In the War On Wells, 167 West Erie outglasses the competition

Posted on October 5, 2016 by danieldschell

Windows have arrived at 167 West Erie in River North.

Construction milestones. Let’s see, you have your first permit, groundbreaking, tower crane, topping off, and grand opening. And wedged in there between tower crane and topping off would be the first glass. Be it windows, cladding, skin, whatever your blueprints call it.

Up on Wells Street in River North, there’s been a battle brewing on opposite sides of the street. 640 North Wells is the 23-story apartment tower on the west side of the street, and 167 West Erie, which sits at 637 North Wells Street, or thereabouts, competes from the east side with its 39-story endeavor. Both started construction about the same time, both erected tower crane just days apart, and have been racing ever since toward completion. (My money’s on the tower that’s just over half as tall. Duh.)

But we can declare a winner in the battle for window supremacy. (Side note: 167 West Erie won the tower crane race too, per this from the Chicago Architecture Blog) And it ain’t even close. 167 West Erie has installed glass on a few floors, while 640 remains as open to the elements as the day it was born.

: Sorry, 640 North Wells, but we can’t count those.

Look up! The entrance to the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab outdoes itself

Posted on October 5, 2016 by danieldschell

This will be the main entrance to the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab at RIC.

The question isn’t “Is this the coolest ceiling above a building entrance in Chicago?” No, the question here is “Is there even a second place?”

When the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago opens in March of next year, motorists will need to use caution when driving in and out of the main entrance facing McClurg Court. That’s because the ceiling over that entrance is a work of art all its own, and folks are likely to be standing in the driveway, staring upwards to admire it. At least, that’s what I was doing Tuesday.

Please follow this link to learn all about the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. Then have a look at a few photos of that magnificent ceiling.

: Even the service drive looks festive.

Tower Crane Update: 465 North Park starts putting it all together

Posted on October 5, 2016 by danieldschell

See there, off in the distance? They’re assembling the tower crane at 465 North Park.

Another day, another tower crane goes up. This one is for 465 North Park. The 47-story apartment tower from Jupiter Realty and Pappageorge Haymes Partners got its tower crane permit on September 6, then planted the stub during groundbreaking ceremonies on Sept. 20. Tuesday, the street crane went to work, assembling the crane high above Streeterville.

: HOLD ON

: A core begins to rise.

Construction Update: The McCormick Place Event Center

Posted on October 4, 2016 by danieldschell

The McCormick Place Event Center under construction.

It’s surely a combination of blue steel and red crane, but the construction process at the McCormick Place Event Center in the Prairie District of the South Loop is as much fun to watch as any building site in Chicago. And with the rooftop garden at McCormick Place accessible for Open House Chicago this weekend, you can climb up there and take in the view for yourself. (Make a point to check out the vegetables and herbs as well, just to have a memory of being in a garden on a roof, but you’ll be swept in by the construction.)

Quickly, before you’re deluged by a huge gallery of photos: The McCormick Place Event Center will be a 10,000-seat arena designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli serving as the home court for DePaul basketball, as well as a host to concerts, conventions, business meetings, and other sporting events. Clark Construction is the general contractor.

: They always spot me watching them.

Excavation complete, DePaul School of Music has begun composing its new facility

Posted on October 4, 2016 by danieldschell

The bass-ment has been dug, and now tuba-fours are being hammered into place, as the DePaul School of Music begins to take shape in Lincoln Park. Though the new facility will crescendo to just three stories in height, “sprawling” would be a good word to describe the footprint of this construction site. Hence the extra-long tower crane. It’s no reach to say reach is critical on this project.

Two more buildings added to Lincoln Common demolition plan

Posted on October 3, 2016 by danieldschell

2350 and 2356 North Lincoln Avenue, permitted for demolition to make room for Lincoln Common.

They don’t carry quite the glamour Children’s Memorial Hospital has garnered during demolition, but two more buildings along North Lincoln Avenue were slated for destruction last week, as the Lincoln Common project moves along in Lincoln Park.

The pair being torn down next are 2350 and 2356 North Lincoln. The City of Chicago filed demolition permits for each structure on September 28. McDonagh Demolition will do the honors, according to those permits.

: This rendering from McCaffery Interests shows the building that will replace and North Lincoln Avenue.

: The demo permit for 2350 North Lincoln Avenue.

: The demo permit for 2356 North Lincoln Avenue,

: 2356 North Lincoln Avenue.

: 2350 North Lincoln Avenue.

: Meanwhile, demolition of Children’s Memorial Hospital continues.

Construction Update: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Near North

Posted on October 3, 2016 by danieldschell

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Meetinghouse in Near North.

Construction is above street level at the new Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Meetinghouse at 822 North Clark Street in Near North. The 7-story church, designed by Dixon + Associates of Utah, began construction back in May. The full building permit was filed on the first of August. McHugh Construction is the general contractor.

Construction Update: Sedgwick Development’s 1325 North Wells

Posted on October 3, 2016 by danieldschell

1325 North Wells, by Sedgwick Properties.

1325 North Wells is new mid-rise apartment building coming to 1325 North Wells Street in Old Town. It’s being built by multi-tasker extraordinaire Sedgwick Development, which serves as architect, designer, developer, and general contractor on the project.

1325 North Wells broke ground back in March. When complete, it will provide 60 luxury 1, 2, and 3-bedroom rental units, 30 parking spots, and about 3,200 square feet of ground-level retail space. As you’ll see in the photos below, construction crews have just risen above street level.

: From humble beginnings…1325 North Wells back in April.

: The building permit, filed in October

BREAKING: River Point still looks outrageous at night

Gallery

Posted on October 1, 2016 by danieldschell

This gallery contains 9 photos.

Tower Crane Update: Centrum Hubbard and 412 North Wells

Posted on September 30, 2016 by danieldschell

Centrum Hubbard 412 North Wells tower crane

The tower crane is real. And it is spectacular.

The stump has been planted, the foundation poured and cured, and all the parts are assembled in mid-air. The tower crane at Centrum Hubbard and 412 North Wells is ready to go.

That single tower crane will erect both the 9-story office building (412 North Wells) and the 23-story, 193-unit residential tower (Centrum Hubbard) in the lot at Wells and Hubbard. Both buildings were designed by next-door neighbor Hirsch Associates. And with it now in place, it’s time for digging some foundations. Not by the tower crane though. The excavation equipment will handle that task.

Gallery I: Tuesday assembly