Category Archives: Uncategorized

Hey! Where’s Building Up Chicago?

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It’s a legitimate question. And the most definitive answer I can give you right now is, I don’t really know. If you still want to see the content I used to post semi-regularly here, I hope you follow me at Chicago YIMBY. I post seven days a week there, sometimes more than once a day, but Building Up Chicago has been idle since January.

I put BUC in mothballs because I get paid as a freelancer at YIMBY. Not enough to buy a yacht, but anything is more than what I collected from doing this blog. It’s a fun hobby when it’s fun; when it’s no longer fun, it’s work. And when work doesn’t earn income, it becomes a waste of time. I tried to solicit donations a few times, and I’m sorry I did that; I realize that isn’t why folks came to the website.

One reason I can’t actively post here is because I allowed the domain to expire; I’m now back to the basic WordPress plan, which means I’m over (WAY over) my allotted storage space for photos. So I can’t upload a single new photo to this blog; the banner photo of the tower crane at 400 Lake Shore you see is an old image from that crane’s infancy. It also became too difficult to decide what to posy on YIMBY and what to keep here. It’s simply less confusing to post only at YIMBY and not worry about stepping on my own toes.

I still hope to reactivate Building Up Chicago someday, but it won’t be until I have the disposable income (or an angel investor) to put into it. But my experience at Chicago YIMBY has given me some ideas as to how I’d go about it. Posting every day, often more than once, means I can’t just focus on tower cranes anymore. There is daily development news in Chicago, form two-story two-flats to long-stalled supertalls.

When I come back to BUC, I hope it will be full time. There’s enough happening in town (that’s right, naysayers; Chicago IS still building) to post from two to ten articles a day, and this is how I’d do it:

Permits are entered into the Chicago Data Portal Monday through Friday. They’re published Tuesday through Saturday, so I would spend those five days writing posts about every compelling permit I could find that was issued the previous day. And only I have final say on what “compelling” means. Slow days mean I can go out in the afternoon and check on the bearby construction sites.

Since there are no new permits to see on Sunday and Monday, those would be my shooting days. Sundays are great for checking out the smaller job sites anyway; since I have to get up close to those, I can stick my camera (or phone) through or over the fence without it being in someone’s face while they work. The big jobs know we’re out there watching; cameras don’t bother those crews.

Preferably, those posts would be written from an actual office space that I would need to commute to, at least a couple days a week. That would help limit my distractions (Do I have enough quarters for a load of laundry? I should do the dishes? I should dry the dishes I just washed? Should I put them away? I need to go get a plastic bin for under the bed.)

Of course, if my office space was on a high floor in Salesforce tower, because that’s the office I deserve, then I’d be distracted by the views out over the river. But at least then I’d have distractions I could turn into photo ops.

All of this was just to clear up that there is no clarity on the future of Building Up Chicago, but I’m still here, still interested, and still not ready to let go of it. In the event that WordPress says “Give us money, or your website will disappear” that’s when the ultimate decision will have to be made. And we’ll just see.

Thanks for reading.

6 Things you may not know about Building Up Chicago

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The Chicago Skyline from Ping Tom Park.

We’re approaching the 8-year anniversary of Building Up Chicago, so let’s talk about a few things you may not have already known about us:

We keep using “we” and “us” but it’s really just “me.” I am the sole contributor, writer, photographer, editor, and coffee brewer. This is just a hobby. not a job. No one is paying me to do this, no one is expecting x-number of posts per week, no one is telling me what to post and what not to post. You’ll see me taking a sabbatical now and then. When it’s not fun (especially when it’s cold) I take a break. ***It’s a LOT more fun to keep up with Chicago construction when there are 30-something tower cranes in the air.***

I focus mainly on projects utilizing tower cranes. Yes, there are dozens of mobile cranes on construction sites all over Chicago at any given time. I’ll cover a small project like that every now and then, especially if it’s close to home or along my commute. But for the most part, they’re too many of them and too spread out to try to keep up with.

