General Destruction has begun at the General Growth building

Posted on February 16, 2018 by danieldschell

Big chunks are missing from the GGP building at 110 North Wacker. The barge is catching them.

It feels good to write something about activity in The Loop again.

The former GGP headquarters at 110 North Wacker Drive in The Loop has begun to crumble into the Chicago River. Not by accident, of course. And not actually into the water. There’s a barge out there on the river, and Heneghan Wrecking is using it to haul away debris from the demolition of the six-story building, making space for the much-anticipated 54-story, Goettsch Partners-designed office tower 110 North Wacker, from the Howard Hughes Corporation and Chicago’s Riverside Investment and Development.

The start of demolition at 110 North Wacker immediately vaults the site to the top of the official Tower Crane Anticipation list. Though that could change, if 145 South Wells gets underway. Stay tuned.

: Goettsch partners rendering of the new 110 North Wacker.

: Demolition permit, issued January 23, 2018.

H2O = Heneghan 2 Obliterate, as 845 West Madison turns to rubble

Posted on December 27, 2017 by danieldschell

The old H2) building no longer holds water. Or anything.

And it isn’t taking them long.

Take a walk around the old H2O site at 845 West Madison in the West Loop, and you may not notice much change in the doomed three-story masonry commercial building. But stand on the sidewalk at Madison, and you’ll see that Heneghan Wrecking has cut a swath right through the middle of the beast, allowing them to work outward. So while 95% of the visible exterior may be intact, its insides are quickly being hollowed out.

Heneghan is making space for the new 845 West Madison, a joint development from The John Buck Company and Lendlease. Approved by the Chicago Plan Commission back in June, the key feature of 845 West Madison will be the two 17-story towers, providing a total of 586 units. Also included in the GREC Architects-designed project will be nearly 300 parking spaces, plus about 10,000 square feet of ground-floor retail. Expect Lendlease to double-up as general contractor as well as co-developer.

With two towers being built on a rather expansive full-block site, the most pressing question so far is, will 845 West Madison require one tower crane, swinging back and forth between the two towers? Or two tower cranes? Stay tuned, as we’ll be on the lookout for the first construction permits.

: Heneghan at work, December 2017.

: The former H2O building.

: GREC Architects render of the new 845 West Madison.

: GREC Architects render of the new 845 West Madison.

: GREC Architects render of the new 845 West Madison.

: The Demolition Permit, issued December 19.

History demolished and discovered at the J.L. Higgie Building

Posted on December 17, 2017 by danieldschell

One of the highly-coveted plaques, on the Harrison elevation, of the J.L. Higgie Building.

The J.L. Higgie Building at 1909 West Ogden Avenue in the Illinois Medical District is history, having been demolished over the past couple weeks by Heneghan Wrecking. The triangular building bounded by Ogden, Harrison, and Wolcott, built in the 1880s, was built by Higgie to be the offices of his tugboat company.

But speaking of history, demolition unearthed a treasure of it, as Heneghan discovered stacks of old newspapers where Mr. Higgie kept his offices. I got a good look at a couple of them, including a front page from February 5, 1930 (Chicago was having gang problems in those days) and a sports page from January 25, 1930 (the Chicago Blackhawks were playing the Pittsburgh Pirates in Atlantic City.)

January 25, 1930: The Pittsburgh Pirates moved their game against the Blackhawks 400 miles east because “Smoky City” fans weren’t showing up. Ouch.

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.

With site cleared, St. Ignatius can begin its new athletic center

Posted on May 16, 2017 by danieldschell

1001 West Roosevelt, site of the new St. Ignatius College Prep Athletic Center, seen from Skydeck Chicago.

At the corner of West Roosevelt Road and South Morgan Street, Heneghan Wrecking has hauled off the last remnants of the former Provision Theater, making space for St. Ignatius College Prep to get started on its new athletic center.

Permitted for demolition on March 13, the site at 1001 West Roosevelt is a blank canvas now. Not much information is available yet for the new facility, but the coveted building permit will spill all the secrets as soon as it’s issued, likely in the very near future.

: The Demolition Permit.

