I’ve shown you every photo I have to share of the 5-tower-crane festival that is Jewel Residences construction in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. So I’ve been trying to find photos from everyone else. And I came across this video from Lindores Construction Logistics of the tower cranes being assembled back in 2016.
Enjoy.
Chicago’s 60th tower crane of 2017 is up and lifting at Renelle on the River.
The Big 6-0 is on the board, as Chicago’s 60th tower crane takes to the skies at Renelle on the River, at 403 North Wabash in River North. If you want to count backwards, Home2 Suites, also in River North at 110 West Huron, was #59. The Van Buren, at 808 West Van Buren in the West Loop, came in at #58 last month. And 210 North Carpenter, another West Loop project, was Chicago’s 57th crane of the year when it went up.
*60 cranes. That’s a big year for tower cranes. And with the stub Hayden West Loop planted in the ground at 1109 West Washington, #61 will be added to the count very soon. Two other cranes have permits: 3833 North Broadway, where we expect a stub to be planted around Thanksgiving; and The Bentham, at 146 West Erie, which doesn’t have a construction permit yet.
*I am not counting the derrick crane at Simpson Querrey.
These photos were sent to me by Nick, one of the tower crane operators over (at) One Bennett Park. They provide further proof that some of the best views in Chicago — some of the best views in *any* city around the world — are enjoyed by the men and women in hard hats who climb the stairs and ride the hoists to work every day.
Thanks for these, Nick!
The elder statesman of West Loop tower cranes, at McDonald’s HQ, watches work on the new kid at Hayden West Loop.
With eight tower cranes in the air to begin November, the West Loop already leads Chicago neighborhoods in that category. And now, #9 is within sight.
Crews from Macon Construction were busy pouring the concrete foundation for the Liebherr 550 HC 20 on Tuesday, after planting the stub late last week at 1109 West Washington. That project, named Hayden West Loop, is a two-parter from Sulo Development. Designed by Booth Hansen, it will bring 28 condominiums and 83 parking spaces. The second building is slated for a site around the corner on May Street.
This is Macon Construction’s second tower crane on our count. They also have one in the air at No. 508 in Lake View.
Looking north from the 22nd floor of Soleil/Meriton.
We had less than 24 hours to wander Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Luckily, we got a nice day on which to do it. I snapped photos from our 22nd-floor serviced apartment at Soleil Meriton (Meriton is one of my new favorite brands. Great place to stay, and they build fantastic new towers all over Sydney, Brisbane, and Gold Coast.) and Story Bridge. Heck, I even snapped a couple shots on our Uber ride into town. There simply wasn’t enough time to get up close to these projects and learn more about them.
A tower crane stub has been planted at Renelle on the River.
One of the city’s tightest construction spaces has planted a shiny yellow tower crane stub. Renelle on the River is the 18-story, bKL Architecture-designed condo tower Belgravia Group is sliding atop the underground parking garage at 403 North Wabash in River North. And a walk-by yesterday reveals McHugh Construction working around the new crane.
Rendering of Renelle on the River from bKL Architecture.
Renelle on the River is a curious project. Not only is it the aforementioned tight squeeze where a small plaza once stood, but it will also be angled in such a way as to give all residents a view of the Chicago River. And then there’s the foundation. No caissons were drilled for this one (the building permit went straight to full-build, with no foundation permit), leaving one to assume the existing parking structure was built to support much more weight than a few cars. And that tower crane’s foundation? It appears to be suspended in mid-air, even while being rooted in a huge block of concrete. It’s a mesmerizing set-up, to be sure.
Renelle on the River will bring 50 three- and four-bedroom condominiums to the neighborhood. There’s a sales office right next to the site, if you want to stop in and check them out. We highly suggest taking their virtual tour.
A little birdie landed on the roof of Simpson Querrey and sent us this photo of the derrick crane and South tower crane.
Within hours of assembling its third crane on the site of the Simpson Querrey Biomedical Research Center, Power Construction began using it to take down the South tower crane at the topped-out facility. That derrick crane you see in the photo above would be Chicago’s 34th crane in the air (It’s not a tower crane, but it *is* a crane that required a permit from the City of Chicago, so based on that technicality, it goes on the count) but we’re back down to 33 with the South tower crane being dismantled.
A reminder to those of you walking around on what’s left of the crane, in the photos below: You never have to worry about me taking your jobs. Trust me on that.
The cab comes down, courtesy of that little birdie again.
I’ll always picture you two kids together.
Over there, in the trees! It’s Chicago’s 33rd tower crane!
As expected, and despite some sketchy weather, the tower crane went up this past weekend at 110 West Huron in River North. That’s the site of the new Home2 Suites Akara Partners is building, and it marks the entry into the Chicago Tower Crane count for M.A. Mortensen.
This is the 33rd tower crane now active in Chicago, though #34 is also up — the derrick crane at Simpson Querrey — which we got a sneak peek at yesterday, thanks to a little birdie. We’ll get a better look at it today, and share. But remember, that derrick’s sole purpose is to remove cranes. So don’t call it a hero.
Thanks to Cranes Without Context, I can finally start doing something with hundreds of photos from our May visit to England. You’ve seen posts from London; we also stopped in Leeds and Oxford.
Sure, Oxford has all that Harry Potter stuff, if you’re into that sort of thing. I concentrated on the old architecture, and these few tower cranes. That’s right, you heard me: TOWER CRANES > HARRY POTTER.
One project I know for sure: Darling Square.
Have you ever shared photos even though you weren’t really sure what you’d captured? Good. Don’t @ me then.
In an effort to not have hundreds of photos on my computer that I won’t do anything with, I’ve decided to start a new series of posts on The Blog. Welcome to Cranes Without Context. These are the pictures I take that I either haven’t taken the time to research, or don’t have additional photos to use for their particular development. (Because who wants to see a photo gallery with only one photo.)
Cranes Without Context begins in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, from the observation deck of the Sydney Tower Eye. Much as I do when visiting Chicago’s Hancock Center and Sears Tower, I snapped every tower crane I could see from this lofty perch. And there’s just no way I’m gonna be able to figure out what job site each is from.
** You got an accidental preview of Cranes Without Context in the Victoria Bridge Brisbane post a couple days ago. Too many cranes, not enough time, etc. **
Some of you (particularly in Australia) will know some of these tower cranes on sight. Feel free to chime in as to project names and specs.
Building Up Chicago 