Flora is ready for its October 15 debut

Posted on October 12, 2024 by danieldschell

Flora (1114 West Carroll Avenue) is the newest addition to the western Chicago Skyline.

Flora, the brand-spankin’-new apartment tower at 1114 West Carroll Avenue in the Fulton Market District, is getting ready for its big opening on Tuesday, October 15. If you’ve been to the website to check on availability for studio, one-bed, two-bed, and even three-bedroom floor plans, you know that’s the day you can move in to your new pad.

The 34-story, 368-unit apartment tower, includes a below-grade 95-space garage and storage for 185 bicycles, is a sharp-looking addition to the westward-spreading West Loop. And there’s more coming to the neighborhood soon. Very soon. And Flora is one great reason to add a station to the Metra lines that don’t stop between Western Avenue and the Ogilvie Transportation Center.

Not that this should ever be a barometer for good or bad from a development, but this one lives up to its renderings. Congratulations to the Flora team, including developer Trammell Crow Company, design architects ESG Architecture & Design, and general contractor Power Construction. May your units fill up quickly. I’d happily live here, and I have a birthday coming up (next year) if anyone wants to gift me a one-bedroom.

Power got their first permit for Flora back on January 9 of 2023 with the issuance of the foundation permit. Several more permits followed, including the tower crane two weeks later, the full building permit on March 7, 2023, and permission to install four passenger elevators on October 26 of last year.

Enjoying the photos? Metra and CTA rides (and Amtrak trains to Milwaukee), Zipcars, Divvy Bikes, camera lenses, domain fees, snacks & energy drinks, and comfortable walking shoes add up. You can help offset expenses by making a greatly-appreciated donation to Building Up Chicago.

Flora, at 1114 West Carroll, blossoms into a stellar tower

Posted on May 6, 2024 by danieldschell

The last time I posted about 1114 West Carroll, it was 1114 West Carroll. Now, it has a new moniker: Flora. And a name change is enough of a reason (to me) to throw a few more pics out there. But more so because I just happen to really love the look of this tower.

And I’m not going to be neutral when it comes to the West Loop/Fulton Market District. It’s my favorite neighborhood in Chicago. And while Flora feels like it’s situated a little too far west for my liking, this portion of Fulton Market is going to become very dense very soon, putting Flora right in the middle of everything. Yep, I’d live here.

The 34-story, 368-unit apartment tower should be welcoming its first residents this summer. Won’t be surprised if it fills up quickly.

Sunny afternoon at 1114 West Carroll

Posted on March 8, 2024 by danieldschell

When I was at 1114 West Carroll a couple weeks ago, I promised I’d come back soon on a sunny day for better light. Because I think this is one of those building that looks so much better in direct sunlight. I think it’s mostly because of those windows. I love those windows.

A man of my word, returneth I have. And here are the photos to prove it. (…By the way, the above link from ESG Architecture & Design has some fantastic renderings)

Tower crane’s down, glass is near the top, at 1114 West Carroll

Posted on February 25, 2024 by danieldschell

1114 West Carroll from the corner of Carroll and May.

There isn’t much construction left to see at 1114 West Carroll. Trammell Crow Company’s 34-story, 368-unit residential tower has topped out, the tower crane has been taken down, and the curtain wall is inching ever closer to the top. So I decided not to wait for a sunny day to snap some progress shots. As with all glass towers, this one deserves better lighting, so I’ll be back when the sun’s out.

Progress Update: 1114 West Carroll

Posted on November 8, 2023 by danieldschell

***1114 West Carroll*** in the Fulton Market District.

It’s time for a construction progress update at 1114 West Carroll Avenue in the Fulton Market District. These photos were taken October 24, so add a couple levels of progress since then.

Editors note: Those windows are cool.

Progress Update: 1114 West Carroll bringing 368 more apartments to the Fulton Market District

Posted on August 21, 2023 by danieldschell

There’s big progress to report at 1114 West Carroll.