: The sign that proves this will be the new home of the St. Ignatius Athletic Center.

: Rubble, with St. Ignatius College Prep in the background.

: What used to be Provision Theater.

: Rubble, with St. Ignatius College Prep in the background.

Demolition Update: Grant Park Packing gives way to the Hoxton Chicago

Posted on May 9, 2017 by danieldschell

Tuesday morning:

Monday morning (with sunshine):

Quick Look: Not even rubble remains at O’Brien’s in Old Town

Posted on April 22, 2017 by danieldschell

Ironically, the most prominent remnant of O’Brien’s in Old Town is the guard rail that used to protect the restaurant from traffic.

Only a tiny pile of debris remains after just three days of work.

It’s an Old Town Teardown as O’Brien’s meets the wrecking claw

Posted on April 18, 2017 by danieldschell

When this shows up at your table, you better hurry and clean your plate.

Tuesday was Last Call at O’Brien’s Restaurant at 1528 North Wells Street in Old Town, as a crew from Heneghan Wrecking went about making space for a future hotel on the site. Permitted for demolition in March, O’Brien’s closed in late August, but plan to be back in business as part of the new boutique hotel slated for the site. That hotel, approved by the Chicago Plan Commission in June 2016, will be 13 stories high with 188 guest rooms, and, teamed with four single-family homes, will include demolition of the building next door, at 1520 North Wells.

: Rendering of the new hotel from Condor Partners

: The Demolition Permit.

: Heneghan WSrecking showing up to do what they do.

: The clock is being saved.

: The back of the house.

: Beer garden.

: There was a crowd, as expected.

: First came the fencing.

: And then the demolition.

: 1520 North Wells Street will also be demolished.

: But it has no demolition permit as yet.

: Bidding on this sign for the B.U.C. HQ.

: 1520 North Wells.

: Interior views Tuesday morning, just before demo began.

: 25

: These murals…

: …are gone now.

Old parking garage is more Ex than Ess, clearing space for Essex On The Park

Posted on February 17, 2017 by danieldschell

The parking deck, including a pool, next to the Essex Inn is coming down to make room for Essex On The Park. So please, NO DIVING.

While the Essex Inn at 800 North Michigan Avenue gets a complete upgrade, its parking deck, pool, and ground-floor restaurant next door are being obliterated by Heneghan Wrecking, making space for Essex On The Park, the giant 56-story apartment tower from Oxford Capital Group. The shiny, 476-unit project by Hartshorne Plunkard Architects will be some kind of addition to the Michigan Avenue streetwall, what with its short, stocky hotels. Power Construction is the general contractor, tasked with having the apartments ready for habitation next year.

Essex Inn looks under all the mattresses, comes up with money to begin demolition

Posted on January 6, 2017 by danieldschell

It’s demo time! Goodbye parking garage and swimming pool, hello 475 apartments.

As Crain’s Chicago Business reported on Tuesday, Essex Inn at 800 South Michigan Avenue has secured the funding necessary to upgrade the hotel, and add a new a 56-story apartment tower as its new next-door neighbor.

The Demolition Permit.

And no sooner had the ink on the check dried, crews were out on Michigan Avenue, setting up barriers and scaffolding for the temporary sidewalk that will keep pedestrians safe during demolition of the 5-story garage next to the hotel, while also making sure bloggers and skyscraper nerds can’t get too close to the goings-on.

None other than Heneghan Wrecking (we need t-shirts with Heneghan Again on them) will be making space for the new tower, with a demolition permit having been filed way back on October 27.

The Chicago Plan Commission approved the development back in May of 2016, and I quote:

The Applicant intends to create two subareas within the overall 28,744 square foot site. Subarea A, located at 800 South Michigan Avenue consists of an existing 160’ hotel building and will be rehabbed to include a maximum of 290 hotel keys. Subarea B, located at approximately 812 South Michigan Avenue, will be redeveloped with an approximately 620’ residential building including a maximum of 476 dwelling units, 100 hotel keys as well as 100 parking spaces and commercial space.

Essex on The Park, the name of the Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture-designed tower according to Crain’s, should be complete in 2018, and coincide with completion of the hotel renovation.