Tower Crane Update: 8 East Huron

Posted on July 19, 2016 by danieldschell

If you erect them, they will come watch. Them being tower cranes, they being I.

To be fair, and uncreepy, I was hardly the only interested party spectating at State and Huron Streets Saturday, as a crew from Morrow Equipment Company erected another of its pretty yellow cranes at the 8 East Huron construction site.

Recapping 8 East Huron, it will be a 26-story apartment tower with 105 units. CA Ventures is the developer, Valerio DeWalt Train Associates the designer, and Clark Construction he general contractor. Units are expected to be ready for occupancy in 2017.

: The stub.

: This looks like a scene form Charlie & The Chocolate Factory to me.

: The crane-building crane.

: None of these men are in danger of losing their jobs to me.

: East Huron was closed for the festivities, between State and Wabash.

: Piecing the cab together.

: Lifting crane parts off a truck.

: Staging equipment on East Huron Street.

: The cab.

: Preparing for lift-off.

: Artsy.

: Looking down State Street.

: Monday morning finishing work.

: Monday morning, and the tower crane is almost ready for use.

Check One Off The List: 625 West Adams Plants a Tower Crane

Posted on July 14, 2016 by danieldschell

Setting the tower crane base, bright and early this morning.

It was an inadvertent Tower Crane Tuesday post. And here we are on Thursday, and it’s already obsolete. But in the good way. For no longer are there six tower crane permits awaiting actual tower cranes. No, my friends, now there are five.

https://twitter.com/BuildUpChicago/status/753393411969970176

https://twitter.com/BuildUpChicago/status/753580641397116929

625 West Adams trucked in the base of its new tower crane yesterday, and wasted no time this morning rooting it into the ground. It’s one of those pretty yellow ones, too. And it will be right outside my window. Thank you, Power Construction. You know the way to my heart.

Please let me know if there’s an angle of this crane you’d like to see that I haven’t included below…

: It was still sitting on the truck during last night’s storm.

: But it made it through unscathed.

: Final preps on the foundation…

: …as the base was being offloaded.

: And there it stands, along South Desplaines Street.

: Tower crane crew doing what they do.

: Proof that I stayed behind the fence.

: There’s more foundation work happening besides just the tower crane.

: Old St. Pat’s in the background. 625 West Adams is often referred to as “St. Pat’s Tower.”

The Tower Crane Pipeline Still Runneth Over [Updated]

Posted on July 12, 2016 by danieldschell

Last week, I got pretty excited (okay, way excited — overstimulated even) about the three tower crane stubs being set in the ground around Chicago. One was for the DePaul School of Music, one for the new Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ meetinghouse at 822 North Clark Street, and the third at 8 East Huron Street in River North. But lest you think that puts a wrap on what to watch for, think again.

We still have half a dozen projects out there with tower crane permits itching to climb into the sky. They are:

Atrium Village

Atrium Village received a tower crane permit last week to erect a 31-story apartment building.

Atrium Village, which I also posted about last week, will rise soon in the Near North. The 31-story rental tower, which is Phase One of the multi-phase project by Onni Group to rebuild the entire Atrium Village development, got its tower crane permit July 5th.

625 West Adams

625 West Adams is a busy lot again this morning, following a slow weekend after wrapping up caisson work.

625 West Adams in the West Loop got its tower crane permit on June 28th. The 20-story office tower from CA Ventures and White Oak Realty Partners is happening right outside the buildingupchicago office.

165 North Desplaines

Caisson work is ongoing at 165 North Desplaines in the West Loop.

Also in the West Loop, Gerding Edlen’s 165 North Desplaines continues caisson work, while waiting to install its tower crane. The permit was filed on June 28th, the same day as 625 West Adams. Two brand-spankin’ new tower cranes four blocks apart. Nice. 165 North Desplaines will be a 14-story apartment building with 199 units.

3Eleven

3Eleven still looks like that movie “Holes”

In the early stages of construction, 3Eleven still looks like just a random series of holes. Soon, it will be a 23-story apartment tower from the John Buck Company at 311 West Illinois Street in River North, in what, up until a couple weeks ago, was the parking lot for Assumption Roman Catholic Church.

Apple Store

The new Apple Store at 401 North Michigan Avenue, both upper and lower.

Does Chicago need a new Apple Store? Or just an Apple Store with more space for people to camp out overnight for each new iPhone? Well, Chicago is getting both. At 401 North Michigan Avenue, in Pioneer Court. And it’s getting a tower crane as well, permitted on May 23rd.

171 North Aberdeen

171 North Aberdeen in the West Loop.

The West Loop is a busy place. But you knew that. 171 North Aberdeen is another project in the early stages. They’ve done some scraping, but it may be a while yet until it gets the tower crane it was permitted to have back on May 10th. 171 North Aberdeen, from MCZ Development, will be a mid-rise, mixed-use building combining luxury apartments, retail space, office space, and parking.

[Curiously, the tower permit is the only permit on file so far. No foundation permit has been issued as yet.]

That sentence from the original story is completely, thoroughly wrong. 171 North Aberdeen received a foundation permit on June 6th. I missed it. Sorry for my mistake.

