A night at 150 North Riverside

Posted on February 16, 2017 by danieldschell

There’s work yet to be done on the outside, and desk space to fill up on the inside, but 150 North Riverside is open, and its night game is solid. Have a look at what’s happening along the Chicago River, and a peek at what’s still in the making.

: The vertical lighting. I love it.

: The Lake Street Bridge got some new lights along the sidewalk.

: New lighting under the Lake Street Bridge as well, for the pedestrian crossing. Includes a stop light.

: The lower plaza.

: Outside looking in.

: The upper plaza is still under construction, and won’t be open for awhile.

: But it’s going to be worth waiting for.

As 150 North Riverside opens, a look back

Posted on February 13, 2017 by danieldschell

150 North Riverside, casting gorgeous reflections onto Randolph Place, though I’m sure condo owners aren’t pleased with their new views.

150 North Riverside is the first construction project that caught, and kept, my attention. I wandered past it daily when it was still a figment of someone’s imagination, curious about the oil-drilling-rig-looking thing sitting in an empty lot along the Chicago River. Of course, I’d learn later that I was looking at a soil-sampling rig, but that had no significance to me at the time.

Shortly after construction started, some genius in Public Relations came up with a fool-proof way to garner publicity; crews excavating soil form the site sank a barge. Sure, it *looked* like an accident, but suddenly 150 North Riverside was thrust into the spotlight. And there it remained, though it didn’t hurt bringing in a giant red floating crane to erect steel trusses that stopped pedestrian traffic on the Randolph Street Bridge.

That was 28 months ago. And now, on Monday, February 13, 2017, 150 North Riverside opens its doors to office workers. Had I not dropped a hard drive on the ground and lost them, I could show you at least 1,000 photos I’ve taken of this beauty in the last 2+ years. Instead, have a look at a select few along the way. Then, make sure you stop by the tower and check out the media stream.

The Team

Goettsch Partners: Design architects

Riverside Investment & Development Company: Developer

Magnusson Klemencic Associates: Structural engineer

Clark Construction: General contractor

150 North Riverside along the way

150 North Riverside today

Construction Progress: The Viceroy Chicago making beds in the Gold Coast

Posted on January 26, 2017 by danieldschell

The Viceroy Chicago hotel, at 1118 North State Street in the Gold Coast neighborhood.

The tower crane is down and the curtain wall is up at the Viceroy Chicago hotel in the Gold Coast. As Power Construction wraps up work on the exterior of the Goettsch Partners-designed 18-story, 180-room tower, remember that we’ll still have the pleasure of watching more construction here. That’s because the 4-story facade of the old Cedar Hotel, painstakingly dismantled and stored off site, will be pieced back together again to front this property. All that work is on schedule to be completed, and the Viceroy Chicago opened, this year.

: Rendering of the Viceroy Chicago hotel from Goettsch Partners.

Construction Progress: The Marriott Marquis Chicago

Gallery

Posted on January 2, 2017 by danieldschell

This gallery contains 20 photos.

The Viceroy Chicago covers up its jagged concrete with crooked glass

Posted on October 20, 2016 by danieldschell

Flat glass cladding? Not here at the Viceroy Chicago.

If you’re like me, you enjoy going from construction site to construction site, telling crews what they’re doing wrong.

Just kidding. Don’t ever do that. It wouldn’t be appreciated.

The Viceroy Chicago Hotel going up at 1118 North State Street in the Gold Coast has been showing some cool geometric concrete flooring of late, shapes that I assumed would disappear once cladding was put into place. Luckily, architects like Goettsch Partners and contractors like Power Construction know more about what they do than I. Because the best way to to compliment those patterns is to use glass that mocks them.

Glass is going up rapidly at The Viceroy, but this is no ordinary pane. (Sorry, Stevie.) These pieces of cladding come angled. But you’ll see what I mean when you look at the photos.

: This render from Viceroy Hotels shows the V-patterns that angled glass will form. V for Viceroy.

: See? These are the cool shapes in the concrete floors. Especially cool at the corner.

Construction Update: The Marriott Marquis Chicago at McCormick Place

Posted on October 6, 2016 by danieldschell

That’s the Marriott Marquis Chicago, way over there. Don’t worry; I’ll get you closer.

39 stories. 1,205 rooms. 25,000 square feet of ballroom space. 90,000 square feet of meeting space. Two pedestrian bridges. Lots of glass.

The Marriott Marquis Chicago will have it all when it opens in July of 2017. But for now, what it has are lots of photo ops. If you’re into that sort of thing.

I am.

: Attaching the Marriott Marquis to the old American Book Company building.

: The pedestrian bridge from the West Building of McCormick Place, to the Marriott Marquis.

: The other pedestrian bridge, connecting the Marriott Marquis to the McCormick Place Event Center.

Construction Update: Viceroy Chicago rises in the Gold Coast

Posted on August 4, 2016 by danieldschell

The Viceroy Chicago rises in the Gold Coast.

Up in the Gold Coast, construction continues on Convexity Properties’ new (though slightly used) Viceroy Chicago hotel. New, as in a new 18-story, 180-room hotel. And used, as in the facade that was painstakingly dismantled from the old Cedar Hotel at 1118 North State Street. That facade is off at a facade spa getting treated like a princess, while Power Construction attends to the new tower. Then the facade will be brought back to the site and reconstructed piece by piece as part of the new building. That, along with the rooftop bar and pool, should be highlights when the Viceroy opens in Summer 2017.

