Category Archives: Hotel

With all three Hiltons topped out, the tower crane comes down at 123 East Cermak

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Triple-branded Hilton tower crane removal

A tower crane below the roof line is doomed. Such is the circle of life at the triple-branded Hilton Hotels at McCormick Place.

All by its lonesome, McHugh Construction’s shiny yellow Liebherr tower crane built a Hilton Garden Inn Chicago McCormick Center, Hampton Inn by Hilton Chicago McCormick Center, and Home2 Suites by Hilton Chicago McCormick Center in the Prairie District of the South Loop. And now, that crane’s work is complete, and it’s on the way to the ground.

We walked around the site at 123 East Cermak Road to pay our last respects as the crane started coming down. But fear not; Chicago’s construction boom has slowed just yet, so expect that same crane to be back on the build again very soon.

Hey neighbor! Pappageorge Haymes hangs a shingle at the South Loop Hilton Homewood Suites

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Hilton Garden Inn Hilton Homewood Suites South Loop

Pappageorge has designed new space at 1101 South Wabash for a Hilton Garden Inn.

This was a surprise.

Well into construction of the Hilton Homewood Suites just around the corner from the B.U.C. HQ at 1101 South Wabash in the South Loop, Pappageorge Haymes has gotten involved in the project, as evidenced by their new banner hanging on the construction barrier.

Pappageorge Haymes tells us they came on board to design a new portion of the project for a Hilton Garden Inn component, which will now be co-branded with Hilton Homewood Suites. While the tower is still slated to rise to 30 stories, there may have been an increase in the room count, which has now grown to 342 per PH, up from 281 which we had previously reported.

In the meantime, Lendlease continues upward progress on the hotel tower at the corner of 11th and Wabash. The seventh floor is poured, and the eight floor deck is approaching the halfway point.

Shout-out to Michael and Jason at Columbia College, who arranged for me to go upstairs at 1104 South Wabash to get the overhead shots you see in the gallery.

Red At Night, Mary Lane Delights

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Mary Lane Brisbane 111 Mary Street

Watpac’s two red tower cranes at Mary Lane, flanked by the blue crane of Skytower and the moon.

Mary Lane Brisbane is a 37-story mixed-use tower being built in the heart of Brisbane’s Central Business District by GMP Management. The Woods Bagot design incorporates 184 luxury residences atop a 286-room Westin Brisbane Hotel. The apartments will be included in levels 17-36; the hotel will rise to the 16th floor. Completion is slated for late in 2018.

The renderings you’ll see in the gallery below are striking, but this project already looks amazing in the Brisbane skyline, thanks to builder Watpac’s pair of lighted-up tower cranes. And as you know, the direct route to my heart is always through lighting tower cranes at night.

Chicago’s Nobu Hotel continues to struggle

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Nobu Chicago hotel

The Nobu Chicago site has been secured, and it sits idle, waiting for construction to resume.

By now, you probably already know that things aren’t going well at Chicago’s Nobu Hotel in the West Loop. Last week, Crain’s reported that work had stopped on the 11-story, 119-room Midwest iteration of the hotel/restaurant brand.

Seems it’s been one delay after another for this thing. Ground was broken back in June (OF 2016!) then sat idle. Some caisson equipment was delivered to the site in September of 2016, the same month the hotel was officially approved by the Chicago Plan Commission, but that same equipment was packed up and hauled away without any holes being drilled.

A foundation permit was issued in December of 2016, but still, no action. Finally, in March of this year, the soil at 854 West Randolph began to turn. The earth-moving machines were followed by a pile driver, which began driving sheeting into the ground for a foundation. Caisson equipment arrived again, but for real this time, in May, and foundation work was underway in earnest. Finally, Centaur Construction had control of the site, and work started to go vertical.

But here’s the thing: If you want work to be done on your hotel, you have to pay the folks doing said work. And according to Crain’s (and one little birdie I heard from recently) that hasn’t been happening.

So once again, Nobu sits idle. 18 months after an 11-story hotel breaks ground, tourists should be sleeping in the beds. Stay tuned.

 

The Star Gold Coast antes up for a new hotel and casino tower in Broadbeach

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The Star Gold Coast

A 17-story, luxury all-suite hotel has risen at The Star Gold Coast.

The Star Entertainment Group is rolling the dice on The Star Gold Coast, believing it’s time to do a major upgrade on the former Jupiters Casino, situated on its own tiny island in Broadbeach. Along with upgrading the existing facility, they are currently constructing a new 17-story, all-suite hotel.

