This crane’s Chicago business will be renovating the Thompson Center

Posted on January 25, 2025 by danieldschell

You can check one of those pending tower cranes off the waiting list. Clark Construction & team began erecting the tower crane at the Thompson Center this weekend. They got decent weather for late-January to do it, so hopefully there will be no setbacks through Sunday to getting setup complete.

This is the only tower crane operating in The Loop right now, and one of only six throughout the city. It joins Streeterville’s 400 Lake Shore in the downtown area, and four South Side cranes, including Project H.O.O.D. in Woodlawn, the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park, and two at the AbbVie Foundation Cancer Pavilion in Hyde Park. It was permitted on July 03, 2024, with word on the site to expect assembly around Labor Day. That, of course, was four months ago, so we’ve been waiting on this one.

The Thompson Center, as I’m sure you know by now, is being renovated for Google. It has been completely stripped of its exterior skin, to be replaced by a much more energy-efficient glazing. If the building looks like a shell of its former self, that’s because it is. Google hopes to have employees move into the 17-story building mid-2026.

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.

West End Woman’s Club gets new life on the West Side

Posted on September 19, 2024 by danieldschell

An historic two-story brick building at 37 South Ashland Avenue in the Near West Side Community Area is getting new life, thanks to a renovation from ZSD Corp. Built in 1904 as the West End Woman’s Club, it became the home of the United Electrical Workers in 1948. ZSD purchased the building from the union in March of this year for $1.65 million; they’re in the midst of overhauling it into apartments. In keeping with the original name, it has been dubbed West End Club. They hope to welcome their first tenants in summer 2025.

The West End Woman’s Club, via Chicago History Museum

Rendering of West End Club courtesy of ZSD Corp.

A permit was issued by the City of Chicago to make the office-to-residential conversion to the building, located on the northeast corner of Ashland Avenue and Monroe Street, on May 15, 2024. It calls for a two-story addition atop the two existing levels, while lowering the original basement, and adding a rooftop deck. There will be 22 rental units here: 16 one-bedroom, 4 three-bedroom, and 2 four-bedroom apartments. An elevator will be added, and the front of the building will feature a sunken patio. The main entrance will be placed along Monroe Street. There will be no parking spaces included in the development.

Google image shows the UE Hall limestone nameplate that covered “West End Woman’s Club”

Google Street View image of Electrical Workers murals on the south façade.

Before gutting the interior, yeoman’s efforts were made to remove and preserve a painted mural on the walls throughout the building’s interior. UE is leasing office space at the Chicago Teachers Union building at 1901 West Carroll Avenue, and the mural will be on display there. You can read more about those preservation efforts at the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times.

According to ZSD’s Zev Salomon:

“We’re proud to be restoring the facade of this historic building and we’re happy to collaborate with the seller to ensure the preservation of the Solidarity mural.”

ZSD Corp, along with developing West End Club, is also acting as their own general contractor. The design team includes Andrew R Wang as the Architect of Record, Philadelphia firm IS Architects as the Design Architect, and SK Design Group as the Interior Designer.

The photos below include some taken on the first of September when scaffolding covered the west façade. That has since been removed and reassembled for work on the south wall.

Trigger Alert: The Thompson Center looks ravaged

Posted on September 13, 2024 by danieldschell

The Thompson Center is open to the sky, but not to the public, during reconstruction.

Fear not. The Thompson Center *still* isn’t being demolished; it just looks that way. Its transformation into Google offices has taken a toll on the tri-colored exterior, and while the replacement skin might not be as colorful, it will make the building much easier to heat and cool. But for now, it looks rather bare. I almost feel guilty for looking at it, much less taking pictures. But it looks pretty dang cool this way. Now, to get them to let me stand in the atrium before they get the new cladding on…

Tower crane permit issued for Google’s Thompson Center renovation

Posted on July 4, 2024 by danieldschell

https://twitter.com/BuildingChi/status/1805302058016190689

Ok, it just *looks* open.

As Clark Construction continues demolition work on the Thompson Center for Google, a tower crane permit has been issued by the City of Chicago. My guess is, the crane will be installed on the Clark Street (east) side of the building, where a gaping hole in the exterior would allow tying off to the concrete core.

