Essex On The Park has a Stub In The Ground.
Chicago’s tower-crane count is back down to 32, and Essex On The Park won’t stand for it. Thursday, Power Construction planted a stub in the South Loop ground. Surrounded for now by rebar, the foundation will soon (today?) be filled with concrete, which will cure before the full tower crane can be assembled. Let’s watch the middle part of next week for that.
The boom giveth; the boom taketh away. After several weeks of activity in Chicago’s tower-crane skyline, what was as many as 35 active tower cranes has settled right back to 32, the same count we had in early May.
Crews erect a tower crane at the McDonald’s HQ site.
Crews take down a tower crane at 8 East Huron.
Crews plant a tower crane stub at Marlowe.
Crews demolish a building at Rush University Medical Center.
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.
Chicago’s tower crane count stands at 35 this morning, thanks to three new rigs dotting the skyline.
The tower crane at 243 East Ontario Street in Streeterville isn’t quite operational yet. A delay thanks to some stubborn counterweights held up assembly on Sunday; work will continue to finish up the crane Monday. The stub had been planted back in May.
The crane at 508 West Diversey Parkway in Lake View went up to open June.
Assembly of the crane at 675 North Wells Street in River North began Tuesday of last week.
Enjoying the photos? Metra and CTA rides (and Amtrak trains to Milwaukee), Zipcars, Divvy Bikes, camera lenses, domain fees, snacks & energy drinks, and comfortable walking shoes add up. You can help offset expenses by making a greatly-appreciated donation to Building Up Chicago.
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.
Looking up to my host, 360 Chicago at the John Hancock Center.
A sunny-day excursion up to 360Chicago reveals most of Chicago’s 33 tower cranes, including all those I missed from the Sears Tower, where we conducted our most recent comprehensive search. Sorry, there are some really bad photos here. Doesn’t change the fact that being 94 stories in the air is a pretty darn cool way to spend an hour or two.
Unavailable for the team photo were: Eight Eleven Uptown, The Apple Store, Ancora At Riverline, Alta Roosevelt, and Hilton McCormick Place. And maybe No. 508, if it’s up.
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.
First off, let me assure you I didn’t spend all our time in London taking pictures of tower cranes and construction sites. That would have been a wasted opportunity to see the English countryside and historic buildings. But I like the cranes, so I didn’t ignore them, either.
I make much of the tower cranes in Chicago. We have a lot. 32.5 at the moment, now that No. 508 is being erected. But London? That city has tower cranes. And if you think the counts are close, let me illustrate the gap by showing you two construction projects, with a total of 20 tower cranes between them.
“Massive” is a popular word in England. I heard it to describe a multitude of things. It’s also become somewhat click-baity here in the States. But this Battersea Power Station redevelopment can be described in no other way. It is indeed massive. It will include architecture by Foster + Partners, Gehry Partners, and more. Features will include an elevator up to an observation deck within one of four existing smoke stacks, and the restoration of two old maritime cranes. Ten tower cranes *and* they’re restoring the two Thames-side cranes? Amazing.
Want to know more? (SPOILER ALERT: You do.) Please click this link to learn more about Battersea Power Station.
Like the Battersea project, Southbank Place centers around an existing building, this one being the Shell Centre tower. The 27-story building will soon be surrounded by seven more towers, five of which will be residential, with the remaining two serving as offices. Five different architecture firms are contributing designs to this development. Which is, to be honest, also massive. But duh. Why else would it need TEN TOWER CRANES.
I will not attempt to explain any further, as there is too much to know. Click this link to learn more about Southbank Place.
Sorry, we’re building a tower crane here. Please go around.
If you’re wondering why you can’t drive on West Diversey Parkway between Pine Grove and Cambridge Avenues in Lake View, welcome to the world of tower cranes. The street is blocked so crews can utilize a pretty red Stevenson crane to assemble a tower crane at No. 508. They’ve been at it since Tuesday, so hopefully work will be completed by the end of the day Thursday. Then, and only then, can Macon Construction Group begin going vertical on Broder Properties’ 12-story, 53-unit apartment tower.
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