Category Archives: West Loop

The West Loop is in a tower-crane frenzy

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West Loop tower cranes

You’ll have to look closely, but you can see (at least parts of) all 7 West Loop tower cranes in this photo from Halsted Street.

The West Loop is busy with construction. That’s the word we get from Captain Obvious, who sent an email to let us know. There are 7 active tower cranes in the neighborhood right now, with 2 more permitted and on the way.

McDonald's Headquarters west tower crane

The lone remaining tower crane at McDonald’s Headquarters still towers above the West Loop.

1. McDonald’s Headquarters

As you surely must know, McDonald’s used to have two tower cranes. East Crane is gone, but West Crane continues work on Sterling Bay’s future home for the fast-food giant.

Illume Chicago tower crane

The tower crane at Illume Chicago has been up since March.

2. Illume Chicago

Illume Chicago is a 10-story, 79-unit condominium building from LG Development, designed by Pappageorge Haymes Partners. It broke ground back in December 2016.

727 West Madison tower crane

The pretty yellow Liebherr tower crane at 727 West Madison.

3. 727 West Madison

Taking over the parking lot of the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 727 West Madison will be a 44-story, 492-unit apartment tower. This is the only active tower crane in the West Loop for Lendlease, which is very busy elsewhere in the city (One Bennett Park, Eleven40, and more.) But a second, at The Van Buren, is coming soon. Designed by FitzGerald, it’s a joint development from Fifield and F&F Realty.

Hoxton Chicago tower crane

The tower crane at the Hoxton Chicago, one of two cranes for Power Construction in the neighborhood.

4. Hoxton Chicago

One of two tower cranes in the West Loop for Power Construction, the Hoxton Chicago is a 12-story, 175-room hotel designed by local firm GREC Architects. It hasn’t begun to go vertical quite yet, but the foundation work continues.

900 West tower crane

The tower crane at 900 West is Power’s second in the West Loop. There’s only that one moon, though.

5. 900 West

900 West is the second Power Construction tower crane in the West Loop. 900 West is another condominium development, bringing 22 luxury units across its 9 stories.

Nobu Hotel tower crane

Centaur Construction’s tower crane at the Nobu Hotel.

6. Nobu Hotel

The only Chicago tower crane for Centaur Construction, the Nobu Hotel got off to a slow start, but has now grown above street-level, on its way to 11 stories. It’s the other of two hotel projects underway in the West Loop.

210 North Carpenter tower crane

Leopardo Companies’ only tower crane on the Chicago count is this brand-spankin’-new one at 210 North Carpenter.

7. 210 North Carpenter

The West Loop’s newest tower crane, and another Sterling Bay project, 210 North Carpenter will be the new home of the general contractor building it, Leopardo Companies. The 12-story office building is expected to open next year.

Coming Soon:

The Van Buren tower crane

The tower crane stub at The Van Buren has its own, adorable house.

The Van Buren

The Van Buren, a 12-story apartment tower at 808 West Van Buren from Loukas Development and bKL Architecture, is one of two permitted tower-crane sites in the West Loop yet to be erected, though the stub has been planted. This is Lendlease’s second West Loop tower crane.

Hayden West Loop tower crane

Hayden West Loop has a tower-crane permit, but no stub yet, as foundation work continues.

Hayden West Loop

Hayden West Loop is awaiting its tower-crane stub after receiving a permit on September 7. When erected, it will be the second Chicago crane for Macon Construction, the first being No. 508.

 

A core is rising at the Nobu Hotel

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Nobu Hotel

The core is rising from the ground at the Nobu Hotel.

That tower crane Centaur Construction put up is paying dividends, as the core has risen above street level at the Nobu Hotel at 854 West Randolph Street in the West Loop. The Nobu won’t rise high — just 11 stories — so the every inch of growth looks significant.

Speaking of significant, the opening of Nobu will be significantly later than the “late 2017” estimate from that press release linked above. Remember, Nobu famously broke ground (famous because Robert De Niro was here for it) back in June of 2016, but foundation work didn’t get underway until March of this year. The new release date (it’s a De Niro production, so I used a movie-industry term. Get it?) is now 2018, according to the Nobu Hotels website. That’s easily doable for Centaur.

Tower-Crane Watch continues at Hayden West Loop as foundation work goes deep

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Hayden West Loop foundations

No stub yet, as foundation work continues at Hayden West Loop.

We’re still waiting for a tower crane stub at Hayden West Loop. Caissons are done, and digging continues as Macon Construction works on Sulo Development’s latest condominium project.

Hayden has a sales office open just around the corner, on May Street, and it looks like about half of its 28 units are sold. Those homes consist of four duplex penthouses and 24 three-bedroom residences, ranging in size from 3,200 to 5,000 square feet.

Designed by Booth Hansen, Hayden West Loop is expecting inhabitants in 2018.

An October Flag Crane Tank shot, featuring Chicago’s newest tower crane

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Chicago’s newest tower crane, our 34th in the sky right now, provides us with today’s American Flag-Tower Crane-Chicago Water Tank shot.

