Chicago’s tower crane count as we entered Fall 2024 was seven. It remains at seven as we enter meteorological winter. None have been erected, none taken down. The only change from September’s roll call is a permit for a luffing crane for the Thompson Center renovation. But that one, and the crane permitted at Grand Crossing (1100 West Grand) have yet to make their debuts.

There is one *pending* tower crane permit on the books, for the residential building at 410 North Elizabeth. Fingers crossed that the caisson permit is issued any day and construction can get started. There are four pending permits total for that one.

Let’s look at some statistics, since seven tower cranes aren’t all that difficult to break down. This is your unofficially Official December 2024 Chicago Tower Crane Survey:

What are they building?

Residential – 3 (400 Lake Shore, 1723 South Michigan, 220 North Ada — 1723 and 220 are both topped out. Those cranes will disappear soon)
Health Care – 2 (Both at the AbbVie Foundation Cancer Pavilion at 5644 South Drexel)
Cultural – The Obama Presidential Center Museum Tower
Community – Project H.O.O.D. (6623 South MLK Drive)

Who’s operating them?

220 North Ada – Clayco, Adjustable Concrete
400 Lake Shore – LR Contracting, BOWA Construction, Goebel Forming
1723 South Michigan – Brandts Build, Goebel Forming
Obama Center – The Concrete Collective
Project H.O.O.D – LR Contracting, Goebel Forming
Abbvie Foundation Cancer Pavilion – Turner Construction, Adjustable Concrete

Where are they?

Woodlawn – 2 (Obama Center Museum Tower, Project H.O.O.D — Woodlawn is the Community Area; Jackson Park is the neighborhood for the Obama Center)
Hyde Park – 2 (Both at the AbbVie Foundation Cancer Pavilion)
South Loop – 1 (1723 South Michigan – topped out)
West Loop – 1 (220 North Ada – topped out)
Streeterville – 1

Only five tower crane permits have been issued in 2024, including the two that haven’t been erected yet. There are a lot of projects in the works for next year; here’s hoping we can add a few more in 2025.

Chicago began May 2024 with 9 tower cranes operating on construction sites around the city. Nine tower cranes isn’t very many for Chicago, but it happens. The good news is, we’ve got a few on the way: at 220 North Ada (real soon), 400 Lake Shore (mid-May?), and maybe 1723 South Michigan (permit pending, but that’s just an idle, empty lot right now.)

More good news is that the Chicago Plan Commission will consider four projects at their next meeting — May 16 — that, if approved, will all require tower cranes: 700 West Chicago (multiple cranes over a multi-phase build?), 2031 North Kingsbury (355-unit apartment tower), 370 North Carpenter (29-story apartment tower), and 400 North Elizabeth (two towers, 724 total units.)

As for the nine we *do* have:

Four are building medical facilities (two at UChicago Cancer Center, one at Illinois Masonic,
and one at 4822 South Cottage Grove (Northwestern Medicine Bronzeville Outpatient Center)
One parking garage (O’Hare Terminal Five)
One Cultural Center (Obama Presidential Center)
One community center (Project H.O.O.D.)
One Life Sciences facility (Hyde Park Labs)
One office building – 919 West Fulton

Community Areas represented:
Hyde Park – 3 (Hyde Park Labs and 2 at UChicago Cancer Center)
Woodlawn – 2 (Obama Presidential Center and Project H.O.O.D.)
O’Hare – 1 (Terminal 5 Parking Garage)
Lake View – 1 (Illinois Masonic)
Near West Side – 1 (919 West Fulton)
Grand Boulevard – 1 (Northwestern Medicine Bronzeville Outpatient Center)

Here they are in pictorial form, from south to north:

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