1114 West Carroll, the 34-story, 368-unit apartment tower from Trammell Crow Company in Dallas is really showing out in the Fulton Market District. Don’t believe me? Check out the gallery of Power Construction progress, who appear to have reached the underside of Floor 11:

Another Fulton Market apartment tower begins, as 1114 West Carroll sprouts from the ground

Posted on May 10, 2023 by danieldschell

1114 West Carroll has gone vertical in the Fulton Market District.

1114 West Carroll, the 34-story, 368-unit apartment tower from developer Trammell Crow Company, is beginning to go 3-D from its excavation site in the Fulton Market District. On the site where once stood a Ryder truck-rental site, GC Power Construction has been digging out space for the below-grade 95 parking spaces for several weeks. But now, the core is rising.

Designed by ESG Architecture & Design, who also teamed with Trammell Crow on the Fulton Labs project on the north side of the Metra tracks, 1114 West Carroll will add retail space at ground level. Below-grade parking + ground-level retail = no parking podium, if my math is correct.

To date, 1114 has received the following building permits:
foundation issued 1/9/23
tower crane issued 1/23/23
full build issued 3/7/23
hoist issued 4/25/23

I got over here a couple times while the digging was still being dug — you’ll see photos from those visits in the gallery, including shots from Craning Day in March — but verticality is always a nice milestone. Those pics were taken May 7.

Fulton Labs has ditched the tower crane

Posted on April 23, 2021 by danieldschell

The glass is half full at Fulton Labs

Posted on April 19, 2021 by danieldschell

Fulton Labs announces topping out

Posted on March 23, 2021 by danieldschell

Fulton Labs caught some rays over the weekend.

Blogs are okay, but the best source for information is always from the best source: the source itself.

Tuesday, Fulton Labs announced the topping out of the building at 400 North Aberdeen in Fulton Market. That keeps the facility on track to open early next year.

Here’s the text of the announcement, which can be seen in its entirety at the link above:

CHICAGO — March 23, 2021 — Trammell Crow Company (TCC), one of the largest commercial real estate developers in the United States, today announced it has topped out the construction on its Fulton Labs at 400 N. Aberdeen development. The facility is a 423,454 square-foot best-in-class laboratory building that the company is developing to help meet rapidly expanding demand for Class A lab space in the Chicago region, an area that has had chronic shortages of such space for decades.

The company broke ground on the development in July 2020 and anticipates completing the facility on schedule by Q1 of 2022. Portal Innovations, a premier venture development platform that bridges scientific ideation and value creation in life science, medtech and bioinformatics, has already signed a lease and will occupy a full 35,000-square-foot floor upon the building’s completion.

“After the past few years of working toward making this hub of life science innovation in Chicago possible, it is rewarding to see it all begin to come together,” said Morgan Blaska, Senior Associate for Trammell Crow Company. “With the community of life sciences tenants strengthening in our Fulton Labs at 1375 W. Fulton facility, coupled with securing our first lease at 400 N. Aberdeen and achieving this milestone in the construction process, we’re excited to see the continuing impact that our investment in purpose-built wet and dry lab space is having on the community.”

Power Construction is the general contractor on the project, ESG Architects is supplying design and architectural services, CRB is providing lab planning and engineering design support, and CBRE is directing the life sciences transaction and advisory work.

“With our decades of construction experience in Chicago, it is exciting to be a part of a project like this that will help solve the chronic shortage of lab space in the Chicago area,” said Steve Jackson, Vice President at Power Construction. “Our expertise in this field, along with our partnership with groups like CRB and ESG, allows us to be a part of a much-needed facility that will foster collaboration and innovation for life science companies.”

Of the building’s 16 floors, 12 are dedicated to wet or dry lab space, including one full floor of shared lab space managed and programmed by Portal Innovations. The facility’s features are designed to allow for flexibility and scalability, such as column-free and long-span layouts. The facility has been designed to serve the robust infrastructure requirements for office and lab users alike, while also providing unique advances in building technology, such as View Smart Windows that automatically adjust the tint throughout the day to allow for minimized heat, UV damage, glare, and pathogens, while still providing sunlight to tenants.