171 Aberdeen drops the tower crane

Posted on May 27, 2017 by danieldschell

A street crane prepares to take down the tower crane at 171 Aberdeen in the West Loop Friday morning.

The last Friday of May was also the last day the tower crane at 171 Aberdeen stood above the West Loop. A crew started bright and early in the morning bringing the crane down, making the West Loop American Flag, Tower Crane, and Water Tank photo opp much more difficult.

171 Aberdeen (165 N Aberdeen now?) is a mixed-use building from MCZ Development, delivering 90 residential units, with 40,000 square feet of office space and 15,000 square feet of retail space, plus 130 parking spots, to the neighborhood. Novak Construction is the GC. Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture the designer.

: When that second crane shows up, you know your tower crane’s doomed.

: Removing counterweights.

: Removing counterweights.

: Your jobs are safe from me.

: No better place to hang out on a Friday of a holiday weekend.

: Prepping the end section of the jib.

: That’s crooked.

: We have separation.

: Down comes the first jib section. Watch out for that L train.

: Stubby crane.

A 4-pack on Aberdeen Street

Posted on February 9, 2017 by danieldschell

Look look south down Aberdeen Street past Lake Street reveals four new developments.

How busy are things in the West Loop? Look through the snowflakes in the above photo, taken January 26, and you’ll see four new projects lined up along Aberdeen Street.

They are, beginning in the foreground and working south:

165 North Aberdeen

An 11-story mixed-use building from MCZ Development, featuring 90 residential units, with 40,000 square feet of office space and 15,000 square feet of retail space.

McDonald’s Corporation Headquarters

Barley noticeable are the tops of caisson equipment. Sterling Bay is building a new HQ for the McDonald’s Corporation where Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Studios once stood. The 9-story, nearly 500,000-square-foot facility will have McDonald’s as its only tenant.

CA Washington

Look very closely beneath the elevated CTA tracks, and you’ll see the skeleton of CA Washington. Developed by Belgravia Realty Group, CA Washington brings six stories and 60 condos to the neighborhood.

1035 West Van Buren

Finally, way off in the distance you see the yellow forms and tower crane atop 1035 West Van Buren, a 30-story, 300-unit rental tower from Related Midwest.

Is 171 North Aberdeen now 165 North Aberdeen? Either way, it’s halfway high

Posted on January 4, 2017 by danieldschell

165 North Aberdeen from the Morgan Street CTA platform.

There’s a new twist on the mixed-use project in the West Loop from MCZ Development. Nothing earth-shattering, like having to move any more caissons in order to properly support a tower crane. No, this change is about the address, which formerly had been 171 North Aberdeen Street (that’s what the City of Chicago lists on the permits) but MCZ’s own website now shows the project as 165 North Aberdeen.

What hasn’t changed is that Novak Construction continues to make progress on the Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture-designed building, reaching the sixth floor of what will be 11 levels when complete. Expect 90 residential units, with 40,000 square feet of office space and 15,000 square feet of retail space as well. Throw in about 130 parking spots for good measure.