Category Archives: West Loop

Video Update: Leopardo Companies pours concrete at 210 North Carpenter

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Special thanks to the CTA for holding up the west-bound trains so I’d have an unobstructed view of 210 North Carpenter as my Pink Line train rode past.

Leopardo Companies is busy building their own future headquarters at the West Loop intersection of Lake and Carpenter Streets. Sterling Bay’s 12-story office building got its first permit in August, and will be under construction for another 12+ months, with a target opening date of January 2019.

The Solomon Cordwell Buenz design will be loaded with the type of creature comforts we’re used to seeing in residential developments. Along with a fitness center with locker rooms, conference facilities, and parking for 40 cars, 210 North Carpenter will also feature a rooftop lap pool? — hold on…this is an office building. That can’t be right — daaaang. Indeed, there will be a pool on the roof. How’s that for a recruiting tool!

 

 

Chicago’s Nobu Hotel continues to struggle

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Nobu Chicago hotel

The Nobu Chicago site has been secured, and it sits idle, waiting for construction to resume.

By now, you probably already know that things aren’t going well at Chicago’s Nobu Hotel in the West Loop. Last week, Crain’s reported that work had stopped on the 11-story, 119-room Midwest iteration of the hotel/restaurant brand.

Seems it’s been one delay after another for this thing. Ground was broken back in June (OF 2016!) then sat idle. Some caisson equipment was delivered to the site in September of 2016, the same month the hotel was officially approved by the Chicago Plan Commission, but that same equipment was packed up and hauled away without any holes being drilled.

A foundation permit was issued in December of 2016, but still, no action. Finally, in March of this year, the soil at 854 West Randolph began to turn. The earth-moving machines were followed by a pile driver, which began driving sheeting into the ground for a foundation. Caisson equipment arrived again, but for real this time, in May, and foundation work was underway in earnest. Finally, Centaur Construction had control of the site, and work started to go vertical.

But here’s the thing: If you want work to be done on your hotel, you have to pay the folks doing said work. And according to Crain’s (and one little birdie I heard from recently) that hasn’t been happening.

So once again, Nobu sits idle. 18 months after an 11-story hotel breaks ground, tourists should be sleeping in the beds. Stay tuned.

 

Hayden West Loop plants the neighborhood’s ninth tower crane

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Hayden West Loop

The elder statesman of West Loop tower cranes, at McDonald’s HQ, watches work on the new kid at Hayden West Loop.

With eight tower cranes in the air to begin November, the West Loop already leads Chicago neighborhoods in that category. And now, #9 is within sight.

Crews from Macon Construction were busy pouring the concrete foundation for the  Liebherr 550 HC 20 on Tuesday, after planting the stub late last week at 1109 West Washington. That project, named Hayden West Loop, is a two-parter from Sulo Development. Designed by Booth Hansen, it will bring 28 condominiums and 83 parking spaces. The second building is slated for a site around the corner on May Street.

This is Macon Construction’s second tower crane on our count. They also have one in the air at No. 508 in Lake View.

You can check up on progress at 900 West Washington via construction cam

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900 West Washington

Here’s a screenshot from Earthcam at 900 West Washington in the West Loop.

Just because your favorite construction bloggers go away on vacation doesn’t mean  you have to miss out on progress around Chicago. Many projects have webcams set up to let us all peek in on the goings-on.

We got an email from Earthcam this morning making sure we knew about the camera watching over 900 West, at 900 West Washington in the West Loop. All you need do is go to the development’s website here and click on the “VIEW CONSTRUCTION PROGRESS” link, and you’re right on top of the action.

Thanks for the heads-up, Earthcam!

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.