From Nick at One Bennett Park

You can contribute to Building Up Chicago. Yes, my blog is about my photos. But there are photos I can’t take, particularly those from within a construction site, and *especially* from up in a tower crane. Feel free to send those shots to me if you’d like to see them on the blog. I’ll credit you however you like, or you can remain anonymous. (Obviously, if I post your photos from a construction site, someone might figure out who you are, so don’t send me anything that’ll get you into trouble.) I can say “Joe Smith sent me these” or I can say “a little birdie” dropped them into my inbox. Your call. But I would LOVE to see what you see, and share your scenery with others.

Gold Coast, Australia

I don’t just post photos of Chicago construction. I’ve taken construction photos in Australia, England, Hawaii, New York City (I am OBSESSED with New York City), Milwaukee, and a few Chicago suburbs, and more. I don’t travel much, and I don’t own a car, so even getting to the ‘burbs now is a challenge, but tell me where there are tower cranes, and I’ll get out there if I can.

There is a Building Up Chicago Manual of Style. You don’t get to see it, but imagine all my personal pet peeves about grammar and writing all rolled into an elaborate Code of Conduct. Here’s a glimpse: Stop Using “Chicagoland Area”

I was on television. You can still see the CBS2 Chicago piece here.

It’s on! Chicago Architecture Center announces expanded Open House programming for Open House Chicago 2023

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Today, the Chicago Architecture Center released an announcement about expanded programming for Open House Chicago 2023. Included in the information are details about the 170 locations open during Open House weekend, October 14th and 15th.

Here is the entire text of CAC’s email:

CHICAGO ARCHITECTURE CENTER ANNOUNCES EXPANDED OPEN HOUSE PROGRAMMING

The Annual Public Festival, Which Provides Access to Culturally, Architecturally and Historically Significant Sites Throughout the City, Will Now Include Opening Parties on Friday

CHICAGO — The Chicago Architecture Center (CAC) today announced programming for this year’s Open House Chicago (OHC), a free festival that provides behind-the-scenes access to some of the city’s most historically, culturally and architecturally important sites. The 2023 event, which will take place October 13-15, will feature 170+  locations across 20+ Chicago neighborhoods. Additionally, for the first time, the CAC will host two Friday events, including one exclusively for CAC members. 

OHC, now in its 13th year, is an architecture and design festival that allows Chicagoans and tourists alike to visit important sites across the city, many of which are normally closed to the public. The event will begin Friday, October 13, with a kickoff party at the CAC, where visitors can experience the Center’s exhibits for free and purchase official OHC merchandise. CAC members will also be invited to an opening night party on the 33rd floor of the Willis Tower. The event will feature light bites and a performance of an original piece of music inspired by the Willis Tower and commissioned by CAC. 

The rest of the weekend will feature self-guided tours across the city’s diverse neighborhoods, allowing OHC participants to experience Chicago’s deep architectural history firsthand. This year’s program will enable visitors to tour the childhood home of Walt Disney in Hermosa and the National Cambodian Heritage Museum in Ravenswood. Also new to OHC this year is Uptown’s historic Riviera Theater, an ornate concert venue originally built in 1917 as a movie theater. 

“Open House Chicago makes architecture and design accessible and is a free program for all,” said Eleanor Gorski, CEO & President, Chicago Architecture Center. “The event is a true community venture, and we’re thrilled to collaborate with chambers of commerce, neighborhood organizations, arts and culture organizations and historical societies across the city to bring the festival to life.” 

In addition to the tours, Open House Chicago sites will also host programming and activations during the weekend. This year, CAC has enhanced the festival experience by launching a new app that provides information on programming and allows attendees to create their own itineraries of OHC sites.  

With the support of presenting sponsor Wintrust, OHC enthusiasts will also have the chance to win an annual CAC membership and official Open House Chicago merchandise, a prize package worth more than $250,  through a social media contest ahead of the event. Interested participants can enter by tagging a friend on Instagram posts from @chiarchitecture and @wintrust.. 

For more information, visit https://openhousechicago.org/. 

