One Bennett Park keeps wowing in Streeterville

Posted on March 20, 2017 by danieldschell

You’d think someone was in a hurry to see One Bennett Park accomplish completion, as fast as it’s risen so far. Not me. I want progress to slow down while it’s still close enough to the ground to get a good look. At least until we put a deposit down on our penthouse unit. Then we’ll need construction to ramp up considerably so we can move in before another month’s rent is due.

Also, how has it been a month and a half since I’ve stopped by? Oh, that’s right, it was my own refusal to see it on anything but a beautiful sunny day.

Well, I got one. And that means you get many. Photos, that is. Here ya go:

: From across the river at Vista Tower.

: Reflections in 500 North Lake Shore Drive.

: LaGrange Crane is on hand.

A Chicago Water Tank finds salvation

Posted on March 17, 2017 by danieldschell

Hooray for the Salvation Army, saving the water tank atop the thrift store at 509 North Union.

Water tanks make the news when they crash to the ground, or are torn down on purpose. So it’s always nice to see efforts to save them

Last week, the City of Chicago issued a permit to repair the water tank atop the Salvation Army thrift store at 509 North Union Avenue in River West. A character tank, this is, one with very distinctive markings. It can’t be mistaken for any other water tank in Chicago. And it looks like it will remain in the skyline for a long time.

Kudos to the Salvation Army for spending the resources to save this tank. According to the permit, Perry & Associates of Chicago is the structural engineer for the tank and stand repair; Pinnacle Development of Forest Park will handle the physical labor.

: The Permit.

One Grant Park is officially on tower-crane watch as caissons wrap up

Posted on March 17, 2017 by danieldschell

Case Foundation breaks down a caisson rig Thursday at One Grant Park in the South Loop.

Down at One Grant Park in the South Loop, Case Foundation has disassembled most of its caisson equipment and hauled it away. And while I’m no math genius, I couldn’t count more than one caisson on site that still awaits its concrete filling.

Now B.U.C. crews will be monitoring the lot at Roosevelt and Michigan 24/7, watching for tower crane parts to arrive. The City of Chicago issued that permit on February 1st, so somewhere there’s a free-standing Potain MD 485B seething to get into the game. It’s March Madness time; I say BRING IT ON.

: There it is, The Final Caisson.

: And everyone wants to see it.

: Pulling counterweights off the caisson rig.

: Most of the tall stuff is gone now. Until the tower crane arrives, at least.

: Yep, they’re off the Case.

A roof-top crane means 3Eleven nears topping out

Posted on March 15, 2017 by danieldschell

This permit, issued Tuesday, allows Power Construction to put a crane on the roof of 3Eleven.

A permit issued last week for a “TEMPORARY TIMBERLAND ASD 35-100 DERRICK CRANE ON ROOF LEVEL” means the John Buck Company’s 3Eleven must be getting close to topping out. I mean, no one puts stuff up on a roof if they don’t anticipate having a roof in the near future, right?

Sure enough, Power Construction says they’ll top out the 25-story apartment tower near the end of the month. Just the 23rd floor, the penthouse-level 24th floor, and mechanical 25th floor remain to be added until it’s roof time.

Rendering of 3Eleven from FitzGerald Associates Architects.

Working in the shadows.

Spotted: A mini tower crane in Phoenix. And IT IS ADORABLE

Posted on March 11, 2017 by danieldschell

One mini tower crane and lots of wood combine on Broadstone Roosevelt Row.

How many times do you sit at home, wondering why we have to live in a world where not every construction project will rise high enough to merit the use of a tower crane? Remember that in Chicago, we have a two-story project (Apple Store) and a three-story project (DePaul School of Music) that have tower cranes, so is there really a good reason not to have one? If only there was a market for mini-tower cranes.

And then boom. No pun intended. But here, on the streets of Phoenix, Arizona, I’ve found such a creature. All business up top, all counterweights down low. Like someone went to the gym only on leg day. It’s being utilized to build Broadstone Roosevelt Row, a multi-family residential block from Alliance Development. The design is by ORB (Office of Rich Barber) Architects of Phoenix. If I knew how to find building permits for Phoenix, I’d offer a little more information about the number of units and the like, but you’ll just have to settle for a few renderings and construction photos. And since Broadstone Roosevelt Row is a wooden wonderland right now, that’s not such a bad thing.

