110 North Wacker (Bank of America Tower to some of you) is open to the public this weekend for Open House Chicago 2021. The 55th floor is a continuous, wide-open space, and a great vantage point to see Chicago. If you’re like me, and think the Sears Tower is just a tad too high for your modest camera-lens collection, this is the ticket.
I got a good view of our five remaining tower cranes from up here.
Salesforce Tower (333 West Wolf Point)
345 North Morgan
354 North Union
1371 West Randolph
The Reed at Southbank (234 West Polk)
And an honorable mention for 300 North Michigan, which is being taken down.
Fine, that seems a little dramatic. But seven tower cranes ain’t a lot of tower cranes. (And one of them isn’t even in operation yet.) The Chicago Seven are:
3. Plumbers Local 130 Parking Garage (1371 West Randolph.) W.E. O’Neil is the general contractor. Plumbers Local 130 is the developer. OKW Architects is the design architect.
Yes, there are a few on the way. These have tower crane permits:
410 South Wabash is done with foundation work. 1000M will hopefully be back in business soon. 164 North Peoria is still in caisson mode. ALLY at Lincoln Yards hasn’t broken ground quite yet, but site work has started, at it got a foundation permit last week. 1306 East 61st Street – The University of Chicago doesn’t have any other permits yet. 178 West Randolph and 320 South Clinton? I’m not holding my breath.
No permit, but . . .
UIC had a tower crane at the UI Health Outpatient Surgery Center & Specialty Clinics crane is being dismantled this week. UIC may need a crane at 700 West Taylor for its Computer Design Research and Learning Center. But there won’t be a city permit for it, should there be one, because this is being built under the State of Illinois’ authority. 513 South Damen just got a foundation permit for 21 stories.
Skip floor markings are visible to 36. My math says the additional 4 floors puts 300 North Michigan at the 40th floor.
Come at me if you want to, but there’s a new brand of NIMBYism out there these days: Instead of just complaining about a building blocking the view from your living room, you now get to complain about a new building blocking your view of something else, but not when you’re at home. No, this pertains to being out and about throughout the city. Or from that one particular spot you like to stand. This is next-level stuff.
Such seems to be the case with 300 North Michigan. Folks are upset that it will block the view of the Carbon and Carbide Building across the street. How about that. The rules are now such that you can’t build anything anywhere that will obstruct the view of anything anywhere. Looks like our next skyscraper will have to be built in DeKalb. (But I can’t see my corn field from the water tower now!)
Anyway, this is what 300 North Michigan looked like Monday, July 26. Using the markings on the skip, it looks like Linn-Mathes has reached the 40th floor, with the elevator core a couple stories higher, on their way to their ultimate 47-story height:
300 North Michigan, July 26, 2021
Like the photos? Appreciate the attitude/snark? No? Still, you can help offset expenses with a much-appreciated donation to Building Up Chicago.
Because when you start glazing a skyscraping, you don’t just stop.
300 North Michigan got the first of its curtain wall about a month ago, and it’s getting shinier by the day. It’s also growing more visible above some of its neighbors, with a great view of it from Fulton Street in the West Loop.
Visits to Skydeck aren’t quite back to pre-pandemic normal. I usually go up there and spend a couple hours taking pictures of everything I see. Three times. Can’t do that anymore. So I got what I could remember I wanted to get.
Like tower cranes. Some of them, anyway.
One of the secrets to taking photos from Skydeck is avoiding the bad windows. Much of what looks like smooth, clear glass will distort your pictures. Short on time, I failed to be selective. I also failed to be prepared.
You’ll see what I mean.
Clarendale Six Corners is missing; it’s too far away. I also tried to see the tower crane in Oak Park, but had no luck. Oh for a tripod, more time, and something ridiculous like a 1000mm zoom lens.
320 South Canal is the easiest one to see. That booom just about touches the Sears Tower. Okay, not really. But it’s nearby.
609 West Randolph.
1043 West Randolph. I forgot to look for ths one, so instead of using a zoom lens, I cropped a photo. Fail.
1400 and 1454 West Randolph.
Gild Chicago. Another one I forgot to look for. It is *barely* visible, and only partially so, dead-center of this crop.
300 North Michigan. Yep, forgot this one too. Another crop. Another tough-too-see one.
One Chicago.
Salesforce Tower
The Gateway Apartments (2050 West Ogden)
UI Health
Are you not entertained? Metra and CTA rides, Zipcars, Divvy Bikes, camera lenses, and comfortable walking shoes add up. You can help offset expenses by making a greatly-appreciated donation to Building Up Chicago.
CTA and Metra rides, Zipcars, Divvy bikes, camera lenses, and solid walking shoes add up. You can help offset expenses with a greatly-appreciated donation to Building Up Chicago.
One each in: The Loop (320 South Canal); West Town (1454 West Randolph); Portage Park (Clarendale Six Corners); Gold Coast (Gild); Illinois Medical District (IL Health)
What are they building?
Residential – 5.5 (300 North Michigan is half res/half hotel
Office – 4
Medical – 1 (IL Health)
Hotel – .5 (300 North Michigan)
Who has tower cranes?
Power Construction – 6
5 GCs with one each: Ryan Companies (Clarendale Six Corners): Clark Construction (320 South Canal); Skender (609 West Randolph); Walsh Construction (Salesforce Tower); Pepper Construction (UI Health)
We still have a stub only at 2050 West Ogden. 354 North Union has begun caisson work; that should be getting a tower crane permit any day now. 1000M, 320 South Clinton, 345 North Morgan, and 178 West Randolph still have outstanding tower-crane permits.
300 North Michigan
320 South Canal
609 West Randolph
1043 Fulton
1400 West Randolph and 1454 West Randolph
Clarendale Six Corners
One Chicago
Salesforce Tower
UI Health
Gild Chicago
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A quick spin around 300 North Michigan as construction continues on the joint development effort from Sterling Bay and Magellan Development Group. Hotel rooms and apartments smack dab in the middle of the Cultural Mile and Magnificent Mile? Yes, please.
Below you’ll find photographic proof of progress. (The dude on the corner with the tape measure though? No, thanks. You’re job is safe from me.)
300 North Michigan between the Magnificent and Cultural Miles of Chicago’s Michigan Avenue.
There aren’t many projects happening in Chicago that this blog considers “mixed-use.” Since everything includes retail these days, an office tower or residential building with ground-floor commercial space doesn’t split the vote.
300 North Michigan qualifies as mixed-use. The bKL Archtecture-designed tower will deliver 289 residential units and 280 hotel rooms across its 47 stories. A joint venture between Sterling Bay and Magellan Group, 300 North Michigan got its tower crane permit back in August 2020, and its foundation permit (with an assigned address of 88 E Wacker Pl) about three weeks prior. The full-build permit arrived in late September.
Building Up Chicago 