Construction Update: The Three Hiltons at McCormick Place

Posted on June 7, 2017 by danieldschell

Hilton’s first Triple-Brand Hotel begins to rise at 123 East Cermak Road in the South Loop.

There are three Hilton hotels being built into one structure down at 123 East Cermak Road in the Prairie District “sub neighborhood” of the South Loop. That’s really all you need to know, but for the sake of word count, they are the Hilton Garden Inn Chicago McCormick Center, the Hampton Inn by Hilton Chicago McCormick Center, and the Home2 Suites by Hilton Chicago McCormick Center.

Developers First Hospitality Group and Hilton are banking on McCormick Place visitors appreciating having lodging options to choose from, hence the optimal location between the convention campus and the revitalized Motor Row.

A couple sunny days, including Tuesday’s unlocked doors at the McCormick Place rooftop garden, provided perfect conditions to catch up on McHugh Construction’s progress on Antunovich Associates’ design.

: Mooncrane.

There’s a new tower crane stub in town, and her name is Marlowe

Posted on June 2, 2017 by danieldschell

Hey, look over there! Marlowe planted a tower crane!

About a week after receiving a tower crane permit from the City of Chicago, Marlowe planted a stub at 675 North Wells Street in River North on Thursday. Having recently lost cranes at 640 North Wells, The Gallery On Wells, and 3Eleven, the neighborhood needed a burst of excitement, and what’s more fun than a new tower crane?

https://twitter.com/adjustableforms/status/870320994413666306

See? Don’t believe for a second I’m the only one out here excited about tower cranes. Adjustable Forms knows what’s up.

Now the Antunovich Associates-designed 15-story, 176-unit apartment building from Lennar Multifamily Companies can start going skyward, under the careful direction of Power Construction.

: Wow, 676 N LaSalle is gutted.

: The Permit.

Glass panels hit a high note at DePaul School of Music

Posted on May 30, 2017 by danieldschell

The barrel vault on the roof of the DePaul School of Music.

A couple features of the new DePaul School of Music are standing out amidst the Lincoln Park construction site. One is the red steel forming the barrel vault atop the three-story facility. The other is glass panels on the north elevation. The black-tar wall is kinda cool, too.

: The glass.

: The vault.

Caissons begin at Marlowe in River North

Posted on May 3, 2017 by danieldschell

Stalworth Underground drills the first caisson for Marlowe, 675 North Wells Street in River North.

Just over a week after caisson work started on the other side of the block (676 North LaSalle) at The Ardus, caisson work got underway this morning at 675 North Wells Street in River North, home of the future Marlowe development from Lennar Multifamily Companies. Stalworth Underground has the honor of ripping holes in the soil and filling them with concrete for the 15-story, 176-unit apartment project. Antunovich Associates took care of the designs; Power Construction will be on the build.

The good word from Stalworth is there will be 59 bell caissons dug at Marlowe, down to about 80 feet. Diameters range from 2-and-a-half to 3-and-a-half feet, with bells up to 10 feet.

: Caisson #1 started Wednesday morning.

: This will be a two-rig job.

It’s Marlowe time. 675 North Wells lands a permit

Posted on April 13, 2017 by danieldschell

Architectural rendering of Marlowe, 675 North Wells Street, from Antunovich Associates.

Are you ready for Marlowe? Because it’s ready for you.

The surface parking lot at 675 North Wells Street in River North that’s been closed off for several weeks will soon open up again. To construction equipment. Lennar Multifamily Companies (LMC) is the developer for the 15-story apartment tower that received a foundation permit from the City of Chicago on Wednesday. (You may know about Lennar from their Gateway West Loop building. It has pretty lights on the rooftop pool, so you know.)

Designed by Antunovich Associates, Marlowe will have 176 studio, 1-bedroom, and 2-bedroom apartments across its 15 stories, plus 11,000 square feet of ground-level retail space. Power Construction will be the general contractor.

The office of Brendan Reilly 42nd Ward has all the info you care to know about Marlowe, plus lots of pretty renderings of floor plans and such. You can see it all here.

The Foundation Permit, issued Wednesday April 12.

Hilton, Hilton, and Hilton progress at McCormick Place

Posted on April 12, 2017 by danieldschell

This new tower crane at the three Hiltons at McCormick Place has to build 3 hotels.

