Jane Byrne Flyover throws a curve. Actually, another curve.

Posted on August 1, 2016 by danieldschell

A new section of the Jane Byrne Flyover takes shape on the west side of the Halsted Street bridge.

Connecting traffic from the inbound Dan Ryan Expressway to the outbound Eisenhower Expressway, the Jane Byrne Flyover has been entertaining scores of bloggers with windows in direct view of the action for months as it curves over top of the Circle Interchange. But lest anyone get complacent, McHugh Construction threw us for a loop (heh) last week.

https://twitter.com/BuildUpChicago/status/758479988224102400

As we stared out our windows waiting for the next girders (I was told to say “girders” instead of “beams.” I know that may be technically correct, but “Girder me up, Scotty!” and “Girder there, done that” just don’t work) to be placed over top of Halsted Street, there suddenly appeared more beams (old habits) from the west. I like it. Shake things up a little.

So guess what I did? Yep, I went down there and snapped a few shots. Here ya go:

: You see, I expected to see new girders here…

: …here…

: …here…

: …but I got them here…

: …here…

: …here…

: Skyline. Cranes. Bridgework. You got it all.

: Uhhh, a couple of these are bent.

: Steve.

: Hey Steve!

Uncertain Nobu Hotel project broke ground, and now they’re…testing it?

Posted on July 30, 2016 by danieldschell

There’s a soil sampling rig on the site of the Nobu Hotel, more than a month after ground-breaking ceremonies.

In movie-industry terms, the Robert De Niro-led Nobu Hotel planned for the West Loop could be in a production delay. It seems the film has been cast, and it looks like the plot will stay relatively true to the original screenplay. But there’s some doubt as to the length of the movie now. (I’ll let DNAInfo explain that.) Which, of course, could affect budget.

What I do know for sure is there are no permits in place for construction to begin at Nobu, other than a pseudo-demo permit to remove an old foundation from the site. And there was a soil sampling rig on the Nobu site at 846 West Randolph Street this week. That’s not terribly unusual to see at an active construction site, but it still feels odd when a big deal was made of the ground-breaking ceremony.

I guess what I’m saying is, I’d wait to buy your popcorn before seeing this De Niro production. It might get cold before the movie starts.

165 North Desplaines is in the Crane Game

Posted on July 28, 2016 by danieldschell

It’s here! 165 North Desplaines fully assembled its tower crane today.

If you’re on my list of having a tower crane permit, but you still haven’t erected your tower crane yet, please step forward.

Hey, not so fast, 165 North Desplaines.

Yep, it’s up. Today, and maybe parts of yesterday, crews in the West Loop assembled a tower crane over top of North Desplaines Street. As you can’t quite tell from the photo above, it extends out over Randolph Street. Not that it will be lifting things that way, but it needs the reach to cover the lot from Desplaines east to Jefferson.

And now, I bring you A Tower Crane From Every Angle:

W.E. O’Neil begins construction on Plumbers Local 130 Training Center

Posted on July 28, 2016 by danieldschell

Demolition of the old Plumbing Industry Center in May.

First, it was what looked like a fairly nice building. Then, it was a hole in the ground. Now, there’s stuff going on in that hole. And it’s construction.

After breaking ground at 1400 West Washington Boulevard on June 28th, W.E. O’Neil is rolling on the new Plumbers Local 130 Training Center. The 3-story, 50,000-square-foot building in the West Loop will facilitate the education of journeymen and apprentice plumbers from all around Chicago.

Designed by Gensler, the project got underway with an April demolition permit for the old Plumbing Industry Center, followed by the new construction permit issued June 21st. It’s expected by this time next year, the training center will be complete.

: Revcon is right in the middle of things, doing caisson work.

: A rendering from the W.E. O’Neil website.

: Another W.E. O’Neil render.

: The old building. Didn’t look half bad.

: A very glarey building permit.

: Trucking in caisson equipment.

: Rebar tubes.

Demolition Update: The Shows No Longer Go On At Harpo Studios

Posted on July 27, 2016 by danieldschell

Let’s be honest. You know when Heneghan Wrecking shows up at the studio, your show has been canceled.

Heneghan Wrecking is making more space in the West Loop. This time, it’s for McDonald’s.

