile’s southern counterpart. (Millennium Mile? Cultural Mile?) The former Atlantic Bank Building was sold to its current owner, Oxford Hotels & Resorts back in December. That transaction followed the planned renovation of the building that started, then stalled, after a permit was issued in May of 2014.
The City of Chicago filed two new permits in May of this year, reflecting the new ownership, and also changing the general contractor to W.E. O’Neil.
And then last week, the Chicago Plan Commission approved not only the continuation of the renovation project, but also the addition of five more floors atop the existing 12, turning 168 North Michigan into a 210-room hotel. Chicago’s Hirsch Associates Architects designed the new portion.
“We are excited about turning a building that has sat vacant and in a state of disrepair for many years into a vibrant and exciting addition to Michigan Avenue and Millennium Park,” Hirsch Associates president Howard Hirsch told me. “The yet un-named hotel will have 210 rooms and a 2-story restaurant facing Michigan Avenue with a fully operable facade. The original building was designed by Marshall and Fox, and the new design restores the existing Terra-Cotta facade while adding a modern five-story addition to the top, and weaving the modern glass element throughout. Demolition and facade restoration is in progress. Permit for addition and interior work has been submitted to the City. Working towards a Spring 2018 opening.”
Mr. Hirsch sent a few renderings to share with you of the project, which, as he said, is already being renovated.
There’s a soil sampling rig on the site of the Nobu Hotel, more than a month after ground-breaking ceremonies.
In movie-industry terms, the Robert De Niro-led Nobu Hotel planned for the West Loop could be in a production delay. It seems the film has been cast, and it looks like the plot will stay relatively true to the original screenplay. But there’s some doubt as to the length of the movie now. (I’ll let DNAInfo explain that.) Which, of course, could affect budget.
What I do know for sure is there are no permits in place for construction to begin at Nobu, other than a pseudo-demo permit to remove an old foundation from the site. And there was a soil sampling rig on the Nobu site at 846 West Randolph Street this week. That’s not terribly unusual to see at an active construction site, but it still feels odd when a big deal was made of the ground-breaking ceremony.
I guess what I’m saying is, I’d wait to buy your popcorn before seeing this De Niro production. It might get cold before the movie starts.
Steve’s out, and a big yellow crane is in, setting the pedestrian bridge in place.
Part of The Collection at McCormick Square, the Marriott Marquis Chicago hotel is growing by leaps and bounds in the South Loop. There will be two pedestrian bridges included in the new development, one connecting the Marriott to the McCormick Place Events Center, and one that will carry people over Cermak Road, between the hotel and the West Building of McCormick Place.
That second bridge is half in place. Not quite connected to the West Building yet, it’s just kinda hanging out over the sidewalk along Cermak.
Shrubbery in the 590 Madison pocket park.
It may look more like a Christmas tree farm than a pocket park, but at least something is happening at 590 West Madison Street in the West Loop. And that could mean something much, much bigger is just ahead.
As the Chicago Architecture Blog reported back in February, 590 Madison is an office tower proposed for the block of North Jefferson Street stretching from Madison to Washington. But the city said no such tower can be built until the pocket park at the Washington end of the lot is addressed. And address it they have.
590 Madison dreams of being a 41-story tower. Designed by Goettsch Partners, it would have a 330-room hotel on the lower floors, the 616,000 square feet of rentable office space from the 19th floor on up. But we must wait and see. Let’s get that park finished up first, then look for permission from the City of Chicago to start building.
I repeatedly started typing “parket” instead of “pocket park” during the making of this post. Can we just make “parket” a thing?
That tower crane off in the distance is building the Ace Hotel, with the help of that cement rig.
An Ace Hotel is on the rise at 311 North Morgan Street in the West Loop. Developed by Sterling Bay, the Ace is dealing 159 keys to the primo location directly across the street from Google’s office building at 1000 Fulton Market.
The design, by Chicago’s GREC Architects, will feature a green roof, first-floor retail, and 30 underground parking spaces. Power Construction has been on the build since last fall, including painstaking efforts to preserve the historic facade that faces Morgan Street.
Because the word “boutique” is fun to use, I will mention that the Ace will be a boutique hotel.
The Marriott Marquis Chicago, and the American Book Company building. Soon to be joined as one.
Down in the South Loop (you may call it this part of the South Loop the Prairie District if you like. McCormick Square? That jury’s still out), Clark Construction is working feverishly on the new Marriott Marquis Chicago hotel at 2121 South Prairie Avenue. Part of the expansion of McCormick Place by the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (McPier), the new Marriott Marquis will be a 39-story tower boasting a whopping 1,206 hotel rooms.
Designed by Goettsch Partners (150 North Riverside! YAY!) the Marquis will also include 90,000 square feet of meeting space. As part of the project, renovations are being done to the American Book Company building next door at 330 East Cermak Road, which will then be connected to the new hotel.
It’s a huge construction site. And that, of course, means I take a billion photos. In fact, it’s more like a field trip than a visit every time I go down there.
Enjoy the gallery.
Building Up Chicago 