One Bennett Park Caisson Work Rolls Along

Posted on June 21, 2016 by danieldschell

An overview of caisson work at One Bennett Park.

One Bennett Park, a 69-story, 836-foot-tall residential tower coming to a Streeterville neighborhood near you, has already ripped out the park it’s to stand on (don’t worry, it will be back, bigger and better) and is well into the caisson-drilling process.

A rendering of One Bennett Park from GREC Architects.

Designed by New York’s Robert A.M. Stern Architects, with a boost from executive architect GREC Architects of Chicago, One Bennett Park will have a mix of condominiums and apartments. Related Midwest, known recently for building 500 North Lake Shore Drive, and for turning OneEleven from a half-finished, recession-busted skeleton of cement and steel into a gleaming new rental tower, plans to have One Bennett Park finished in 2019. General contractor Lendlease will see to that.

: The construction site from Illinois Street.

: Looking across what will be Bennett Park to what will be One Bennett Park.

: Caisson stuff.

: Tube.

: No, *you’re* hands were shaking when you took this.

: The foundation permit.

30 East Continues Ground Work in the South Loop

Posted on June 21, 2016 by danieldschell

A bird’s eye view (if the bird parks its car) of construction work at 30 East.

Smack dab in the middle of all the murals in the Wabash Arts Corridor, Power Construction crews are hard at work on 30 East, a 16-story residential tower coming to the South Loop at 30 East Balbo Avenue.

Gilbane Development Company has its eye on the growing student population in this neighborhood. In that respect, 30 East will have 134 apartments ranging from studios to 4-bedroom units. Every unit will be furnished, ideal for student rentals. Designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz, 30 East will also have 8,000 square feet of retail space at the ground level. Gilbane expects to have the tower ready for Fall 2017 classes.

: 30 Balbo is surrounded by fantastic mural art.

: There’s even a mural on the job site itself.

: The best way to not forget which tower crane goes with which construction site is to put a banner on them.

Alta Roosevelt Sends a New Tower Crane Into South Loop Sky

Posted on June 20, 2016 by danieldschell

The new tower crane at Alta Roosevelt in the South Loop, 801 South Financial Place.

Unless you’re the one who has to climb it every day, it just got a lot easier to move things around at the Alta Roosevelt construction site.

Walsh Construction assembled a tower crane last week at the soon-to-be 33-story apartment tower designed by Pappageorge Haymes Partners. Walsh has been driving piles into the ground since getting a foundation permit from the City of Chicago back in March, while the tower crane permit arrived June 7.

801 Financial tweeted some fantastic photos just after the tower crane was put together.

https://twitter.com/801Financial/status/744170327891054594

It should come as no surprise to you that I have a few more photos of the crane below.

: There’s room for growth.

: Not crane related, just a hole in the ground.

465 North Park Showing Signs of Life

Posted on June 19, 2016 by danieldschell

No, it’s not much. But it’s something. And I’d rather watch something being done than nothing.

Something’s afoot at the foot of the new Loews Hotel in Streeterville. And surprise surprise, it looks like construction.

How’s this for a blast from the past? A 2008 permit for a 50-story tower.

Back in October, the Chicago Plan Commission approved a 47-story, 444-unit apartment tower for the site at 465 North Park Drive. Designed by Pappageorge Haymes Partners (they’re everywhere!). 465 North Park will include 181 parking spaces within its 4-level podium. and, if what I heard at a community meeting last year still holds true, will also include upgrading Ogden Plaza, the small but rundown park at the corner of Columbus Drive and Illinois Street.

: A rendering of 465 North Park from Pappageorge Haymes Partners.

: The lot at 465 North Park, seen from Optima Chicago last fall.

: The two current excavation pieces on site.

: A little dirt scraping is better than this dust lot.

: So far, the only permit on file for 465 North Park is for electric work.

More Photos Than I Know What To Do With: The Sinclair

Posted on June 18, 2016 by danieldschell

The Sinclair, at Clark and Division Streets, designated 1201 North La Salle on permits.

Up at Clark and Division Streets in the Gold Coast neighborhood, crews are busy building a new Jewel-Osco store to replace the one torn down last year. But this is no ordinary Jewel. This one will have a produce department, dairy section, a bakery, and a 35-story, 390-unit luxury apartment tower known as The Sinclair.

Designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz, The Sinclair has quickly become one of the coolest construction projects in Chicago. You can thank McHugh Construction for that. But more important than making the project look cool, it’s McHugh’s task to have the tower ready for residents in Summer 2017.

: One of the tower cranes at The Sinclair.

: Yes, there are two of them.

: You remember the old Jewel store, don’t you?

Niche 905 Uploads New Windows

Posted on June 16, 2016 by danieldschell

Sleek, shiny new glass adorns Niche 905 in the Near North neighborhood.

Along what has become in recent months a very busy stretch of roadway for construction, Niche 905 continues onward and upward at 905 North Orleans Street in Near North. And you may now add another achievement to the list of construction milestones: GLASS.

A rendering of Niche 905 from FitzGerald Associates.

