Caisson work continues in earnest at One Grant Park in the South Loop.
Caisson work is good, dirty fun. And proving that once again is One Grant Park. But don’t take my word for it; here are a bunch of photos from last week that are each worth at least 300-400 words apiece. Thanks, as always, to Case Foundation, for putting on a show.
The Sinclair is topped out, and most of the forms have been removed from the top. We can expect the tower crane to come down very soon.
1136 South Wabash is obstructing Flyboy’s flight path. The CTA Roosevelt platform is still your best vantage point.
You may wish to make one last pilgrimage to see Hebru Brantley’s Flyboy in the South Loop soon, as construction on 1136 South Wabash continues its rapid upward progress. He won’t be visible much longer, as the 26-story apartment tower by CA Ventures need only grow another level or two before he’s completely hidden. Forever.
The first (?) caisson has been started at One South Halsted.
Having spent the last few days flooding the lot at Halsted and Madison with foundation equipment, Case Foundation is officially on the case for One South Halsted, having begun its first caisson Wednesday.
A rendering of the Wicker Park Connection from Hirsch Associates Architects.
After filing a foundation permit late in 2016, the Wicker Park Connection is burrowing into the soil on its lot at 1640 West Division Street. The 15-story project from Centrum Partners will sit right next to the nearly-completed Centrum Wicker Park, another collaboration between Centrum and Hirsch Associates Architects.
Revcon is out there drilling caissons now; Linn-Mathes is the general contractor assigned to sending the 140 apartments skyward.
The view of the saved facade from inside Clarkview as Stalworth begins caisson work.
If you’re claustrophobic, you may need to open a window before reading on, as this is a story about tight spaces.
There is no room for error — heck, there’s no room for much of anything — in the tiny space at 3226 North Clark Street in Lake View, where Stalworth Underground has squeezed caisson equipment through the alley to begin work on a new Transit Oriented Development.
Clarkview, a design from Jonathan Splitt Architects (you remember them from the Blue Plate Catering digs) will be seven stories tall and weigh in at 24 residential units. Once home to The Alley, where the cool kids dressed, the facade of the old structure is being preserved and implemented into the new building. That means access to the lot from Clark Street isn’t possible, leaving the alley off Belmont next to the new Lakeview 3200 as the only way in and out.
Stalworth sent over some photos showing just how tight the squeeze was. I looked, and couldn’t find the smallest morsel of sawdust under any of the electrical poles. That’s allowed them to stockpile caisson equipment and get to work in the tiny, enclosed lot.
Those kinds of heights are right about at my level. And you want me on that wall. You *need* me on that wall.
Tired of Wanda Vista Tower photos yet? Don’t be. Because before you know it, all the fun construction will be hundreds of feet in the air, and much harder to watch. So let’s enjoy Vista Theater being presented by McHugh Construction while it lasts.
With the gigantic mat pour done (the junior mat at the east end of the site has been poured too), the tower has started going vertical. I was especially happy to see guys hanging on a wall, four feet off the ground. I could do that; anything over six feet high would have to be someone else’s job, though.
Disclaimer: This post is actually the culmination of more than one sunny day. Yes, the photos are a few days apart, and therefore may appear to show construction at different stages. This is not an attempt to mislead my dear rather; rather, it is a product of my inability to use all the photos I take in a timely manner.
Seriously though, I think these pictures are about a week apart. That’s not a big deal, right?
Alta Roosevelt, or 801 South Financial as it’s sometimes known (even by its own Twitter account) continues to grow up before our eyes, and the eyes of everyone in the South Loop. 33 stories, a whopping 496 apartments from Wood Partners, designed by Pappageorge Haymes, and built by Walsh Construction, conveniently located between the Roosevelt Collection and the LaSalle Street Metra station. You can grab a movie, rush home for a shower, and jump on the Rock Island train to Joliet without even needing a Lyft.
Okay, this one isn’t from a sunny day. I just really like the way 1035 West Van Buren looks at night. I won’t try to fool you again.
Another segment in the A Sunny Day At series. This time, it’s 1035 West Van Buren. With its new rows of glass, yellow forms, and red wraps, it begs to be photographed when the sun is out.
1035 West Van Buren works its way into Chicago’s western skyline.
Linea, 215 West Lake Street in The Loop, is all glazed over. Yes, that’s a tree up there.
Save for one little corner that looks like it may not get windows at all, Linea is a glass that’s full. The 33-story apartment tower at 215 West Lake Street from Moceri + Roszak has been glazed over thoroughly, as work continues on the interior as well. A design by Thomas Roszak Architecture, Linea brings 265 apartments to the heart of Chicago’s Loop. Clark Construction has been on the build since breaking ground, a really old building, and a parking garage beginning late in 2015.
Building Up Chicago 