Demolition Update: The Shows No Longer Go On At Harpo Studios

Posted on July 27, 2016 by danieldschell

Let’s be honest. You know when Heneghan Wrecking shows up at the studio, your show has been canceled.

Heneghan Wrecking is making more space in the West Loop. This time, it’s for McDonald’s.

Harpo Studios, former television home of Oprah Winfrey, was issued a demolition permit last week, and this week, the carnage has begun. Starting with the north wall, the building is being knocked down, scooped up, and dumped into waiting haulers. In its place, the new McDonald’s corporate office that was approved by the Chicago Plan Commission the day after the demo permit was filed. Ah, synergy.

https://twitter.com/ChicagoDPD/status/756198487595819008

There is no truth to the rumor that someone on site is handing out bits of rubble to demolition spectators, yelling “YOU get a brick, YOU get a brick, EVERYBODY gets a brick!”

: The staircase inside the North Carpenter Street entrance.

: The beast must be fed.

: A service entrance off North Aberdeen, no longer accepting deliveries.

: The Demo Permit.

Demolition Permit Filed for Harpo Studios

Posted on July 21, 2016 by danieldschell

WRECK AND REMOVE A 1 TO 3 STORY CONCRETE COMMERCIAL BUILDING

That’s not just any commercial building. That’s Harpo Studios, the former home of Oprah Winfrey’s television empire. By now, everyone knows McDonald’s will be making its new home on this site, And yesterday, the City of Chicago filed the official demolition permit to knock down what should have been called “StudiOprah.” But no one asked me.

Heneghan Wrecking will do the dirty work of tearing down the building.

Harpo Studios, 110 North Carpenter Street.

Harpo Studios was doomed the moment the soil sampling rig stepped foot on the lot.

When they get around to demolishing this, the southeast corner of Harpo Studios, I’ll have the best seat in the house.

The Demolition Permit

Demolition Update: Rush University Medical Center Tear-Downs

Posted on July 20, 2016 by danieldschell

Only a portion of the Senn Building remains, of the four structures demolished at Rush University Medical Center.

It was built in 1903. The Senn Building, at Rush University Medical Center, is the last of the buildings remaining of the four permitted for demolition back in September of 2015. The others, Rawson, Jones, and Murdoch, are rubble and dust and memories already. The plan, for now, is not to replace the structures, but rather to leave open green space.

: What’s left of the Senn Building, sans name tag.

: The corner of Wood and Harrison is almost cleared.

: Some remaining detail of the Senn Building.

: Lest we forget…

: …the intersection where these four buildings were for over 100 years.

: When the thing is thirsty, the thing must drink.

: The Rawson Building.

: The Jones Building, from Wood Street.

: The Jones Building, from Congress Parkway.

: The Murdock Building.

: Jones Building demo permit.

: Murdock Building demo permit.

: Rawson Building demo permit

: Senn Building demo permit.

400 West Huron Continues Growth in River North

Posted on June 22, 2016 by danieldschell

400 West Huron is a 15-story condo building coming to the River North neighborhood at 400 West Huron Street. The Berkelhamer Architects design will have just 26 units, all condominiums. Smithfield Properties is playing the roles of both developer and general contractor on this one.

: Looking east along Huron Street.

: A big red machine.

: Gratuitous tower crane shot.

: That’s always the hardest spot to get.

: Out on the edge.

: Looking west from Franklin Street.

: Looking west from Huron Street.

: Both 400 and 410 West Huron were demolished for the new 400 West Huron. Here, Heneghan Wrecking takes down 400, as 410 awaits its fate next door.

: The demo permit for 400 West Huron.

: And the demo permit for 410 West Huron.

: The full building permit for 400 West Huron.