Google’s transformation of the Thompson Center will add the 10th crane to Chicago. We started July with nine in the air. Projects at Hyde Park Labs and The Obama Presidential Center Museum Tower have topped out, but I don’t have info on when those two cranes will be taken down.

Tower crane permit via Chicago Data Portal

Studio Gang’s Peoples Gas Pavilion reopens after renovation [Updated]

Posted on July 2, 2024 by danieldschell

The Peoples Gas Pavilion at the Lincoln Park Zoo just hit the refresh button.

One of Chicago’s most photogenic landmarks has reopened to the public after getting a makeover. The Peoples Gas Pavilion at the Lincoln Park Zoo’s Nature Boardwalk was closed so work could be done to restore it to its original luster.

According to Studio Gang, designer of the pavilion, the wooden structure was thoroughly cleaned and repaired, and new translucent shells with integral UV protection were installed. The metal hinge base plates at the feet of the structure were also cleaned and repainted.

A popular spot for wedding, quinceañera, and graduation photography, the pavilion can also be rented for events. And with the new renovation, photos will pop like never before.

*** Kudos to Coen Construction Services on a job *very* well done.

I strongly suggest finding a nice sunny day and heading to the Lincoln Park South Pond to see the renewed pavilion for yourself; evening is also a great time for a visit, when the built-in lights illuminate the structure. Suffice it to say, there’s never a bad time to see it.

“The Honeycomb” : The Poeples Gas Pavilion : : “The Bean” : Cloud Gate

*** This post has been updated to acknowledge the work of Coen Construction Services, the general contractor for the pavilion renovation.

Walkaround (twice) at the St. Boniface rehab

Posted on March 12, 2024 by danieldschell

Renovation of the former St. Boniface Church in Noble Square.

The conversion of the former St. Boniface Church in Noble Square continues to progress. Below you’ll find galleries of pictures taken in August 2023, and updated progress on March 11 of this year.

March 11, 2024:

August 30, 2023:

Caisson news abounds, as 150 North Ashland gets in on the fun

Posted on August 29, 2022 by danieldschell

We’ve lost three tower cranes (160 N Elizabeth, One Six Six, Common Lincoln Park) in Chicago during the month of August, but be heartened by the amount of caisson work being done as we speak. It means more cranes are on the way. The one with the longest-standing tower crane permit (from April 14, and that’s among projects that are actually being built) is 150 North Ashland.

150 North Ashland is another joint effort between developer Marquette Companies and design architects Brininstool + Lynch. This dup is known for hits like 513 South Damen, Parq Fulton, and EVO Union Park.

Along with rehabbing a five-story 1930s-era building immediately south on the 100-block, 150 North Ashland will be a new-construction, 12-story apartment building. There will be 210 new apartments, and parking for 62 cars. Power Construction is the general contractor. Those are Thatcher Foundations caisson rigs doing the drilling. (Omega handled the demolition work.)

Other permits for this one include:
Renovation for 140 N Ashland on 11/1/2021
3-story demolition on 3/30/2022
Caissons on 6/9/2022
Foundation on 8/3/2022
The entire project was approved by the Chicago Plan Commission in April of 2021.

I’ve got some caisson shots for you, as well as a bunch of late-in-the-process demolition photos, along with a few pics of the building being rehabbed at 140 North Ashland.

Skender tops out 609 West Randolph

Posted on May 14, 2021 by danieldschell

That didn’t take long at all.

Skender took to Twitter Friday to announce the topping-out of 609 West Randolph in the West Loop.

https://twitter.com/SkenderBuild/status/1393206301635842050

Design architect Antunovich Associates was all over the ceremonial news as well, and much earlier. I saw this post and thought “Already? That can’t be right.” So, my apologies to everyone at Antunovich.

https://twitter.com/AntunovichAssoc/status/1392176876353953802

Heck, I was there that day (and a couple days before that), and I had no idea topping out was imminent. Nice work by everyone involved. Fast work, too.

Next milestone to come: Glass.

Enjoying the photos? Metra and CTA rides, Zipcars, Divvy Bikes, camera lenses, and comfortable walking shoes add up. You can help offset expenses by making a greatly-appreciated donation to Building Up Chicago.