You can download the Viceroy Chicago press release from March 2015 here, or see the full text below the photos:

: The Cedar Hotel. This facade was dismantled, and will be rebuilt on the front of the new Viceroy Chicago.

: A rendering of the Viceroy Chicago from the Power Construction website.

THE RUMORS ARE TRUE – VICEROY TO DEBUT IN CHICAGO IN 2017 LOS ANGELES, California (March 05, 2015) – Viceroy Hotel Group confirmed today plans for the brand’s hotly anticipated expansion to Chicago’s renowned Gold Coast neighborhood with a scheduled opening set for 2017.

Working in tandem with Convexity Properties, the powerhouse luxury hospitality brand will unveil the Goettsch Partners and TAL Studio-designed property, located conveniently for guests on State Street in the Gold Coast. The area occupies the central part of a flourishing neighborhood, quickly gaining momentum as one of the most sought-after modern luxury destinations in the city.

Known for creating authentic and inspired experiences, Viceroy Hotel Group will be using design, art, style and culture to infuse the new property with all the amenities and services of a top-luxury hotel, while simultaneously working to maintain a distinct sense of place for guests eager to explore and experience the Chicago landscape.

“Viceroy recognizes Chicago is a vibrant market and a great destination for our expansion,” said Bill Walshe, CEO of Viceroy Hotel Group. “We are extremely privileged to collaborate with Convexity Properties team to create exceptional and inspiring experiences for our guests in such a highly sought-after location.”

Convexity Properties is collaborating closely with the City, neighbors and community groups to finalize approvals for what will be an extraordinary project for the city.

About Viceroy Hotel Group

Viceroy Hotel Group delivers one-of-a-kind lifestyle experiences that bring together provocative design and intuitive service in sought-after locations. Signature brand amenities and services created for the diverse business and leisure guests include dynamic dining venues featuring world-class culinary talents and destination spas specializing in health, fitness and beauty. Current properties include hotels and resorts in Abu Dhabi, Anguilla, Beverly Hills, Maldives, Miami, New York, Riviera Maya, Palm Springs, San Francisco, Santa Monica, Snowmass, St. Lucia and Zihuatanejo with forthcoming openings in Algarve, Cartagena, Bodrum, and Dubai. For more information, visit www.ViceroyHotelGroup.com.

Construction Update: McCormick Place Event Center

Posted on July 21, 2016 by danieldschell

The McCormick Place Event Center and the Marriott Marquis Chicago.

Yes, DePaul University will play its basketball games here. But it will be much more than a basketball arena.

The new McCormick Place Event Center is being constructed in the Prairie District of the South Loop. In addition to being a 10,000-seat arena, the Event Center is also expected to host concerts, conventions, business meetings, and other sporting events not featuring the Blue Demons.

The architect of record for the McCormick Place Event Center is Curtis Moody, of Moody Nolan, while Pelli Clarke Pelli and Goettsch Partners lead a who’s-who of architecture firms also involved in the project. Similarly, Clark Construction is the general contractor, but you’ll find a number of other companies involved in construction, including Bulley & Andrews.

They hoop (see what I did there?) to have the court open in time for the 2017-18 NCAA basketball seasons.

: Soldier Field keeps a watchful eye on the new kid.

: Even the cheap seats get special attention to detail.

: There’s more of that blue steel waiting to be put into the game.

590 West Madison Pocket Park Finally Starting To Sprout

Posted on July 15, 2016 by danieldschell

Shrubbery in the 590 Madison pocket park.

It may look more like a Christmas tree farm than a pocket park, but at least something is happening at 590 West Madison Street in the West Loop. And that could mean something much, much bigger is just ahead.

As the Chicago Architecture Blog reported back in February, 590 Madison is an office tower proposed for the block of North Jefferson Street stretching from Madison to Washington. But the city said no such tower can be built until the pocket park at the Washington end of the lot is addressed. And address it they have.

590 Madison dreams of being a 41-story tower. Designed by Goettsch Partners, it would have a 330-room hotel on the lower floors, the 616,000 square feet of rentable office space from the 19th floor on up. But we must wait and see. Let’s get that park finished up first, then look for permission from the City of Chicago to start building.

: 590 Madison rendering via 590wmadison.com

: 590 Madison rendering via 590wmadison.com

: 590 Madison rendering via 590wmadison.com

: Humble beginnings, back in November ’15

: Night view, January 2017

I repeatedly started typing “parket” instead of “pocket park” during the making of this post. Can we just make “parket” a thing?

Marriott Marquis Hotel: More Photos Than I Know What To Do With

Posted on July 14, 2016 by danieldschell

The Marriott Marquis Chicago, and the American Book Company building. Soon to be joined as one.

Down in the South Loop (you may call it this part of the South Loop the Prairie District if you like. McCormick Square? That jury’s still out), Clark Construction is working feverishly on the new Marriott Marquis Chicago hotel at 2121 South Prairie Avenue. Part of the expansion of McCormick Place by the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (McPier), the new Marriott Marquis will be a 39-story tower boasting a whopping 1,206 hotel rooms.

Designed by Goettsch Partners (150 North Riverside! YAY!) the Marquis will also include 90,000 square feet of meeting space. As part of the project, renovations are being done to the American Book Company building next door at 330 East Cermak Road, which will then be connected to the new hotel.

It’s a huge construction site. And that, of course, means I take a billion photos. In fact, it’s more like a field trip than a visit every time I go down there.

Enjoy the gallery.