Category Archives: Mixed Use

Construction Update: 1001 West Chicago rises in River West

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1001 West Chicago

1001 West Chicago, with an impressive photobomb by Saint John Cantius, which I hope you visited during Open House Chicago.

1001 West Chicago is rising on the site of the old Gonnella Baking Company site, which is the yeast of the bread puns I could have made. Developed by Bond Companies and Morgan Holdings, designed by Fitzgerald Associates, the dual-tower project will deliver 363 apartments and 10,000 square feet of retail space. Power Construction is on the build.

 

Tower crane assembly is underway at 171 Aberdeen

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171 Aberdeen tower crane

The forst section of tower crane is added to the stub at 171 Aberdeen.

Two tower crane permits. An additional foundation permit to add more caissons. Both scenarios conspiring to delay the assembly of a tower crane for 171 Aberdeen, the 11-story mixed-use apartment project in the West Loop.

But that’s all in the past. Tuesday, Central Crane Service was on site putting the crane together at long last. By the end of the day, the main shaft was up, with the cab sitting atop it. Expect the boom Wednesday, and an operational crane no later than week’s end.

Videos and photos follow:

171 Aberdeen: Now two tower crane permits, but still no tower crane

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171 Aberdeen tower crane 2

This permit supersedes the first permit, both of which are superseded by NOT HAVING A TOWER CRANE YET

It’s been since May 10 that we’ve been waiting for a tower crane at 171 Aberdeen in the West Loop. That was the day the City of Chicago filed a permit, allowing the general contractor on the MCZ Development project, Novak Construction, to start building the foundation for a Peiner SK415 temporary tower crane (that’s industry talk.)

Now, there’s a second tower crane permit. I have no idea why. Do tower crane permits expire? Whatever the case may be, they’re still getting things done at Lake and Aberdeen, though progress does appear to have slowed. It’s just that all the work is being done by a yellow street crane, and those simply aren’t as cool to look at. Nor probably as efficient.

171 Aberdeen

Filed September 14, this permit called for “caisson relocation” among other changes.

Curiously, there was another permit issued for 171 Aberdeen back on September 14 that may denote a change on the fly in the program. This being well after caisson work had been finished, that permit called for “RELOCATION OF CAISSONS AND GRADE BEAMS.” Now, I don’t know much about how construction works, but I *do* know that it sounds like a major hassle to relocate a caisson. It makes me wonder if some were added, and it might be the logical explanation for why Revcon equipment was seen on-site within the past few weeks.

1001 West Chicago plants itself a tower crane

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1001 West Chicago

A crane builds a crane at 1001 West Chicago.

If it seems Power Construction is everywhere around Chicago these days, it’s because Power Construction is everywhere around Chicago these days. Tuesday, while most of the crew continued work on the foundations for 1001 West Chicago, the rest of the gang took part in yet another tower crane erection. The design from FitzGerald Associates brings 360 apartments in two mid-rise towers, 10,000 square feet of retail (including a grocery store) and 300 parking spaces for all those residents and shoppers.

Still no tower crane, but 171 Aberdeen making foundation progress

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171 Aberdeen

It is, admittedly, a cool yellow crane. But it is no tower crane.

Patience is a virtue. But Saturday will mark the four-month mark since a tower crane permit was filed for 171 Aberdeen, the mixed-use project from MCZ Development now underway in the West Loop. Not that foundation work isn’t fun to watch too, but nothing beats a tower crane. Nothing.

The Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture-designed 171 Aberdeen will have 75 luxury apartments, 15,000 square feet of retail, and 40,000 square feet of office space, plus about 130 parking spots. Novak Construction is doing the dirty work.

171 Aberdeen

The Tower Crane Permit.
MAY 10!

 

Centrum Bucktown digs a foundation at 1767 North Milwaukee

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Centrum Bucktown

Centrum Bucktown is being built at 1767 North Milwaukee Avenue.

Centrum Bucktown, another collaboration (see also: Centrum Hubbard, 412 North Wells, among others) from Centrum Partners and Hirsch Associates (Forum Studio is the architect of record), is digging foundations along the Bloomingdale Trail in Bucktown.

Centrum Bucktown will sit in the large lot at 1767 North Milwaukee Avenue, at North Leavitt Street. The site is the former home of an Aldi store, and will be again. Plans call for a 6-story building with 100 dwelling units, plus a new Aldi store at ground level. Surface parking will be provided for shoppers, while underground parking will be included for residents. Arco/Murray is the general contractor.

