One Grant Park puts up One Grand Crane

Posted on April 10, 2017 by danieldschell

That’s most of the One Grant Park tower crane in the distance, but don’t worry. I’ll get you closer.

Accumulating tower crane parts hinted at a full-fledged assembly. And sure enough, One Grant Park added a tower crane to its arsenal over the weekend. One week after planting the stub in concrete, Central Contractors Service (that’s the ALL Crane folks; they know tower cranes) was back on South Loop soil, installing the shiny red Potain MD 485B (yep, I can still read a permit.)

: The tower went up Saturday, as seen from the Illinois Medical District.

: Getting a little closer now.

: Inspection fly-by.

: Still some epic foundation work going on, even on Sunday.

One Grant Park Update: Readying for a tower crane, working below the street

Posted on April 7, 2017 by danieldschell

Sections of tower crane are readied for assembly at One Grant Park.

The crane-building crane is on the scene.

The highs and lows of One Grant Park include below-grade core work, and preparations for building a tower crane. The tower crane base was planted Friday of last week, so the foundation has had time to set up properly. If I had to guess, I’d say they’ll put it together over the weekend. There’s plenty of room to work within the site, so street closures don’t seem likely.

Meanwhile, grab a stepladder and go watch the work at the east side of One Grant Park. Workers are deep down working on the elevator core. And they’re using fire!

Working down low on the core. Do you see fire?

Permit in hand, Case Foundation takes over Essex On The Park

Posted on April 6, 2017 by danieldschell

Case Foundation assembles a caisson rig at Essex On The Park, 808 South Michigan Avenue.

The pool, garage, and everything else that was next door to the Essex Inn is gone now, and work is revving up to replace it with Essex On The Park, the latest Chicago project from Oxford Capital Group.

The City of Chicago issued a foundation permit on Monday, and Case Foundation is now on the scene (you thought I was gonna say “on the case, didn’t you?) setting up caisson equipment. Power Construction is the general contractor here, tasked with stacking 56 stories atop one another. Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture did the design work on the 476-unit apartment tower.

The South Loop is a very busy place. Essex On The Park joins One Grant Park, 1411 South Michigan, and 1101 South Wabash as already-in-progress joints, while 1326 South Michigan just received a foundation permit as well this week, and there’s lots of buzz about 1000 South Michigan (1000M) firing up soon. Get the lawn chairs and coolers ready, SLoopers. It’s going to be a fun summer!

: All renderings of Essex On The Park are courtesy of the construction fence, but probably belong to Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture.

1326 South Michigan lands a foundation permit in the South Loop

Posted on April 6, 2017 by danieldschell

Rendering of 1326 South Michigan from CIM Group.

1326 South Michigan, the new 500-unit residential tower from Murphy Development Group along with CIM Group, scored a foundation permit Wednesday from the City of Chicago. The permit calls for a 47-story building, designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz. Walsh Construction is named as the general contractor.

The surface parking lot at 1326 has been closed for a couple weeks now, in anticipation of work on the tower beginning. Expect to see the approved foundation work get started very soon.

: Rendering of 1326 South Michigan from Murphy Development Group.

: The Foundation Permit

: The surface parking lot at 1326 South Michigan Avenue was closed in March, and the attendant hut torn down.

: Not any more.

The overhaul of 676 North LaSalle into The Ardus is underway

Posted on April 5, 2017 by danieldschell

The Ardus, 676 North LaSalle, starts with demolition work, under the watchful eye of Gallery on Wells.

Demolition is happening in earnest, inside and out, at 676 North LaSalle Street in River North, transforming a six-story building into The Ardus.

A project of Cedar Street Companies, The Ardus will have about 150 residential units, with below grade parking. Most of those units will be in a new tower on the corner of LaSalle and Huron Streets. But some will be in the existing building itself, hence the demo work before renovations occur, including additional stories on top.

Booth Hansen has done the design work for the transformation as well as the new property. Method Construction, one of the Cedar Street companies, is the general contractor. Alpine Demolition is doing the wrecking.

: The Ardus hides behind the old Erie LaSalle body shop, also soon to be demolished.

: The east facing.

: The view from the back. Lots of light in this building now.

