HUGO begins to show above street level along Chicago Avenue

Posted on June 8, 2022 by danieldschell

No longer two large excavation sites, HUGO is beginning to sprout like two spring flower beds in the 400-block of West Chicago Avenue. That’s all thanks to developer-slash-general contractor LG Group, whose task it is to bring this two-sided NORR design to life.

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.

920 North Wells, in serious Not Messing Around mode, plants a tower crane

Posted on June 7, 2022 by danieldschell

The way 920 North Wells keeps crashing through milestones, I’m worried if I blink, it’ll be done. Its latest trick is planting the tower crane stub, which was permitted May 17. Keep an eye out, as it’s likely, the way things are going, for the tower crane to be completely erected by the end of this week.

In the meantime, have a whole mess o’ photos of a tower crane base at a construction site. (iPhones come in handy for peeking over fences)

Another new tower crane = more verticality, as 160 North Morgan sprouts from the ground

Posted on June 6, 2022 by danieldschell

160 North Morgan is starting to show above the fence line.

160 North Morgan is starting to protrude from the West Loop soil, as GC Walsh Construction begins utilizing that new tower crane they erected at the end of May.

A gentle reminder that 160 North Morgan, a project from Sterling Bay designed by bKL Architecture, will bring 282 apartments and 89 parking spaces in a neat 30-story package. And all of it is happening about half a yard from the Morgan CTA platform. Not to mention the Do-Rite Donuts (apple fritters!) right across the street.

Walsh Construction is on the build. They have received permits for:
– the tower crane on March 30
– the caissons on March 31
– the full build for 30 stories on April 20

160 North Elizabeth brings the pane

Posted on June 5, 2022 by danieldschell

160 North Elizabeth on May 28. Don’t know if it had glass on it yet, but I love me some night photos.

Let’s recap some particulars on 160 North Elizabeth before we get to the pics.
Moceri + Roszak is the developer.
Thomas Roszak Architecture is the design architect
Clark Construction is the general contractor
Adjustable Concrete Construction is the concrete contractor
It will be a 27-story, 375-unit apartment tower
There will be 144 parking spaces across the first three levels

A demolition permit was issued 11/05/2021 to make space
A pile and foundation permit was issued 11/24/2021
A permit to build through the third floor was also issued on 11/24/2021
A tower crane permit was issued 11/30/2021
A full permit for 27 stories was issued 02/04/2022
A hoist permit was issued 02/09/2022

And now, lots of photos of a little bit of glass. But it’s not just any glass; it’s the first glass.

That new tower crane has Tandem’s 1044 West Van Buren going vertical

Posted on June 4, 2022 by danieldschell

1044 West Van Buren was part of Chicago’s mini growth spurt of tower cranes in late May. And it’s doing what tower cranes do: turning empty lots into new buildings. This one in particular, designed by Antunovich Associates for Tandem (with Adjustable Concrete on concrete duty), will rise to 18 stories and deliver 196 apartments to the south end of the West Loop.

Got a light? Onni Group does it again at 354 North Union

Posted on June 1, 2022 by danieldschell

The view of the Fulton River District’s 354 North Union from the Fulton Market District.

The coolest of Chicago’s current tower crane crop is at 354 North Union. No contest. The lighted crane always wins. Kudos to Onni Group for lighting up yet another.

I stopped by Saturday night to take a few shots in the dark. Wish my photography skills were better, but even bad photos of lit up tower cranes are cool. Also in the gallery are some progress shots taken throughout the month of May.

Solar Junkyard wins approval for 33-story West Loop apartment tower

Posted on May 26, 2022 by danieldschell

Solar Junkyard can build their 33-story, 204-unit apartment tower in the West Loop/Fulton Market area. So says the Chicago Plan Commission, which approved the Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture-designed proposal during Thursday’s meeting. What’s significant about this is that Solar Junkyard might be the best name ever used by a local development firm, which in this case is Newcastle Limited. You know that name form Gild at State and Division. I mean yes, it’s also significant that we get to bulldoze another parking lot while adding another cool tower to the West Loop. But I love Solar Junkyard.

I took a couple photos of the proposed site at 210 North Morgan last week, where (for now) a single-story Maria Pinto store stands next to a surface parking lot. Since this blog is about photos, I needed to be sure I had a photo or two of my own to post, along with a couple of Hartshorne Plunkard’s renderings.. But really, this particular post is about the name “Solar Junkyard.” I wonder if there’s swag I could get. More importantly, where did the name come from?

Rendering of Solar Junkyard’s 210 North Morgan from Hartshorne Plunkard Architects

Another walkaround at 1000M

Posted on May 24, 2022 by danieldschell

I said I didn’t want to miss much of the construction at 1000M, yet here we are, more than a month since my last visit. Unacceptable. Let’s fix that now.

Progress Photos: 1400 South Wabash

Posted on May 24, 2022 by danieldschell

You Got This. (It’s glass; The Reed’s got glass)

Posted on May 23, 2022 by danieldschell

The first two levels of glass are being installed on The Reed, the second residential tower at Southbank, Lendlease’s neighborhood development on the South Branch of the Chicago River. You’re probably familiar with The Reed because of the tower crane in the South Loop that looks like a red hammerhead shark. If you squint and are slightly dehydrated. Whatever. It’s a cool crane.

First glass is always a favorite milestone of mine when it comes to construction. So this was fun to see, which resulted in lots of photos. (And these don’t even include my two previous visits to The Reed that I didn’t get around to posting.) I know; you’re shocked.