Niche 905 is an 18-story, 202-unit apartment tower designed by West Loop architecture firm FitzGerald Associates. Since breaking ground in November, Power Construction has steadily stacked floors atop floors at the site, which used to be the surface parking lot serving St. Luke Church of God across the street.

Included in the final development will be three levels of parking for 152 cars, 110 spaces to park bicycles, and 1,750 square feet of retail space. And, a SKY DECK POOL! (Someone have me over. Please.)

Niche 905 is scheduled for Summer 2017 occupancy.

: A group photo at the Niche 905 groundbreaking ceremony, November 2015.

: Looking north up Orleans Street.

: Tower crane shot.

: Balcony work.

: Some of the new glass. (Of course, everything’s new.)

: Power Construction at work.

: I like the tower crane shots.

: Glass and train.

: The north face and its fresh cladding.

More Photos Than I Know What To Do With: 215 West Lake

Posted on June 16, 2016 by danieldschell

215 West Lake, in the Chicago Loop.

It started with the demolition of a parking garage, then upping the ante by taking down an office building dating back to the late 1800s. Now, 215 West Lake Street in the Loop is a construction site for a 33-story, 265-unit apartment tower.

Designed by Thomas Roszak Architecture, 215 West Lake started foundation work back in February. Surrounded by parking garages, it’s a fun one to watch. Clark Construction is providing the entertainment.

: What’s in that cooler? I assume it’s High-C.

165 North Desplaines Gets a Foundation Permit

Posted on June 14, 2016 by danieldschell

152 North Jefferson. It remains, and is being renovated.

The long, three-story building at 152 North Jefferson stays, but the additions it spawned in the back lot have been leveled into a smooth, blank canvas. And now there’s a foundation permit on file with the City of Chicago, as of yesterday, to start construction on the new 14-story residential tower at 165 North Desplaines Street in the West Loop..

Our permit tells us to expect 199 apartments, with 99 parking spaces and some ground-floor retail. Power Construction is on the clock as your general contractor. Donald Copper from GREC Architects of Chicago did the design chores. Gerding Edlen is the developer.

This officially puts us on Tower Crane Alert!

: A rendering of 165 North Desplaines from GREC Architects.

: What the “back lot” used to look like…

: …before Heneghan Wrecking came in.

: The Haymarket memorial along Desplaines Street.

: It was packed up and moved to avoid damage during construction. It will be back.

: Another GREC render, showing the Haymarket memorial back in place.

: Even the rubble is gone now.

: Blank slate.

3Eleven Takes a Giant Baby Step Towards Beginning Construction

Posted on June 10, 2016 by danieldschell

Once, there was this garage at 311 West Illinois Street.

3Eleven, the new residential tower at an old church from The John Buck Company, has taken a big first step towards getting started on construction of its priory addition and 23-story building, even if that step involves only a little structure.

Gone from the property at 311 West Illinois Street in River North is the garage/equipment shed that once occupied the southwest corner of the surface parking lot.

Now, there is no garage. There is a slab, but no garage.

In its place will be a 23-story tower, containing 245 apartments, 109 parking spaces, and ground-level retail. On the west side of the church you see above, Assumption Roman Catholic Church, the two-story priory building will have a third level added as part of the development. Two architecture firms split duties on this one. FitzGerald Associates (West Loop represent!) handled the design of the tower, while McBride Kelley Baurer Architects handles the priory addition. (It is that firm’s John Kelley whose name appears on the renovation permit.)

The first permit was filed with the City of Chicago on June 2, allowing for the addition to the priory. That’s all well and good, but I’m watching this lot from the Brown Line nearly every day, knowing a tower crane will soon sprout. Stay tuned.

Here’s the priory I mentioned earlier.

Now, picture it with a third story added.

The main sanctuary structure of Assumption Roman Catholic Church will remain as it is.

Oh, and here’s the parking lot and garage, from a somewhat dizzying perspective.

Here you go, permit fans.

Foundation Equipment Standing By at 171 Aberdeen

Posted on June 10, 2016 by danieldschell

I don’t know how much it costs per day to have one of those pretty yellow Hayward Baker machines in your lot, in this case the lot being 171 North Aberdeen Street, but I’m guessing Novak Construction would like to put it to good use sooner rather than later.

The latest project from MCZ Development and designed by Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture, 171 Aberdeen promises 75 luxury apartments, 15,000 square feet of retail space, 40,000 square feet of office space, and up to 140 parking spots at the corner of Lake and Aberdeen Streets in the molten-lava-hot Fulton Market neighborhood.

Curiously, there’s a permit on file with the City of Chicago. But it’s a foundation permit for a tower crane. That seems a tad cart-before-horse-ish to me, but it’s happened before. Novak Construction, the general contractor on 171 Aberdeen, will get to work as soon as the city says “go.”

Here’s the tower crane permit, displayed at the 171 Aberdeen work site.

And here’s a rendering from MCZ Development of the finished 171 Aberdeen.

All that prime tagging canvas will be gone once 171 Aberdeen construction gets rolling.

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