: The north facing.

: Major interior demolition.

: Rendering of The Ardus from Cedar Street Companies.

: Rendering of The Ardus from Cedar Street Companies.

: The Foundation Permit for the new building.

: The renovation for the existing building.

It’s a 2-fer on North Broadway in Lake View

Posted on April 5, 2017 by danieldschell

There are two projects happening right now in the Lake View neighborhood on successive blocks of North Broadway.

At 3833 North Broadway, DLG Management is building an 8-story, 134-unit residential project at the intersection of North Broadway and West Sheridan Road. Designed by Jonathan Splitt Architects, 3833 North Broadway will include two basements, according to the foundation permit, and below-grade parking. Which explains all the deep excavating going on.

Seven addresses, encompassing 3819 through 3835 North Broadway as well as 731 West Sheridan, were demolished to make room for this one. The north-most, 3835, had its historic facade dismantled, to be reused for the facings on both Broadway and Sheridan. DLG is handling its own general contractor duties.

: Rendering of 3833 North Broadway from Jonathan Splitt Architects.

: Pile driver.

: The Foundation Permit.

734 West Sheridan

Rendering of 734 West Sheridan from Hirsch Associates.

Across Sheridan Road on the northeast corner of the intersection, Vermilion Development received a building permit on Monday to construct a 100-unit project where a gas station once stood. A design by Hirsch Associates Architects (Centrum Hubbard, 412 North Wells, Centrum Bucktown), and assigned to an address of 734 West Sheridan, this one will be 10 stories high. Arco/Murray, the GC on Hirsch’s Centrum Bucktown job, will be the general contractor here as well.

: Demolition of the gas station is complete, and site prep is underway.

: The building permit, issued Monday March 3.

: Gas station demolition permit.

No. 9 Walton nears the top

Posted on April 5, 2017 by danieldschell

No. 9 Walton grows up behind Harvest Chicago Cathedral.

No. 9 Walton continues its climb toward completion in the Gold Coast. The 37-story uber-luxurious condominium tower from JDL Development will have just 66 units when all is said and done and built, with condos ranging from two to six (SIX!) bedrooms. Designed by Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture, No. 9 Walton is being constructed by Lendlease.

: Chicago’s funkiest tower crane.

Construction Progress: Elevate Lincoln Park

Posted on April 4, 2017 by danieldschell

The old tennis courts with junk strewn about them long since demolished, Elevate Lincoln Park continues to grow along North Lincoln Avenue in (of course) Lincoln Park. Where once stood condos and retail shops will soon be Baker Development Corporation‘s mixed-use project. Designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz, Elevate Lincoln Park will deliver 191 rental units, plus three levels of parking and a whole bunch of ground-floor commercial space. McHugh Construction is on the job as general contractor.

You’ll see signage in the following photos telling you to expect Elevate to be ready this summer. A delay getting started set that back, but Baker Development still hopes to have Elevate Lincoln Park open before 2017 closes.

: Gratuitous tower crane shot.

Two cores compete for attention at Wanda Vista Tower

Posted on April 4, 2017 by danieldschell

It’s East Crane vs. West Crane in the Battle of the Cores at Vista Tower.

It’s time for another installment of Vista Tower Photo Gallery. What’s new in the New East Side? There are two cores competing for sunshine, the way trees do in a crowded forest. It would make a good reality show, if it wasn’t McHugh Construction responsible for building both segments. There’s no reason they crews at each core should compete against each other. Unless a passing photographer started some trash talk about how much faster West seems than East. But no one would do that. Right?

: Sometimes I forget where I am…

: …so this signage helps.

: The view from Lakeshore East Park.

Atrium Village does indeed do windows

Posted on April 4, 2017 by danieldschell

Do you see it? Cladding installation has begun on the second level of Atrium Village.

Onni Group continues work on the 31-story apartment tower that kicks off the redevelopment of Atrium Village in the Near North neighborhood. The design by Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture encompasses a large footprint, but the entire site has risen to the seventh floor in relative unison. On the way are 405 apartments and 340+ parking spaces.

There’s also a little surprise for us wrapped around the southeast corner: glass. Not much, but enough to whet our appetite.