Category Archives: New Construction

Belmont Village hides a tower crane stub in Lincoln Park

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Belmont Village tower crane stub

Deep down, that’s a very nice tower crane stub at 700 West Fullerton for the Belmont Village project.

It’s there, the tower crane stub that will soon grow into W.E. O’Neil’s third tower crane at The Lincoln Common development on the old Children’s Memorial Hospital site in Lincoln Park. But you have look hard.

The red stub is planted along the east side of the new Belmont Village senior living site, along Orchard Street, at 700 West Fullerton. But it’s rooted so deep into the foundation that, until the rest of the crane is erected, it goes largely unnoticed.

We expect the tower crane to be erected in full this week, which would make it our 33rd active tower crane in Chicago, and #62 for 2017.

The sunny day 465 North Park deserves as it celebrates topping out

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Yesterday, we shared topping-out news at 465 North Park in Streeterville. Sad thing is, that news was accompanied by a gallery full of dreary-day photos. We think 465 North Park deserves to bask in better light, and Thursday provided that for us. So, without further ado, here’s the photo gallery the new tower deserves, from a sunny, gorgeous Chicago fall day.

 

With all three Hiltons topped out, the tower crane comes down at 123 East Cermak

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Triple-branded Hilton tower crane removal

A tower crane below the roof line is doomed. Such is the circle of life at the triple-branded Hilton Hotels at McCormick Place.

All by its lonesome, McHugh Construction’s shiny yellow Liebherr tower crane built a Hilton Garden Inn Chicago McCormick Center, Hampton Inn by Hilton Chicago McCormick Center, and Home2 Suites by Hilton Chicago McCormick Center in the Prairie District of the South Loop. And now, that crane’s work is complete, and it’s on the way to the ground.

We walked around the site at 123 East Cermak Road to pay our last respects as the crane started coming down. But fear not; Chicago’s construction boom has slowed just yet, so expect that same crane to be back on the build again very soon.

465 North Park has topped out in Streeterville

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465 North park topping out

The top of 465 North Park, now topped out.

A Facebook post back on November 18 from Pappageorge Haymes Partners announced the topping out of 465 North Park, the 48-story apartment tower from Jupiter Realty.

465 North Park topping out

Jupiter Realty’s photo of Alderman Reilly posing with the tower crane stub, September 2016.

Power Construction began work on the Streeterville tower in earnest back in July of 2016, then planted the soon-to-come-down tower crane in September. It was such a big deal, the alderman posed with.

465 North Park replaced an empty lot at Illinois Street and Park Drive, directly across the street from the AMC River East theaters. Its development is a win for everyone, because we all need a place to live, and no one wants to preserve empty lots. With 444 apartments that will open in 2018, the tower includes a sky lounge on the 38th floor, an outdoor pool deck, and every other creature comforts renters have come to expect from new construction in Chicago.

So, congratulations to the 465 North Park team of Jupiter Realty, Pappageorge Haymes Partners, and Power Construction, for reaching new heights at 465 North Park!

Getting to know Chicago Tower Crane #60

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Renelle on the River

McHugh Construction’s tower crane at Renelle on the River, from East Upper Wacker Drive.

We’d only gone by the new tower crane at Renelle on the River once since McHugh Construction erected it back in the second week of November. It famously became Chicago’s 60th tower crane in the air for this calendar year. The Mayor was there. It was a big deal. It was also dark, so I didn’t get a great look at it

Of course, Tuesday was kind of a dud as far as weather goes, but that didn’t stop us from getting a few more angles on the shiny yellow Liebherr 200 HC model. Aside from standing in the plaza just outside Trump Tower, where you can look straight up at the beast, we suggest East Wacker Drive and the Michigan Avenue Bridge as the best crane-gawking spots.

The end draweth near for the beginning of Three Sixty West

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Three Sixty West 360 West Erie

360 West Erie has to go, making room for Three Sixty West. It’s the new math.

A demolition permit was issued Tuesday for the humble 2-story building at 360 West Erie in River North. Yeah, that rooftop deck is cool, but it has to go. If the address sounds familiar to you, it may be from the buzz going ’round about Three Sixty West, the new condo tower coming to the block from Belgravia Group (think Renelle on the River). Designed by GREC Architects, Three Sixty West will feature 38 condominiums in an 12-story building.

Quality Excavation will do the ripping apart of the old building; when construction time begins, Maris Construction (they’re putting the finishing touches on Belgravia’s CA Washington development) will be on the build.

