Caisson work is underway at 333 North Green

Posted on April 20, 2018 by danieldschell

Case Foundation sends caissons into the ground at Sterling Bay’s 333 North Green office-tower project.

Perhaps you’ve noticed some recent activity in the Fulton Market District area of the West Loop. What’s that? Be more specific? Oh, a wise guy.

Yeah, there’s a lot going on in this very busy neighborhood. And it’s not about to slow down yet. Case in point: 333 North Green, a 19-story office tower from the West Loop’s own mega-active developer Sterling Bay. (Editor’s note: the three 3s in “GR333N” is a nice touch.) Designed by Gensler, 333 North Green will boast 555,524 square feet of office space from the 6th floor on up. The ground floor will provide 35,000 square feet of retail space, while floors 2-5 will contain parking spots for 300+ cars.

Case Foundation is on site at this very moment–go look, I can wait–drilling caissons into the earth. Power Construction, another ridiculously-busy entity right now in the West Loop, is the general contractor. Their task is to have 333 North Green open for business in 2019.

: The Foundation Permit, issued April 12.

: Site prep, early April.

: Bye bye, parking lot.

: Bye bye, cool I-beam thing.

The Paragon Chicago continues its gain of height, glass

Posted on April 11, 2018 by danieldschell

The glassy, sunny Paragon Chicago is growing into its lot at 1326 South Michigan Avenue in the South Loop.

Few of the city’s construction sites bask in the sunlight quite like The Paragon Chicago.

Walsh Construction continues to make upward progress on the future 47-story apartment tower by Solomon Cordwell Buenz. The joint effort by Murphy Development Group and CIM Group will deliver 500 new units to the South Loop upon its opening next spring.

Essex on the Park taking over the skyline on Michigan Avenue

Posted on April 11, 2018 by danieldschell

Essex on the Park, and the Plane.

Not North Michigan Avenue, where the sidewalks are narrow and choked with pedestrians. This is South Michigan Avenue, in the South Loop. Where one can actually stop on the sidewalk and take in the sights without getting in anyone else’s way. The Other Mile. The cool Michigan Avenue.

Essex on the Park keeps rising higher and higher at 808 South Michigan Avenue, on its way to 56 stories in height. Credit Power Construction for the progress; Hartshorne Plunkard Associates for the design; Oxford Capital Group for the development.

110 North Wacker earns a foundation permit

Posted on April 10, 2018 by danieldschell

A rendering of 110 North Wacker, which received its foundation permit from the City of Chicago Monday, from Goettsch Partners.

A foundation permit was issued Monday for 110 North Wacker, the 54-story office tower that will replace the now-demolished (and much-photographed-in-the-process) Morton Salt Building. Case Foundation will be out on site in the very near future, handling the foundations alongside general contractor Clark Construction.

All yous up there in the surrounding high-rises, get those demolition cameras down, put up your construction cams, and be ready to send in your bird’s-eye views!

: The Foundation Permit, issued Monday, April 9. Ain’t it glorious!

: 110 North Wacker rendering from Goettsch partners.

: Morton Salt/GGP Building, mid-demolition.

: It’s all gone now, ready for new growth.

One Grant Park continues to spring upwards as April arrives

Posted on April 10, 2018 by danieldschell

One Grant Park rises above the trees at the south end of–you guessed it–Grant Park.

You know lots about One Grant Park by now, right? 76 stories, 792 apartments, and not even the biggest tower McHugh Construction is working on in Chicago right now. No respect, I’m tellin’ ya.

Let’s just cut right to some progress photos then.

It’s a Glaze of Glory as Vista Tower raises the curtain wall

Posted on April 9, 2018 by danieldschell

Good glazes!! That’s glass on Vista Tower!

You’ve waited a long time for this. We all have. And now, it’s happening.

Vista Tower has glass.

Not lots of glass. Not big sheets of glass. Just little bits of glass. Almost slivers of it. But it’s still glass. Windows. Cladding. Curtain wall. Whatever you want to call it, it’s here. And it’s glorious to think how this tower will look once it’s entirely glazed.

I thought you might like to see it, so I took some photos.

After 18 months of labor, the tower crane comes down at 465 North Park

Posted on April 9, 2018 by danieldschell

A tower crane at half-mast; you know a tower is nearing completion.

Remember when the stub photobombed groundbreaking ceremony? (Photo courtesy 465 North Park)

A year and a half after being put into service above Streeterville, the tower crane at 465 North Park came down last week. Power Construction used it to erect the 48-story, 444-unit apartment tower by Pappageorge Haymes Partners for Jupiter Realty, but with the exterior topped out and glazed, it’s time to concentrate on getting interiors ready for the anticipated opening later this year.

You can reminisce about tower crane assembly at this link, then check out the gallery of the crane coming down below.

Three Sixty West gets in on the tower crane fun

Posted on April 4, 2018 by danieldschell

https://twitter.com/BelgraviaGroup/status/979094200095526915

It is the absolute newest tower crane to hit the Chicago skyline, so it’s no wonder developer Belgravia Group tweeted about it last week.

Belgravia is building Three Sixty West at 360 West Erie Street in River North. Formerly the site of the impressively-decked Citizen Bar, and one of those ever-popular surface parking lots, the site will soon be home to the GREC Architects-designed 11-story, 38-unit condominium tower. Condo delivery is expected in early 2019.

Three Sixty West marks the official entry onto our Chicago Tower Crane Survey for Maris Construction. We’ve documented Maris Construction’s work on CA Washington in the West Loop, but that gig didn’t require a Big Rig. This one does, so welcome, Maris!

The Three Sixty West website has a section dedicated to Tower Crane Arrival Day. If that’s not enough to make you want to live here, you’re not living at all.

: The Building Permit, issued November 7, 2017.

: The Tower Crane permit, issued January 16, 2018.

: The demolition permit for the former Citizen Bar building.

: The former Citizen Bar/former 360 West Erie sales center.

: GREC Architects rendering.

: GREC Architects rendering.

: GREC Architects rendering.

: GREC Architects rendering.

: GREC Architects rendering.

Progress Update: The Simpson Querrey Biomedical Research Center

Posted on April 3, 2018 by danieldschell

Simpson Querrey Biomedical Research Center April 2018

The Simpson Querrey Biomedical Research Center, at 303 East Superior Street in Streeterville.

My apologies in advance for not making it here in nicer weather. This curvy-on-one-side glass beauty deserves to be viewed under blue skies.

Gone are the two tower cranes that held court atop the Simpson Querrey Biomedical Research Center that Northwestern University is building in Streeterville. Power Construction has been hard at work on this one since ground was broken back in May 2015. Designed by Perkins+Will, the exterior looks nearly complete, while interior work continues, with the goal of a late-2018 opening.

180 North Ada puts that new tower crane to work

Posted on April 3, 2018 by danieldschell

180 North Ada reaches for the West Loop sky.

180 North Ada was approved by the Chicago Plan Commission back in August, then received its first building permit on December 18, 2017. That permit allows for the foundation through Level 2 of a “14-story, 263-unit apartment building with 148 parking spaces.” And like stalagmites stretching up from the floor of a spelunker’s paradise (I learned in second grade that stalactites “have to hold on tight so they don’t fall from the cave ceiling.” That’s how I remember the difference. No Googling), concrete columns are starting to rise from the West Loop construction site’s floor.

As Power Construction makes progress on the foundation, we’ll keep an eye out for the next permit, which will allow 180 North Ada to reach its ultimate 14-story height.