Stuff That’s Done: 727 West Madison

Posted on January 22, 2020 by danieldschell

727 West Madison takes me back. There was a time, at this blog’s busiest, that I spent many many hours staring out over the West Loop. Not only was I checking up on the explosion of development, but I wasted an awful lot of time watching traffic zoom (or crawl) by on the Kennedy, Ryan, and Eisenhower Expressways. Not to mention the ongoing revamp (no pun intended) of the Jane Byrne Interchange.

I watched from above as the Crowne Plaza parking lot was fenced off and torn up, and construction commenced on 727. I would move from the neighborhood before it leveled up too high, but it was amazing to watch the start from that vantage point.

727 West Madison is the first tower I think about if a return to the West Loop makes sense. Skyline views? Check. Traffic views? Yup. Sweeping views of the booming West Loop and Fulton Market development? Serious check.

FitzGerald is the design architect of 727 West Madison. Fifield Companies and F&F Realty are the developers. Lendlease did the dirty work. Have a look. It’s shiny, curvy, and perfectly located.

P.S. I still think One South Halsted was a better name, but I wasn’t consulted. I’m over it.

Photos follow of 727 West Madison in its completed stage, and in its infancy, as One South Halsted, taken from the original B.U.C. HQ high above the West Loop. (Oh how I miss it)

320 North Sangamon adding 300,000 square feet of offices to Fulton Market

Posted on January 22, 2020 by danieldschell

SCB rendering of 320 North Sangamon.

320 North Sangamon is up off the ground and going vertical. The 13-story, 300,000-sq-ft office building is being developed by Tishman Speyer. As you may have already heard, the market for Fulton Market office space is going nuts right now.

Clark Construction is tasked with getting 320 North Sangamon ready for its 2021 opening. They know a thing or two about putting up office buildings; you may have heard of 150 North Riverside? 110 North Wacker? Union Station Tower? Yeah, I thought so.

320 is a design by Solomon Cordwell Buenz.

The following photos were taken January 1 and January 19.

Zooming in on Union Station Tower

Posted on January 21, 2020 by danieldschell

Union Station Tower is surrounded by construction fence, as you’d expect from a construction site. But man, does it ever get in the way. Monday I got just high enough to zoom in on some of the action.

318 North Carpenter will add another 100,000 square feet to the Fulton Market office explosion

Posted on January 9, 2020 by danieldschell

318 North Carpenter render from Murphy Development Group

Office space large and small is all the rage in the Fulton Market District these days, along with restaurant space, retail space, residential space, and space for leaving your motorized scooter on the sidewalk. One of those smaller office projects is 318 North Carpenter. This one is just seven stories, bringing about 100,000 square feet of rentable office space, along with 10,000 square feet of retail, and parking for 27 cars.

318 North Carpenter is brought to you by Murphy Development Group, most notable recently for opening The Paragon in the South Loop. Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture is the design architect, and Walsh Construction is on the build. They are tasked with having 318 open this summer.

: 318 North Carpenter render from Murphy Development Group

Fulton East is a first-glass act at 215 North Peoria

Posted on January 8, 2020 by danieldschell

New glass adorns Fulton East, at 215 North Peoria in the West Loop.

The glass has arrived at the topped-out Fulton East in the West Loop. (That’s right, east is west.) Fulton East is a 12-story office building being built by Clayco, and designed by Lamar Johnson Collaborative.

The developer, according to the permit issued by the City of Chicago and the construction banner on site, is “Peoria Green Owner, LLC.” That entity, according to Crain’s, appears to be Parkside Realty.

: Mooncrane Fun

: Mooncrane Fun Part II

: Who you lookin’ at?

: Lamar Johnson Collaborative render.

It’s a whole new block for 800 Fulton

Posted on January 7, 2020 by danieldschell

This building though.

If memory serves correctly, this is the first construction site I’ve covered for Thor Equities. But they must have gotten word that I’d be around, because 800 Fulton is really tough to get a good look at so far. Could be I’m just paranoid, but the fences seem too high, the foundation too deep, and heck, they’ve even gotten the weather to conspire against me with gloomy, overcast days.

Well, January brought some sunshine, so I’ve done the best I can. 800 Fulton is a 19-story office building designed by SOM. If this thing turns out the way renderings look, it will be nothing short of a spectacular addition to the still-booming Fulton Market area of the West Loop. Seriously, this one’s fantastic. This one occupies a full Fulton block, bounded by Fulton Market, Green Street, Wayman Street, and Halsted Street. It’s between the Fulton Market District sign and what used to be The Mid nightclub, if that helps you get oriented.

When an office building looks like a place you’d want to live, that’s a good sign. Living there would be a great idea anyway. You won’t want to drive to work at 800 Fulton. There will only be parking for 34 cars. There will, however, be 150 bicycle-parking spots. And we all need the exercise.

Expect me to move into 800 Fulton in 2021.

: Reflection and shadow on GR333N

: December 2019

: December 2019

: December 2019

: December 2019

: December 2019

: December 2019

167 Green Street giveth, 167 Green Street taketh away

Posted on January 7, 2020 by danieldschell

Glass is in session at 167 Green Street in the West Loop.

167 Green Street in the West Loop is a cool construction site, and I’ve missed most of

The remaining tower crane has a very important job: putting the moon up every evening.

it. It endeared itself to me by erecting a pair of tower cranes, and you know how appreciative I am of that effort. Alas, half of all good things must end, and 167 Green Street has taken down one of the luffing cranes from the job site.

However, it’s given something as well, in the form of the first row of glass around the outside of the tower. And ya still have one tower crane remaining, so there’s still a lot to watch here.

Built by the same team that brought us The Parker Fulton Market on the southeast corner of Lake and Halsted, 167 Green Street is a 17-story, 750,000-square-foot office tower at the corners of Lake and Halsted streets, and Lake and Green streets. Yeah, it’s a big footprint. Developed by Shapack Partners, and built by Focus, there will be 600,000 square feet of office space, 30,000 square feet of retail space on the ground and 2nd floors, and 125 parking spaces. Gensler is the design architect.