It’s no whopper, so this 256-unit development on Motor Row would fit in nicely

Posted on May 3, 2024 by danieldschell

I made a Burger King joke. Sue me. Besides, 256 units is no small-fry development.

That’s the plan at 2328 South Michigan Avenue in the Near South Community Area. 256 apartments across two buildings in the Motor Row neighborhood. As per the development’s introduction on design architect Eckenhoff Saunders’ website, the would be 98 units in a seven-story building, and 158 units in an 18-story tower. 64 of those units would be affordable. The shorter building would front Michigan Avenue, with the tower standing tall behind it.

A three-headed development team is included in the proposed project: Fern Hill, Decennial Group, and Rebel Hospitality. The usual City hurdles still need to be cleared, so until approval is given, there’s no timeline for when work would start and when residents could begin moving in.

Crain’s Chicago and Urbanize are already all over this one.

Eckenhoff Saunders rendering of the seven-story portion of 2328 South Michigan.

Carroll Avenue demolitions continue in Fulton Market, with more on the horizon

Posted on May 27, 2021 by danieldschell

As demolition by Heneghan Wrecking at ADM Milling Company and 1200 West Carroll continue, comes news that Carroll Avenue could see a lot more tearing down and redeveloping in the very near future.

Brick by brick, the ADM office building at 1300 West Carroll is being taken apart.

And the ADM silos at the west end of the 1300 block are being chipped away as well.

The former Midtown Transfer buildings in the 1200 block are all but gone.

The Happy Tails & Trails building at 1240 is the only building remaining on the north side of the 1200 block. For now.

Crain’s Chicago and Urbanize Chicago both reported this week about plans to redevelop both sides of West Carroll’s eastern 1100 block. We know Trammell Crow from their work just north across the Metra tracks at Fulton Labs (which only has one level of curtain wall to go, btw.)

315 N May. It wouldn’t take much to improve this site.

On the south side of the 1100 block, 315 North May fronts May Street, Carroll Ave, and Aberdeen Street.

On the north side of the 1100 block is a Ryder truck-rental lot.

The Ryder lot at 1100 W Carroll. Even easier to improve this site.

The Ryder “building” at 1112 West Carroll. Fulton Labs is in the background.

Stay tuned. The ever-changing Fulton Market District is in for even bigger changes.

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Stubless, progress-less 1000M takes another beating

Posted on March 15, 2021 by danieldschell

Its caissons are done, the tower crane stub was set, and things were rockin’ and rollin’ at 1000M, the new residential tower next to Grant Park in the South Loop. But it hasn’t seen new progress in almost a year now, and Crain’s Chicago Business reported Monday that no one within the potential shadow of the future tower seems at all pleased with the new direction developers would like to take the tower in. Apartments? Condos? A mix? Heck, even that website seems to be dead.

Bummer. Here are a couple shots of the sad, idle construction pit at 1000 South Michigan Ave.

Fulton Labs shines in the December sun

Posted on December 29, 2020 by danieldschell

Fulton Labs grows behind (or next to) the Birdie tank in the Fulton Market District.

This isn’t about one of my favorite water tanks ever, but I certainly can’t ignore it.

No, this post is about Fulton Labs at 400 North Aberdeen, a 16-story, 400,000+ square-foot laboratory facility Power Construction is erecting in Fulton Market. Expected to be operational in early 2022 (2022? Oh, that’s right. 2022 is less than 13 months away. Gosh, 2020 flew by…) Fulton Labs is a development by Trammell Crow Company, and a design by ESG Architecture. This same team brought West End on Fulton to the West Loop as well, which opened this summer.

No time is wasted getting 808 North Wells ready for a 2nd chance

Posted on February 20, 2020 by danieldschell

A rendering from Berkelhamer Architects of what might have been at 808 North Wells.

A sales center built at Wells and Chicago back in 2016 for a future residential tower got a demolition permit February 10th so a new vision for the site could begin. And it didn’t take long to tear down the single-story building (it has also seen life as retail space) and rip the old concrete out of the ground. The new 808 North Wells is ready to roll.

808 North Wells was to be a 24-story condominium development from Smithfield Properties with 50 or so condos. The sales center got built, but the tower was never started.

Multiple reports in 2018, including stories by Crain’s and Curbed Chicago, has AMLI Residential looking to build an apartment project on the site. Both sources expected a 17-story tower with just shy of 300 rental units, designed by Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture.

If that’s the case, the northwest corner Chicago and Wells will be a blank canvas very soon. Taylor Excavating made short work of the lot, with just a little debris left to haul away, and then construction can get started.

My friend Liz sent me this photo back in April 2016 of 808 North Wells construction. Exhibit On Superior is rising in the background.

: Not much remains at Chicago & Wells.

Peoria Green wants to squeeze its way into the West Loop

Posted on January 2, 2020 by danieldschell

A ZSD rendering of Peoria Green, as it would be seen looking east from Mary Bartelme Park.

Remember NIMBY heads exploding in the West Loop when Illume wanted to plant itself in the parking lot at 111 South Peoria Street? (Remember the fancy numerals in the 111ume name?) “It will block views of the skyline from Mary Bartelme Park!” was the best line locals screamed in an effort to keep the builders at bay.

Well, Illume is open now. The tiny parking lot immediately to its south is open too. But the construction fence around it says maybe it won’t be open much longer.

This is ZSD’s rendering of the Green Street elevation.

Signage on the site says Peoria Green wants to wedge its way into the neighborhood. Peoria Green already has a website. Peoria Green already has a flyer box on the fence so passers-by can get the scoop. Peoria Green has a sales center (located at 112 S. Sangamon Street.) Peoria Green is a thing.

