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.
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 freshest tower crane in the South Loop is stacking building parts at 1411 South Michigan.
That new tower crane at 1411 South Michigan has construction going vertical. 3-D portions are popping up all around the lot, with some digging going on in the middle. Pretty sure the crane has less to do with the large hole than it does with the vertical pieces.
On a side note: 1411 South Michigan will sit next door to the Chicago Firehouse Restaurant. Two years ago, it was gutted by a fire, but it’s open again now as of the beginning of February. Kudos to ownership for committing to the neighborhood, and a great old Chicago building, to come back. All the best!
Chicago Firehouse Restaurant, about a week before its grand reopening.
Caisson work is wrapping up at the triple-brand Hilton hotel project at McCormick Place.
If you think it’s tough work building a hotel, try building three of them. At once.
That’s what First Hospitality Group and Hilton are doing. You may remember this started out as McHugh Construction’s baby, as they owned the lot, until the developers signed on to triple-brand the project. Under just one roof will be a Hilton Garden Inn, a Hampton Inn by Hilton, and a Home2 Suites by Hilton. Seems like a lot to say? It is. But remember, you’ll only need to book a room at one of the three. Unless you really like having options when you sleep. According to the press release from Hilton linked above, the three hotels will be officially named the Hilton Garden Inn Chicago McCormick Center, the Hampton Inn by Hilton Chicago McCormick Center, and the Home2 Suites by Hilton Chicago McCormick Center.
The 23-story hotel(s), designed by Antunovich Associates, will provide 466 rooms and suites at 123 East Cermak Road. A skybridge will connect the new building to McCormick Place. There promises to be a whole host of amenities and dining options, which, again, you can read about straight from the Hilton’s mouth here.
The permit to build was filed by the City of Chicago back in December. Foundation work began in earnest almost immediately, and now caisson work is just about finished. A tower crane permit was flied last week, on the 9th, so look for that to appear in the Prairie District skies very soon. McHugh Construction is, of course, the general contractor.
The parking deck, including a pool, next to the Essex Inn is coming down to make room for Essex On The Park. So please, NO DIVING.
While the Essex Inn at 800 North Michigan Avenue gets a complete upgrade, its parking deck, pool, and ground-floor restaurant next door are being obliterated by Heneghan Wrecking, making space for Essex On The Park, the giant 56-story apartment tower from Oxford Capital Group. The shiny, 476-unit project by Hartshorne Plunkard Architects will be some kind of addition to the Michigan Avenue streetwall, what with its short, stocky hotels. Power Construction is the general contractor, tasked with having the apartments ready for habitation next year.
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.
A ramp takes shape and form on the Ancora tower site at Riverline in the South Loop.
Ancora, the first building of the Riverline development in the South Loop, continues to jut out of the ground like stalagmites in a cave. General contractor Lendlease‘s handiwork is starting to peek above the secretive fencing that lines South Wells Street, so those of us curious about construction progress don’t need to stand on the roof of our buddy’s van as he slowly drives by anymore. And you kids shouldn’t try that.
Ongoing caisson work at One Grant Park in the South Loop.
The foundation of any good building is a good foundation.
A very famous-yet-anonymous philosopher probably said something like that way back in the 1200s. And it still holds true today.
One Grant Park (you may know it as 1200 South Indiana) continues to sink caissons into the South Loop ground. Why is that newsworthy? Because it’s grownups playing in the dirt, flinging mud around. Giant machines with drill bits grinding dozens of feet into the earth. Rebar being twisted into tubes and coils. Come on, it’s just cool.
Case Foundation and McHugh Construction are doing their best to keep us all entertained, at least until One Grant Park starts digging a foundation, then shooting skyward. Skyward as in 76 stories, with 792 apartments.
A lot of work has been done on the townhomes of Prairie Court since our last visit in September. In that time, Summit Design + Build has done some major cinder-block stacking, window installing, and even bricked up the wall at the north end of the project. In all, there will be 55 four-story homes from Golub and Sandz Development, slated for completion in 2018.
A pretty yellow tower crane rises above Ancora, the first phase of the Riverline project from CMK Companies.
You can’t stop a development with a tower crane. You can’t even hope to contain one.
Riverline has one of the newest machines in Chicago construction. A pretty yellow one at that. And its first task is Ancora, the 29-story apartment tower at 720 South Wells Street in the South Loop previously known (according to permits) as “Building D.”
Perkins + Will designed Ancora for CMK Companies, and it will be the first of many structures erected in the Riverline project. There will be 452 apartments and 246 parking spaces included with this phase. Lendlease is taking care of the heavy lifting.
Building Up Chicago 