The Prairie District’s newest tower crane is showing the fruits of its labor, as work moves past foundation stage and begins to progress upward at (ready for this?) the Hilton Garden Inn Chicago McCormick Center, the Hampton Inn by Hilton Chicago McCormick Center, and the Home2 Suites by Hilton Chicago McCormick Center.

Those three entities from Hilton, designed by Antunovich Associates, will be contained within this one 23-story, 466-room tower. McHugh Construction is the general contractor, and they’ve achieved the third dimension as the tower starts to stick up out of the ground.

Construction progress: The Ronsley

Posted on March 27, 2017 by danieldschell

The Ronsley, 676 North Kingsbury Street in River North.

Back in January, we took a long look at construction progression of The Ronsley, the River North renovation project from LG Development. And since January was two months ago, I figure it’s time to check in again.

No disappointment here. The original facades along both Kingsbury and Huron Streets continue to dazzle, while there’s already glass added to the additional stories that are being built atop the existing five floors. What had been an empty lot behind the building has now sprouted six stories high.

: This is an entirely new portion of The Ronsley, at the rear of the original building.

: Looking north up Kingsbury Street.

: New floors and new glass.

Instruments of construction keeping good time at the DePaul School of Music

Posted on March 23, 2017 by danieldschell

Rendering of the DePaul School of Music from Antunovich Associates.

Construction of the new DePaul School of Music continues in earnest on DePaul’s Lincoln Park campus. Bulley & Andrews and their ridiculously long tower crane have been going vertical on the site since Spring of 2016. Antunovich Associates has designed a three-story structure that includes two recital halls, a concert hall, student practice and classrooms, and more than 100 below-grade parking spaces. DePaul plans to have the facility open for student use in Spring 2018.

It’s Craning Day at the Triple Hilton McCormick Place

Posted on March 3, 2017 by danieldschell

Thursday morning, this tower crane cab rolled past the B.U.C. HQ. On its way to the Hilton McCormick Place? Sure seemed like it.

Last week, we found the makings of a tower crane at the Triple-Branded Hilton Hotel at McCormick Place. That always means to be on high alert for assembly. Now, I can’t prove the crane parts I watched being driven down the Kennedy to the Dan Ryan this week were headed to McHugh Construction’s site, but it sure added up. A peek out the window Thursday morning confirmed that the crane was being set up down in the Prairie District. And field trip ensued, resulting in the following photos. Best guess is, assembly will be completed Friday.

Way off in the distance, tower crane set-up has been spotted. Time to head to the South Loop.

: This rolled by B.U.C. Wednesday morning, then exited at 18th Street.

: hat-tip to some blue sky for showing up out of nowhere.

: This crane is the real star of tower-crane assembly.

: Stacking counterweights.

Caisson work almost complete for three-headed Hilton monster at McCormick Place

Posted on February 17, 2017 by danieldschell

Caisson work is wrapping up at the triple-brand Hilton hotel project at McCormick Place.

If you think it’s tough work building a hotel, try building three of them. At once.

That’s what First Hospitality Group and Hilton are doing. You may remember this started out as McHugh Construction’s baby, as they owned the lot, until the developers signed on to triple-brand the project. Under just one roof will be a Hilton Garden Inn, a Hampton Inn by Hilton, and a Home2 Suites by Hilton. Seems like a lot to say? It is. But remember, you’ll only need to book a room at one of the three. Unless you really like having options when you sleep. According to the press release from Hilton linked above, the three hotels will be officially named the Hilton Garden Inn Chicago McCormick Center, the Hampton Inn by Hilton Chicago McCormick Center, and the Home2 Suites by Hilton Chicago McCormick Center.

The 23-story hotel(s), designed by Antunovich Associates, will provide 466 rooms and suites at 123 East Cermak Road. A skybridge will connect the new building to McCormick Place. There promises to be a whole host of amenities and dining options, which, again, you can read about straight from the Hilton’s mouth here.

The permit to build was filed by the City of Chicago back in December. Foundation work began in earnest almost immediately, and now caisson work is just about finished. A tower crane permit was flied last week, on the 9th, so look for that to appear in the Prairie District skies very soon. McHugh Construction is, of course, the general contractor.