Probuild, who we’ve also seen on projects in Sydney and Melbourne, is the builder on The Star. Sure looks from here like they had it topped out when we stopped by in October.

Steelman Partners, headquartered in Las Vegas, is the design architect. DBI Design is also involved in the project. Completion is scheduled for first First Quarter 2018.

This isn’t the end of new development for The Star. Also in the works is a 53-story residential tower featuring 423 apartments and 300 hotel rooms atop a 7-level podium with parking, restaurants, and retail space.

Triple-Branded Hilton McCormick Place missed milestones: Topping out, glassing up

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Triple branded Hilton McCormick Place

McHugh Constructions Hilton, Hilton & Hilton has grown to 22 stories at 123 East Cermak Road.

It’s been longer than I realized since we’ve walked around the Triple-Branded Hilton Hotels that McHugh Construction and UJAMAA is building at McCormick Place. Not only are there seven floors all glassed in, but the tower appears to have reached the 22nd floor. And it looks topped out. The permit called for 22 stories, but other specifications show 21 and 23 floors. Guess what? If this is a future 22-story hotel, and construction has indeed reached the 22nd floor, then by golly, she’s topped out.

Triple branded Hilton Hotels

Expect a skybridge to shoot out of here soon.

One thing not added is the skybridge over Indiana Avenue that will connect the hotel to McCormick Place, but you can see where it will attach on the south corner of the east elevation.

Antunovich Associates designed the 466-room hotel, situated on Cermak between Michigan and Indiana Avenues. It is expected to open late in 2018.

Home2 Suites is Home2 Chicago’s newest tower crane

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Home2 Suites River North

Over there, in the trees! It’s Chicago’s 33rd tower crane!

As expected, and despite some sketchy weather, the tower crane went up this past weekend at 110 West Huron in River North. That’s the site of the new Home2 Suites Akara Partners is building, and it marks the entry into the Chicago Tower Crane count for M.A. Mortensen.

This is the 33rd tower crane now active in Chicago, though #34 is also up — the derrick crane at Simpson Querrey — which we got a sneak peek at yesterday, thanks to a little birdie. We’ll get a better look at it today, and share. But remember, that derrick’s sole purpose is to remove cranes. So don’t call it a hero.

An end-of-October update at Vista Tower

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Vista Tower Chicago October

Vista Theater is fading; the best views of Vista Tower are no on the north side of the Chicago River.

I saw construction on three Wanda Vista Tower projects during October: the one you’re most familiar with, Vista Tower here in Chicago, plus two in Australia: one in the demolition phase in Sydney, New South Wales, and the three-tower Jewel Residences project on the beach in Gold Coast, Queensland. I managed to get to Chicago’s site on the last day of the month to make sure McHugh Construction crews hadn’t finished up while we were gone. Thankfully, they had not.

 

A zillion construction photos of Jewel Residences Gold Coast you knew were inevitable

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Jewel Residences Gold Coast

Construction on Jewel Residences Gold Coast, from the beach.

You’ve seen the names of the five tower cranes, and you’ve seen them lit up at night. Now, it’s time to get a good look at Jewel Residences construction in the light of day.

Yes, I went by this construction site three times; it’s that good. So to accompany the nighttime photos and tower-crane close-ups you’ve already seen, here are a metric ton of pictures taken both in morning, and late afternoon, sunlight.

As a reminder, Jewel Residences is a three-tower development along Surfers Paradise Beach in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It will include more than 500 apartments and a 171-room Wanda Vista Hotel. It’s being developed jointly by two firms from China:  Wanda Group and RDG. The design is by DBI Design, and Multiplex is the builder.

Jewel Residences Gold Coast

Follow the tower cranes down Surfers Paradise Beach to Jewel Residences.

There should be a prize if you make it through this entire galley.

A site almost missed, Melbourne’s Collins Arch will be a sight to behold

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Collins Arch Melbourne

The four tower cranes of Collins Arch. Think that’s cool? Just wait ’til you see renderings.

I wouldn’t normally post about tower cranes I saw from the back seat of a tour van (it’s a long story), but Collins Arch in Melbourne’s Central Business District isn’t your typical development. It was the four tower cranes that got my attention, but it was the fabulous renderings that made me a fan.

Collins Arch is being developed by Cbus Property. The architecture is the work of SHoP Architects and Woods Bagot. Multiplex is the builder. Completion is expected in 2019.