165 North Desplaines Gets a Foundation Permit

Posted on June 14, 2016 by danieldschell

152 North Jefferson. It remains, and is being renovated.

The long, three-story building at 152 North Jefferson stays, but the additions it spawned in the back lot have been leveled into a smooth, blank canvas. And now there’s a foundation permit on file with the City of Chicago, as of yesterday, to start construction on the new 14-story residential tower at 165 North Desplaines Street in the West Loop..

Our permit tells us to expect 199 apartments, with 99 parking spaces and some ground-floor retail. Power Construction is on the clock as your general contractor. Donald Copper from GREC Architects of Chicago did the design chores. Gerding Edlen is the developer.

This officially puts us on Tower Crane Alert!

: A rendering of 165 North Desplaines from GREC Architects.

: What the “back lot” used to look like…

: …before Heneghan Wrecking came in.

: The Haymarket memorial along Desplaines Street.

: It was packed up and moved to avoid damage during construction. It will be back.

: Another GREC render, showing the Haymarket memorial back in place.

: Even the rubble is gone now.

: Blank slate.

Demolition, Man! Old Malcolm X College Meets The Wrecking Ball

Posted on June 10, 2016 by danieldschell

Demolition continues at the old Malcolm X College. How many students passed through these doors over the years?

The saddest demolitions occur when a building needs to come down without a replacement. A church burns, and a congregation has no meeting place. A hospital is torn down, and patients have no where to turn for care. A school is leveled, and students have to be bused for miles to finish their education.

Two current, high-profile demos in Chicago are fortunate in that sense. I stopped by the old Children’s Memorial Hospital this week, for its first day of destruction. The old facility has been closed for four years now, after the new Lurie Children’s Hospital was constructed in Streeterville and all patients were transferred without interruption of care.

Such is the case with the old Malcolm X College demolition as well. A brand new facility opened at 1900 West Jackson Boulevard for the 2016 school year, leaving the old school across the street empty. So Heneghan Wrecking started tearing it down this spring. Will something take it’s place? Of course, and I’m gonna let the Chicago Blackhawks tell you all about it. That way, I have more room for photos.

1400 West Washington Getting a New Plumbers Training Center?

Posted on June 7, 2016 by danieldschell

A rendering of the new Plumbers Local 130 Training Center, from the W.E. O’Neil website.

Thanks to a heads-up from Twitter user @ponjeters, it appears the recently-demolished Plumbing Industry Center posted last night will be replaced by a new, state-of-the-art Plumbers Local 130 Training Center.

Another render from the W.E. O’Neil website.

According to the website of contractor W.E. O’Neil, they are tasked with building a 120,000-square-foot facility that will replace the one Heneghan Wrecking just finished tearing down. Per the website:

“The project is being designed as (a) teaching tool for apprentices and will incorporate state-of-the-art technology and plumbing training workshops.”

The O’Neil website lists Gensler as the architect, and Chicago Journeymen Plumbers as the client.

The website has no location information other than “Chicago,” which still has a few more spaces to fill in besides this one at 1400 West Washington Boulevard. I sent an email to O’Neil last night in hopes of verifying the project’s address.

The now-destroyed Plumbing Industry Center at 1400 West Washington Boulevard in the West Loop.

1400 West Washington Blvd is a Hole in the Ground.

Posted on June 6, 2016 by danieldschell

A large hole in the ground where 1400 West Washington used to sit.

Hasn’t always been that way, of course. What used to be the “Plumbing Industry Center” (among other uses) building at 1400 West Washington Boulevard in the West Loop was a nice looking structure. But someone wanted it gone, so down it came. No word on what, if anything, will take its place. Maybe they just needed more room for the Randolph Street Market next door.

Don’t judge it by this gloomy day; it was a handsome structure.

There were excellent columns out front.

And this fantastic piece, front and center, at the top of the building. I hope this was saved.

Heneghan Wrecking, working from the back of the building toward Washington Blvd.

It always feels like such an invasion of privacy to see a building laid open like this.

A brief look inside.

“PUBLIC” no more.

The death certificate, if you will.

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