The tower crane goes up at 400 Lake Shore in Streeterville.
400 Lake Shore has erected Chicago’s 11th working tower crane for May 2024, nearly matching step-for-step the ascent of the crane over at 220 North Ada. This puts a crane in the Streeterville neighborhood to replace the recently-departed RIU Plaza and Saint Grand cranes.
That’s a big NOPE. This man will never lose his job to me.
All that activity Tuesday, but I didn’t stick around to see the tower crane roll onto the lot. I *knew* I should have packed a lunch and stayed the duration.
Raising the boom, instead of lowering it, at 400 Lake Shore.
This is the tower crane you want to see between the Chicago River and Ogden Slip, a shiny yellow Liebherr that will reflect the sun like a lighthouse. I love this crane, in this spot. Maybe they’ll double the height of 400 Lake Shore so the crane stays overtime.
A Lindahl Brothers excavator makes off with the first portion of the old Chicago Spire cofferdam..
Just a little off the top, please.
It should surprise no one that there’s a lot going on at the 400 Lake Shore construction site. Tuesday, they were bringing in parts for the crane that will assemble the tower crane (alas, no tower crane parts or segments had arrived while I was there.) But I did get to see something maybe even cooler than that, and you know how much I like the tower cranes.
There’s a breach in the cofferdam.
There was some concrete demolition on the inside of the old Chicago Spire cofferdam, which has been partially excavated on the north side. There was torch cutting of said cofferdam. Ultimately, a section of the cofferdam one concrete “ring” deep fell outward and was hauled off by the excavator you see in the video above. I’m told that entire top ring of the cofferdam will be removed.
The orange line marks where the steel will be cut, all the way around.
I checked for that cofferdam section on eBay, but haven’t seen it pop up yet. I want it in my office,
On to a few more pics of Tuesday morning’s events and goings-on:
He did not do all that excavating wth a shovel, right?Dumping dirt into the Spire Hole.
Construction progress has topped out, the exterior is bricked up, and it looks like windows could be added any day, at a four-story, 18-unit building at 5845 North Clark Street in the Edgewater neighborhood. Located at the corner of Clark and Ardmore, the two-tone brick building is being built by Shutler Development, who’s also acting as the general contractor.
Google Streetview look at 5845 North Clark, now demolished.
SPACE Architects + Planners is the designer of this project. A demolition permit was issued May 12 of 2022 to clear the site of the single-story former home of Metro Remittance Center and Bacolod’s Best Kitchen at 5845 North Clark Street. Mulroy Demolition & Excavation was listed as the demo contractor for the tear-down. A New Construction permit followed on November 28, 2022. Using the address of 1548 West Ardmore Avenue, that permit called for parking on the first floor, but unlike so many new construction projects, no ground-level retail space.
Rendering of 453 West Briar Place via SGW Architecture & Design
A permit was issued Tuesday, May 21 by the City of Chicago to begin construction on a condominium development at 453 West Briar Place in Lake View. Being built by Chicago’s GVP Development, the new building replaces two now-demolished structures on a tree-lined block featuring mostly mid-rise, multi-unit residences.
A five-story, six-unit condo project, 453 West Briar is a design by SGW Architecture & Design. Formerly known as Sullivan Goulette & Wilson, SGW has offices in Chicago and New York City. We’ve seen their work here on the blog at CA6, CA Washington, and Peoria Green, among others.
Via Google Streetview, 453 (left) and 455 (right) West Briar Place, both now demolished.
To make room for the condo building, 453 West Briar was issued a demolition permit on December 8 of 2021. About 16 months later, and New Construction permit for a four-story, three-unit building was permitted. That project doesn’t appear to have started; instead, another demolition permit, this time for 455 West Briar, was issued August 14, 2023, opening up a second lot for new construction. Precision Excavation was the demolition contractor for both properties, according to the demolition permits.
The tower crane stub rises from the construction site at 1723 South Michigan in the South Loop
A tower crane base has been set at the 1723 South Michigan construction site. A long stroll down through the South Loop was timed perfectly, as it appeared the crane base was being planted in concrete Tuesday just before I got there.
Will this tower crane be erected in time to make it onto the June count? We started May with nine. The stub at 220 North Ada in the Fulton Market District and this one could get us to 11, sparing any others being taken down.
1723 South Michigan is a 12-story, 149-unit rental building being developed by CMK Companies. (They also have a couple sites a block west on South Wabash. Those should get going once the South Michigan property is well underway, if not completed.) Along with retail space on the ground floor, the first two levels will include 89 parking stalls.
Gensler is the design architect. Brandts Build is the general contractor, a company I’m adding to my tower crane count for the first time.
Permits received for 1723 South Michigan (they were issued some time ago) include: Vertical pile — 150 of them — issued 07/11/2023 Foundation/partial superstructure — issued 08/14/2023 Full building — issued 09/05/2023
There is a permit pending for the tower crane; as of Tuesday May 21, that permit has not shown up on the City of Chicago’s issued permits page.
