Can You Dig 465 North Park? This Permit Says Indeed You May

Posted on July 6, 2016 by danieldschell

A straight-up rendering of 465 North Park from Pappageorge Haymes Partners.

It’s Showtime for 465 North Park.

That dirt being shoved around last month wasn’t just for fun. Yesterday, the City of Chicago filed a foundation permit for the new apartment tower at 465 North Park Drive in Streeterville. That’s right next door to the new Loews Hotel, and just across Illinois Street from the AMC River East.

Another design from Pappageorge Haymes Partners, 465 North Park will stand 47 stories tall and weigh…actually, I don’t have stats on weight. But expect 444 apartments, with 181 parking spaces. The permit says parking will be on levels one through four, an amentiy deck on the 6th floor, apartments for regular folks on 7-35, penthouse units on 38-46, and a mechanical floor at the 47th level.

Jupiter Realty Company is the developer. Power Construction has the general contractor reins. Expect to see caisson equipment start pouring into the lot any minute now.

Power Construction and Pappageorge Haymes Partners. How’s that for a Power Couple?

Reinforcements are on the way.

The Foundation Permit for 465 North Park.

The Hudson Flows Into Chicago

Posted on July 5, 2016 by danieldschell

The Hudson, 750 North Hudson Avenue, will sit on the corner of Hudson and Chicago.

The Hudson is a 25-story apartment tower at 750 North Hudson Avenue being developed by the Onni Group of Companies. Designed by Pappageorge Haymes Partners, The Hudson will have 240 one-, two-, and three-bedroom rental units and 240 parking spaces, with 10,000 square feet of retail space at ground level. Onni Group pulls double duty here by acting as its own general contractor.

If that address, 750 North Hudson, doesn’t ring bells in your head, think of The Hudson as being located at about 425 West Chicago Avenue. That’s where its most prominent facing will be, along Chicago Avenue.

: Getting the gratuitous tower crane shot taken care of early.

: Surely you noticed The Hudson tower crane around Christmas time.

221 West Hubbard Construction Claims Its First Inconvenience: A Divvy Station

Posted on July 5, 2016 by danieldschell

This photo from Divvy shows the old and new stations.

The new construction permitted June 30 for the residential tower at 221 West Hubbard Street in River North has already claimed its first victim, and it’s a Divvy station.

According to an email from Divvy, the Divvy bikes that could be found until today at the southwest corner of Hubbard and Wells are being moved. It’s no cross-country move, but it’s not exactly close either. As seen in the photo above from Divvy, the new station will be at Ohio and Orleans.

If you’ve been using the Hubbard and Wells station (when it isn’t full, which is common after the morning rush) to park your bike before heading into the Merchandise Mart (raises hand) this will make your walk considerably longer. Looks like I’ll be aiming for Orleans/Mart Plaza, or the Kinzie station at the East Bank Club.

Exhibit On Superior Shedding Its Tower Crane

Posted on July 2, 2016 by danieldschell

Exhibit on Superior, at 165 West Superior, losing its tower crane.

They come into our lives suddenly, and then they’re gone just as quickly. They build our hopes and dreams, climbing ever higher. And just when you think they can go no higher…they don’t. In fact, they come down. But not before changing the landscape and skyline.

Too dramatic? Eh, whatever.

Suffice it to say the tower crane at 165 West Superior is on its way down from atop the bKL Architecture-designed apartment tower. The new River North development from Magellan Development Group is called Exhibit on Superior. Topping out at 34 stories, Exhibit on Superior will have 298 luxury apartments of all sizes, from studios and convertibles, to 1-,2-, and 3-bedroom units. Add 109 parking spaces, an 8,400-square-foot outdoor park, and nearly 30,000 square feet of amenity space, and you’ve practically got yourself a brand new vertical neighborhood.

