808 West Van Buren foundation work continues

Posted on September 20, 2017 by danieldschell

Deep down, they’re still getting foundation work done at 808 West Van Buren in Greektown.

808 West Van Buren, the bKL Architecture-designed 12-story apartment building from Loukas Development, keeps setting its feet into Greektown, as Lendlease construction crews continue ground work in advance of the tower crane that will send the 148-unit apartment building vertical.

There’s a concrete pad against the north end of the lot, up against the existing building (314 South Halsted, the former home of The Parthenon, and a building getting some extensive work done in its own right) that looked like it could be a tower-crane pad, but what they’re erecting atop that slab doesn’t look much like a tower crane stub. We’ll keep our eyes out.

10 days ago, looking at what I thought would be the tower-crane pad.

See? That doesn’t look like tower crane space.

Late Night with Vista Tower

Posted on September 19, 2017 by danieldschell

Vista Tower glows from across the Chicago River at River Esplanade Park.

Vista Tower has been under construction for just over a year now. This blog has featured approximately 17,648 posts about progress on the 95-story hotel and residential tower. And yet, I’ve somehow managed to neglect it. How? By not stopping by the site after dark. That situation has been rectified, as of this past weekend.

I know, you just saw a bunch of photos of Vista Tower yesterday. But here we go again.

: Barriers. More barriers.

One Bennett Park shines in the dark

Posted on September 18, 2017 by danieldschell

Remember when we last visited One Bennett Park? Of course you do, because it was just last week. But that was during the day. (A sunny day; the best kind of day to see it.) This time, let’s check it out at night, which, before we know it, will be at about 4:30.

Sorry, I just depressed myself. Yay, Chicago winters.

BREAKING NEWS: I took more photos at Vista Tower

Gallery

Posted on September 18, 2017 by danieldschell

This gallery contains 29 photos.

The South Loop loses a tower crane, as 1407 On Michigan comes down

Posted on September 16, 2017 by danieldschell

Lendlease, Pepper Construction, and Central Contractor Services are all working the weekend, bringing the 1407 On Michigan tower crane down.

Any more posts about Lendlease, and they’ll have to put me on the payroll. When the B.U.C. HQ moved into the South Loop, we landed right in the middle of four of their construction sites. Maybe this is the Lend Loop now.

Lendlease’s job at 1407 On Michigan is losing its tower crane. Crews from Central Contractors Service and Pepper Construction are all on hand this weekend, as the crane is lowered from the sky. Russland Capital Group’s 15-story apartment building is topped out (you can see Lendlease’s press release here) and getting glassy, and all the heavy lifting is done.

When complete, the BKV design will include 199 studio to 3-bedroom-sized units, an outdoor pool, basketball court, and business center. The ground floor will have Rush Primary and Specialty Care facility. With three-and-a-half months remaining in 2017, meeting the original goal of having 1407 On Michigan open for residents before the end of the year seems like a stretch, but lets sit back and see how it goes. Mild fall months help.

: It’s lonely at the top when you’re a lame-duck crane cab.

: Headed down Michigan Ave.

: No, YOU sgtood in the middle of Michigan Avenue.

: The tower crane at 1326 South Michigan looks on nervously.

One Bennett Park turns 50

Posted on September 15, 2017 by danieldschell

From Grant Park, you can see the growth of One Bennett Park, now 50/69ths of the way up.

Related Midwest announced this week that One Bennett Park, their 69-story residential tower underway in the Streeterville neighborhood, has reached the 50th floor, nearly three-quarters of the way to its ultimate 69-story height. Chicago Architecture Blog had the press release yesterday.

One Bennett has been a marvel to watch, with all that yellow form work and blue wrapping. Dual tower cranes doesn’t hurt its curb appeal either. The joint design of Robert A.M. Stern Architects and GREC Architects brings a mix of 348 apartments and condominiums to town, slated to be ready for the moving vans in 2019, plus a new public park (Bennett Park, of course.)

As appears to be today’s theme, Lendlease is the general contractor on this project.

And now, some distant views of One Bennett Park’s 50 floors of progress:

: A view from Goose Island.

: One Bennett’s 2 tower cranes, with 1 of Vista Tower’s in the way.

Sunset at Riverline shows off Ancora progress

Posted on September 15, 2017 by danieldschell

If you go by floor count, it looks like the Ancora tower at Riverline is a teenager now. The CMK Companies apartment-and-townhome building will grow to 29 stories when all is said and done, and Lendlease continues to build.

Like all new construction wrapped in multi-colored building materials, Ancora is best seen on sunny days. And the best-best views are in the evening, as the sun goes down, from the west side of the Chicago River.

: I missed a recent tower-crane jump.

Counting down Eleven40’s tower crane days

Posted on September 15, 2017 by danieldschell

Eleven40 is topped out, with forms remaining only on the east side. Prepare to lose that tower crane soon.

The way I figure it, as long as there are forms atop Eleven40 in the South Loop, I’ll still have a tower crane to see in the back yard. Once those are all down though, we can expect crane removal to happen post haste, as the apartment tower from CA Ventures and Keith Giles continues toward completion at 1136 South Wabash Avenue. And only the east elevation still has forms at all, so we’re getting down to crunch time.

Lendlease is crazy busy in the South Loop, with Eleven40, Ancora at Riverline, 1407 On Michigan, and Hilton Homewood Suites at 1101 South Wabash all climbing at the same time. Like Eleven40, 1407 is topped out, and its tower crane is expected to come down this weekend. Ancora is less than half way from its ultimate height, and the Hilton is just starting to go vertical.

But back to Eleven40. It will bring 320 apartments across its 26 stories when complete, with delivery expected in Spring 2018. As of Today 2017, there are 14 levels of glass installed above the podium, with crews banging and clanging pieces into place daily. From here, we’d say that Spring opening is a cinch.

: Night shots are the best.

: Mooncrane.

: East-side forms.

One Grant Park plants its second tower crane

Posted on September 14, 2017 by danieldschell

Tower Crane Stub #2 at One Grant Park, courtesy of a reader.

A little birdie told us the second tower crane stub arrived at One Grant Park on Wednesday, and proved it with a couple photos. Birdies are smart. And good sharers.

McHugh Construction got the second permit on August 24, then got a foundation permit for it on August 29. 12 piles were driven into the ground for support, and now the stub stands ready for a “free-standing Pecco SN 160 tower crane.”

: Tower Crane #2 peeks out above construction fencing at One Grant Park.

: Meanwhile, that looks like 16 levels of progress on Crescent Heights’ apartment tower.

Essex On The Park is a Tower On The Rise in the South Loop

Posted on September 14, 2017 by danieldschell

Essex On The Park is starting to rise alongside its mother ship, the Essex Inn.

One floor at a time, Essex On The Park is starting to show itself along the Michigan Avenue Streetwall in the South Loop. Of course, we ain’t seen nothing yet. What’s pictured is merely a fraction of the eventual 56 stories that will house 476 new apartments. And that’s a good thing. It means we have lots of progress still to come, lots of watching still to do.