Apparently, this has been a thing for awhile. But when you’re not paying attention, stuff gets past you. Crain’s and Dennis Rodkin were all over this project back in March. And The Real Deal posted about Peoria Green’s approval back in June. They even mentioned it being “controversial” and receiving “heated opposition from some neighbors.” (See first paragraph above. I am the opposite of surprised.)

ZSD Corp is planning 25 condos here, all with at least 4 bedrooms. That’s a lot of bedrooms. A childless couple could AirBnB the heck out of one of these. The on-site brochure claims a Fall 2020 opening for Peoria Green. I’m still efforting to find an architect for this project, plus a GC. Keep your ears open, if not your empty lots. A fall opening means they’d need to get started right soon.

A neon-green banner announces Peoria Green.

Looking west to east, Peoria to Green, at the full length of the lot.

The site plan from ZSD shows Peoria Green’s unusual shape.

I made a fancy Google Maps site plan, with the Peoria Green footprint outlined in red. I should get a drone.

Chicago’s Nobu Hotel continues to struggle

Posted on November 15, 2017 by danieldschell

The Nobu Chicago site has been secured, and it sits idle, waiting for construction to resume.

By now, you probably already know that things aren’t going well at Chicago’s Nobu Hotel in the West Loop. Last week, Crain’s reported that work had stopped on the 11-story, 119-room Midwest iteration of the hotel/restaurant brand.

Seems it’s been one delay after another for this thing. Ground was broken back in June (OF 2016!) then sat idle. Some caisson equipment was delivered to the site in September of 2016, the same month the hotel was officially approved by the Chicago Plan Commission, but that same equipment was packed up and hauled away without any holes being drilled.

A foundation permit was issued in December of 2016, but still, no action. Finally, in March of this year, the soil at 854 West Randolph began to turn. The earth-moving machines were followed by a pile driver, which began driving sheeting into the ground for a foundation. Caisson equipment arrived again, but for real this time, in May, and foundation work was underway in earnest. Finally, Centaur Construction had control of the site, and work started to go vertical.

But here’s the thing: If you want work to be done on your hotel, you have to pay the folks doing said work. And according to Crain’s (and one little birdie I heard from recently) that hasn’t been happening.

So once again, Nobu sits idle. 18 months after an 11-story hotel breaks ground, tourists should be sleeping in the beds. Stay tuned.

: Crickets.

Heneghan Wrecking is tearing out concrete slabs at the old Finkl Steel site

Posted on September 8, 2017 by danieldschell

Heneghan Wrecking is tearing up and hauling off the concrete slabs that remain at the old Finkl Steel site.

This blog has no inside information on what exactly Sterling Bay has in store for its recently-purchased* Finkl Steel site. But we’re heartened by activity, as Heneghan Wrecking is back on site, removing the concrete slabs from the empty lots, virtually all that remains of the once-mighty steel yard.

DNAInfo? That’s another story. They *do* have some inkling of what could be coming, and they posted about it back in July here.

*While still at Crain’s, Ryan Ori reported on the Finkl site deal late in 2016. And then the Chicago Tribune’s Ryan Ori reported in July about Sterling Bay adding even more land to its portfolio.

Whatever is coming, it can’t get started without wiping the slate clean of the Finkl remnants. That’s what Heneghan is up to. Does it mean new construction is imminent? That remains to be seen. But we can hope.

: A last reminder of the Finkl Steel site.

: I’d like to have this for my office.

Our robot demolition overlords are tearing apart 1450 North Dayton

Posted on September 6, 2017 by danieldschell

The robots are on their way, and they’re coming after our infrastructure.

Along the emerging Clybourn Corridor in the Goose Island neighborhood, Alpine Demolition (KnockItDown.com — I like it) is knocking down the 3-story brick building at 1450 North Dayton Street. Curbed had the story back in August about the planned demolition.

In its place will be a mixed-use building of office and retail space called, for now, the Big Deahl at Kingsbury and Blackhawk. If that name doesn’t make immediate sense, know that Kingsbury runs past the rear of the site, and to its north. Danny Ecker at Crain’s had the story about the new development last month.

DO NOT LOOK THE DEMO DEMON IN THE EYE.

But I want to talk about that demolition robot. Those two bright eyes look like they could pierce masonry, let alone the built-in jackhammer. If these aren’t readily available to the public, maybe Alpine will let me control theirs for awhile.

: Bid Deahl rendering from cwchicagoretail.com

: The Demo Permit.

Earth is moving for gigantic River North home

Posted on June 30, 2016 by danieldschell

They’re scraping and digging at 455 West Superior Street.

I don’t normally pay mind to single-family development. I like the big stuff. The tall stuff. The expensive stuff.

The Permit.

Well, here’s a single-family home that fits into all three categories. Back in March, Dennis Rodkin at Crain’s was all over the news of a permit being filed for a home to be built at 455 West Superior Street in River North. What makes this home so unusual? Let’s have a look at that permit, filed by the City of Chicago on March 1, 2016.

It’s a five-story, single-family home. That’s a tall home.
The permit estimates construction costs at just under $10,000,000.00!
THERE WILL BE CAISSONS! This is gonna be one *heavy* home. (Yeah, no basement. I guess the game room will have to be on one of the five above-ground floors.)
Power Construction is the general contractor. That’s a heavy hitter for your home building.

Not much has been done since March, until now. When I walked past on Thursday, I saw the first signs of active construction since the permit. Scraping and digging. Just like they do for skyscrapers. This will be an interesting home to watch go up.

The actual permit, displayed on site at 455 West Superior Street.

Another view of the lot, which, according to Dennis Rodkin’s article, is really *three* lots.

455 West Superior on March 2, the day after the permit was filed.

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