The Ronsley takes the gold at Taste of River North

Posted on July 24, 2017 by danieldschell

The Ronsley provides a colorful backdrop as revelers twist the weekend away at Taste Of River North.

Whether you’re looking for a new home or not, if you made it to the Taste Of River North over the weekend, you couldn’t help but notice The Ronsley. The renovation at 676 North Kingsbury Street is an undertaking of LG Development (LG Construction is the general contractor) with design work by Antunovich Associates. The party vibe during the festivities could only be enhanced by the bright yellow building materials that dominate the north and east elevations.

It’s demolition, man! Get ready for The Bentham

Posted on June 30, 2017 by danieldschell

Demolition started Thursday at the Erie-LaSalle Body Shop on Erie Street, making way for The Bentham.

As if this little corner of River North wasn’t busy enough…

Add The Bentham to the list. A little birdie let us know that Quality Excavation had begun demolition Thursday afternoon at the old Erie-LaSalle Body Shop at 146 West Erie Street, as well as the two-story building at 668 North LaSalle. Now a block that already includes work on The Ardus and Marlowe greets The Bentham.

The Bentham is the latest venture from Sedgwick Development. The 15-story, 172-foot-tall tower will have just 31 3-bed/3-bath residences.

We already know Adjustable Forms will handle the masonry work; they tweeted their excitement about getting started earlier in the week, along with a stellar rendering.

https://twitter.com/adjustableforms/status/879419107233456129

This lovely two-story model at 668 North LaSalle has to go as well.

Marlowe utilizes its tower crane to rise upward

Posted on June 29, 2017 by danieldschell

Marlowe is starting to go high in River North.

Marlowe is the 15-story River North apartment development by Lennar Multifamily Companies, and also the proud owner of one of Chicago’s newest tower cranes. The project by Antunovich Associates, at 675 North Wells Street, got its start in early May with caisson work, and now Power Construction has things moving skyward.

When complete, Marlowe will have 176 rental units in studio, one-bed, and two-bedroom sizes, plus 11,000 square feet of retail space at ground level. Lennar plans to have it open for residents in 2018.

412 North Wells climbs and curves into River North

Posted on June 20, 2017 by danieldschell

412 North Wells follows the curve of the CTA’s elevated railway.

412 North Wells, the nine-story office building from Centrum Partners and Hirsch Associates, continues to grow along, and with, the CTA’s Brown/Purple Line tracks in River North. Wedged as it is into the oddly-shaped lot at the corner of Wells and Hubbard Streets, 412 North Wells has no choice but to follow the path of the trains next to it.

If we’re grading on a curve, the future office tower gets an A so far. And just wait until that rounded wall gets all glassed in.

1001 West Chicago (Spoke) buttons up the exterior

Posted on June 19, 2017 by danieldschell

Spoke, at 1001 West Chicago Avenue, as well as 728 and 738 North Morgan Street. Yeah, it’s big.

Perhaps you’ve heard folks speak of Spoke, the mixed-use development from Bond Companies formerly referred to as 1001 West Chicago, on the grounds of the former Gonnella Baking Company. Though we haven’t Spoken to an official Spokesman for Spoke, it has its own website now, so that name must be official.

I made the Spokes of a Divvy bike go round and round to get up to River West and check on Power Construction’s progress. With the tower crane long gone (Spoke topped out on March 9), glass and brick have taken over the site, and the exterior is close to being finished. The FitzGerald Associates design for the dual-tower project brings 15- and 13-story buildings containing 363 apartments, 300 parking spots, and 10,000 square feet of retail space.

Topped out, 8 East Huron drops its tower crane

Posted on June 15, 2017 by danieldschell

The tower crane at 8 East Huron fades away behind Holy Name Cathedral.

Chicago’s ever-changing tower-crane count has changed yet again, dropping to 34 as the crane at 8 East Huron comes down in River North. Perched high atop the intersection of State and Huron, the pretty yellow Liebherr crane did what it was born to do, and as of Thursday afternoon is halfway to the ground.

8 East Huron, the 26-story apartment tower from Harlem Irving Companies and CA Ventures, is on schedule to deliver 105 new units by early Fall 2017, with 31 parking spaces and about 2,800 square feet of retail space on the ground floor.

This was Clark Construction’s only tower crane in Chicago, so here’s hoping we can get 145 South Wells on the books soon, and get Clark back on the board.

A steely start at The Ardus

Posted on June 12, 2017 by danieldschell

Steel on site at The Ardus in River North.

The Ardus formerly known as 676 North LaSalle Street (I’ll never stop using that joke, so don’t try to fight it) has moved past the digging-a-hole stage and has started erecting steel beams.

At eight stories, The Ardus is on the cusp of needing a tower crane, but with no permit in sight, it looks like street cranes will do the heavy lifting. That’s okay though. Construction by any other means is still worth watching.

And while new life springs from the ground to the east, on the west side of the lot, the old 676 building still looks completely gutted, as GC Method Construction prepares to renovate the structure while adding two additional stories to the top.

: For the record, I *ALWAYS* obey this sign.

Marlowe gets its tower crane together

Posted on June 7, 2017 by danieldschell

https://twitter.com/spencertravels/status/872196158143303682

https://twitter.com/Power_Construct/status/872206953841217536

The very diligent Twitter user @spencertravels looked out the window yesterday and noticed a crane-building crane building a tower crane in River North. Power Construction was kind enough to confirm our suspicions: Marlowe is getting a tower crane.

Not even a week after Thursday’s stub planting, the rest of Marlowe’s crane started assembly Tuesday at 675 North Wells. Work continues Wednesday, and we got there just in time to see part of the jib lifted into place.

There’s a new tower crane stub in town, and her name is Marlowe

Posted on June 2, 2017 by danieldschell

Hey, look over there! Marlowe planted a tower crane!

About a week after receiving a tower crane permit from the City of Chicago, Marlowe planted a stub at 675 North Wells Street in River North on Thursday. Having recently lost cranes at 640 North Wells, The Gallery On Wells, and 3Eleven, the neighborhood needed a burst of excitement, and what’s more fun than a new tower crane?

https://twitter.com/adjustableforms/status/870320994413666306

See? Don’t believe for a second I’m the only one out here excited about tower cranes. Adjustable Forms knows what’s up.

Now the Antunovich Associates-designed 15-story, 176-unit apartment building from Lennar Multifamily Companies can start going skyward, under the careful direction of Power Construction.

: Wow, 676 N LaSalle is gutted.

: The Permit.

Not down yet, but the 3Eleven tower crane is out of commission

Posted on May 29, 2017 by danieldschell

The tower crane at 3Eleven has been lowered below the top of the building. You know what that means.

Having served its city well, the tower crane at 3Eleven (311 West Illinois Street) is on the way down. The John Buck Company’s 25-story apartment building topped out in April, and the cladding has nearly reached the top of the tower. Now the work is done for this pretty yellow Liebherr 316 EC-H 12 Litronic tower crane.

Where will it end up next? Well, this is purely speculation, but the tower crane permit for the Nobu Hotel at 854 West Randolph Street in the West Loop calls for the exact same type of Liebherr crane. “Hmmm,” you might say.