The Cubs get a tower crane with 11 Ws

Posted on by
1
Hotel Zachary Tower crane

The moon and the tower crane shine bright next to Wrigley Field, where the Chicago Cubs play baseball. They just won the World Series. Have you heard about that?

That’s right, it’s a towwwwwwwwwwwer crane. Because when you win the last three series of your season – 3 wins, then 4, then 4 more games – and finish 2016 as The World Series Champions, you use 11 Ws wherever you want to use them.

It’s not the Cubs Hotel, but the Hotel Zachary being built at 3630 North Clark Street in Lake View. It’s right across the street from Wrigley Field (perhaps you’ve seen something about that ballpark in the news recently) and its developer is Hickory Street Capital, an entity of the Ricketts family, who own the Chicago Cubs. So you see, it’s all connected. I think The Hotel Russell on Addison would be a better name, but I haven’t been asked for my input.

Anyway, the tower crane went up at some point during the Playoffs. I was too stressed by the Cubs not sweeping their 11 wins to notice much construction-wise around Wrigley. If you’ll recall, the Hotel Zachary will be a 7-story, mixed-use facility with 175 guest rooms (known as “keys” in some spaces), retail space, and several restaurants.

Remarkably, crews were still digging sand from the site on Monday. A quick survey of Walsh Construction workers (two of them) confirmed there is a surprising quantity of the stuff. Did Lake Michigan really extend as far west as Clark Street back in the day?

IMPORTANT REMINDER: EVERY TEAM IN EVERY MAJOR SPORT HAS WAITED LONGER FOR A CHAMPIONSHIP THAN THE CHICAGO CUBS!

 

Old 7-story brick building in Lincoln Park to be demolished for 7-story brick building

Posted on by
1
700 West Fullerton

Scaffolding has been erected on the east facade of the Nellie A. Black Pavilion.

On the final day of October, the City of Chicago issued a demolition permit for the Nellie A. Black Memorial Pavilion, at 700 West Fullerton Parkway in Lincoln Park. Built in the 1932, it made Preservation Chicago’s “Chicago 7” list in 2016, along with its neighbor across the street, the Martha Wilson Memorial Pavilion. That building is already rubble, along with most of the old Children’s Memorial Hospital.

Crains' render 700 West Fullerton

The rendering from Crain’s Chicago’s story of the new Belmont Village Senior Living building. Look familiar?

Crain’s Chicago posted back in June that Chicago-based Harrison Street Capital and Houston-based Belmont Village Senior Living bought the building, with the intent of constructing a senior-living facility on the site. The rendering Crain’s included in the story, seen to the right, looks remarkably similar to the Nellie Black Pavilion. I could be oversimplifying things, but maybe that 80-year-old edifice could have been re-purposed for the senior living project? Eh, what do I know.

Monday, workers were constructing scaffolding on the facade. Expect dust and pallets of used bricks to follow shortly. American Demolition will do the dirty work.

Elevate Lincoln Park raises a tower crane

Posted on by
Reply

Having ceremoniously broken ground on the first of the month, Elevate Lincoln Park has begun celebrating yet another milestone; a tower crane is being assembled on the site of the future rental development. It’s a shiny yellow one too, the best kind. And you’ll be able to see it next to the elevated tracks when riding the Red, Brown, and Purple Line trains. It more than makes up for not getting to watch people play tennis atop the old Lincoln Centre condos, right? Wait. Did anyone ever play tennis up there?

Moot point. What’s important here is this: Elevate Lincoln Park, a Baker Development project, will feature 191 apartments, three levels of parking, and ground-floor commercial space, designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz.

Glass is in session at 640 North Wells

Posted on by
Reply
640 North Wells

The curtain goes up at 640 North Wells in River North.

In The War On Wells, 640 North Wells lost the first-glass prize to The Gallery On Wells across the street. But not to worry. 640 rallied, and came back with a curtain wall of its own, one that gleams on sunny days. For now, two rows of glass have moved into the tower. Soon, all 23 stories and 251 units will glisten in the sunlight, as JDL Development moves toward a Summer 2017 opening.

Zaha Hadid condos rise along New York City’s High Line

Posted on by
Reply
img_3142

520 West 28th, designed by Zaha Hadid, under construction along the High Line in West Chelsea.

I knew I’d see a lot of construction along New York City’s High Line elevated park; I also know I’d wish for more time. (All these photos are from atop the High Line itself; there wasn’t time to walk 360 degrees around construction sites.)

A standout of that construction? 520 West 28th Street in West Chelsea, from Related Companies. Designed by the late great Zaha Hadid along with Ismael Leyva Architects, 520 West 28th brings 39 uber-luxurious condos over 11 floors, right next to the High Line, in a modern, curvy building. Stay away from the $50,000,000 penthouse on the top three floors though; I’ve already committed to buying that one.

P.S. The High Line is a glorious place. I can’t wait to get back.

River Point Plaza is starting to look like a park of dreams

Posted on by
Reply
River Point Plaza

Some day soon, we’ll be able to hang out in River Point Plaza, gazing up at the glorious new tower.

The one-and-a-half-acre park at the foot of River Point looks more and more inviting every day. That means soon, on days like Tuesday when it was in the high 70s in Chicago, the public will be able to take a book out onto the elevated plaza and enjoy the views of the Chicago River below, and the new office tower directly overhead. Developer Hines (remember our visit to 53W53 last week?) plans to have River Point and its plaza open in early 2017.

 

Construction Progress: 151 North Franklin

Posted on by
Reply
151 North Franklin

Kudos to Lendlease; they #FlyTheW while they #FlyTheIron.

The CNA Center, 151 North Franklin Street in the Loop. A 35-story office tower with 820,000 rentable square feet.

Enough words. More pictures.

 

 

New York City construction gallery: 53W53

Posted on by
Reply
53W53

A stunning rendering from the 53W53 website.

53W53 will be an 82-story condominium tower in Midtown Manhattan. Designed by noted starchitect Jean Nouvel, 53W53 will feature 160 “high-end” (does New York City have any condos that *aren’t* high-end?) units. Developed by Hines (let’s hear it for River Point!) and Pontiac Land Group, the project will also include 52,000 square feet of exhibition space for the adjacent Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)

You should be quite familiar by now with the general contractor on 53W53; Lendlease is working on several Chicago projects, including 640 North Wells, 151 North Franklin, One Bennett Park, and Riverline.

For extensive coverage of 53W53 construction, please visit New York Yimby here.

For more about the Museum of Modern Art, click here.

1136 South Wabash makes its presence heard in the South Loop

Posted on by
Reply

1136 South Wabash burst onto the scene back at the beginning of October with two building permits, one for a foundation, one for a full build, on the same day. Now, it’s ringing in fall with a bang. Actually, dozens and dozens of them. Crews are driving piles into the South Loop soil like Kyle Schwarber attacking the first pitches he’s seen in six months. Gotta feel a little bit sorry for the folks working at the Five Guys next door; only a single wall separates them from the hammering of steel. Though the burgers are worth it.

The SCB-designed 1136 South Wabash tower will deliver 320 apartments and 143 parking spaces near the corner of Wabash and Roosevelt, along with some ground-floor retail. CA Ventures is your developer, with Lendlease as the general contractor.