West Crane and East Crane are both assembled at Sterling Bay’s new McDonald’s Headquarters in the West Loop. East Crane gave us quite a ride, as it started up Saturday, only to have the tower top and cab removed Sunday. But Monday it was erected in full.
Monday evening’s view.
Tuesday morning’s view, with brief sunshine.
When the Big Green W talks, people listen. Especially skyscraper nerds and construction junkies. Even more so when they use your photo and give you a shout-out.
Walsh Construction promised a tower crane jump at Alta Roosevelt on their Instagram feed, and since Sunday’s brunch was only a block away (PLUG: I highly suggest you all head to Sociale sooner, instead of later) I stopped by 801 South Financial. I didn’t catch the jump, but they’re certainly prepared for it.
Below, you’ll find a video, and then a photo gallery. The video was intended for you to hear the sounds of the wind howling through the construction site. It was magically musical; alas, all you’re likely to hear is the wind whipping through my phone.
As of noon Sunday, a tower, but no crane.
Saturday saw a crew from Central Contractors erecting a free-standing Peiner SK415 tower crane (I know how to read a permit) on the new McDonald’s Headquarters site in the West Loop. East Crane seemed to coming along quite nicely, but Sunday morning saw the crew removing the tower top and cab from atop the tower. The good news here, obviously, is that we may get to watch the cab and turntable raised twice. Yep, that’d be an embarrassment of crane-assembly-watching riches.
Whereas late Saturday afternoon, the tower top and cab/turntable were in place.
Here are photos from Saturday’s partial assemblage. WARNING: Some of them are quite snowy:
The McDonald’s headquarters is erecting the first of its two tower cranes, while the triple-branded Hilton Hotel at McCormick Place planted a tower crane seedling in the South Loop.
A piece of West Crane is hoisted into place at the new McDonald’s HQ in the West Loop.
East Crane went into the ground first. So obviously it gets set up before West Crane even gets planted. Right?
Wrong. Crews from Central Crane are busy Tuesday erecting a tower crane on the west side of the McDonald’s Headquarters construction site, leaving pour ole East Crane to watch and wait its turn.
A street crane prepares to pluck the tower crane from atop 822 North Clark Street on Saturday morning.
It was Crexit (Tower Crane Exit, obvs) Weekend in the Near North, as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 822 North Clark Street dropped its tower crane. Remember, that’s only a seven-story building, so the crane got things done and got out of there in a hurry. Where could it be headed next? One Grant Park? The Hilton hotels at 123 East Cermak? Those are the two most recently-permitted tower cranes for Chicago.
East Crane has been planted at the McDonald’s HQ site, under the watchful gaze of the 171 Aberdeen tower crane.
Thanks to a heads-up from Skyscraper Page forum user BB 1871, who pointed out that McHugh Construction has planted the seedling for the first of two tower cranes to be used to build the new McDonald’s Corporation headquarters. The first crane is on the east side of the site; it will henceforth be known as East Crane. Over on the west side of the lot, crews were working on the foundation for West Crane. That’ll mean three tower cranes on two blocks, including the one in use at 171 North Aberdeen.
Caisson work is still ongoing at McDonald’s, but lots of other foundation work has been done as well. There’s a large hole in the ground toward the north end of the site, plus a couple of rebar mats that look like they’re just about ready for concrete pours. So yeah, lots of action going on here.
The tower crane at Addison & Clark can reach every building in Lake View. It seems.
Addison & Clark, the huge mixed-use development being sandwiched around the Sports World Chicago store across from Wrigley Field, erected a tower crane earlier this month, and the thing covers more ground than Jason Heyward and Dexter Fowler (sniff) did last season. And for good reason: in order to reach all points of the L-shaped construction site, the longer the crane, there better.
Foundation work is still being done at the site of 140 future apartments, 150,000 square feet of retail space, and 400 parking spots, but that crane’s already pulling its weight, as piles are shored up and pillars jut out of the ground.
Addison & Clark gets the makings of a new tower crane. Some assembly (still) required.
Food for thought: If The Chicago Cubs were to hire former Diamondbacks General Manager Kevin Towers, they could have a front office that includes (Kevin) Towers and Crane (Kenney)
Where was I? Oh yeah. Just outside Wrigley Field, which is the home of the WORLD SERIES CHAMPION CHICAGO CUBS, the Addison & Clark development is getting a shiny new trophy of its own, in the form a tall, skinny tower crane. Crews were assembling it Tuesday, and will most assuredly have it ready to lift heavy stuff by Friday. As you know, February has traditionally been the month when pitchers and catchers and tower cranes report to kick off the baseball season.
The two tower cranes of Wanda Vista Tower.
Wow. You clicked on this story, even after reading that headline? I owe you a drink or something.
Wanda Vista Tower has its two tower cranes up and running. Both are luffing cranes, with jibs that angle toward the sky, rather than staying parallel to the ground at all times.
Down at ground level, there’s enough rebar being installed in the foundation mat. If you feel the earth tilt a little extra in the coming days, it’ll be from all the concrete being poured into that thing.
Building Up Chicago 