The Day The Tower Cranes Took Over

Posted on July 7, 2016 by danieldschell

For many, the appeal of living in Chicago is the change of seasons. But what we should be promoting is the change of tower cranes. For just when one comes down, another (or three) goes up.

With lots of new construction comes lots of tower cranes. There isn’t much that can be built around town without the use of one (or two – looking at you, Sinclair.) A long walk on my regular rounds turned up no fewer than three seedlings being planted for future tower cranes.

Up in Lincoln Park, DePaul is building a new facility for music education. The DePaul School of Music won’t be a very tall structure, but it will be spread out over a large lot. Bulley & Andrews is erecting its tower crane near the middle of the lot, so it’ll reach 360 degrees around the site.

At 822 North Clark Street in the Near North neighborhood, McHugh Construction is setting up a tower crane to erect a 7-story Mormon church. I’ll have more about this project once I know for sure what I’m talking about.

Finally, at 8 East Huron in River North, Clark Construction has begun putting up a tower crane for the 26-story residential tower from CA Ventures. Designed by Valerio Dewalt Train Associates, 8 East Huron has been sitting on its tower crane permit since May 24. I was getting a little antsy waiting for this one.

: Way over there is the tower crane seedling for the DePaul School of Music.

: Another shot of the starter kit for the tower crane at the new Mormon church at 822 North Clark Street.

: A profile photo of the tower crane at 8 East Huron.

8 East Huron Digs Down, Shores Up

Posted on June 23, 2016 by danieldschell

Foundation work is ongoing at 8 East Huron in River North.

With two buildings torn down at the northeast corner of State and Huron Streets, a new residential tower is starting to grow.

8 East Huron is a 26-story, 105-unit building being developed by CA Ventures. (That’s CA as in Campus Acquisitions, not something from California. CA Ventures is the new branding, as of 2012.) There will be ground floor retail as well, and 30 or so parking spaces on levels 2-4.

8 East Huron is designed by Valerio Dewalt Train Associates. Clark Construction is on the build. Or, under the build, as you’ll see from the photos below.

: Down and dirty at 8 East Huron.

: Iron shoring.

: Foundation workers at 8 East Huron.

: Digging.

: And more digging.

: You’ve painted yourself onto an island.

: The Permit.

: Quality Excavation demolishes 4 and 8 East Huron.

: After demolition, touch-up work on the Consulate General of Ukraine, 10 East Huron, which remains.

: 4 and 8 are gone. 10 East Huron, to the right, remains.

: They were handsome structures.

Drillin’ and Fillin’ at 625 West Adams

Posted on June 16, 2016 by danieldschell

625 West Adams is a beehive of activity.

Monday, I showed you photos of foundation equipment being moved into the construction site at 625 West Adams Street that is soon to become 625 West Adams, a 20-story office tower from CA Ventures and White Oak Realty Partners.

Well, let me do some math for you: That was THREE DAYS AGO. And here we are on Thursday, and Power Construction crews are ripping holes in the earth for caissons like the foundation rigs are due back tomorrow. At this rate, the SCB-designed 625 West Adams might be move-in ready by Tuesday. (Well, not *this* Tuesday, I guess. But *a* Tuesday, for sure.)

: Foundation work is in full force at 625 West Adams.

: It’s like watching dancers. Costumes are kinda cool, too.

: testing the eastern-m ost limits of the lot.

: You know you’re at the edge when the fence has to be opened.

: Rebar teams a fashioning rebar cages to be sunk into the caissons.

: Here comes the cement.

: Cement is being poured into caissons as fast as they’re being drilled.

: Caisson inspection.

: Another delivery.

: Caisson equipment.

: Mounds of dirt are being created…

: …and trucked away.

: New equipment is constantly being delivered to the construction site.

: …and beng moved around. Turn your back, and everything’s in a new place.

Foundation Toys Take Over 625 West Adams Site

Posted on June 13, 2016 by danieldschell

Caisson drill bits arrived by truck Monday morning.

It’s move-in day at 625 West Adams in the West Loop.

No, they didn’t build a 20-story office tower over the weekend. It’s not tenant move-in day; it’s foundation equipment move-in day.

Another truck, more foundation materials.

Bright and early Monday morning, Case Foundation could be seen flooding the 625 West Adams work site with materials and gear they’ll use to begin work on the joint development from CA Ventures and White Oak Realty Partners.

On its way to Chicago is a 20-story office building with 400 parking spaces on levels 1-5, 2,500 square feet of retail space, and three outdoor terraces mixed into the upper floors. Designed by architect Martin Wolf of Solomon Cordwell Buenz, 625 West Adams was approved way *way* back in November of 2012, and developers have decided now is the time to build, and they’ll sign on tenants as they go. The City of Chicago filed a foundation permit last month, and the arrival of all that equipment means things will be very busy at Adams and Desplaines for quite awhile.

: As Old St. Pat’s stands watch, “St. Pat’s Tower” equipment awaits unloading along Desplaines Street.

: Waitin’ for something to do.

: Lots fill up fast when the big gear starts showing up.

: Case Foundation equipment at the ready at “Old St. Pat’s Tower” site.

: Caisson drilling equipment.

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