Linn-Mathes has been plugging away at construction since the first permits for Exhibit on Superior were filed back in July of 2015, this coming on the heels of the March 2015 demolition permit that signaled the end of the Howard Johnson Inn on this site, with an address of 720 North LaSalle. Yeah, if you still have your room key, might as well hang on to it.

You see, I looked at that from over here and thought “Hey, that tower crane shouldn’t be sitting so low.”

221 West Hubbard Gets a Permit

Posted on July 1, 2016 by danieldschell

A rendering of 221 West Hubbard (and 412 North Wells) from Hirsch Associates.

This one took awhile.

When last I heard about the proposed office and residential development at 221 West Hubbard Street in River North, it was February. Crews were working in the dirt, and I jumped the gun, assuming construction was ready to begin. It wasn’t. Turns out, soil sampling results were less than ideal, stalling the entire process.

The Permit

I was told it was hopeful a construction permit would be filed for 221 West Hubbard around April 1. And here we are three months later, and finally, the City of Chicago has filed a permit to begin foundation work on the 23-story residential tower portion of the two-structure project.

Designed by Howard Hirsch at Hirsch Associates Architecture, the Centrum Partners development will have 193 apartments in the tower on the west end of the lot at Hubbard Street and Wells, and a 9-story office building with 41,000 rentable square feet on the east end. 91 parking spaces will be included in the residential portion.

For folks getting on and off the Brown and Purple Line trains at the Merchandise Mart, like me, this will be a prime spectating venue as LInn-Mathes, the general contractor, gets to work.

: 221 West Hubbard will curve along with the passing L trans.

: The lot has been closed to parking for several weeks now.

: Bye bye cars, hello shiny new glass.

: Twice I jumped the gun on this one. Once, when the CTA used the lot to stage equipment…

: …and once when crews scraped some asphalt after a negative soil sampling result.

: View of the lot and the tracks, 221 West Hubbard Street.

Earth is moving for gigantic River North home

Posted on June 30, 2016 by danieldschell

They’re scraping and digging at 455 West Superior Street.

I don’t normally pay mind to single-family development. I like the big stuff. The tall stuff. The expensive stuff.

The Permit.

Well, here’s a single-family home that fits into all three categories. Back in March, Dennis Rodkin at Crain’s was all over the news of a permit being filed for a home to be built at 455 West Superior Street in River North. What makes this home so unusual? Let’s have a look at that permit, filed by the City of Chicago on March 1, 2016.

It’s a five-story, single-family home. That’s a tall home.
The permit estimates construction costs at just under $10,000,000.00!
THERE WILL BE CAISSONS! This is gonna be one *heavy* home. (Yeah, no basement. I guess the game room will have to be on one of the five above-ground floors.)
Power Construction is the general contractor. That’s a heavy hitter for your home building.

Not much has been done since March, until now. When I walked past on Thursday, I saw the first signs of active construction since the permit. Scraping and digging. Just like they do for skyscrapers. This will be an interesting home to watch go up.

The actual permit, displayed on site at 455 West Superior Street.

Another view of the lot, which, according to Dennis Rodkin’s article, is really *three* lots.

455 West Superior on March 2, the day after the permit was filed.

SMASHotels’ Marriott Autograph Hotel Rises in Streeterville

Posted on June 30, 2016 by danieldschell

Pepper Construction crews work on the new Marriott Autograph Hotel in Streeterville.

The Ivy Boutique Hotel in Streeterville has a wonderful rooftop deck. And as everyone in Chicago knows, rooftop decks were made for construction spectating.

Directly across the street from Ivy, at 228 East Ontario Street, the ECD Company and SMASHotels are erecting a brand new Marriott Autograph Hotel. The 22-story hotel, designed by Chicago-based Koo Architecture, will have 200 rooms when completed (often referred to as “keys” in developer-speak.)

The Marriott Autograph is being jammed into such a tight space, it’s difficult to get a good view of Pepper Construction at work. Which is why you should get a room at Ivy, head up on the roof with The Drifters, and watch for yourselves.

: Pepper Construction at work.