12 stories? Yep, Maris should land on the tower crane count soon.

3833 North Broadway puts up Chicago’s 61st tower crane of 2017

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3833 North Broadway tower crane

A pretty sight at the 3833 North Broadway site, as DLG Management erects a tower crane.

We all made a big deal earlier this month about Chicago reaching 60 tower cranes for this calendar year, but that doesn’t mean we can’t erect any more of them. Just ask 3833 Broadway, the Jonathan Splitt Architects-designed, 8-story, 134-unit residential project from DLG Management at the intersection of North Broadway and West Sheridan Road.

I was up there Friday morning, and the tower crane wasn’t complete yet. But another visit Monday showed Central Contractors Service putting the finishing touches on the pretty yellow Liebherr 316 EC-H 12 Litronic machine. As they’re providing their own general contractor service as well, this marks DLG’s first entry into our Chicago Tower Crane count, so congratulations!

Here are a few (it’s never just a few) shots from Friday and Monday:

Eight Eleven Uptown brings the pane

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Eight Eleven Uptown

Curtain wall installation has begun at Eight Eleven Uptown.

Lots of progress has been made at Eight Eleven Uptown. Not just in height, which appears to have reached a dozen or so floors. But also in glass. A walk around Lendlease’s construction site Monday revealed two levels of curtain wall installed on Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture’s 27-story apartment tower.

Eight Eleven Uptown is comprised of 381 rental units and nearly 300 parking spaces. Many of those parking spots will be used for the Treasure Island food store to be included in the 36,000 square feet of planned commercial space.

Australian Unity’s new offices begin to rise at 271 Spring Street in Melbourne

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271 Spring Street Melbourne

Probuild’s tower crane has started construction on ISPT’s 271 Spring Street in Melbourne.

A noticeable trend in Australia is incorporating the old into the new. Saving facades, adding additions atop existing buildings, and developing around historic structures. 271 Spring Street is Melbourne is one such project.

Designed by John Wardle Architects, 271 Spring Street will be a 16-story office tower developed by ISPT. It will — literally — tower over the facades of the old Elms Hotel and the Mission Building along Spring Street. Probuild is the builder, which is why they get to have their name on the tower crane. (Side note: Getting my name on a tower crane is now a life goal.)

271 Spring Street looks like a cool building, right? Great location? Close to transportation? Want to lease some office space? Sorry. Every centimeter of the 15,600 square meters of space is spoken for by Australian Unity. They’ll move into the new digs in mid-2019.

271 Spring Street Melbourne

This on-site rendering poster shows how 271 Spring Street will loom over, and behind, two historic buildings.

 

Watch via EarthCam as work begins on Milwaukee’s BMO Tower

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BMO Tower Milwaukee

Google Maps image of the doomed parking garage, being demolished to make room for BMO Tower in Milwaukee.

November 16 saw groundbreaking ceremonies for BMO Tower in Milwaukee, a 25-story office building that will serve as the new home for BMO Harris Bank. Designed by Kahler Slater (Westin Milwaukee), the tower will feature 380,000 rentable square feet, and 647 parking spaces through the 8th floor. The ground floor will contain a BMO Harris bank branch. Along with BMO Harris, the law firm of Michael Best & Friedrich LLP is also signed on as a tenant.

As you can see below, our friend Curtis Waltz at Aerialscapes flew over the site this weekend. BMO’s current offices are in the building on the right. To the left, you can see the demolition equipment staged atop the roof of the soon-to-be-leveled parking garage.

BMO Tower Milwaukee

Aerial view courtesy of Curtis Waltz at Aerialscapes.

The new BMO Tower is being developed by Irgens, which will also renovate BMO Harris’ current space next door once they move into the new building. J.H. Findorff and Son (Marquette and The Couture) is the general contractor.

Of course, with Milwaukee being a far far far north suburb of Chicago, it’s a little out of my coverage radius. Thankfully, EarthCam sent over a link to its webcam for the BMO Tower project, so you can watch progress, starting with the demolition of the existing seven-story parking garage, live. You’ll find “View 3” is already zoomed in on the rooftop of that garage for you to get a close-up look.

BMO Tower Milwaukee

BMO Tower rendering from Kahler Slater.

BMO Tower Milwaukee

Another Google Maps image of the parking garage being demolished at Broadway and Wells.