About the Chicago Architecture Center 

The Chicago Architecture Center (CAC) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1966, dedicated to inspiring people to discover why design matters. A national leader in architecture and design education, the CAC offers tours, programs, exhibitions, and more that are part of a dynamic journey of lifelong learning. 

Opened to the public in 2018, its riverfront location is in the heart of the city, where Michigan Avenue meets the Chicago River, featuring nearly 10,000 square feet of exhibition space with views of a century of iconic skyscrapers. 

Through partnerships with schools and youth-serving organizations, the CAC reaches approximately 5,000 K-12 students annually, while teacher workshops provide educators with tools and resources they need to advance STEM curricula in their classrooms. Committed to serving under-represented communities in construction, engineering, and design professions, the CAC offers many of its education programs—and all its programs for teens—at no cost to participants. CAC programs for adults and members include talks with acclaimed authors and practicing architects, in-depth presentations on issues and trends in urbanism, and classes unlocking subjects related to the built environment. 

Proceeds from programs, tours, and the CAC Design Store, as well as from grants, sponsorships, and donations, support its educational mission. Visit architecture.org to learn more and follow @chiarchitecture and #chiarchitecture on social media.

Photos coming

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8/17/20. I still like the water tanks almost as much as I like construction.

In case you were wondering, I still make it out and about to take photos downtown. I haven’t been posting them here because I don’t know what to say about them. But maybe you don’t care about words. Maybe you’d just like to peruse the pictures.

I’ll try to make a few posts from the pics I shot these last two Mondays (Monday is my only day off from the dreaded day job) August 17 and 24.

Sensational Headline To Over-Dramatize A Situation To Make It Sound Much More Serious Than It Really Is [UPDATED]

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110 North Wacker

Probably not telling you anything you haven’t figured out on your own here…

On July 10, this website will go dark.

Or maybe it won’t; maybe it will still be available to read, but will just be harder to find. Point is, the blog costs money to maintain whether or not I post content here, and since I am no longer consistently posting content, it doesn’t make sense to keep putting money into it. So on July 10, my website expires, and I won’t be renewing. I’m not sure what WordPress does with a domain when it goes back to being an unpaid site; we’ll see in a few weeks.

It was fun to take construction photos around Chicago when I lived in the midst of all the action. Now all the action is a train ride away. And I no longer find myself interested in the construction goings-on that used to fascinate me so much. I no longer enjoy aimlessly wandering the city looking for tower cranes. I no longer enjoy weeding through 100s of images from my camera to find the dozen or so that turned out well enough to share. I no longer enjoy trying to come up with a couple or three sentences to explain what the images captured. When a hobby is no longer fun, it’s work. And when the work doesn’t provide an income, it’s a waste of time. My blog has become a waste of my own time.

Thank you for reading. Thank you for scrolling through photos. Thank you for asking me what was what, what was where, and what would be done when. It was fun sharing answers when I knew them.

Thank you to all the architecture firms, construction companies, and developers who shared their resources, time, and knowledge with me. Special shout-out to everyone at Power Construction, for letting me inside two of your projects as they were going up. I’m still amazed, and forever grateful, for the access you gave me. And to you, FitzGerald, for taking the time to sit down with me on multiple occasions when I had questions.

Who knows, maybe I’ll pick up where I’ve left off someday. But I’ve tried that a couple times already, and it hasn’t worked out. We’ll see.

Thank you again, everyone. Sincerely. Knowing people were reading was the only reason to do this.

Dan

***August 26, 2019: Nothing happened. It’s all still here. I have no idea what I was paying for. Google Analytics, I guess…

Even if The Blog never returns, I’ll live in infamy on Google Maps

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Google Maps Hoxton State and Green

Google Maps image at State and Green Streets in the West Loop.

It was Tower Crane Assembly Day at the Hoxton Chicago Hotel in the West Loop. After watching for awhile, I headed elsewhere around town, as I normally did on a busy walking day. I saw the Google car drive by and waved. I’ve been waiting for the map update ever since. And here it is. Famous.