Oh, and that adorable little tower crane, too.

**My apologies to the general contractor on this one, as I haven’t been able to identify who it is. If someone lets me know, I’ll add them.

: Mini tower crane, and a little bit of the wood work, from a distance.

: Crane and sky. If you squint, it looks like a grown-up tower crane.

: The impressive weight stack.

: There *is* some concrete involved.

: Broadstone Roosevelt Row rendering from ORB Architects.

: Broadstone Roosevelt Row rendering from ORB Architects.

A Sunny Day At: The Phoenix Hampton Inn and Suites

Posted on March 9, 2017 by danieldschell

The Hampton Inn and Suites by The M.A. Mortenson Company, at Polk and 1st Streets in downtown Phoenix.

I hear sunny days are fairly common around these parts. So far, I concur.

Out in the far west suburb of Phoenix, Arizona, the M.A. Mortenson Company has just started construction on an 11-story Hampton Inn and Suites at the intersection of Polk and 1st Streets in the heart of downtown. Designed by PK Architects, the $33-million hotel will provide 210 guest rooms, and include amenities including a fitness center, meeting rooms, a business center, and a bar/lounge.

Here’s an OxBlue construction webcam

You can read more about the Hampton Inn and Suites at AZ Big Media

: Working on some sort of sunken maze.

: The Maze.

: This has nothing to do with the construction, but it’s either a tornado, or a huge margarita glass, and it’s kinda cool.

Prepping for a tower crane jump at Centrum Hubbard

Posted on March 7, 2017 by danieldschell

Two new sections of tower crane wait to take their reps at Centrum Hubbard.

All the tell-tale signs are there: Extra tower crane parts … Okay, that’s really the only tell-tale sign there is. But it’s also the only one you need.

Centrum Hubbard made (my) headlines last week by installing the first few panes of glass on the future residential building, and now it looks like the tower crane is gonna be jumpin’ very soon. of course, if you look towards the top of the crane, it appears it may have jumped recently, as well.

165 North Desplaines goes craneless

Posted on March 6, 2017 by danieldschell

You are in no danger of losing your jobs to me. I’ll be fine down here on terra firma.

This past weekend at 165 North Desplaines in the West Loop was spent dismantling and hauling away the tower crane that had been erecting the rental development since June of last year. The 14-story building topped out in late January, and now it’s a matter of buttoning up the exterior, and getting to work on 199 apartment interiors.

: Saturday morning, and disassembly begins.

: Moon and crane.

: Saturday night, a partial crane remains.

: Back at it Sunday morning.

: Lots of NOPE here

: Top o’ the Tower.

: Flying The W until the very end.

: Down the road it goes.

Dig this: There’s action at Nobu. (No, really, there is!)

Posted on March 4, 2017 by danieldschell

https://twitter.com/MalcolmMossman/status/837021488054222849

Just when we were starting to believe the Nobu Hotel project might be kaput, there appears to be whole-scale excavation happening on the lot at Randolph and Peoria Streets in the West Loop.

Twitter user @MalcolmMossman tweeted the above photo on Wednesday, after wandering past the site and noticing Taylor Excavation’s equipment peeking out above the secretive fencing. And sure enough, a closer inspection shows some real-live digging. Foundation work? Let’s hope so. It’s nice to see some ground move after it was broken way back in June.

: A machine that makes big dirt small. Cool.

: Not seeing any action at Nobu was getting tired, so this makes sense.

165 North Desplaines tower crane comes down this weekend

Posted on March 3, 2017 by danieldschell

A friday-night look at the 165 North Desplaines tower crane, which comes down this weekend.

The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away.

The West Loop got two new tower cranes within the past week, and on the same lot to boot, when McDonald’s erected a pair at 110 North Carpenter. But now we’ll have to give one back.

165 North Desplaines topped out over a month ago — on January 26th, to be exact — and now all the heavy lifting is done, and it’s time for this tower crane to move on. An email from the 42nd Ward tells us that happens this weekend.

As you shed a tear for the departing tower crane, remember we should have one soon at One South Halsted. And perhaps the Nobu Hotel, should this week’s excavation work be the real deal.

My iPhone and I stopped by 165 North Desplaines on the way home tonight, to take one last look.

: Crews were clearing access to the tower crane base Friday night.

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