Category Archives: New Construction

Essex on the Park approaches 40 stories in the South Loop

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Essex on the Park May 2018

Essex on the Park rises above the South Loop.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: If you want a magnificent mile, you might be too far north.

While tourists are shopping, walk down to Grant Park and take a look west at how the skyline is changing in the South Loop, as skyscraper after skyscraper goes up. And on a sunny day, there are none better to gaze upon than Essex on the Park.

It appears Power Construction is on or near the 36th floor, while the curtain wall has risen a full 20 stories above that wonderful 7th-floor winter garden.

Touch ‘em all, Jeanne: Studio Gang knocks another one out of the…well, you know…

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Solstice on the Park May 2018

From the Solstice on the Park website, this is the view from high up in the tower, facing north. It is beyond stunning.

Last week’s visit to Hyde Park to check out the new tower crane at 5252 South Cornell provided another chance to check on progress at Solstice On The Park, the 27-story, 250-unit apartment tower designed by Jeanne Gang at Studio Gang. I’m a sucker for this building, especially on sunny days with blue skies as a backdrop. I wasn’t disappointed. The angles, the glass, the lines. It all works.

General contractor Linn-Mathes looks to be putting the finishing touches on the tower. The view shown above is still available for rent, just so you know.

 

110 North Wacker gets its foundations on

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110 North Wacker Foundation work

Foundation work is underway at 110 North Wacker, as Case Foundation gets busy in The Loop.

The rubble of the old Morton Salt Building (or the GGP Building–Don’t @ me) is long gone, and now Case Foundation is on the job, doing the dirty work to get 110 North Wacker started.

A permit was issued by the City of Chicago on April 9, allowing work to be done on the two below-grade levels, on up to the 4th floor. We’re hoping for a tower crane permit sooner rather than later to get this one up to its ultimate 54-story height, but that might take some time. But don’t worry; there’s already plenty to see. Get yourself a comfy lawn chair and go hang out on the Washington Street Bridge and watch the show.

Foundation work is in full swing at the Columbia College Student Center

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The Columbia College Student Center at 8th Street and Wabash Avenue in the South Loop is a reality, as crews from Pepper Construction continue to work on the foundation. The Gensler design, when finished will provide 114,000 square feet of space for students over five levels.

145 South Wells will soon add a tower crane to The Loop

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145 South Wells May 2018

Case Foundation has moved their equipment onto the 145 South Wells construction site.

We figured 145 South Wells would be the first project stepping up to fill the tower crane void in The Loop. Hard to believe, but it’s been more than a year since The Loop’s last tower crane, at 151 North Franklin, came down from the sky. The only other potential candidate to put one up is 110 North Wacker, but we won’t see a tower crane there for some time yet. But this 20-story office tower from Moceri + Roszak should get the job done very soon.

145 South Wells received a foundation permit from the City of Chicago back in November of last year. And then last week, it got a tower crane permit. Case Foundation let us know a few weeks ago that caisson work would get started here soon, and sure enough, they’ve moved foundation equipment onto the site.

The new tower is a design by Thomas Roszak Architecture, who also designed the tower-crane-worthy LINEA Apartments at 215 West Lake Street. Clark Construction will serve as general contractor.

If you’re wondering where Clark has been in the Chicago Tower Crane Survey, 145 South Wells marks their return to our list, with their most recent entry being at 8 East Huron in River North. (You may also see Adjustable Forms markings on this crane. They’re serving as the masonry contractor, and that usually means they are responsible for the tower crane.)

Hayden West Loop is approaching the top

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Hayden West Loop May 2018

A model of Hayden West Loop sits on display at the sales center on May Street in the West Loop.

The first building of the nine-story Hayden West Loop, a two-part project from Sulo Development, has reached the underside of its 8th level.  Designed by Booth Hansen, it will bring 28 condominiums and 83 parking spaces. The second building is slated for a site around the corner on May Street. Macon Construction is the general contractor utilizing that shiny yellow Liebherr tower crane.

The following photo gallery shows progress from the first week of May, backwards through February.

Chicago’s newest and southernmost tower crane is up at 5252 South Cornell

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5252 South Cornell tower crane

Chicago’s southernmost tower crane has risen at 5252 South Cornell in Hyde Park.

Earlier this week, we published our Chicago Tower Crane Survey for May 2018, where we noted that a crane at 5252 South Cornell (this thing needs a name) would be erected very soon. As it turns out, very soon was retroactive. A visit Thursday to Hyde Park showed a new, shiny red tower crane atop the construction site, which is where Linn-Mathes is building a 26-story apartment building for Mac Properties. Designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz, the tower will deliver 246 new apartments to the Hyde Park neighborhood, atop four levels of parking.

One Grant Park gets a new name (NEMA Chicago) and new glass (finally!)

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NEMA Chicago glass

NEMA Chicago grows in the South Loop, despite being obscured by the Canal Street Railroad Bridge.

One Grant Park was a fine name for the new tower at 1200 South Indiana Avenue in the South Loop. It paid homage to the park whose south end the tower would anchor. Alas, the moniker wasn’t meant to last, and now One Grant Park has a new name: NEMA Chicago. This is according to the website of developer Crescent Heights. And if it’s on their website, it has to be real.

Something else One Grant Park just–oops…NEMA Chicago–just picked up, and this took longer than expected: cladding. Curtain wall. Windows. Glass. Glorious glass. Some up high, some down low. But it’s there, at last.

Demolition Update: Fifteen Fifty on the Park

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Fifteen Fifty on the Park

For someone whose facade is being saved from destruction, you could look happier.

There isn’t much left to see at the corner of Clark Street and North Avenue in Old Town, save for a few blue shipping containers and the facade of the old Village Theater. Those two features, of course, are there for a reason, as one supports the other while the block comes down around them.

Fifteen Fifty on the Park, a 10-story condominium tower being developed by Golub, CIM Group, and Avoda Group, will soon begin construction. Designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz, Fifteen Fifty will boast 32 new condos, with parking for 66 cars, and 2,600 square feet of ground-level retail space.

Power Construction will be the general contractor. They got a foundation permit on May 3, so they can start work as soon as demo work is cleaned up.

 

Now topped out, glass is in session at Renelle on the River

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https://twitter.com/McHughConstruct/status/993580821100613632

Yep, we just shared two tweets with you. That’s because Renelle on the River celebrated two important milestones: The first pieces of glass, and the last piece of steel.

As you can see in the video shared by bKL Architecture principal Thomas Kerwin, the first level of cladding installation is underway on the bKL-designed tower. And McHugh Construction was kind enough to share with the world that Renelle’s steel has topped out. That means the next milestone will be the sad one, when the tower crane comes down. And then all that’s left for Renelle on the River to accomplish is to open those incredible condominiums to residents, and that’s expected to happen early in 2019.