Construction Update: Caisson work at Hubbard and Wells

Posted on August 9, 2016 by danieldschell

A CTA Purple Line trains passes construction at Hubbard and Wells.

Case Foundation is on the case at Hubbard and Wells, where Centrum Partners is developing not one, but two new buildings for River North: a 9-story office building at 412 North Wells Street, and a 23-story, 193-unit apartment tower at 221 West Hubbard Street. You can get a great view off progress by hopping a Purple or Brown Line train at Merchandise Mart and riding north.

**Better yet, get on a train at Chicago Avenue, get in the last car, ride south, and take a lap through The Loop. Back-of-the-train views are the best.)**

The two Hirsch Associates projects got foundation permits a week apart at the end of June and early July, the parking lot it used to be was immediately fenced off, and Case brought their big toys in to start drilling caissons. Once that’s all done, Linn-Mathes takes full control of the process, getting these two glass edifices off the ground and heading skyward.

: This is the best way to watch construction, but most of us aren’t allowed to stand there.

: The construction site, from the northeast corner of Hubbard and Wells.

: The unmistakable blue and gold of Case Foundation.

: Rebar field.

: Waiting their turn.

: Train view.

Sterling Bay sampling soil at 210 North Carpenter

Posted on August 5, 2016 by danieldschell

A soil sampling rig at 210 North Carpenter.

Sterling Bay has plans to develop property alongside the L tracks on Lake Street in the West Loop. Situated between Carpenter and Aberdeen Streets, Sterling Bay’s rendering of 210 North Carpenter shows a 13-story building that will practically kiss passing Pink and Green Line trains.

According to its website, Sterling Bay would like to have 210 North Carpenter ready for use late in 2017 or early 2018. And with a soil sampling rig on site this week, it’s very possible ground could be broken any day now. Of course, we still have to wait for a permit to be filed before construction can begin.

A Sterling Bay render of 210 North Carpenter

The soil sampling rig, sampling soil.

This fancy Google Map shows the location of 210 North Carpenter.

That sure looks like a real tower crane at 151 North Franklin

Posted on August 1, 2016 by danieldschell

So it’s not rooted into the ground. Big deal. This one may be even better, because of that glorious steel truss anchoring it above street level.

151 North Franklin, the new CNA Center in The Loop, started putting up its tower crane this weekend. And while the permit only costs half as much as your standard tower crane permit, it’s full-price-impressive.

Standing on the southwest corner of Franklin & Randolph.

Lendlease, the general contractor for the office tower, will have the luxury of reaching across 4 different blocks if need be. Though I doubt that will be necessary. Or even encouraged. But yes, this monster stretches across the corner of Franklin and Randolph. (It’d be kinda fun to pluck cars from the corner parking lot and put them atop the the parking deck at 200 West Randolph. But that might be why I’m not allowed to operate cranes.)

WARNING: This is a lot of pictures of a tower crane. But when you see it being assembled, you can’t just walk away.

: Tower crane parts on the Kennedy Expressway Sunday, bound for 151 North Franklin.

: Truss me, this is awesome.

: Counterweight lift.

: Looking east on Randolph Street.

: Dude….

: They were lifting weights this morning.

: Seems like a good workout.

: Setting counterweights in place.

Construction Update: The United Center signs an extension

Posted on August 1, 2016 by danieldschell

Lots of glass on the new 6-story office building at The United Center.

An extension *of* the United Center, that is. The 22-year-old arena, home to the Chicago Bulls and Chicago Blackhawks, broke ground last year on a 6-story, 250,00-square-foot office building in the parking lot immediately east of the stadium. That office building will be the new home of employees of the Bulls and Blackhawks, as well as United Center staff. The new structure will also feature a new team store, and a 25,000-square-foot atrium that will connect old building to new. Designed by HOK and being built by McHugh Construction, it is scheduled to be complete in time for the 2016-2017 NBA and NHL seasons.

: This monster was on hand last week for a heavy lift.

: From Wood and Monroe.

: From Madison and Wood.

: The north face. Not the clothing.

: The north side.

: South side, where the atrium will connect old to new.

: High work in May.

: No glass yet. May 2016.

: All glass now. August 2016.

: Foundation work, September 2015.

: When you could still see the east facade of The United Center, September 2015.

: I wasn’t the only one here taking pictures. But *they* had a drone.

: A render from The United Center.

: A render from The United Center.

: A render of the atrium from The United Center.

: Updated photo from October.

: Updated photo from October.

W.E. O’Neil begins construction on Plumbers Local 130 Training Center

Posted on July 28, 2016 by danieldschell

Demolition of the old Plumbing Industry Center in May.

First, it was what looked like a fairly nice building. Then, it was a hole in the ground. Now, there’s stuff going on in that hole. And it’s construction.

After breaking ground at 1400 West Washington Boulevard on June 28th, W.E. O’Neil is rolling on the new Plumbers Local 130 Training Center. The 3-story, 50,000-square-foot building in the West Loop will facilitate the education of journeymen and apprentice plumbers from all around Chicago.

Designed by Gensler, the project got underway with an April demolition permit for the old Plumbing Industry Center, followed by the new construction permit issued June 21st. It’s expected by this time next year, the training center will be complete.

: Revcon is right in the middle of things, doing caisson work.