 

No more loafing on old Gonnella site as foundation crews rip into the earth

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1001 West Chicago

Ahhh, the familiar din of caisson work.

Surely this development will have a cool name soon. But for now, 1001 West Chicago will have to suffice (despite the two foundation permits being filed as 728 and 738 North Morgan Street.) That was the address of the Gonnella Baking Company when it was on this site in River West. Now, the entire lot is leveled, and crews are busy drilling caissons for a huge 360-unit apartment project from Bond Companies, which came up with the bread to get this development on a roll.

The design from Fitzgerald Associates will include 10,000 square feet of retail space, and parking for 300 cars. As you can see in the photos, Revcon is out there on the caisson work; Power Construction is handling the general contractor duties.

Demolition Update: Addison & Clark tears up Wrigleyville

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Addison & Clark

The old Starbucks building is coming down. They’ve already reopened on Sheffield.

There’s a lot going on up near Wrigley Field. And I’m not just talking about the Cubs winning the NL Central.

A whole lot of demolition is taking place along the Clark Street corridor. On Addison Street, buildings are being removed for Addison & Clark, an 8-story mixed-use project that will see 148 apartments, a whopping 150,000 square feet of commercial space, and over 400 parking spaces. A joint venture from M&R Development and Bucksbaum Retail Properties, Addison & Clark replaces, among other structures, the Starbucks at 1023 West Addison that made Theo Epstein famous in Chicago.

Environmental Cleansing of Markham, IL are out there as we speak ripping stuff apart, then Power Construction will take over the lot and start the new SCB-designed development. Project completion is expected in Summer 2018.

Northwestern Mutual goes mixed-use in Milwaukee

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777 North Van Buren Milwaukee

My apologies for the horrible Google Maps photo, but this is the block, before demolition, where construction is taking place, and THERE’S EVEN A SOIL SAMPLING RIG!

This is Part II of my follow-up visit to Milwaukee, and my attempt to sort out what I initially incorrectly wrote about in regards to the Northwestern Mutual development there. You’ve seen the ridiculous number of photos of the Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons. Now you can take a look at the nowhere-near-as-far-along project at 777 North Van Buren Street.

777 North Van Buren Milwaukee

A rendering of 777 North Van Buren Street from Northwestern Mutual.

That’s where Northwestern Mutual is building a 34-story mixed-use building to accompany the office tower immediately to its southeast. The Solomon Cordwell Buenz-designed tower will contain retail space on the first floor, along with parking that will extend through the first eight floors. (There will be a whopping total of 1,400 parking spaces, including some underground parking for residents, to be used for the retail shops as well as the office workers at the Tower and Commons.) Atop that will be 25 residential floors containing 308 “high-end” apartments and 14 penthouse units. The 34th floor will be amenity space.

C.D. Smith is the general contractor on the project, with completion expected in Spring 2018.

For now, 777 North Van Buren is barely more than a hole in the ground, but it’s a hole in the ground *with a road leading into it* and that’s enough for me. Here are photos a few photos of the progress as of July 10th. If you’re in Milwaukee, and have more photos of the construction site, email them to the blog, or tweet them to me.

River West lot on Chicago Avenue Gets a Permit

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738 North Morgan

A rendering of 738 North Morgan, from FitzGerald Associates Architects’ website.

Developer Bond Companies (developer of The Maxwell in the South Loop) has secured a permit from the City of Chicago to begin construction on a mixed-use project at 1001 West Chicago Avenue in River West.

The site, designated in the permit as 738 North Morgan Street, sits across Chicago Avenue from the Chicago Academy For the Arts. The lot is bounded to the west by North Carpenter Street, the south by North Milwaukee Avenue, and the east by North Morgan Street.

While the permit doesn’t offer many details, FitzGerald Associates Architects, the West Loop firm that designed 738 North Morgan, shows on its website a three-building complex, the tallest of which will be 16 stories, a dwelling unit count of 360, and 10,000 square feet of retail space. The permit calls for a 13-story building, which might be for just one of the buildings FitzGerald shows in the rendering. The two taller structures appear to be different heights. Power Construction will be the general contractor.

738 North Morgan

The foundation permit to begin work at 738 North Morgan.

738 North Morgan

Also filed Tuesday, a demolition permit for this building, F&G Electrical Supply at 727 North Milwaukee Avenue, which is part of the same large lot.

738 North Morgan

The rest of the lot is a blank slate, ready for developing.