: More Pepper. Unlike at the ballpark, there are no signs here saying “NO PEPPER”

: Gratuitous tower crane shot.

: Gratuitous tower crane shot, with airplane.

: Rooftop view.

: The Ivy Boutique Hotel’s rooftop deck is up there, very well hidden from the street.

: You lifting today, bruh?

: Lifting again today?

: The view from behind the new Marriott Autograph Hotel.

: Looking up from East Ontario Street.

165 North Desplaines Digs In [Updated]

Posted on June 28, 2016 by danieldschell

There is a large, mean-looking red beast on the other side of the fence at 165 North Desplaines.

While I’ve had my face pressed against the window looking south at 625 West Adams, just three blocks north of the office, Power Construction is getting caissons buried on another of their West Loop projects.

At 165 North Desplaines, Revcon Construction has equipment on site, and it’s being used to dig the foundations for the new 14-story GREC Architects design. Developer Gerding Edlen (Xavier Apartments, The Jones Chicago) is putting 199 apartments here, while also renovating the existing building at 152 North Jefferson.

*** THIS JUST IN: Yesterday, 165 North Desplaines received its Tower Crane Permit from the City of Chicago. This will pair quite nicely with the 625 West Adams Tower Crane, also permitted yesterday, June 28. ***

Here, as always, is photographic proof of the presence of construction goings-on:

: A rendering of 165 North Desplaines from GREC Architects.

: The red beast, purring.

: The Sears Tower takes a peek into the 165 North Desplaines lot.

: A caisson is drilled just inside the fence.

: A busy site is a happy sight.

: Corrugated tubes.

: Rebar tubes. I love rebar tubes.

: This will have to do until there’s a tower crane to take a gratuitous shot of.

: The Haymarket Monument being hauled away for safe keeping during construction.

640 North Wells Filling Gap Ed Debevic’s Left Behind

Posted on June 27, 2016 by danieldschell

Good ole Ed Debevic’s. May it Rest Its Peas.

Unless you ate there, you miss Ed Debevic’s.

Kidding. Oh, come on. I’M KIDDING!

Okay, I’m done messing with Ed. (You’ll have to go here if you want to see more.)

At 640 North Wells Street, where Ed’s called home, JDL Development is erecting a 23-story apartment tower designed by Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture. When completed, 640 North Wells will have 251 units and 12,000 square feet of retail space. Expect about 140 parking spots too, if the building permit is to be believed. 640 North Wells is another Lendlease build.

: 640 North Wells, from the corner of Wells and Erie.

: Gratuitous tower crane shot.

: The moon wedges itself between tower cranes at 640 North Wells and 167 West Erie.

: Wearing orange as camouflage. Interesting strategy.

: The Wells Street facade.

: Lendlease at work.

: The north facade along Erie Street.

: The view along the alley in back.

: The Wells Street facade, looking northward.

: Looks like there’s going to be an exterior construction elevator soon.

: Hoisting.

: The Permit.

: Looking at the corner of Wells and Ontario Streets.

: Inside the belly of the beast for a peek at the guts.

: More insides.

1035 West Van Buren Starts Peeking Above the West Loop

Posted on June 27, 2016 by danieldschell

1035 West Van Buren is beginning to shoot up through the other buildings in the West Loop

It’s not real construction until I can see it from the 48th floor. It is now that time for the new 1035 West Van Buren in the West Loop.

Related Midwest is bringing the apartment tower to 1035 West Van Buren Street, It’s designed by New York City firm Morris Adjmi Architects (that’s a new name to me here in Chicago) with a local assist from GREC Architects here in Chicago. It is GREC’s Greg Randall who appears on the building permit as the architect.

1035 will be a 30-story rental development with 300 units. That’s pretty darn close to averaging 10 units per floor, for those of you who were told there’d be no math today.

Related Midwest plans to have the tower open to residents before the end of 2017. Lendlease construction crews are on site, seeing to that completion goal.