Harpo Studios, former television home of Oprah Winfrey, was issued a demolition permit last week, and this week, the carnage has begun. Starting with the north wall, the building is being knocked down, scooped up, and dumped into waiting haulers. In its place, the new McDonald’s corporate office that was approved by the Chicago Plan Commission the day after the demo permit was filed. Ah, synergy.

https://twitter.com/ChicagoDPD/status/756198487595819008

There is no truth to the rumor that someone on site is handing out bits of rubble to demolition spectators, yelling “YOU get a brick, YOU get a brick, EVERYBODY gets a brick!”

: The staircase inside the North Carpenter Street entrance.

: The beast must be fed.

: A service entrance off North Aberdeen, no longer accepting deliveries.

: The Demo Permit.

Tower Crane Update: 165 North Desplaines Joins The Parade

Posted on July 22, 2016 by danieldschell

Don’t hide from us, we want to watch you sprout!

It’s hard to be everywhere every day.

I don’t know what day Power Construction planted their tower crane at 165 North Desplaines in the West Loop. I just know it was there when I went by Thursday. And really, just seeing it there is enough.

To remind you, 165 North Desplaines will be a 14-story apartment tower from developer Gerding Edlen. Designed by Chicago’s GREC Architects, it will contain 199 units, with 99 parking spaces and some retail space on the ground floor.

: Caisson work just wrapped up.

: 152 North Jefferson, “behind” 165 North Desplaines, is being renovated as part of the development.

: A rendering from GREC Architects of what 165 North Desplaines will look like.

: One of the buildings that formerly stood on this lot.

: And the taller of the demolished structures…

: …which used to have this cool stairway…

: …and this equally cool indoor, sideways water tank.

Demolition Permit Filed for Harpo Studios

Posted on July 21, 2016 by danieldschell

WRECK AND REMOVE A 1 TO 3 STORY CONCRETE COMMERCIAL BUILDING

That’s not just any commercial building. That’s Harpo Studios, the former home of Oprah Winfrey’s television empire. By now, everyone knows McDonald’s will be making its new home on this site, And yesterday, the City of Chicago filed the official demolition permit to knock down what should have been called “StudiOprah.” But no one asked me.

Heneghan Wrecking will do the dirty work of tearing down the building.

Harpo Studios, 110 North Carpenter Street.

Harpo Studios was doomed the moment the soil sampling rig stepped foot on the lot.

When they get around to demolishing this, the southeast corner of Harpo Studios, I’ll have the best seat in the house.

The Demolition Permit

Quick Look: Halsted Street Bridge CTA Canopy

Posted on July 18, 2016 by danieldschell

Another night-closure for the Halsted Street bridge, as crews work on the CTA canopy to the UIC-Halsted Blue Line station. The canopy first started going up in late April, two-and-a-half months ago. I guess it’s a much more involved project than it looks.

: Zoom in. Work on the Halsted Street Bridge CTA canopy.

: Zoom out.

: Barricades close off traffic at the south end of the Halsted Street Bridge.

: Construction started April 29th.

The Calm Before the Storm at 165 North Desplaines

Posted on July 16, 2016 by danieldschell

Where did all that equipment go? 165 North Desplaines is (temporarily) very quiet.

Tear it down.

Smooth it over.

Dig the holes.

Smooth it over.

Such is the cycle of life for a construction site. We’re in that fourth phase now at 165 North Desplaines. It’s eerily quiet, now that caisson equipment has been shipped off (is some of it now at 3Eleven?).

Of course, the silence won’t last. Expect Power Construction to swamp the lot soon to build the foundation and set up a tower crane. (Perhaps in that first big hole in the southwest corner of the lot?)

Seems to me this could be a good place for a new tower crane.

Things got all smoothed over in June, too. After demolition was complete, but before caisson work started.

Shout-out to Power Construction for having a chair waiting for me on site.

Spotted at 3Eleven, another Power site. Did it travel direct from 165 North Desplaines?

590 West Madison Pocket Park Finally Starting To Sprout

Posted on July 15, 2016 by danieldschell

Shrubbery in the 590 Madison pocket park.

It may look more like a Christmas tree farm than a pocket park, but at least something is happening at 590 West Madison Street in the West Loop. And that could mean something much, much bigger is just ahead.

As the Chicago Architecture Blog reported back in February, 590 Madison is an office tower proposed for the block of North Jefferson Street stretching from Madison to Washington. But the city said no such tower can be built until the pocket park at the Washington end of the lot is addressed. And address it they have.

590 Madison dreams of being a 41-story tower. Designed by Goettsch Partners, it would have a 330-room hotel on the lower floors, the 616,000 square feet of rentable office space from the 19th floor on up. But we must wait and see. Let’s get that park finished up first, then look for permission from the City of Chicago to start building.