Category Archives: New Construction

Sterling Bay Finds An Ace The West Loop Can Keep

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Ace Hotel

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.

Marriott Marquis Hotel: More Photos Than I Know What To Do With

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Marriott Marquis Chicago

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.

 

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

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Altschool

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.

 

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.

Prairie Court Renderings From the *Real* Builder

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Just Monday, I told you about walking past ground work for the new townhomes of Prairie Court. According to the nine permits issued by the City of Chicago for Prairie Court, the general contractor was to be Richard Builders.

Well, that came as quite a surprise to Summit Design + Build in the West Loop. They were kind enough to send over a few renderings of the new townhomes, as well as to clear up the confusion over the GC duties. Summit Design + Build is, in fact, the general contractor for Prairie Court. Which explains the excitement of the tweet they sent.

Here’s the press release Summit Design + Build sent along with their photos, followed by fresh interior and exterior renderings.

 

SUMMIT DESIGN + BUILD, LLC STARTS WORK ON PRAIRIE COURT TOWNHOMES IN SOUTH LOOP

Luxury townhomes to be completed by 2018, bring best of both worlds to Chicago’s next residential boom

 

CHICAGO – Chicago general contractor Summit Design + Build, LLC recently started construction on Prairie Court Townhomes, a luxury development in the South Loop’s historic Prairie Avenue District.

 

A joint venture between Sandz Development Co. and Golub & Co., who bring over 90 years of luxury development experience, will see the addition of 55, four-story luxury townhomes within nine buildings at 18th and Prairie Avenue. Buyers can choose from three and four bedroom units that will range from 2,800 to 4,500 square feet.

 

“Our team is excited that construction is getting underway at Prairie Court Townhomes, and we are thrilled to work with Sandz [Development] and Golub, two great developers, to bring not only new luxury townhomes, but a new community to the South Loop,” said Adam Miller, President of Summit Design + Build, LLC. “We also look forward to expanding our portfolio in Chicago’s next ‘hot’ neighborhood.”

 

The site was poised to be the home of the X/O high-rise nearly ten years ago, but the plan, which included 479 condos, was abandoned in 2009 after the developers defaulted on their loan. The Prairie Court Townhomes, which will feature individual attached two-car garages, contemporary upscale finishes, brick veneer and accent limestone facades, private wrought-iron ornamental fenced yards, landscaped building courtyards and private rooftop decks, have already garnered serious interest and enjoyed early sales success by having a scheme that better fits the historic neighborhood. The land was rezoned for residential use of six stories or fewer after its sale in 2011.

 

The Prairie Avenue District was established over 100 years ago as an escape for the city’s wealthiest and was designated a Chicago landmark in December of 1979. “This project brings the best of both worlds – a piece of secluded Chicago history yet easy access to the city’s nightlife and cultural happenings,” said Miller.

 

The project will be completed in stages over the course of 30 months based on sales of the townhomes. Chicago real estate brokerage firm @Properties is overseeing the sales at Prairie Court, led by Cyndy Salgado. An onsite sales center, which opened late March, offers potential buyers a glimpse of the Prairie Court lifestyle by taking a three-dimensional virtual tour on a tablet or laptop. Additional information can be found by visiting the Prairie Court website.

 

Sullivan Goulette & Wilson are providing architectural services for Prairie Court Townhomes.

 

ABOUT SUMMIT DESIGN + BUILD, LLC

Summit Design + Build, LLC is a provider of full-service general contracting, construction management and design/build construction services to the commercial, industrial and residential markets. Located in Chicago’s West Loop, Summit Design + Build has been involved in the design and construction of over 150 buildings totaling more than 2.5 million square feet over the firm’s 10 year history.

Prairie Court

Prairie Court

Prairie Court

Prairie Court

Summit Design + Build even sent a shot from the site. They know me well 🙂

2950 North Sheridan Gets Its Glass In Gear

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2950 North Sheridan

A thumb’s up from Power Construction as they get their glass on.

Way way up north, so far north, in fact, that it’s in Lake View, which is almost a suburb, Power Construction is busy erecting Wirtz Realty’s latest rental development, 2950 North Sheridan.

2950 North Sheridan render

A render from Booth Hansen of the glassy, curvy 2950 North Sheridan.

Situated at 2950 North Sheridan Road (natch), Booth Hansen has designed a 19-story, 82-unit apartment tower with a whole bunch (113) of parking spaces. The most prominent feature of this building will be its curved facade facing south along Oakdale Avenue. Power has started installing glass on said curve, and it’s already impressive. When this tower opens to residents in 2017, it’ll be curvy and glassy and shiny like you read about.

On The Blue Plate Catering Menu: New Digs

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Blue Plate Catering

Construction is ongoing at the new Blue Plate Catering facility, seen here from the corner of Fulton and Ada Streets.

Blue Plate Catering, recognized nationally for being a top-notch caterer, is in the process of serving up a new facility in West Town. Currently located at 1061 West Van Buren Street, a location rumored to be in line for redevelopment, Blue Plate’s new building is at 305 North Ogden Avenue. The quadrilateral-shaped lot (yes, I had to Google that) is bounded by Ogden and Carroll Avenues, and Market and Ada Streets.