American Flag, Tower Crane, Chicago Water Tank

We’ve been on this block before and featured the same flag and tank.

Sterling Bay is responsible for both the tower crane, now at work for Leopardo Companies at 210 North Carpenter…

..and for the flag, which sits atop Venue One at 1034 West Randolph.

The water tank is atop 1035 West Lake Street.

Tower Crane #34 is up and running at 210 North Carpenter

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Chicago’s 34th active tower crane, and 57th of 2017, is up and running at 210 North Carpenter. This is Leopardo Companies’ only tower crane on the official count, and their first since finishing the heavy lifting a few blocks away at Fulton West.

Illume Chicago rises to 7/10 of its ultimate height

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111ume Chicago

Progress on Illume Chicago has reached the underside of the 8th floor.

LG Development’s 10-story West Loop condominium project, Illume Chicago, at 111 South Peoria, continues to progress upward, on its way to delivering 79 luxury condos next to Mary Bartelme Park. Designed by Pappageorge Haymes Partners, Illume Chicago broke ground in December 2016. It will feature residences on floors 2 through 8, with duplex condos spanning the 9th and 10th floors, with 94 parking spaces on the first floor and underground. Illume’s website shows it to be more than 60% sold.

The Van Buren will break ground Wednesday morning in Greektown

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The Van Buren

A rendering of The Van Buren, at 808 West Van Buren  from bKL Architecture.

Once known simply as “808 West Van Buren,” The Van Buren will break ground in an official ceremony Wednesday morning at its Greektown construction site at Halsted and Van Buren Streets.

Representatives from developer Loukas Development, design architect bKL Architecture, and general contractor Lendlease will all be on hand to plunge shovels into the ground to celebrate the new 12-story West Loop tower, according to a press release issued by Loukas Development on Monday.

The Van Buren began with a foundation permit back in April, and has since completed caisson work, done a major amount of foundation digging, and planted a tower crane stub. When complete late in 2018, The Van Buren will deliver 148 rental apartments to the neighborhood.

You can read Loukas Development’s full Press Release below, followed by a few more gorgeous renderings from bKL Architecture:

Groundbreaking Event: Wed. Oct. 4, 2017

 

Loukas Development Announces Construction Start of The Van Buren, a mixed-use development at 808 West Van Buren Ave., Chicago

 

WHAT:            Loukas Development will host a groundbreaking ceremony at The Van Buren, a 12-story boutique mixed-use development in Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood.  The 148-unit building is being developed at 808 West Van Buren Ave.

 

When: Wed. Oct. 4th — 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

 

WHO:  Representatives from Loukas Development, bKL Architecture, Lendlease and Washington Capital will break ground and discuss the project.

 

WHERE:          808 West Van Buren Ave., Chicago; on the northwest corner of Halsted St. and Van Buren Ave.

 

PHOTO OPPS:

During the event, members of the media will be able to:

 

  • Capture the ground breaking/shovel ceremony in photographs featuring development, architectural, and capital sources
  • Meet Loukas Development Managing Director Aristithis Loukas; hear him explain the vision behind The Van Buren
  • Meet with and discuss the project design with the architect, bKL Architecture; learn more about how amenities at multifamily new construction continue to evolve
  • Learn about this transit-oriented project, which will bring a new luxury rental experience to the southeast section of the West Loop.
  • See renderings of the project which will demonstrate how The Van Buren will fulfill a demand for luxury housing and specialized retail offerings

 

About Loukas Development

 

Established in 1978, Loukas Development is an innovative commercial real estate development and management firm with a strong focus on infill, transportation-oriented development in dynamic and high growth urban locations. The company has completed the development, renovation, leasing and conversion of over 500 residential units, including several high profile mixed-use developments in the Chicago area.

 

Loukas Development has an operating and development platform capable of scaling quickly for institutional opportunities while remaining connected to the Chicago neighborhoods we serve. Our mission is to redefine and reshape the urban commercial, residential, and mixed-use experience through a combination of state-of-the-art design and solid construction techniques. For more information, visit www.loukasdevelopment.com.

 

About Washington Capital Management, Inc.

Loukas Development’s capital partner on the project is a limited liability company managed by Seattle-based Washington Capital Management, Inc. on behalf of its clients.

Washington Capital Management, Inc. (WCM) is an employee owned investment advisory firm founded in 1977. WCM headquarters are located in Seattle, Washington, with branch offices in Portland, Spokane, Anchorage, Southern California, Northern California and Boston.  For more information on WCM, please see http://www.wcmadvisors.com.

 

About bKL Architecture

Founded and led by Thomas Kerwin, bKL Architecture is a Chicago based architectural firm with extensive experience in the design and execution of large scale mixed-use building projects. bKL’s core principles include design excellence, technical acumen and viable solutions to complex problems. Open dialogue within its studio cultivates collaboration, communication and cohesive designs that enrich the sites and cities around the world in which they build.