Category Archives: New Construction

165 North Desplaines goes craneless

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165 North Desplaines tower crane

You are in no danger of losing your jobs to me. I’ll be fine down here on terra firma.

This past weekend at 165 North Desplaines in the West Loop was spent dismantling and hauling away the tower crane that had been erecting the rental development since June of last year. The 14-story building topped out in late January, and now it’s a matter of buttoning up the exterior, and getting to work on 199 apartment interiors.

Dig this: There’s action at Nobu. (No, really, there is!)

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https://twitter.com/MalcolmMossman/status/837021488054222849

Just when we were starting to believe the Nobu Hotel project might be kaput, there appears to be whole-scale excavation happening on the lot at Randolph and Peoria Streets in the West Loop.

Twitter user @MalcolmMossman tweeted the above photo on Wednesday, after wandering past the site and noticing Taylor Excavation’s equipment peeking out above the secretive fencing. And sure enough, a closer inspection shows some real-live digging. Foundation work? Let’s hope so. It’s nice to see some ground move after it was broken way back in June.

165 North Desplaines tower crane comes down this weekend

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165 North Desplaines tower crane

A friday-night look at the 165 North Desplaines tower crane, which comes down this weekend.

The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away.

The West Loop got two new tower cranes within the past week, and on the same lot to boot, when McDonald’s erected a pair at 110 North Carpenter. But now we’ll have to give one back.

165 North Desplaines topped out over a month ago — on January 26th, to be exact — and now all the heavy lifting is done, and it’s time for this tower crane to move on. An email from the 42nd Ward tells us that happens this weekend.

As you shed a tear for the departing tower crane, remember we should have one soon at One South Halsted. And perhaps the Nobu Hotel, should this week’s excavation work be the real deal.

My iPhone and I stopped by 165 North Desplaines on the way home tonight, to take one last look.

It’s Craning Day at the Triple Hilton McCormick Place

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Hilton McCormick Place tower crane

Thursday morning, this tower crane cab rolled past the B.U.C. HQ. On its way to the Hilton McCormick Place? Sure seemed like it.

Last week, we found the makings of a tower crane at the Triple-Branded Hilton Hotel at McCormick Place. That always means to be on high alert for assembly. Now, I can’t prove the crane parts I watched being driven down the Kennedy to the Dan Ryan this week were headed to McHugh Construction’s site, but it sure added up. A peek out the window Thursday morning confirmed that the crane was being set up down in the Prairie District. And field trip ensued, resulting in the following photos. Best guess is, assembly will be completed Friday.

Hilton McCormick Place tower crane

Way off in the distance, tower crane set-up has been spotted. Time to head to the South Loop.

Centrum Hubbard brings a touch of glass to the River North neighborhood

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Centrum Hubbard

Centrum Hubbard gets in on the glass action.

A big milestone has been reached in River North this week. The first level of cladding is being installed at Centrum Hubbard, the residential tower going up at 215 West Hubbard Street. The 23-story, 193-unit apartment companion to the 9-story office building next door at 412 North Wells, both designed by Hirsch Associates Architects, is up to the 17th floor.

The John Buck Company’s 151 North Franklin tops out

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And there it goes. Thanks to The John Buck Company for sharing news that 151 North Franklin topped out, and for capturing the moment the final beam rose skyward in photos. I stopped by Randolph and Franklin later in the afternoon to find Lendlease celebrating the event by hanging more glass.

You can see more photos from TJBC’s on its Facebook page here.

A Sunny Day At: 8 East Huron

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8 East Huron

Straight up, 8 East Huron looks best on a sunny day.

Okay, so sunny days were almost the norm for awhile during our February Spring. Still, new construction is meant to be seen when the sun is shining. And winter ain’t over yet, so the sun could be gone just as quickly as it appeared.

Here’s an update on progress at 8 East Huron, the residential tower from CA Ventures and Harlem Irving Companies. The building, designed by Valerio Dewalt Train Associates, will have 102 apartments, 31 parking spaces, and more than 2,700 square feet of ground-floor retail. Clark Construction is on the build.

The Big Green W warns of a tower crane jump in Alta Roosevelt’s future

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When the Big Green W talks, people listen. Especially skyscraper nerds and construction junkies. Even more so when they use your photo and give you a shout-out.

Walsh Construction promised a tower crane jump at Alta Roosevelt on their Instagram feed, and since Sunday’s brunch was only a block away (PLUG: I highly suggest you all head to Sociale sooner, instead of later) I stopped by 801 South Financial. I didn’t catch the jump, but they’re certainly prepared for it.

Below, you’ll find a video, and then a photo gallery. The video was intended for you to hear the sounds of the wind howling through the construction site. It was magically musical; alas, all you’re likely to hear is the wind whipping through my phone.

Yep, I got more from Wanda Vista Tower for ya

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There’s still a lot going on, so why wouldn’t construction and skyscraper nerds take more photos? Really, it’s out of our control. So here ya go, another slew of action shots from this week at the ever-changing Vista Tower site.

3Eleven gets a webpage, signage

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And with that tweet, The John Buck Company announced that 3Eleven now has its own website. So in addition to looking fantastic in the sunlight, you can now find 3Eleven on the interwebs.