The future site is a combination renovation/new construction, with permits from the City of Chicago categorized only as renovations. While fixing up an older single-story structure, Blue Plate is erecting a three-story facility that will house its corporate offices, the catering kitchen, and a commercial commissary. There will be 25 on-site parking spaces included, as well as, I assume, plenty of space for Blue Plate’s catering fleet. The foundation permit was issued in October of 2015; the full-build permit followed in February of this year. The design is by Jonathan Splitt Architects. 41 North Contractors of Lisle, IL is the general contractor.

171 North Aberdeen Begins Foundation Work Under Clueless Blogger’s Nose

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171 North Aberdeen

The foundation permit, issued June 6th, I didn’t know existed. My bad.

I tried to pay attention to this one. Honest I did.

I told you over a month ago caisson equipment was standing at the ready at 171 North Aberdeen Street in the West Loop, eager to tear into the soil of the empty lot. But Novak Construction, the general contractor for the project, couldn’t. Not yet. That was June 10th, and the City of Chicago had yet to file a foundation permit.

WRONG.

In fact, that permit had been filed on June 6th. But, as sometimes happens in the data entry process, a key line had been left blank on the city’s permit site: no permit date. So when I was looking at the most recent permits for Aberdeen Street, I should have been scrolling all the way to the end, where permits without dates fall.

So as I wandered by the site Tuesday, I was merely checking to see if equipment was still there. And not only was it there, it was drilling holes into the earth. Knowing nobody in Chicago work start work without the proper permits being in place, I walked the perimeter until I found what I needed to see. Namely, the site bulletin board. And on it, the permit approving foundation work. And all is right with the world.

That permit means the Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture-designed 171 North Aberdeen is about to be a real thing. The new mixed-use project from MCZ Development (click that link. MCZ has a wonderful video introducing their building) will have 75 luxury apartments, 15,000 square feet of retail, and 40,000 square feet of office space. Plus 130 or so parking spaces to accommodate residents, shoppers, diners, and commuters.

The Tower Crane Pipeline Still Runneth Over [Updated]

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Last week, I got pretty excited (okay, way excited — overstimulated even) about the three tower crane stubs being set in the ground around Chicago. One was for the DePaul School of Music, one for the new Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ meetinghouse at 822 North Clark Street, and the third at 8 East Huron Street in River North. But lest you think that puts a wrap on what to watch for, think again.

We still have half a dozen projects out there with tower crane permits itching to climb into the sky. They are:

Atrium Village

Atrium Village

Atrium Village received a tower crane permit last week to erect a 31-story apartment building.

Atrium Village, which I also posted about last week, will rise soon in the Near North. The 31-story rental tower, which is Phase One of the multi-phase project by Onni Group to rebuild the entire Atrium Village development, got its tower crane permit July 5th.

625 West Adams

625 West Adams

625 West Adams is a busy lot again this morning, following a slow weekend after wrapping up caisson work.

625 West Adams in the West Loop got its tower crane permit on June 28th. The 20-story office tower from CA Ventures and White Oak Realty Partners is happening right outside the buildingupchicago office.

165 North Desplaines

165 North Desplaines

Caisson work is ongoing at 165 North Desplaines in the West Loop.

Also in the West Loop, Gerding Edlen’s 165 North Desplaines continues caisson work, while waiting to install its tower crane. The permit was filed on June 28th, the same day as 625 West Adams. Two brand-spankin’ new tower cranes four blocks apart. Nice. 165 North Desplaines will be a 14-story apartment building with 199 units.

3Eleven

3Eleven

3Eleven still looks like that movie “Holes”

In the early stages of construction, 3Eleven still looks like just a random series of holes. Soon, it will be a 23-story apartment tower from the John Buck Company at 311 West Illinois Street in River North, in what, up until a couple weeks ago, was the parking lot for Assumption Roman Catholic Church.

Apple Store

Apple Store

The new Apple Store at 401 North Michigan Avenue, both upper and lower.

Does Chicago need a new Apple Store? Or just an Apple Store with more space for people to camp out overnight for each new iPhone? Well, Chicago is getting both. At 401 North Michigan Avenue, in Pioneer Court. And it’s getting a tower crane as well, permitted on May 23rd.

171 North Aberdeen

171 North Aberdeen

171 North Aberdeen in the West Loop.

The West Loop is a busy place. But you knew that.  171 North Aberdeen is another project in the early stages. They’ve done some scraping, but it may be a while yet until it gets the tower crane it was permitted to have back on May 10th. 171 North Aberdeen, from MCZ Development, will be a mid-rise, mixed-use building combining luxury apartments, retail space, office space, and parking.

[Curiously, the tower permit is the only permit on file so far. No foundation permit has been issued as yet.]

That sentence from the original story is completely, thoroughly wrong. 171 North Aberdeen received a foundation permit on June 6th. I missed it. Sorry for my mistake.

One Bennett Park Gets One Big Permit

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One Bennett Park

A render of One Bennett Park from Related Midwest.

One Bennett Park, the 69-story skyscraper currently burying caissons at 451 East Grand Avenue in Streeterville, received its next level of achievement (if construction was one of those silly games you play on your phone) yesterday with a full-build permit from the City of Chicago.

Being developed by Related Midwest, the tower was designed by New York’s Robert A.M. Stern Architects, with an assist from Chicago’s own GREC Architects. One Bennett Park will have a mix of 348 luxury condominiums and rental apartments, plus a brand new 1.7-acre park from landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh & Associates.

Related Midwest plans to have One Bennett Park move-in ready in 2019. Lendlease is the general contractor that’ll make that completion goal happen.

One Bennett Park

Hovering above One Bennett Park

One Bennett Park

There it is. The Permit.