Caisson work is underway at Twelve01West

Posted on February 22, 2018 by danieldschell

1201 West Lake caisson work is underway, as seen from the Green Line.

We’re still in the West Loop, and we’re still watching the goings-on along Lake Street.

Caissons are in the works for Twelve01West, the new seven-story office building at 1201 West Lake Street from McCaffery Interests. (You know them from The Lincoln Common project.) Revcon is on site as we speak, drilling holes into the earth just two blocks from another gig of theirs over at 180 North Ada. This time, they’re working with W.E. O’Neil, the general contractor on 1201 West Lake. This is familiar territory for W.E. O’Neil; their Chicago office is just a couple blocks away on Washington Blvd.

Designed by Antunovich Associates, Twelve01West got a foundation permit back in October, and a tower crane permit in January. The building will include 135,000 square feet of office space, and 11,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space, plus parking for 45 vehicles. McCaffery plans an early 2019 opening.

: Rendering of Twelve01West from Antunovich Associates.

: Rendering of Twelve01West from Antunovich Associates.

: Rendering of Twelve01West from Antunovich Associates.

: Rendering of Twelve01West from Antunovich Associates.

: Rendering of Twelve01West from Antunovich Associates.

: The Foundation Permit.

: The Tower Crane Permit.

Power Construction brings the pane to (a topped out?) 900 West

Posted on February 22, 2018 by danieldschell

The green & glass of home at 900 West.

What stands out to you more at 900 West in the West Loop, the fresh glass? or the green insulation?

There’s no wrong answer here, as both features are rather striking. We suggest putting your sunglasses on if you plan to drive across Washington Boulevard any time soon.

Power Construction has been working on Taris Real Estate’s 10-story, 22-unit condominium tower since the foundation permit was issued back in July 2017. Designed by Northworks Architects + Planners, the building was the subject of a major transaction back in May, when Crain’s reported a penthouse sale for over $5 million.

Sterling Bay’s 210 North Carpenter office building hits double digits

Posted on February 21, 2018 by danieldschell

From the Ashland L platform, 210 North Carpenter rises against the Chicago skyline.

Construction progress has reached the tenth floor of Sterling Bay’s 12-story office building, 210 North Carpenter, in the West Loop. Those responsible for the progress, Leopardo Companies, get to choose from the most prime of spaces within the new digs, as Leopardo will be moving their headquarters here upon completion. The 200,000-square-foot, SCB-designed facility is slated for opening late this year.

Wolf Point East is allowed to go big

Posted on February 21, 2018 by danieldschell

Sorry folks, site’s closed. The moose out front should have told ya.

Monday, we shared a few photos of the construction pit at Wolf Point East. We then walked by the site Tuesday, just to confirm it was pouring down rain and no one was working. Little did we know that at the very moment we were there (maybe) the City of Chicago was issuing the $350,000,000.00 permit that allows Walsh Construction to build beyond the ground floor, all the way up to the top of the 60th floor.

The full-build permit for Wolf Point East, issued Tuesday, February 20, 2018.

The shiny yellow tower crane stands tall above Wolf Point East during Tuesday’s gloomy weather.

The Columbia College Student Center is underway

Posted on February 20, 2018 by danieldschell

Pepper Construction began site prep last week at the new Columbia College Student Center in the South Loop.

A permit issued Friday sets the stage for work to begin on the Columbia College Student Center at Wabash Avenue and 8th Street in the South Loop. That would explain why a crew from Pepper Construction was on site last week, installing sidewalk protection and getting the lot prepped for activity.

Monday, Case Foundation posted on its Facebook page that they would begin drilling 57 rock caissons in March. With a little cooperative weather, Columbia plans to open the Gensler-designed student center late this year.

Despite the relatively wide footprint, at five stories, it’s not likely the new facility will require use of a tower crane, but we’ve reached out to Pepper to find out for sure. We should know soon.

: The foundation permit, issued February 16, 2018.

: Site prep.

: Gensler render.

: Gensler render.

: Gensler render.

: Gensler render.

Progress Update: The Hilton Hotel combo rises in the South Loop

Posted on February 20, 2018 by danieldschell

Lendlease continues upward on the Hilton Homewood Suites/Hilton Garden Inn in the South Loop.

That’s not just a hotel Lendlease is building at 1101 South Wabash Avenue in the South Loop; it’s two hotels. The combination Hilton Homewood Suites and Hilton Garden Inn got started last winter, and is at, or near, the half-way point of its 30-story goal. Two architecture firms, Lothan Van Hook DeStefano Architecture and Pappageorge Haymes Partners, were involved in the design, one for each hotel segment.

Essex on the Park enters the Roaring Twenties

Posted on February 20, 2018 by danieldschell

Floor markings on the skip show Essex on the Park progress has reached beyond the 20th floor.

Stories, that is. The 20s of the eventual 56 stories to which Essex on the Park will rise.

Power Construction has the new apartment tower at 808 South Michigan Avenue up to the 26th-or-so floor. We know this because level numbers can be seen on the “skip” hoist at the front of the site. That’s an ideal way for us looky-lous to track height progress. It also means Power is dangerously close to the half-way point of Hartshorne Plunkard Associates’ 56-story design.

Bidding a foggy adieu to the Ancora tower crane at Riverline

Posted on February 19, 2018 by danieldschell

The tower crane servicing Ancora at Riverline was at half-mast last week.

The skies over Chicago weren’t very cooperative last Thursday, as we made the pilgrimage down to Riverline to bid a fond farewell to the tower crane that has topped out Ancora, the 29-story apartment tower representing Phase One of CMK Companies’ and Lendlease’s South Loop community. We shouldn’t have to wait too long for another crane to show up on site; there’s already quite a bit of earth moving to prep the site for more development, which may or may not be a tower named “Current.”

Looking down at Wolf Point East going up

Posted on February 19, 2018 by danieldschell

The fascinating construction pit that is Wolf Point East.

Let me tell you what I know about what’s going on down in the pit that is the Wolf Point East construction site.

…………………………….

Okay, I have no idea what’s going on down there. But I do know there are a whole bunch of people doing a whole bunch of stuff, and it’s fascinating to watch. The best I can do, instead of confusing us all with words, is to let you see a few photos of The Big Green W at work.

: The fascinating construction pit that is Wolf Point East.

General Destruction has begun at the General Growth building

Posted on February 16, 2018 by danieldschell

Big chunks are missing from the GGP building at 110 North Wacker. The barge is catching them.

It feels good to write something about activity in The Loop again.

The former GGP headquarters at 110 North Wacker Drive in The Loop has begun to crumble into the Chicago River. Not by accident, of course. And not actually into the water. There’s a barge out there on the river, and Heneghan Wrecking is using it to haul away debris from the demolition of the six-story building, making space for the much-anticipated 54-story, Goettsch Partners-designed office tower 110 North Wacker, from the Howard Hughes Corporation and Chicago’s Riverside Investment and Development.

The start of demolition at 110 North Wacker immediately vaults the site to the top of the official Tower Crane Anticipation list. Though that could change, if 145 South Wells gets underway. Stay tuned.