The Cassidy Tire building is disappearing, from the southwest corner inwards.
Piles of beams. Piles of bricks. Piles of pallets for the piles of bricks.
Besides seeing so much of the building missing, that’s what stands out at the Cassidy Tire demolition site at 344 North Canal. The bricks, obviously, will be reused; you don’t spend hours and hours like the three-man crew was doing Sunday to palletize those if you’re not going to reuse them. As for the beams, hopefully they’ll find a new purpose somewhere. A few of the zoom-in shots I’ve gotten during the demo process have shown those old wood beams looking as perfect as the day they were set in place.
In case you’re wondering, yes. I’ll likely return to this site every weekend until there’s nothing left to see, much like I did when the ADM Milling Company was torn down in the far West Loop. There’s something perversely fascinating about demolition, about seeing a structure laid open, exposed for all to see. Maybe it’s wrong to keep staring, to keep capturing close-ups from every angle. But I can’t look away.
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A demolition permit was issued 11/05/2021 to make space A pile and foundation permit was issued 11/24/2021 A permit to build through the third floor was also issued on 11/24/2021 A tower crane permit was issued 11/30/2021 A full permit for 27 stories was issued 02/04/2022 A hoist permit was issued 02/09/2022
And now, lots of photos of a little bit of glass. But it’s not just any glass; it’s the first glass.
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A permit was issued May 23rd for a five-story “inpatient hospital building” at 516 South Loomis. Earlier anticipation of this project may show an address of 1400 West Harrison. Either way, this is the place. Rush is developing the hospital along with Select Medical.
This is what Rush had to say in a news release for the groundbreaking:
Select Medical and Rush University System for Health held a ceremonial ground-breaking to celebrate the new RUSH Specialty Hospital being built on Chicago’s West Side.
The 100-bed facility will be a combined critical illness recovery and inpatient rehabilitation hospital on the RUSH University Medical Center campus. The hospital is slated to open in 2024 and will feature 44 critical illness recovery and 56 inpatient rehabilitation beds.
“It is the beginning of what will be excellent care for our community,” said RUSH CEO Dr. K. Ranga Rama Krishnan.
To celebrate the construction of the future hospital, RUSH and Select Medical executives were joined by local leaders, including 28th Ward Alderman Jason C. Ervin and Illinois state Rep. Lakesia Collins.
“It’s a phenomenal partnership that speaks to innovation and brings patients the care they need when, where and how they need it,” said RUSH University Medical Center President and CEO Dr. Omar Lateef.
Together as partners, Select Medical and RUSH are delivering a world-class acute to post-acute continuum of care for Chicagoans.
“The promise of excellence is often achieved through our joint ventures,” said Tom Mullin, executive vice president of hospital operations for Select Medical.
In addition to the new RUSH Specialty Hospital, Select Medical contributed 63 of its outpatient centers to the joint venture. Today, those locations are rebranded RUSH Physical Therapy, and the footprint has expanded to 71 centers, including 19 dedicated to pediatrics under the RUSH Kids Physical Therapy brand.
Power Construction is the general contractor, with assistance on concrete from Adjustable Concrete Construction. Stalworth Underground rigs are on site drilling caissons. Like I said, this is a very busy two-block area, with the Joan and Paul Rubschlager Building nearing completion, along with its adjoining parking garage. The photos below include all three projects.
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Ride the #80 bus past 4445 West Irving Park Road and you won’t see many new signs of construction on Northwestern Medicine’s 4-story facility. But get off the bus and take a peek into the abyss and you’ll see there’s a lot going on below street level. The block-long site still looks like a deep excavation, but not nearly as deep as the first visit back in April.
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1044 West Van Buren was part of Chicago’s mini growth spurt of tower cranes in late May. And it’s doing what tower cranes do: turning empty lots into new buildings. This one in particular, designed by Antunovich Associates for Tandem (with Adjustable Concrete on concrete duty), will rise to 18 stories and deliver 196 apartments to the south end of the West Loop.
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Want to spot the tower crane but don’t have time to stop for it? Take a Brown Line train north out of the Belmont Station, then have your camera ready as you go over the Red Line Bypass. Don’t have time to do even that? Stare at the photo above.
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How cool is this crane at The Seng/Common Lincoln Park?!
I should have known this sooner so I could make a Big Deahl out of it.
This is my apology to Power Construction, Structured Development, GREC Architects, and everyone else affiliated with construction on The Seng and Common Lincoln Park. While I was bemoaning only having one lighted tower crane in Chicago, we actually had two of them. This one at 853 West Blackhawk being the second one.
I’ll get more photos of it ASAP, but in the meantime, I’m sorry, all. This sucker is cool, and I missed it. Once I’m forgiven, I’ll ask about lighting up the other Big Deahl crane at 1475 North Kingsbury… (too soon? pushing my luck?)
One of you up there in those existing towers should have turned me on to this. Shame. Shout-out to Jimmy Freer for clueing me in on Facebook.
The view of the Fulton River District’s 354 North Union from the Fulton Market District.
The coolest of Chicago’s current tower crane crop is at 354 North Union. No contest. The lighted crane always wins. Kudos to Onni Group for lighting up yet another.
I stopped by Saturday night to take a few shots in the dark. Wish my photography skills were better, but even bad photos of lit up tower cranes are cool. Also in the gallery are some progress shots taken throughout the month of May.
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The first two of three tower cranes at the Obama Presidential Center.
Chicago has 19 active tower cranes in the sky to begin the month of June, 2022, as of the end of Memorial Day weekend. The variable here is 513 South Damen. The crane was still up Sunday, but the tower has been topped out, and it’s *slightly* possible it has started its descent before June 1. But it’s being included in the count as “active.”
Okay, *two* variables. 732 West Randolph wasn’t completely erected as of Sunday, but we’re counting that one as a June crane.
Where are the cranes?
West Loop – 6 South Loop – 3 Near North – 3 Woodlawn – 2 Five “neighborhoods” have one crane each: Illinois Medical District (513 South Damen); Fulton River District (354 North Union); Lake View (3501 North Halsted); River North (HUGO); Irving Park (4445 W Irving Park)
What are they building?
Residential – 14(wow) Medical – 2 Cultural Institutions – 2 Office – 1 (732 West Randolph)
How many cranes are lit up at night?
Just one: 354 North Union
This month, we’re starting up north and heading south:
4445 West Irving Park3501 North Halsted1475 North Kingsbury and 853 West Blackhawk (Big Deahl)808 North Cleveland751 North Hudson (HUGO)354 North Union166 North Aberdeen164 North Peoria (900 Randolph)160 North Elizabeth160 North Morgan732 West Randolph1044 West Van Buren513 South Damen234 West Polk (The Reed at Southbank)1000 South Michigan (1000M)1400 South Wabash6001 South Stony Island (The Obama Presidential Center)
As always, the Building Up Chicago Tower Crane Survey is not a scientific poll. If I’ve missed any, hit me up. And if you know of a tower crane out in the ‘burbs, let me know about those too. I hope to get to the outskirts some time soon.
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Some architecture is tired, as some is *for* tires. The Cassidy Tire building at 344 North Canal was, at least for the last part of its life, the latter. I went back Memorial Day weekend, twice, to see Atlas Industries’ demolition progress, both in daylight and after dark. Sadly, I was the one holding the camera, so the night shooting wasn’t terribly successful. But you get the gist.
See what I mean?
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