: A rendering from the W.E. O’Neil website.

: Another W.E. O’Neil render.

: The old building. Didn’t look half bad.

: A very glarey building permit.

: Trucking in caisson equipment.

: Rebar tubes.

Quick Look: Steel stealing the spotlight at 151 North Franklin

Posted on July 27, 2016 by danieldschell

Construction at 151 North Franklin is rising above street level, highlighted by the steel on the south side of the lot.

I’m kind of obsessed with this steel work going on right now at 151 North Franklin. It reminds me of the glorious contraption on the south end of 150 North Riverside when it first went up. Sadly, the CNA Center requires no massive red crane on a barge.

: Ready for your close-up?

Climbing Crane Watch: 151 North Franklin

Posted on July 26, 2016 by danieldschell

In honor of last week’s double permit festivities — one for the full build, one for the climbing tower crane — I took a quick walk past the new CNA Center at 151 North Franklin again today. Twice, actually. Once in the morning, once on the way back home. Alas, they haven’t set up that pseudo-tower crane thingamobob yet, but they do have some stellar steel work protruding from the ground at the south end of the site. So, rather than waste the trip(s), here are a few pictures:

: Morning walk-by, as the street crane lifted steel into place along Randolph Street.

: By the evening walk home, they had added to it.

: The CNA Center is rising up from its foundation.

: That excavator is at an awkward angle. Tight spaces call for drastic measures.

: Full Build Permit.

: The climbing tower crane permit.

More Milwaukee: Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons

Posted on July 26, 2016 by danieldschell

Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons, 720 East Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Back in late June, the Mrs. went up to Milwaukee and brought back a couple souvenirs for me: photos of the under-construction Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons. Thankful for the keepsakes, I posted what I thought I knew about the project. A reader named John Anderson soon let me know, however, that I knew a lot less than I thought I did, and I had erroneously lumped two projects — and their respective information — into one post. (777 West Van Buren is the second project. I’ll post about that another day.)

Well, lucky for me, Sting visited Milwaukee this month. And when Sting is in Milwaukee, you drop everything and go to Milwaukee. That gave me a chance to sing “Roxanne” at the top of my lungs, and to take my own walk around downtown Milwaukee and see what Northwestern Mutual is up to for myself.

So, here’s what I think I now know:

The Tower portion of this project, at 720 East Wisconsin Avenue, will be 32 stories high, and about 550 feet tall, with the Commons portion extending to the tower’s west. It is a design from Pickard Chilton of New haven, Ct. Northwestern Mutual is, of course, the developer, along with Hines (think River Point here in Chicago, along with a whole lot of others.) Gilbane Building Company is the general contractor. Completion comes in 2017.

That was exhausting. How about some photos from a glorious July afternoon in Milwaukee:

: It is a striking tower…

: …from every angle.

: There will be a roller coaster of some sort at the top.

: Tower and tower crane, from a distance.

: A render from Northwestern Mutual.

: A rendering from Pickard Chilton.

: Just barely peeking out above the *stunning* Milwaukee Federal Building & Courthouse.

: The new hovers over the old.

: Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons, as of July 10, 2016.

: The Commons.

: Northwestern Tower, seen through the construction site at 777 North Van Buren Street. I’ll get to that another day.

: Jackson and Van Buren? I’m in Milwaukee, right? Not the West Loop?

: The Commons, looking from the south on East Wisconsin Avenue.

Yes, that’s a lot of photos. Let me know if I got any details wrong, folks.

Quick Look: 151 North Franklin Gets a Non-Tower Crane Tower Crane Permit

Posted on July 24, 2016 by danieldschell

The permit for the kinda-sorta tower crane at the CNA Center, 151 North Franklin Street.

On Thursday, I passed along the heartbreaking news that the new CNA Center, the 35-story office tower being built at 151 North Franklin Street in The Loop, wouldn’t have a regular tower crane, but instead would utilize a crane attached to the structure itself. Well, that apparatus still requires a permit from the City of Chicago, and it was filed on Friday.

Phase 1 Temporary construction of World Free Standing Tower Crane Model Potain MR608

World Free? Wasn’t he an NBA player?

Interesting factoid: The standard tower crane permit shows an estimated cost of $60,000. This pseudo-tower crane permit goes for just $30,000. So they’re saving half from the get-go. Let’s just hope it’s cool to watch.

Site Prep Underway at Centrum Hubbard

Posted on July 23, 2016 by danieldschell

First the cars were kicked out of the parking lot. Then the fencing went up. Then the Divvy station got kicked to a different curb. And now, there’s scraping and digging going on at 221 West Hubbard (and 412 North Wells, for that matter) in preparation for Centrum Partners’ two-building development in River North.

Designed by Hirsch Associates Architects, 412 North Wells will be a 9-story office building, next to 221 West Hubbard’s 23-story apartment tower.

Linn-Mathes, general contractor for both structures, must be champing at the bit to get going on this lot. It was hoped building permits would be filed around the first of April, but some soil samples turned up negative results, and that set things back awhile. But they’re up and running now. Jump on a Brown or Purple Line train and enjoy the fun.

: A Hirsch Associates Architects rendering.

: 221 West Hubbard and 412 North Wells will be *very* close to transportation…

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