Category Archives: New Construction

The tower crane comes down from Illume Chicago

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We told you last week that Illume Chicago had topped out over in the West Loop. And topping out always means certain doom for tower cranes. Sure enough, over this past weekend the crane came down from the construction site at 111 South Peoria. We all got an up-close look from Instagram user @skyboom150 that you see above.

Then first thing Monday morning, Twitter user @WestLoopTom tweeted the photo below, showing the tower crane has been completely removed. Here’s hoping it finds another gig soon.

https://twitter.com/westlooptom/status/940227771502071808

One Bennett Park nears the top

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With that Instagram photo, One Bennett Park  posted a selfie and announced last week that Lendlease crews have reached to within five floors of topping out the 69-story residential tower.

The Related Midwest project is combined design of Robert A.M. Stern Architects and GREC Architects, bringing a mix of 348 apartments and condominiums to the Streeterville neighborhood. Completion is scheduled for 2019 move-ins, so there’s still a lot of work to be done. But topping out soon will be a big milestone, even if it means the beginning of the end for One Bennett Park’s two pretty, yellow tower cranes.

Atrium Village gets a permit for Tower #2

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Atrium Village 202 Hill Street permit

The permit, issued Friday, for 39 stories at 202 West Hill Street.

We don’t know much, but we do know there’s a brand-spankin’-new permit for the second tower at Atrium Village in the Near North neighborhood. Just as Onni Group appears ready to take down the tower crane at Old Town Park, the City of Chicago granted a permit on Friday to begin foundation work on the second tower, at 202 West Hill Street, of the Atrium overhaul.

This one will be 39 stories high, with 428 units above a six-story podium, and some ground-floor retail space. As with Old Town Park, Onni Group will be their own general contractor, and Hartshorne Plunkard is the design architect.

Sure, we look forward to another tall building, but we’re more anxious to see Onni light up another tower crane!

Chicago’s 62nd (and final?) tower crane of 2017 is up at Belmont Village

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Belmont Village tower crane

This shiny red tower crane is ready to lift heavy stuff at Belmont Village.

Unless you’re a big Tunch Ilkin fan, the number 62 might not mean all that much to you. But it’s somewhat of a landmark here in Chicago, as we’ve reached 62 tower cranes for the year.

And while we still have a stub planted in the ground (at Hayden West Loop) we don’t have a date on that tower crane going up, so Belmont Village may very well be our final tower crane of the year.

Chicago surpassed its all-time high (heh — high) in tower cranes back in September, when the Mayor’s office announced we’d erected our 54th crane of the year. But we didn’t stop there.

The crane at Belmont Village, the 7-story senior living facility being built at 700 West Fullerton, marks the third tower crane for The Lincoln Common, GC W.E. O’Neil, and for Lincoln Park. They make a handsome trio.

If indeed this is our final tower crane of 2017, it deserves a big photo gallery of assembly. So here you go, taken over the course of three days (Dec 6-8)

A December update at Vista Tower

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Wanda Vista Tower at night

Night time is the right time to see Vista Tower.

This thing is gonna be HUGE.

Vista Tower continues its climb along East Wacker Drive and the Chicago River. And the more it grows, the more it’s visible from new vantage points. For instance, you can now stand on the Chicago Riverwalk and look straight up and see construction. It may be a little too cold to stand there for long, though.

Even at night, 465 North Park is still topped out

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Because it’s tradition in some parts of the world — a tradition I just invented — to celebrate the topping out of a building three times, here are more photos of the newly-topped 465 North Park. This time, taken on a gorgeous Chicago fall evening that felt like spring. Enjoy.

The Oval on the Expressway, 727 West Madison, is rounding into form

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727 West Madison

That’s 727 West Madison over there, across the Kennedy X-Way, looking all curvy and rounded.

There are lots of curve puns, oval jokes, and round remarks to be made about 727 West Madison, the 44-story apartment tower from Fifield Companies and F&F Realty. And that’s a good thing; it means the unique shape of this 492-unit apartment tower along the Kennedy Expressway in the Greektown section of the West Loop is coming into clear view. The ellipse eclipses all those squares and rectangles out there. We need some of this variety in our new architecture.

We’re counting Lendlease’s progress at about 15 stories to date. A little simple math tells you that puts them about one-third of the way to the top of the FitzGerald-designed building. And the thought of stacking two more of what’s already built gives you an idea of just how tall 727 West Madison will really be.

 

900 West starting to show in the West Loop

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900 West Washington

The view of 900 West progress from EarthCam Monday evening.

Already up to the underside of the seventh floor, Power Construction continues to make quick work of 900 West, the 10-story condominium building from Taris Real Estate coming to the West Loop.

Sure, there’s a photo gallery, because I needed the exercise. But remember that you can keep with progress from the comfort of your easychair via EarthCam on the 900 West website.

More topping out news, as Illume Chicago reaches max height

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https://twitter.com/PappagHaymes/status/931648904411713536

Last week, we shared word that a Pappageorge Haymes Partners project, 465 North Park, had topped out. Now you can add another PH design to the headlines, thanks to the above tweet shared November 17, as Illume Chicago has topped out at 111 South Peoria in the West Loop.

The topping-out comes as glass starts showing up on the exterior, so it’s milestones on top of milestones for this one.

Developed by LG Development, Illume Chicago is delivering 79 new condominiums to the red-hot West Loop neighborhood within the 10-story building, with 94 parking spaces underground and on the first floor.

 

aLoft Chicago Mag Mile adds some glass as it rises in Streeterville

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aLoft Chicago Mag Mile

Fresh glass at the aLoft Chicago Mag Mile in Streeterville.

Don’t look now (you can look when we get to the photo gallery) but Tishman has the *aLoft Chicago Mag Mile nearing the top (on or about the 15th floor, I’d say) of its 18-story goal at 243 East Ontario in Streeterville. And as if that wouldn’t be enough of a milestone, they’ve also started installing glass, on level 3 of the Valerio Dewalt Train-designed hotel.

When completed next winter, the aLoft Chicago Mag Mile will open 336 new guest rooms to Chicago’s most vibrant shopping neighborhood.

*Looks like I’ve been spelling it wrong all this time. “aLoft” – little ‘a’ big ‘L’