Construction continues on the Museum Tower at The Obama Presidential Center.
The Obama Presidential Centerused to have three hard-working tower cranes. They were a glorious team. Alas, we’re down to just one now, but it’s doing yeoman’s work on the center’s Museum Tower.
Dear Mr. President (#44), Time is running out. You don’t have much time to give me a call so we can arrange a tower-crane climb together, now that there’s only one left. I’ve got steel-toed boots. See if you can get your developers to lend us hardhats and vests.
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1114 West Carroll from the corner of Carroll and May.
There isn’t much construction left to see at 1114 West Carroll. Trammell Crow Company’s 34-story, 368-unit residential tower has topped out, the tower crane has been taken down, and the curtain wall is inching ever closer to the top. So I decided not to wait for a sunny day to snap some progress shots. As with all glass towers, this one deserves better lighting, so I’ll be back when the sun’s out.
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.
Best place to view 919 West Fulton construction? The CTA Morgan Street Green/Pink Line platform.
The tower crane is up, and foundations are down — below street level that is — at the West Loop’s 919 West Fulton, an 11-story, 530-square-foot office building from Fulton Street Companies.
That address — 919 West Fulton Market — is probably where you’ll want your company’s mail delivered to if you lease office space here, but to the city of Chicago, the address is 217 North Sangamon Street, for permit purposes. And to date, those permits include: “Deep” Foundations — issued 9-29-2023 Tower Crane — issued 10-12-2023.
Skender is your general contractor on this one, with an assist from Adjustable Concrete Construction as the concrete contractor. (Patting myself on the back because I never call concrete “cement”.) FitzGerald is the design architect. The new office building is going right next door to their old offices, which were located in Lake Street Lofts at Lake and Peoria.
I chose a less-than-perfectly-sunny day to check out the early stages of construction, but that’s a good thing, because it means I can go back for more pics much sooner than I otherwise would have when we get a nicer day. Win/win.
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 Ol’ Spire Pit, now the future home of 400 North Lake Shore Drive
400 Lake Shore is a thing. And now 400 Lake Shore is happening.
More than a decade after foundation work for The Chicago Spire was halted (or just about as long since my last gallery post), Related Midwest has picked up the torch and construction has begun in earnest on their new 72-story, 850-foot-tall North Tower.
The glamorous address for this one is, of course, 400 North Lake Shore Drive. The permit address is 462 East North Water Street. To date, three permits have been issued; Caissons on 12-6-2023 The tower crane on 1-11-2024 “Three levels of superstructure” on 2-0-2024.
Back in mid-January, 400 Lake Shore was the proud recipient of 2024’s first tower crane permit. No idea how long it will be until that crane arrives on site, but it’s another milestone to look forward to.
The first Tower Crane permit of 2024 was issued yesterday. Related Midwest will use it to (finally) put a tower at The Spire site. pic.twitter.com/HJwSLCVZd1
Tough to get close to this one for a decent view, without walking with traffic on Lower LSD (which I prefer not to attempt.) Of course, once this project starts rising above street(erville) level, there will be lots to see. In the meantime, if you live in a nearby high-rise and have a view, send me an invite. I’ll bring some beverages and we’ll watch construction together. Until then, these photos from distance will have to suffice.
Beginnings of construction for 400 Lake Shore at the Chicago Spire site
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.
It’s time for a construction progress update at 1114 West Carroll Avenue in the Fulton Market District. These photos were taken October 24, so add a couple levels of progress since then.
Editors note: Those windows are cool.
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.
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.
We celebrate tower cranes here at the B.U.C. HQ. And we celebrate twice as much when there are two of them to enjoy.
Elston & Cortez, February 2023, just after the first tower crane was erected.
1237 West Division is a two-story double-height logistics center, with separate car-parking structure, in Chicago’s West Town community area. At least, it will be. Construction has been ramped up (heh) for months now, with The Big Green W at the helm. Logistics Property Company is the developer. The links above have all the deets and specs you could ever want, and then some.
This one is best viewed from a passing Metra train or helicopter. Since it’s not very tall, it’s tough to see from a distance. Although Halsted just north of Chicago Ave offers some cool glimpses.
Not only did I get to add a new category for 1237 West Division — “Logistics” — but I also got to take more photos of a warehouse than ever before. And here they are:
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.
Power Construction has topped out Coppia, the 19-story, 298-unit residential tower in the West Loop from developer Pizzuti. A design by Goettsch Partners, Coppia is expected to open to residents in 2024. The walling-off of the Eisenhower Expressway continues to stretch westward.
Photos are from August 28, 2023:
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 days of watching construction at 1000M are drawing to a close. Just a handful of the top levels remain unglazed. Soon the tower crane will come down and this will look like a finished product while crews work on the interior.
1000M gave us the rare thrill of watching a skyscraper begin twice: first when caisson work got underway, and then again, after a pandemic-induced delay left the site dormant for months and months. The tower crane base that had been planted was removed, it went from condos to apartments, the design was tweaked, and it roared back to life early in 2022.
It’s always weirdly sad to me when a building wraps up construction and there’s nothing to watch anymore, but this one legit tugs at the heartstrings, knowing Helmut Jahn isn’t here to enjoy its completion.
1000M should be open to residents in 2024. And please, if you get one of these apartments, invite me over. I’ll even help you move in, if that’s what it takes.
Hotel Riu Plaza Chicago, 150 East Ontario in Streeterville.
And now, for another Streeterville high-rise in a tight lot, it’s the Hotel Riu Plaza Chicago. Construction progress on the 28-story, 390-key hotel looks to have reached the 23rd or 24th level. That’s W.E. O’Neil putting in the work as the GC. The hotel is a design by Lucien LaGrange Studio. The Prime Group is the developer. Opening is slated for late 2024.
Photos of Hotel Riu Chicago Plaza construction from two visits; from this week, and from late March:
Building Up Chicago 