Sure, have a drink. Then let’s get back to work on the Moxy Hotel.
Following the somewhat secretive whirlwind of caisson work, all’s quiet at the future grounds of what is believed to be the Moxy Hotel at 530 North LaSalle Drive in River North. Save for one lone excavator, the lot is empty of equipment, and more resembles freshly-plowed farmland than an 8-story boutique hotel site.
I wanted to use “The After Mat” but decided against it.
Moon and crane above the Wanda Vista Tower construction site, Sunday evening.
The big pour is underway at Wanda Vista Tower.
It’s happening. The gigantic mat pour everyone’s been talking about is going on now at Wanda Vista Tower. All manner of concrete distribution is being utilized, the coolest being a line of troughs at the west end of the mat, sending concrete flowing directly from the trucks into the mass of rebar below.
Missed the fun? No you didn’t. They’ll be at it for awhile. You’ve got time to get over there.
Twitter user @henjealy spotted the temporary sidewalks on Monday.
Disregard any talk you may have heard about One South Halsted taking its sweet time getting started. A week after the foundation permit was filed by the City of Chicago, the apartment tower from Fifield Companies and F&F Realty has emptied and cordoned off the parking lot, set up temporary sidewalks on Halsted and Madison Streets, and knocked down trees on the site. There are excavators on site, plus dump trucks, equipment trailers, even a cement mixer. And, as of 9:20 this morning, one of those excavators is tearing up the asphalt.
The former Crowne Plaza parking lot has been a flurry of activity all week. Yep, One South Halsted is ready to roll into the West Loop.
The Wanda Vista Tower site is no ordinary construction yard. It is a sea of rebar. It’s a seabar.
And very very soon, it’ll be a see of concrete. Charge your camera batteries, tighten up the tripods, and set your time-lapse mode. This will be spectacular to watch. It may take hours and hours and hours for McHugh Construction to accomplish the feet, but it’s February in Chicago. Who wouldn’t want to be outside for this?
To my dearest readers, followers, and stalkers:
It is my goal to avoid posting about the same projects too often. Which is why I don’t just stare out the living room window behind me and post hourly updates of 625 West Adams. No, I try to give you some variety, getting to as many construction sites as I can to keep things fresh, so you don’t get bored. But…
The rare occurrence of sunshine and blue skies in Chicago forces a change of the rules. I know I just sent out three dozen shots of One Bennett Park last week, but that was a grey, overcast day. under cloudy skies. But Thursday? Thursday was glorious. And I assure you, every skyscraper nerd in the city was out there Thursday, snapping photos like it’s their job. And few buildings looked as spectacular bathed in sunlight than One Bennett Park.
And so, because I simply can’t help myself around this beauty, I give you, yet again, more of One Bennett Park.
#eleven rises along side Assumption Catholic Church on West Illinois Street in River North.
3Eleven, the 25-story apartment tower in River North from The John Buck Company, has reached the glass milestone. Not the glass ceiling, mind you. So far, only the windows are glass. As the tower rises to the 17th floor or so, Power Construction is starting to glaze up the exterior. 3Eleven will hold 245 rental units, 3,000 square feet of retail, and 109 parking spaces, some of which will be shared with Assumption Catholic Church next door.
1001 West Chicago from a passing Metra train.
Both components that make up the two towers of 1001 West Chicago have reached the twelfth floor. And more importantly, both have added some color. And every little splash of it helps in this cloudy, dreary winter. Thanks for that, Power Construction.
Caisson work has begun at 710 Grand on River West.
Rendering of 710 Grand from Brininstool + Lynch.
It’s gettin’ real at 710 Grand, where Revcon equipment is on hand, drilling caissons for the new 9-story apartment building from Wicker Park Apartments and Outlook Development Group. Designed by Brininstool + Lynch, this Transit Oriented Development will bring 104 new apartments to the River West neighborhood, plus ground-floor retail space, and parking for 46 cars and 80 bikes. Arco/Murray is the general contractor.
Soul City Church in the West Loop is building a three-story addition.
Soul City Church, at 1150 West Adams Street in the West Loop, filed a building permit with the City of Chicago back in October to complete a three-story addition next to the existing church. Now, Focus has erected the steel work for the 45,000-square-foot addition. When finished this summer, it will include a new auditorium, office space for church staff, and covered parking.
Building Up Chicago 