Cool look at demolition of the former 1723 South Michigan via Google. Vertical pile permit issued 07/11/2023Foundation/superstructure permit issued 08/14/2023Full building permit issued 09/05/2023
The last time I posted about 1114 West Carroll, it was 1114 West Carroll. Now, it has a new moniker: Flora. And a name change is enough of a reason (to me) to throw a few more pics out there. But more so because I just happen to really love the look of this tower.
And I’m not going to be neutral when it comes to the West Loop/Fulton Market District. It’s my favorite neighborhood in Chicago. And while Flora feels like it’s situated a little too far west for my liking, this portion of Fulton Market is going to become very dense very soon, putting Flora right in the middle of everything. Yep, I’d live here.
The 34-story, 368-unit apartment tower should be welcoming its first residents this summer. Won’t be surprised if it fills up quickly.
Enjoying the photos? Metra and CTA rides (and Amtrak trains to Milwaukee), Zipcars, Divvy Bikes, camera lenses, domain fees, snacks & energy drinks, and comfortable walking shoes add up. You can help offset expenses by making a greatly-appreciated donation to Building Up Chicago.
Two Potain MR 608 free-standing tower cranes at work at the UChicago Cancer Care Center in Hyde Park
Both tower cranes are up and running and construction progress has gone 3-D at 5644 South Drexel Avenue in Hyde Park. That’s where the University of Chicago Medicine is building its new Cancer Care Center. The eight-story, 875,000-square-foot facility, designed by CannonDesign, broke ground in September of last year and is scheduled to open in 2027. It’s up to Turner Construction and Adjustable Concrete Construction, the General Contractor and Concrete Contractor, respectively, to make that happen.
To date, UChicago Medicine has received permits for: South tower crane — issued 12/28/23 (addressed as 5644 S. Drexel Ave) North tower crane — issued 12/12/23 Foundation — issued 12/12/23 Groundbreaking ceremony tent — issued 09/08/23 We’re waiting on the full-build permit. Judging by the looks of the core, that could be arriving any day now.
Photos taken May 1, 2024:
Enjoying the photos? Metra and CTA rides (and Amtrak trains to Milwaukee), Zipcars, Divvy Bikes, camera lenses, domain fees, snacks & energy drinks, and comfortable walking shoes add up. You can help offset expenses by making a greatly-appreciated donation to Building Up Chicago.
The Obama Presidential Center peeks out over the Museum of Science and Industry
The most noticeable change in construction progress at The Obama Presidential Center is the addition of granite panels on the exterior of the Museum Tower. It’s also gotten a little taller (more vertical photo opps) since I was here last, so the view from farther away is changing. A lot of what you’ll see in this gallery are new angles from distance, plus familiar vantage points from near and far.
Photos taken May 1, 2024:
Enjoying the photos? Metra and CTA rides (and Amtrak trains to Milwaukee), Zipcars, Divvy Bikes, camera lenses, domain fees, snacks & energy drinks, and comfortable walking shoes add up. You can help offset expenses by making a greatly-appreciated donation to Building Up Chicago.
The Robert R. McCormick Leadership and Economic Opportunity Center under construction.
Project H.O.O.D., established in 2012 by Pastor Corey Brooks, is going all out to provide the Woodlawn Community Area with a new state-of-the-art community center.
The Robert R. McCormick Leadership and Economic Opportunity Center will be a three-story, 85,000-square-foot mixed-use facility at the southwest corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and 66th Street in the Woodlawn neighborhood. The center, which broke ground in Fall 2023, will include an auditorium, a gym with an indoor swimming pool, plus multiple restaurants and a bank in its retail spaces.
New Beginnings Community Development Corporation is listed on the permits as the developer of the center. LR Contracting is the general contractor; Goebel Forming is the concrete contractor. BNMO Design is the design architect. Construction is expected to take 24 to 36 months. That means the center could be open by the end of 2025.
So far, permits received, with the address of 6623 South Martin Luther King Drive, have been issued for: The full build on 09/08/2023 the tower crane on 09/13/2023 another full build changing the electrical contractor on 02/02/2024 the fire alarm system on 03/28/2024
Photos taken 05/01/2024:
Tower crane seen from Hyde Park.
Enjoying the photos? Metra and CTA rides (and Amtrak trains to Milwaukee), Zipcars, Divvy Bikes, camera lenses, domain fees, snacks & energy drinks, and comfortable walking shoes add up. You can help offset expenses by making a greatly-appreciated donation to Building Up Chicago.
This is exactly what we talked about wanting to avoid on Sunday. A building gets demolished, then the lot sits empty for weeks or months or years before something new comes along. Such was the case at 2745 North Bosworth in the Lincoln Park Community Area. A demolition permit was issued here in December of 2021. I can’t say when exactly demolition work occurred, but the look of the lot (anyone need a double sink?), the overgrowth, the ragged fencing, tells me it’s been empty for far too long.
But not for much longer. On Tuesday April 23, a New Construction permit was issued by the City of Chicago for a three-story, two-unit building at 2745 North Bosworth. There will be a basement, as well as a detached two-car garage with a roof deck. But most importantly, there *won’t* be this eyesore of an empty lot.
The permit lists Bachula Development as the general contractor and Helen Liptak as the architect. Work, hopefully, will begin soon.
Building Up Chicago 